Rangefinder camera prices 1963

[Roger Hicks]

Amusingly inflammatory but also misleading. There is and was no nationwide sales tax in the US, there are some state sales taxes but most sales taxes are municipal, which means tens of thousands of different taxing jurisdictions, each with different rates. So a manufacturer's catalog, unless it were to rival a phone book in and size scintillating legibility, couldn't possibly quote an accurate post-tax price. And it was, I think, unheard of to collect taxes on mail order purchases at the time so even a retail shop's catalog couldn't have done so.

Fair enough. But it's always a nasty shock to non-Americans to have taxes added AFTER ordering something. Especially when buying in a shop, i.e. not mail order.

Cheers,

R.

 

[nikkor-watching]

I was interested in the Wallace Heaton promise to test all equipment themselves before offering them for sale. This kind of thing would have people whining on the internet now that their camera arrived with 100 actuations on, only 99900 or so to go.
Some manufacturers like Sony seal their cameras I believe. Personally I would prefer to be able to inspect the goods in the shop to at least be assured that I didn't get something dead-on-arrival.
I'm curious at what inflation index is being used, since the price of accommodation has risen almost astronomically yet technological goods seem cheaper than they have ever been. Even judging inflation by the price of bread and butter is tricky; it seems to have increased 100% in the past ten years.

 

[nikonhswebmaster]

Fair enough. But it's always a nasty shock to non-Americans to have taxes added AFTER ordering something. Especially when buying in a shop, i.e. not mail order.

Cheers,

R.

You can usually receive a refund on large ticket items like a $7000 Leica by filing form AU-11 in NY state. But be warned there is no guarantee, and each state is different.

Ship to your home? You may get hit at home with tax.

"As soon as you buy a product from a non-EU country, then effectively you become an importer and become liable to Customs and Excise Duty as well as Value Added Tax (VAT) payments. If the terms of sale do not specify another arrangement, the goods would normally be held by the Customs Authority at entry, pending the payment of duty and tax."

Carry the camera without the box, ship the box? Well maybe, but I have had boxes stopped in Canada -- with the question "where is the camera?"

 

[Roger Hicks]

You can usually receive a refund on large ticket items like a $7000 Leica by filing form AU-11 in NY state. But be warned there is no guarantee, and each state is different.

Ship to your home? You may get hit at home with tax.

"As soon as you buy a product from a non-EU country, then effectively you become an importer and become liable to Customs and Excise Duty as well as Value Added Tax (VAT) payments. If the terms of sale do not specify another arrangement, the goods would normally be held by the Customs Authority at entry, pending the payment of duty and tax."

Carry the camera without the box, ship the box? Well maybe, but I have had boxes stopped in Canada -- with the question "where is the camera?"

Highlight: well, yes.

In the EU, prices are almost invariably quoted with tax, though sometimes they are quoted without tax as well. For example I just bought some thymol crystals and the price was quoted as £10 tax paid, £8.33 before VAT. I've always been slightly puzzled that mail-order companies in the US are not required to collect sales tax at the point of sale. If the multiple countries of the EU can do it, why can't the multiple states of the US?

Presumably, because you could rely on some to cheat, and others (not necessarily those cheated or even cheating) to howl "It's not fair".

Cheers,

R.

 

[Dralowid]

Going off on a rangefinder tangent, the Reid with an f2 lens was £126 (inc £36 purchase tax) in 1956.

Does anyone have a UK price for a new Leica IIIf with, I suppose, a Summicron for that year?

I remember Reids used to figure in the WH catalogue.

 

[JohnTF]

Highlight: well, yes.

In the EU, prices are almost invariably quoted with tax, though sometimes they are quoted without tax as well. For example I just bought some thymol crystals and the price was quoted as £10 tax paid, £8.33 before VAT. I've always been slightly puzzled that mail-order companies in the US are not required to collect sales tax at the point of sale. If the multiple countries of the EU can do it, why can't the multiple states of the US?

Presumably, because you could rely on some to cheat, and others (not necessarily those cheated or even cheating) to howl "It's not fair".

Cheers,

R.

It''s a use tax, if you are buying it for use out of that state, no sales tax. However, if the company has offices in your state, you may have to pony up there.

Brick and Mortar stores complain, and there is talk now and again of somehow addressing it-- though sales tax may vary from town to town, it gets complicated. .

There are plenty of exemptions-- electronics purchased in Ohio by certified teachers for use in producing teaching materials are exempt, if you find the form. They wanted teachers to go out and buy computers for class.

Some states tax nothing, some do not tax food, to go, but do tax it if consumed where purchased.

If you purchase a camera around here, I am pretty sure I can get the tax knocked off if you are taking it out of the country, or even out of the state.

California, surprise, is very aggressive at collecting taxes, you win a car on a game show, and you pay the sales tax-- many turn down prizes. You win a car to be titled elsewhere in most states, and you pay the tax where you reside.

Anything that is registered is taxed every time the title is transferred, allowing the state to make more on cars than the manufacturers over the life of the car with several owners.

You are supposed to pay tax on casual sales as well, you have tax men hanging around the car boot sales?

One Sears store was built on the line between two cities, - you guessed it, they had fun figuring who got what tax.

Regards, John