Saturday, November 11, 2006
I'm through with Amazon
I've never really been a big Amazon shopper; however, recently I decided to order the new XBOX 360 HD-DVD player from them. They were one of the only places taking pre-orders, so I didn't have much choice.
That turned out to be a big mistake. I ordered on November 7th and paid for overnight shipping (only $3.99 by using the trial for Amazon Prime). The product page said that it would ship in 1-2 days.
As of this morning, the item has still not shipped and my expected ship date has been bumped twice. They have also changed the estimate on the product page to "ships within 3 to 4 days."
Based on the comments in the product forum at Amazon, it seems that those of us who chose to try out their Amazon Prime service and upgrade to the $3.99 overnight shipping are the ones affected. Some other people have received their drive or at least have confirmation of shipment. Of course, there are still people who ordered earlier than I did who haven't gotten it either.
Finally, this morning, I decided to search around and see if any other retailers have it. Circuit City and Best Buy are sold out. However, I did find it in stock at Frys.com. They also offer same day shipping. So I canceled my Amazon order and went with Frys.com. This will actually be cheaper in the long run because Frys.com doesn't charge sales tax in Kentucky.
I should have my drive on Monday.
I've never really been a big Amazon shopper; however, recently I decided to order the new XBOX 360 HD-DVD player from them. They were one of the only places taking pre-orders, so I didn't have much choice.
That turned out to be a big mistake. I ordered on November 7th and paid for overnight shipping (only $3.99 by using the trial for Amazon Prime). The product page said that it would ship in 1-2 days.
As of this morning, the item has still not shipped and my expected ship date has been bumped twice. They have also changed the estimate on the product page to "ships within 3 to 4 days."
Based on the comments in the product forum at Amazon, it seems that those of us who chose to try out their Amazon Prime service and upgrade to the $3.99 overnight shipping are the ones affected. Some other people have received their drive or at least have confirmation of shipment. Of course, there are still people who ordered earlier than I did who haven't gotten it either.
Finally, this morning, I decided to search around and see if any other retailers have it. Circuit City and Best Buy are sold out. However, I did find it in stock at Frys.com. They also offer same day shipping. So I canceled my Amazon order and went with Frys.com. This will actually be cheaper in the long run because Frys.com doesn't charge sales tax in Kentucky.
I should have my drive on Monday.
¶ 10:56 AM 
About Shawn Morton
Married father of 4, social media specialist, consumer electronics enthusiast, hair metal aficionado.
View complete bio.
View complete bio.
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You need to supply Kentucky Consumer's Use Tax Return Form 51A113m which is available for download at www.revenue.ky.gov.
More information here:
http://revenue.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/E0E8F862-2C27-4DCA-A87B-0E9332DABFF0/0/ta303.pdf.
By the way, it's your legal responsibility to track ALL mail order and Internet purchases and tabulate and tender 6% taxes on all such purchases for which Kentucky state sales taxes weren't pre-collected and forward your payment to the Kentucky Revenue Cabinet.
Many consumers are unaware just how deep sales taxes impact every family. I hope this helps!
Should your children purchase toys or candy online, by the way, they too are responsible for returning Form 51A113, I believe. There are no loopholes for minors.