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Skipping APL ED Discount, Considering Amazon

ErikAndre

ErikAndre

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 14, 2007
719
0
Florida
So I think I'm considering Amazon as a purchase gateway... I'm a student and was going with Apple only for the Ed Discount and just get all the BTO options elsewhere, but someone on the forums mentioned a better deal on Amazon, so I checked it out...

Stock Config (as of 02-01-08 with shipping, taxes):

Apple Store (with ED Discount)
Base Price: $2599.00
Shipping: Free
Taxes: $162.44
Est. Total: $2761.44

Amazon (with rebate)
Base Price: $2784.00
Shipping: Free
Taxes: Free
Mail-In Rebate: ($150.00)
Est. Total: $2634.10


Looks pretty good to me
thumb.gif
... So...

1) Is it crazy to go with Amazon? (I should be ok, right?)

2) Will it upset Apple in the Warranty Dept if I find a problem with it?

3) Where can I find the Wireless Kit & 8800GT kit for the Mac Pro? (links?)

4) Should I just wait and go with Apple and get the BTO options, save the headache?
*considering the savings I'd get through Amazon*​
 
I just went through the exact same decision process on the same 8-core machine. Mine shipped from Amazon yesterday and arrives today! :)

Amazon is just fine - they are a very reputable seller. Buying from them will have no effect on your warranty.

You can buy the wireless kit at your local Apple store (I have done this myself for my last Mac Pro.) BTO makes your order get delayed like crazy.

Are you buying extra ram? I normally buy it from Crucial.com but this time I ordered from OtherWorldComputing.
 
DerekS said:
You can buy the wireless kit at your local Apple store (I have done this myself for my last Mac Pro.) BTO makes your order get delayed like crazy.
Click to expand...

So, just walk right in there and ask for it... they won't get all kung fu on me and tell me only Apple Authorized Reps are allowed to install it? (so I've heard about the wireless kit)

DerekS said:
Are you buying extra ram? I normally buy it from Crucial.com but this time I ordered from OtherWorldComputing.
Click to expand...

Yes, I plan to buy the 8GB option at OWC (4x2gb).
 
DerekS said:
You can buy the wireless kit at your local Apple store (I have done this myself for my last Mac Pro.) BTO makes your order get delayed like crazy.
Click to expand...

I just called the store and they said it would be $43.00 to get and $30.00 to install. $73.00, Criminey! Hmm... Not bad considering how much I'm saving. There's no other place I can get this from to do it myself?
 
Amazon doesn't charge you tax? I'm questioning that because I've never had any transaction at Amazon that didn't include charging me for tax.

If you save more at Amazon then I would buy from them. Your warranty is the same and you can still buy Apple Care if you want. BUT returning the unit may be a hassle because unless it is BTO, I thought you could return a machine bought on Apple.com to an Apple retail location.
 
jessica. said:
Amazon doesn't charge you tax? I'm questioning that because I've never had any transaction at Amazon that didn't include charging me for tax.
Click to expand...

I guess it depends on your state. They've never charged me tax (I live in Florida).


jessica. said:
If you save more at Amazon then I would buy from them. Your warranty is the same and you can still buy Apple Care if you want. BUT returning the unit may be a hassle because unless it is BTO, I thought you could return a machine bought on Apple.com to an Apple retail location.
Click to expand...

Hmm... that's a good question. That's a real good question.
 
jessica. said:
Your warranty is the same and you can still buy Apple Care if you want. BUT returning the unit may be a hassle because unless it is BTO, I thought you could return a machine bought on Apple.com to an Apple retail location.
Click to expand...

I just called Apple to confirm this and they said it was true. If something went wrong with it, I can't simply exchange it at the store... all exchanges would have to be through Amazon. But they would take a look at it since Apple Care is invovled.

Sigh... I'm not sure, but this may be a deal breaker.
 
ErikAndre said:
I guess it depends on your state. They've never charged me tax (I live in Florida).
Click to expand...

Correct, but you are still supposed to pay the sales tax...it's called a "use tax" in this circumstance. States are becoming more and more strict about this as they lose revenue due to people buying online, so either pay it or hope you don't get audited.
 
caeneal said:
google and ye shall find: http://meanderingpassage.com/2007/0...-an-airport-extreme-card-in-an-intel-mac-pro/
Click to expand...

It looks like this sites uses FastMac.Com and the Airport Card they use cost $89.99 plus tax. Wrong one, as Apple only charges $45 and $30 to install it for you ($75 flat).

WildCowboy said:
Correct, but you are still supposed to pay the sales tax...it's called a "use tax" in this circumstance. States are becoming more and more strict about this as they lose revenue due to people buying online, so either pay it or hope you don't get audited.
Click to expand...

I'll have to look into that. I thought if you didn't live in the same state as where the product is being shipped from, you didn't have to pay sales tax. I know the government was moving to stop this.

Besides, I think I'm going to buy direct from Apple anyways since you can't return it to an Apple Store. The taxes aren't that bad to have that luxury. That and I don't have to deal with the mess getting all the components installed. I'll just wait it out.
 
The deal is that sales tax is a State tax. Inter-state commerce is regulated by the Federal government. So, California can't make a Virginia resident pay sales tax when purchasing from a California mail-order store. And, Virginia can't make a California store charge Virginia sales tax when it fulfills orders.

The times when you do have to pay sales tax on on-line orders are when the site you are purchasing from has a brick-and-mortar presence in your state. So, you'll have to pay tax at Wal-Mart.com because of the Wal-Mart down the road from you.

However, the piper must get paid, so even if you buy that $3000 computer and the merchant doesn't have to collect your sales tax, you still owe your State that tax. And they are getting better and better about auditing and finding people who are evading the sales and use taxes. Particularly good are states that don't have an income-tax, like Tennessee, because sales tax is most of their revenue. And nowadays there's usually a section on your state tax forms specifically about uncollected sales and use taxes.

So, you may not have to pay the merchant, but if you fill out your taxes and don't declare it, well, that could be bad.
 
caeneal said:
The deal is that sales tax is a State tax. Inter-state commerce is regulated by the Federal government. So, California can't make a Virginia resident pay sales tax when purchasing from a California mail-order store. And, Virginia can't make a California store charge Virginia sales tax when it fulfills orders.

The times when you do have to pay sales tax on on-line orders are when the site you are purchasing from has a brick-and-mortar presence in your state. So, you'll have to pay tax at Wal-Mart.com because of the Wal-Mart down the road from you.

However, the piper must get paid, so even if you buy that $3000 computer and the merchant doesn't have to collect your sales tax, you still owe your State that tax. And they are getting better and better about auditing and finding people who are evading the sales and use taxes. Particularly good are states that don't have an income-tax, like Tennessee, because sales tax is most of their revenue. And nowadays there's usually a section on your state tax forms specifically about uncollected sales and use taxes.

So, you may not have to pay the merchant, but if you fill out your taxes and don't declare it, well, that could be bad.
Click to expand...

Thanks for spelling it out. I honestly never knew that. I think I've made up my mind on just getting the machine from Apple just so I can return it to the store if something goes wrong with it... too big of an investment to just mail it back to Amazon... i'd rather just go to the store and drop it off and have it replaced if need be.
 
ErikAndre said:
I just called the store and they said it would be $43.00 to get and $30.00 to install.
Click to expand...

if you buy your stock mac at the apple store with the ED discount and ask for the wireless card to be installed there before you pick up your computer they will only charge you the $43.00 - just like they only charge you $43.00 if you order it online. But if you do not have it installed with your original purchase they WILL charge you $30.00. I bought my new mac pro from the apple store and they just stuck the card in and all i had to do was wait 2 hrs and pay the $43.
 
ErikAndre said:
So, just walk right in there and ask for it... they won't get all kung fu on me and tell me only Apple Authorized Reps are allowed to install it? (so I've heard about the wireless kit)
Click to expand...

I have bought and installed my own Airport cards on both of my Mac Pros.

In the case of this recent one, I was wearing an Apple baseball cap, and the kid who checked me out said "This is supposed to be a genius-only install, but since you're wearing an Apple hat I assume you can handle it." I',m not sure his logic was sound, but I did get the card. :)

Just go in there acting like you know what you're doing.

"I need to purchase an airport card for the 2008 Mac Pro, part number MB363Z/A."

There are also places to buy it online if you wanted to go that route.

Here are some helpful tips for the install:

- To find the wires you need to attach to the airport card, remove HD bay1 and bay2. There is a black piece of tape under HD bay 2, peel it up and you'll find the wires.

- There are wires labeled 1, 2 and 3 in the bundle. There is some debate on this, but the general consensus is that you should connect 1 and 3 to the airport card.

Good luck!
 
When it comes to buying a Mac Pro, if you're a student the ADC membership is the only way to go. You'll save hundreds.

Google is your friend.
 
What happened to the amazon discount? I assumed it would be good until Feb 18. Do these discounts typically get pulled at random intervals?
 
The rebate is from amazon and it appears they are out of stock - the price is for other partners right now - you can click on the amazon MP and add it to your cart - the rebate is still there, but the product is out of stock. So you could still get it if you wanted to, you just have to wait longer.
 
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