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Buy a macbook pro in Seattle or Portland?

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montblanc1

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 18, 2009
95
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In a few days I will be going to University of Washington (Seattle, WA) ,and the place where I live is just a few miles from the Apple store in UW. So buying a mac there would be so easy, but the tax would be included since the tax rate in WA is 9%.

Well, in contrast, tax in Oregon is 0%, so I can save a lot of money if I purchase MB991. The only trouble would be that it might be a bit inconvenient to head from Seattle to Portland!!!

So where do you guys recommend???
 
As you said. Oregon is zero taxes.
you have to see whether you can still saving including the Seattle to Portland transportation, into the deal. Unless you've some fellow going there, and thus saving you from the travel fare.
Now: I'd check in you University's bookstore: they do have, sometime, better deals than published, so you could save more...
 
montblanc1 said:
In a few days I will be going to University of Washington (Seattle, WA) ,and the place where I live is just a few miles from the Apple store in UW. So buying a mac there would be so easy, but the tax would be included since the tax rate in WA is 9%.

Well, in contrast, tax in Oregon is 0%, so I can save a lot of money if I purchase MB991. The only trouble would be that it might be a bit inconvenient to head from Seattle to Portland!!!

So where do you guys recommend???
Click to expand...


I think some of the Student Unions(Some of them are book stores) do not have consumer tax :) plus they are cheaper than the regular store plus you may get a iPod Touch! Contact UW student Union to ask them about the details. By the way, that's a good school, I really want to go! Congratulations! Can you sent me an email and tell me something about the school??

wangxiaotian2007@gmail.com
my name is Ken
 
You could always wait for a family trip to Portland. But if you go by yourself calculate the total round trip cost and if it is more than our state tax then it's not worth the trouble.
 
Buy it in Portland if you have the time for a 6 hour round trip drive. The money you save on tax will be far more than the money you will spend on gas (assuming you don't drive a gas guzzler)

The nearest store is in Pioneer Place which is in downtown Portland and there is parking both on the street and in the private lot (both are paid but the price is reasonable)

edit- if you don't want to drive there's always the train. Round trip fare is probably around $50-60
 
My sister is starting at the UW in the fall, and I bought her Macbook Pro for her here in Portland...

Dunno. I mean I live here and was driving home anyway... It's probably only $50 worth of gas, just depends on how you value your time and risking getting a ticket (that section of I-5 is heavily patrolled.)

(Also, the Pioneer Place parking is validated, so it's free if you buy a computer.)
 
The last three macs I have bought I have went to OR. to pick them up. My sister lives in a little town west of Eugene called Dallas. So I have all my stuff sent there and it works great. don't have to pay the state, and get to see my sister. Taxevasionforthewin! :D
 
Here's something to consider.... I purchased my MacBook Pro while in NH (tax free) years ago. I did not open the machine until I got home (i.e. WA state). My luck, the machine was DOA and I had to go to the local Apple store in Bellevue for an exchange. They tried charging me tax since they have to return the machines.. they never do straight exchanges. After making a fuss, I got out of paying the tax but if you have an issue, depending on how nice the individuals at the store are, you might be screwed for the tax if it's DOA or has a major issue warranting an immediate return. Food for thought.
 
LAS.mac said:
As you said. Oregon is zero taxes.
you have to see whether you can still saving including the Seattle to Portland transportation, into the deal. Unless you've some fellow going there, and thus saving you from the travel fare.
Now: I'd check in you University's bookstore: they do have, sometime, better deals than published, so you could save more...
Click to expand...

Wow, you guys are lucky. We pay almost a 10% Tax here in California. It's such a rip off. I'm so sick of all the costs in California. :(
 
montblanc1 said:
In a few days I will be going to University of Washington (Seattle, WA) ,and the place where I live is just a few miles from the Apple store in UW.
Click to expand...
Do you guys really have an Apple Store on the UDub campus? We Alaskans don't have a single one anywhere here.:(
 
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PolySciSurfer said:
We have an Apple store on my campus! UCSD. :D Plus we have I think 4 Apple stores in San Diego. Plus we have the Best Buy and Fry's, both sell Apple computers. :apple:
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Yeah, we have Best Buys and they sell them and also some smaller resellers like The Alaska Mac Store and MacHaus but none of those can beat the experience I had at the D.C. mall Apple Store when I was there in April. The smaller ones do come close though. But not so close that I don't anticipate going to the San Fran Apple Store later this year.:p
 
lol i just graduated from UW and i can tell you that this is gonna be the best 4 years you'll ever have.

yea WA tax of 9% is really gay but what can you do..its the cost of living in one of the best (and healthiest) cities in the US!
 
littleasian said:
lol i just graduated from UW and i can tell you that this is gonna be the best 4 years you'll ever have.

yea WA tax of 9% is really gay but what can you do..its the cost of living in one of the best (and healthiest) cities in the US!
Click to expand...

You just graduated from a university, and you still talk like that? If I were your mother, I'd wash your mouth out. :rolleyes:
 
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littleasian said:
lol i just graduated from UW and i can tell you that this is gonna be the best 4 years you'll ever have.

yea WA tax of 9% is really gay but what can you do..its the cost of living in one of the best (and healthiest) cities in the US!
Click to expand...

From a famous movie "sleepless in Seattle" I learned that it rains almost nine month in Seattle! And from geography, I do know that seattle is really a moist city dominated by drizzle~~~
 
Being a Mac fanboy you should buy in Portland, that's way more kewl. :cool:
 
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