Ordering parts on the web

[3RRL]

Reason's for shopping online:

1. Convenience.
2. Wide Selection
3. Convenience
4. Easy price comparison
5. Convenience
6. Less time spent running around trying to find what I'm looking for
7. Convenience

So much of my purchasing is done online that my wife has begun to suspect that I'm having an affair with the UPS delivery lady.

Balancing sales tax against delivery charges is not an option. You do declare your online (sales tax not collected at point of sale) purchases on your state income tax return and pay the sales tax due at that time, don't you?

Good list Tom,
I might add with the price of gas, driving around to shop prices gets expensive in my old Blazer.
Also no sales pitch BS because most items have a detailed description of what it REALLY is. And not having to put up with incompetent dip ***** is a big plus too.

 

[Tom_Veatch]

... We are supposed to report and pay the sales taxes to the state Comptroller but no private individual ever does. ...

Kansas, along with a host of other states, I suspect, has a line item on their income tax return for "Use Tax Due". That's just another way of saying "Sales Tax". So, if a return is filed with an entry of "0", and online purchases have been made for which Sales/Use Tax has not been paid, the return can be considered fraudulent just as if income is under-reported or inflated deductions are claimed.

I have no idea what percentage of returns are filed which claim no use tax due, but I imagine it's pretty high. Eventually, if not already, I expect the state(s) to get active with enforcement. That's a potentially large sum of money slipping through the politician's hands, and they aren't going to stand for that very long.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Ditto all the comments about shipping being cheaper than a drive to the store. I'm a good 20 miles in any direction to a bigger shopping center.

I buy tractor parts online because it's the only place I can get them. (Three cheers for grey market tractors!) I have a few local shops that I really value and trust, and I buy as much from them as I can. As for other generic stuff I consider myself supporting local business more by shopping online than by shopping at B&M stores locally.

That may sound funny, but if I buy from Lowe's, Home Depot, or WalMart, I'm not supporting local business. All the profit goes to some overpaid CEO and shareholders far away from me. The only money that stays local goes to the undertrained, underpaid, underhelpful employees at the store.

I know a few internet retailers around here and they are the small guys...the mom and pop type places that have a face. I guess I have that same picture of a lot of the E-bay stores and smaller online retailers. I'm not supporting business local to me, but I am supporting business local to someone. I just have to trust that if I buy from the guy local to you, you'll buy from the guy local to me. Maybe we can give the small guy a chance to survive that way.

Honestly I have had much better customer service from most online retailers than I have ever gotten at a big box store.

 

[irwin]

I was minutes from ordering tires on line, fronts for $108+..rears at $455.+ each .. but thought I'd try a tire place I deal with for my customers car tires. (I run a auto repair shop) they couldn't get tractor tires, but recommended I call another place 3 miles away.. bought the same tires from this new place.. got the fronts for same ($108.xx) but the rears were $310.xx each

 

[AKfish]

Hooray, for the local, hole-in-the-wall guy! You saved some money and time on your tires and he posted a profit (hopefully).

We all try to balance a mental checklist when we make a decision to buy something. The internet offers a smorgasboard of options that can sometimes confuse things but also make comparisons between the various options real clear.

I use the internet to be knowledgeable about what is a good deal and what isn't. If the local guy is fairly close --- he get's my money.

I'll pay more for the local option 'cause it's worth it to me to have someone I can get some "face-time" with when I need some good, experienced advice.

(Like -- stay away from 1010 and 2010 tractors -- and why!)

AKfish

 

[dgl24087]

I purchase a lot online simply because in most cases I've researched the product to the point I know more about it than the sales person (if one can even be found).

 

[bones1]

Ditto