itunes store buying tip

[zimv20]

i confirmed this w/ apple: if you buy a song, then later buy the album, you don't get credit for the song (i.e. the album is still full price).

from their reply to my email:

Thanks for writing Apple. If you were to purchase an album after already purchasing a few songs from that album, you would still be charged full price for the album. iTunes will view this as two separate orders.

[patrick0brien]

-zimv20

Yeah, I suppose that makes sense, they are technically two different products.

Thanks for the tip!

[maradong]

seems logical. as they have to factor the products individually i think.

[bennetsaysargh]

i guess it does make sense, but you do need to watch what you buy i guess.

[iJon]

i would just go on gneutella and download the song, if i liked iti would go buy the whole album. but its different with all people.

iJon

[chewbaccapits]

Whats with the tax?...is there a tax placed on the .99 cents?

[bennetsaysargh]

tax on 99cents turns out to be $1.06. kinda sucks. they should make the preice so it turns out to be $0.99 for every song with tax.

[patrick0brien]

Originally posted by bennetsaysargh
tax on 99cents turns out to be $1.06. kinda sucks. they should make the preice so it turns out to be $0.99 for every song with tax.

-bennetsaysargh

Isn't the tax amount based on the receiving state?

[Kwyjibo]

hmm
seems liek a standard tax rate i mean i used to work at a place that sold 99 cent bottle of pop and the totla came out ot 1.07 or 1.06

[MacBandit]

No tax here. I live in Oregon though.

It does make since on the album thing though. If you go out and buy to cd singles do you get a discount on the whole album later? I know this is digital and it could be done but at the moment they need to pay for the service and somethings take time to change. Maybe the discount will be implemented someday. We can always hope.

[bennetsaysargh]

Originally posted by patrick0brien
-bennetsaysargh

Isn't the tax amount based on the receiving state?

im in NY state, so tax is 7% i think. maybe 7.something

[MacBandit]

I can't believe that some people don't know how much sales tax they are paying in the state they live in.

Here's how much each state tax's as of January 1, 2003.

http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/rate/sales.html

[Snowy_River]

Originally posted by MacBandit
No tax here. I live in Oregon though.

It does make since on the album thing though. If you go out and buy to cd singles do you get a discount on the whole album later? I know this is digital and it could be done but at the moment they need to pay for the service and somethings take time to change. Maybe the discount will be implemented someday. We can always hope.

Ah, yes, I miss that about Oregon. But, then, they gouge you pretty well with state income tax, so it's not quite a true win situation.

P.S. I like your new 'tar.

[MacBandit]

Originally posted by Snowy_River
Ah, yes, I miss that about Oregon. But, then, they gouge you pretty well with state income tax, so it's not quite a true win situation.

P.S. I like your new 'tar.

The income tax, the property tax, the tax tax. Every state get's you one way or another just some are more insidious about it then others. Just remember everything you purchase at the store has been taxed at some point or another before you ever purchased it and that cost was passed along to you the purchaser in the form of higher prices.

[lmalave]

Originally posted by MacBandit
The income tax, the property tax, the tax tax. Every state get's you one way or another just some are more insidious about it then others. Just remember everything you purchase at the store has been taxed at some point or another before you ever purchased it and that cost was passed along to you the purchaser in the form of higher prices.

Yeah, I grew up in Eugene which had some of the highest property taxes in the nation. Not that it affected my family much, we were landless peasants and not part of the landed gentry :)

I'll always appreciate the great education system that those tax dollars bought, though. Eugene had a far, far better school district than one would think possible for a town with such meager resources (compared to the Northeast, California, etc.).

It's sad when I read about Oregon in the news. What the hell happened to my state? I read someone point out that not during the Great Depression or World War II were the school years ever cut short. Whatever happened to responsibility?

[MacBandit]

Originally posted by lmalave
Yeah, I grew up in Eugene which had some of the highest property taxes in the nation. Not that it affected my family much, we were landless peasants and not part of the landed gentry :)

I'll always appreciate the great education system that those tax dollars bought, though. Eugene had a far, far better school district than one would think possible for a town with such meager resources (compared to the Northeast, California, etc.).

It's sad when I read about Oregon in the news. What the hell happened to my state? I read someone point out that not during the Great Depression or World War II were the school years ever cut short. Whatever happened to responsibility?

The state has been on a budget grab year after year after year. It finally came to a hault when the citizens said no more. So what does the state do they cut funding to the police and the schoole. They know by doing so that it would get the peoples attention and possibly force us to vote for more taxes. Guess what so far they were wrong. They have got to rework ther budget.

[bennetsaysargh]

Originally posted by MacBandit
The state has been on a budget grab year after year after year. It finally came to a hault when the citizens said no more. So what does the state do they cut funding to the police and the schoole. They know by doing so that it would get the peoples attention and possibly force us to vote for more taxes. Guess what so far they were wrong. They have got to rework ther budget.

our government always tries to trick us into doing what it wants. i don't mean that offensivly, this is just an observation.

[Mephisto]

Odd, Mine didnt have tax on it.

La, CA

[dotcomlarry]

edit: Nevermind.

[Flowbee]

I'm not getting charged tax, either. Is anyone in california paying sales tax at the music store?

[ftaok]

Originally posted by patrick0brien
-bennetsaysargh

Isn't the tax amount based on the receiving state? Personally, I don't think that Apple should charge tax on these purchases at all, regardless of which state you're in. How does Apple comfirm where you are when you buy these songs? Just because my credit card and Apple ID are based in Jersey, doesn't mean I'm in Jersey at the time of purchase. For all they know, I could be in Delaware (where there's no sales tax).

I'm sure Apple is remitting the sales tax to the appropriate state, but I'm not sure that those states have a right to those taxes.

Maybe this one will change in the future if enough people speak up on it. In the meantime, I wonder if I change my Apple ID to have an address in Delaware, would they still charge me sales tax?

[patrick0brien]

Originally posted by ftaok
I wonder if I change my Apple ID to have an address in Delaware, would they still charge me sales tax?

-ftaok

Actually I think you hit the nail on the head here. That's probably exactly how they determine the sales tax.

[ftaok]

Originally posted by patrick0brien
-ftaok

Actually I think you hit the nail on the head here. That's probably exactly how they determine the sales tax. That right there is a problem. Just because my Apple ID has Jersey as my location, doesn't mean that I'm physically in Jersey. Since they are not sending me anything "physical", they don't know where I am. Given that they aren't sure where I am, they shouldn't charge sales tax.

Anyways, it's not like the 6% is gonna break my bank. It's just the principle behind the whole matter.

BTW, before anyone nails me on the "use tax" issue, I'll just say that I don't believe in that, either.

[patrick0brien]

Originally posted by ftaok
Just because my Apple ID has Jersey as my location, doesn't mean that I'm physically in Jersey.

-ftaok

That's a good point.

Personally I view it analogous with ordering something from a catalog. The tax is based on the billing address.

[kas95125]

I'm not being taxed at all by the iTunes store, and I live in Massachusetts, where the sales tax is 5%. Weird...:confused:

[benjaminpg]

I haven't bought anything yet from the Music Store, but from previous purchases on the internet, items are rarely taxed. The exception is if you are in the state the company is based in. In Utah, you are supposed to then keep track of all untaxed purchases and record them on your income tax and pay the tax then.

[coumerelli]

Originally posted by kas95125
I'm not being taxed at all by the iTunes store, and I live in Massachusetts, where the sales tax is 5%. Weird...:confused:


I live in WI. I bought two songs (separately) and two albums (also separately). Very interestingly enough, I was charged tax on only some of the transactions. Here's what I think, first of all, Apple is not charging tax, per se, as others have charged (claimed), rather the fed/states. Furthermore (since it's late and I'm too lazy to do my homework - I won't check - sorry), I'll betcha that the songs I bought were from diff label who no doubt are incorporated in diff states and thus do or don't have to file for sales tax. For instance, in WI BMG may be a foreign corporation (to WI and other 48 states, but not the 1 state that it 'lives' in) and not have to charge tax for interstate transactions, whereas another label may NOT be registered in WI and would then have to charge tax.

Dunno, but my 2 cents went somewhere...