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Was playing around with the online store and saw a charge for state tax? Dug a little deeper and found this nugget:

Taxes that apply to your purchase

Games Workshop is an international business and has to comply with tax legislation in all the territories in which it trades. The taxes that apply to you transaction are determined by the destination to which the goods are being shipped (see also the note on web store pricing).

US Shipments
If you are shipping your goods to the US then Games Workshop will charge sales and usage tax in the States where it has retail stores. In other States, no Sales Tax will be charged.

Damn, glad I got all that 25th Anniversary stuff before the new website went active. Thank god for The Warstore.

Edit: Now you can have stuff shipped to your Hobby Center and save on the shipping. Kinda cool, especially if it's direct only stuff.

Well this is weak.

Thank G-d we don't have a lame hobby center here in Utah.

Guess they're tired of people taking advantage of the weak US dollar.

Always a good business move to go against the law of the land, ya dumbasses.

Even better, a great move in a sagging economy when your own business is slowly sinking....drive more customers away.

This seems as intelligent as when GW drove the indy's to extinction and decided all internet sales were horrible crimes.

Oh well.

*hands GW a shovel*

Make sure you fill it in when you're done.

Btw, despite all the bullcrap I'm sure GW will say, it actually is against the f*cking law.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Tax_Nondiscrimination_Act

Gee, moratarium on taxes. Passed by Congress, signed by the President.

Ah well. I know you are too lazy to actually write a website that checks where the item is being shipped from AND to are in the same state, but I can see how legal canon in the States might be confusorizing.

Personally I think if I buy something now, I might be able to get a 5$ check from the class action lawsuit YADJLY will bring.

Go ahead, ask me who YADJLY is. Cookie to anyone figures it out.

I got charged a 10% sales tax on the us store... and Im from Oz!

Everytime I send them an email with another question they answer all the others except why I was charged the sales tax.

When I send them an email that only lists that one question it gets ignored...

First time using the US site; in the future I'll just go Niel (didnt do it this time as I was getting direct only stuff - in future Ill just go UK as its 'friendlier')

Stelek

Did you actually read the act itself? It's about charging taxes to access the internet. It has nothing to do with sales taxes. Absolutely nothing, except that the word tax is in both.

I guess that is enough of a connection for the GW haters to assume we are breaking the law...and get around the swearing filters.

Please stick to your business of Software Engineering (if I recall correctly), and we'll stick to our business of selling toy soldiers.

Cheers
Dave

davetaylor wrote:Stelek

Did you actually read the act itself? It's about charging taxes to access the internet. It has nothing to do with sales taxes. Absolutely nothing, except that the word tax is in both.

I guess that is enough of a connection for the GW haters to assume we are breaking the law...and get around the swearing filters.

Please stick to your business of Software Engineering (if I recall correctly), and we'll stick to our business of selling toy soldiers.

Cheers
Dave

Go Dave!

Still, we can purchase models from non GW online stores if it effects you that much. In effect, buying from the US GW store will still be cheaper than your local GW store, so it isnt too bad.

Oh, and yes, Stelek, that law is completely irrevelant, and the laws seem to be the reason GW is doing it anyway. I wouldnt blame them, as we (OZ) pay almost twice as much as you do without taxes, in store with level currencies.

I am normally willing to point the finger at GW, but I make sure I can justify doing so beforehand.

Games Workshop cannot be blamed for Tax Laws.

There are plenty of other issues we can berate them for, let's let this one slide.

Stelek, that law is for ISPs not to charge any additional taxes (beyond the standard sales take for the circuit) for internet access. State Sales tax applies to any internet sales that have a shipping location in a state in which they have a physical presence. Some companies (like CDW) will charge state sales tax in states where they do not have a presence so they can get addition benefits from the federal government.

If GW didn't charge sales tax online they would be breaking the law.

Please guys, we all know Stelek is obviously the master of all reality, natural and synthetic. Of course he is right, and indeed can not be otherwise by definition!

Seriously though, if you want to avoid these sorts of things, don't vote for politicians who want to increase taxes on industry. It only raises your prices.

davetaylor wrote:Stelek

Did you actually read the act itself? It's about charging taxes to access the internet. It has nothing to do with sales taxes. Absolutely nothing, except that the word tax is in both.

I guess that is enough of a connection for the GW haters to assume we are breaking the law...and get around the swearing filters.

Please stick to your business of Software Engineering (if I recall correctly), and we'll stick to our business of selling toy soldiers.

Cheers
Dave

Hey, since you're so quick to reply here, maybe you should ask someone to reply to Aeon's emails.

Seriously, this isn't me trying to be snide, but since you see a customer who's questions are not being answered, you might want to get on that so that he will continue buying your toy soldiers.

PenguinDude wrote:Hey, since you're so quick to reply here, maybe you should ask someone to reply to Aeon's emails.

Seriously, this isn't me trying to be snide...

Yes it is. I'm not saying you are wrong, PD. But you jumped in just to post that? You are intentionally being snide. At least be up front about it.

US law states that businesses must collect sales tax when they conduct make a sale to someone in a state in which that business has a physical presence. So if you have an office, retail outlet, or similar in a particular state - then you have to collect it. Been that way since the dawn of the Amazon age.

Recently, New York passed legislation requiring businesses to collect tax for sales there, regardless of whether or not the business has a physical presence. Several other states (Texas, for one) are looking to follow suit.

stjohn70 wrote:Recently, New York passed legislation requiring businesses to collect tax for sales there, regardless of whether or not the business has a physical presence. Several other states (Texas, for one) are looking to follow suit.

Yeah that sucks for us. I was getting very comfortable with shopping online too.

Hi guys (and especially Aeon)

Sorry about not answering the "Sales Tax from Australia" question earlier but I must admit I didn't get past Stelek's post before I posted myself.

Unfortunately I don't have an answer for you, Aeon. Which department are you contacting regarding the issue?
Are you using the custserv@games-workshop.com address or the techpriest@games-workshop.com address?

I'll have a chat with the heads of these teams today and see if we can get an answer for you.

Cheers
Dave Taylor
GW US Community Development Manager

You know, I am glad Dave Taylor jumped in and showed Steleck how crap his googlefu or wikifu skills really are, or maybe it is just poor comprehension skills. It must really grate on having to read some of the total crap that people lay down on the door of GW. Hopefully there will be more.

Oh boy. That's why states are trying to get around the law to impose taxes on sales from out of state.

Walmart has a 'physical presence' in every state, stjohn. Yet when I order from their website, and have it delivered, I do not get charged sales tax. Why? Their headquarters is not in our state, and that's the law in question.

Same with Rite Aid, Kmart, etc. Sorry, where is the GW headquarters in the US?

Every state? New York passed that law to get around the law congress passed.

Dave don't take what I say as attack on you, as it isn't. If Walmart can do better than GW in relation to it's customers, that's saying something. :(

holy crap
Dave Taylor jumps in and almost sounds upset!
it's like that scene in Knocked Up when they say "you just made Steve Carell an @$$hole"
wow

He doesn't sound a bit upset.

Stelek,

You are wrong. It's ok to be wrong once in a while.

I work in the Internet Retailing industry and if you have a nexus in a state, you are required to charge tax in that state. Frankly, I'm surprised this is just now coming up as the rules have been in place for awhile. Does it suck, yeah, but don't blame GW for having to follow the rules.

Ozymandias, King of Kings

Stelek wrote:Oh boy. That's why states are trying to get around the law to impose taxes on sales from out of state.

Walmart has a 'physical presence' in every state, stjohn. Yet when I order from their website, and have it delivered, I do not get charged sales tax. Why? Their headquarters is not in our state, and that's the law in question.

Same with Rite Aid, Kmart, etc. Sorry, where is the GW headquarters in the US?

Every state? New York passed that law to get around the law congress passed.

Dave don't take what I say as attack on you, as it isn't. If Walmart can do better than GW in relation to it's customers, that's saying something. :(

That being said, it stills does not excuse your behavior and language. GW is following a standard legal practice. I have taken a tax law course in college. As much as taxes are a big pain, the GW does know the law. I think there legal team is a little bit more informed than the average person [wait, a heck of a lot more informed].

It should also be noted that California in particular has been getting rather aggressive about pursuing companies that do not collect sales taxes. Look up Borders Online V. State Board of Equalization if you are interested in the precedent and issues involved. I am sure other states are getting interested in pursuing tax revenues in the same manner, so expect to see more of this.

Stelek wrote:Oh boy. That's why states are trying to get around the law to impose taxes on sales from out of state.

Walmart has a 'physical presence' in every state, stjohn. Yet when I order from their website, and have it delivered, I do not get charged sales tax. Why? Their headquarters is not in our state, and that's the law in question.

Same with Rite Aid, Kmart, etc. Sorry, where is the GW headquarters in the US?

Every state? New York passed that law to get around the law congress passed.

Dave don't take what I say as attack on you, as it isn't. If Walmart can do better than GW in relation to it's customers, that's saying something. :(

Walmart.com is a SEPARATE LEGAL ENTITY from the Walmart chain of stores. They did it that way for (you guessed it) tax and accounting reasons.

Stelek, it is ok to admit you are wrong, just apologize for making a mistake so we can move along.

Shall we talk about the number of ways GW is split legally for (you guessed it) tax and accounting reasons?

Of course states are getting after companies for not collecting sales tax, but is that a function of the law or a function of our state government's politics and their refusal to balance the budget?

By the way, the law I quoted IS the correct one. It specifically bars new taxes on electronic commerce. All taxes on the internet are based off of how mail order is processed.

I'm assuming GW folded because of the Quill decision in California versus Borders. You'll note that many other companies have refused to follow suit, given the likelyhood of an appeal overturning that decision.

Here is the lowdown on Quill:

"In a 1992 decision, the United States Supreme Court exempted out-of-state retailers from collecting sales taxes in states where they have no physical presence, such as a store, office, or warehouse (the legal term for this physical presence is "nexus"). Although the case dealt with a mail order company, the ruling has subsequently been applied to all remote sellers, including online retailers. The Court cited the burden of requiring these companies to comply with the regulations of some 7,500 different local taxing jurisdictions and the resulting adverse impact on interstate commerce (see Quill v. North Dakota.) The Court specifically noted that Congress has the authority to change this policy by enacting legislation requiring all retailers to collect sales taxes. To date Congress has not done so. "

Before you bite my head off about GW having a "nexus" everywhere, it hasn't been following this law for...16 years? So what changed?

California vs Borders Online is what happened. GW does not have the resources to suffer a fine nor fight a legal battle with California.

As soon as this law gets overturned on appeal (if it does) I'm sure GW will return to not taxing you. If they can get their website to work, which right now is somehow worse than the one before it. Which is saying something.

So last bit--if the Supreme Court says you cannot tax, and only Congress has the power to change this de facto exemption--why is California once again trying to change the law?

Right...straight back to politicians overspending and we (the citizens) refusing to correct this.

Add in the fact we have no real Federal tax to handle this, like the EU's VAT, and we're in a barrel.

I'm lamenting the fact GW caved in NATIONWIDE. Maybe you guys can understand my anger over this. It doesn't even affect me, and it pisses me off. More lame corporate governance that screws the customer? Yay.

Blackmoor wrote:Stelek, it is ok to admit you are wrong, just apologize for making a mistake so we can move along.

If I can get you to go away Blackmoor, you just tell me where to kiss buddy!

Stelek wrote:
BS

Amazing.

Ozymandias, King of Kings

I'm sorry whats the issue? They charge for the state's sale tax correct?

Whats the problem? I get charged sales tax all the time on internet orders.

So if the current presidential frontrunner gets into office, who wants to tax businesses and wealthy people until they are strangled to nothing, we'll see which version you like better.

While this is an entirely different debate all together (ie: why the middle class and poverty classes "deserve" the money earned by the wealthy; whom 89% of made their fortunes without a 6-figure salary and spent 15-20 years simply investing properly), it goes without saying that GW simply abiding by a law interpreted by their legal team is in no way an attempt to screw the customer.

You're dead wrong, Stelek. It's okay. In fact, you will look better by simply conceding that point.

brassangel, thanks for not disputing my facts.

Much appreciated.

How

Stelek wrote:Well this is weak.

Thank G-d we don't have a lame hobby center here in Utah.

Guess they're tired of people taking advantage of the weak US dollar.

Well that makes sense. You always charge sales tax on international orders. *rollseyes*

Always a good business move to go against the law of the land, ya dumbasses.

<snip>

Btw, despite all the bullcrap I'm sure GW will say, it actually is against the f*cking law.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Tax_Nondiscrimination_Act

Gee, moratarium on taxes. Passed by Congress, signed by the President.

I'm actually going to counter this with another Stelek post:

Stelek wrote:

Here is the lowdown on Quill:

"In a 1992 decision, the United States Supreme Court exempted out-of-state retailers from collecting sales taxes in states where they have no physical presence, such as a store, office, or warehouse (the legal term for this physical presence is "nexus"). Although the case dealt with a mail order company, the ruling has subsequently been applied to all remote sellers, including online retailers. The Court cited the burden of requiring these companies to comply with the regulations of some 7,500 different local taxing jurisdictions and the resulting adverse impact on interstate commerce (see Quill v. North Dakota.) The Court specifically noted that Congress has the authority to change this policy by enacting legislation requiring all retailers to collect sales taxes. To date Congress has not done so. "

Before you bite my head off about GW having a "nexus" everywhere, it hasn't been following this law for...16 years? So what changed?

California vs Borders Online is what happened. GW does not have the resources to suffer a fine nor fight a legal battle with California.

Sooo, apparently charging tax IS "the law of the land."

So last bit--if the Supreme Court says you cannot tax, and only Congress has the power to change this de facto exemption--why is California once again trying to change the law?

Well, first of all the US Supreme Court interprets the laws but even still the law you referenced doesn't have anything to do with charging sales tax. From wikipedia:

"The 1998 Internet Tax Freedom Act halted the expansion of direct taxation of the Internet, grandfathering existing taxes in ten states. [1] In the United States alone, some 30,000 taxing jurisdictions could otherwise have laid claim to taxes on a piece of the Internet.[2] The law, however, did not affect sales taxes applied to online purchases. These continue to be taxed at varying rates depending on the jurisdiction, in the same way that phone and mail orders are taxed." (emphasis mine)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_taxes

kthxbye.

Ozymandias, King of Kings