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Rifle Scopes "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

B

bugshooter

Private
Full Member
Minuteman
Aug 3, 2010
50
0
46
Middle TN
Who is loyal to their local shop and pays a higher price versus internet ordering "tax-free" with possible free shipping? Why?

A NF scope is on my mind. Here, sales tax would equate to an additional $150 for a $1500 scope. I suspect any service would be through NF directly.

Thoughts?
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

Save your money and buy it online. If you have problems with your scope and you buy it locally, they may pay for shipping back to NF instead of you. I would rather save $150 instead of $15.
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

The "shops" around here suck ass, and I refuse to even walk in the door. I'm never taken seriously and these jerk-offs sit on their fat asses behind the counter like they're too goddamn busy to show you a gun. They all think they are some sort of high speed operator because they wear their pistols exposed on the belt and there is a Bushmaster AR-15 on the wall. There are way too many hide vendors that are just awesome to work with for me to waste my money with a local guy. I wish that weren't the case, YMMV.
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

I was looking for out of state or private party when I bought my scope just so I don't pay taxes... Plus the local gun shops were selling them for MSRP.
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

I always buy internet, kinda pissed me off went cabela's opened their store in grand junction, now if I buy internet from cabelas I have to pay taxes cause there is one in state, sucks but I kinda outgrew them anyway now I mostly shop from midway, liberty optics & cameraland
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

I buy local when I can but I have an awesome local store just down the road. Real friendly helpful and not snotty about it. They actually left a much bigger shop to start their own because the owner was "that guy" that treated everyone like crap.
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

For me, it depends on how much of a price difference there is. If it's relatively small (dependent on the item) I'll buy locally to support my local businesses. However if my local business is too greedy, then it's internet time. And I let them know I'm all for them making a profit, but not a stupid profit.
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

If I had a gun store I liked I would not penalize them for having to collect sales tax. If you enjoy having local stores you need to support them. That being said my favorite gun store closed up shop a couple of years ago and I have not found one I enjoy so I largely order online.
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: J-Ham</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The "shops" around here suck ass, and I refuse to even walk in the door. I'm never taken seriously and these jerk-offs sit on their fat asses behind the counter like they're too goddamn busy to show you a gun. They all think they are some sort of high speed operator because they wear their pistols exposed on the belt and there is a Bushmaster AR-15 on the wall. There are way too many hide vendors that are just awesome to work with for me to waste my money with a local guy. I wish that weren't the case, YMMV.</div></div>

Hmm, we must both be talking about the same gun shop here in IL. What part?
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

Actually, I was talking about down around your neck of the woods. I'm from Macomb (2.5 hours north) but spend a fair amount of time down in that area.
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

i have a good shop he by me. they do cost a little more but now that im a regular customer they just do cost + 10% for me on big purchases and mark me off a little on other ones. but this shop takes good care of its people.
i bought an SPR A5 from them fired about 100rds through it then bought some "factory reloads" in LC brass that were loaded by a company known to do some pretty decent work in my area. long story short, it was a freak misloaded batch and blew my new $2400 rifle to shit. my first thought was, im fucked, its a reloaded round, so FN will tell me hell no on replacing the rifle, and theres no way i could ever truely prove that i didnt reload that round myself.
so i go back to the shop just to inform them they need to pull any of that makers ammo and have send it back for saftey sake. after seeing my rifle the owner says "hell no, thats not happening to one of my customers." pulls another FN A5 off the shelf and hands it to me. takes the 249 rounds i had left of the ammo and slaps 260rds of FGMM down on the counter. i asked him about the price difference between the two types of ammo and all he says is "f**k him, he will pay for all of this or he will never see a penny of my money ever again." filled out my paper work to transfer the new rifle to me and i was out the door in time to re-zero my scope before the sun went down.

thats why I buy local. i MIGHT have gotten the rifle replaced by someone else if i was lucky, but even then i would have had to go weeks, more likely months without my only match rifle. as far as im concerned he bit down on $2700 (including ammo) with no guarentee he would get it back.

as far as im concerned, ill pay an extra few percent just to help guarentee a man like that stays in buisness.
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

Considering Tennessee has almost a 10% sales tax rate (depending on county), I do quite a bit of online shopping. My local gun shop doesn't stock much of anything I want anyhow, but their smith services see plenty of work from me and they're really good with me doing FFL transfers.
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Mike</div><div class="ubbcode-body">For me, it depends on how much of a price difference there is. If it's relatively small (dependent on the item) I'll buy locally to support my local businesses. However if my local business is too greedy, then it's internet time. And I let them know I'm all for them making a profit, but not a stupid profit. </div></div>

This...

I'd love to keep all my business local, but when I go on-line and see FGMM for $17.95/box, then walk into the store to see it marked $39.95/box, I kindly tell them "good luck with that".
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

I own a small shop in West TN. The 9.25% tax does suck, but it beats a state income tax on top of a sales tax. I do understand wanting to save the sales tax difference on a big purchase.

Try owning a shop and having people come in and finger fu** all your scopes and firearms then tell you, I just wanted to look through one or see how they actually feel before I order one online.

Don't forget, the guy who does stock the NF scopes has to buy upfront about 15k of merchandise from NF to even be able to stock them. Then you have to deal with people on the internet cutting the MAP prices that NF sets.

Local gun shops are going to be like all the other small business that Wal-Mart and all the other big box stores put out of business. They are a dying breed.

My 2 cents.
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Chappy76</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: J-Ham</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The "shops" around here suck ass, and I refuse to even walk in the door. I'm never taken seriously and these jerk-offs sit on their fat asses behind the counter like they're too goddamn busy to show you a gun. They all think they are some sort of high speed operator because they wear their pistols exposed on the belt and there is a Bushmaster AR-15 on the wall. There are way too many hide vendors that are just awesome to work with for me to waste my money with a local guy. I wish that weren't the case, YMMV.</div></div>

Hmm, we must both be talking about the same gun shop here in IL. What part? </div></div>



I know which one you are talking about and yes they are a bunch of butt holes.
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

Well I buy all of my reloading components at my gun store cause of the hazmat charges make it the same price basically. But when it comes to guns I have a friend who has his FFL I just have him order one out of one of the catalogs he has for me. The only major purchase I have done from our local gun store is my reloading equipment.
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

Here in Prescott, AZ it's difficult to find higher quality scopes. They will special oder but want full list. Additionally they know very little about the product. Plus almost 10% sales tax. Compare this to the knowledge of Jay or Chris at Sport Optics and it's a no brainer. To say nothing of the huge in stock items and the free shipping. Guess I've drank the internet kool aid.
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

Fuck taxes. Both sales tax and income tax. It pisses me off just knowing that one third of what I make is given to those fucking retards in DC.

I prefer to buy stuff locally. Here in PA we only have 6% sales tax so it's not as bad, but still sucks for bigger purchases. I like being able to get hands on with gear before I pay for it, but if taxes are $150 I'll wait 5 days for the UPS man.
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

Same here, wanted a new outboard, local wanted $4,800.00 ask if they could work with me, cash in hand, told not no, but hell no, yada, yada, yada.
OK have a nice day, same, same, bought from internet $2125.00 to my door. 3 weeks later card from local, been advise you bought a Nissan outboard, we can handle all warranty work ect for you.
Card was returned with a note, Tried to buy same from you, was told to take a hike, you do the same.
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

Internet tax free is the only way to go. I buy most of my surplus ammo online to avoid in store taxes. I bought 7.62x54R at the local sporting goods shop, I was going out shooting that day and couldn't wait, anyway, I end up paying $30 over the online price plus got hit with sales tax. There's a great company in Ohio that I love to buy from, they usually include extra gear as freebies, but since we're in the same state, I don't use them for ammo because the taxes and shipping eat up the savings. I'll spend a couple bucks more on shipping from out of state to avoid having to give the government a cut.
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

If it isn't a very high dollar item and I can't save much after shipping, I'll support local stores, otherwise, I'm tired of giving my tax dollars to the fuckers running this state, so they can screw me over even more.
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

It depends.... But for small stuff it's usually local, bigger stuff is online. Consider, though, that there are five gunshops in town. Two are big chain stores, one mostly exists for the indoor pistol range and consignment sales, one caters to the mall ninja crowd, and the other is the only place of the five that carries high end anything (Leupold and Swarovski as soon as you walk in) so they ask prices like their shit is made of solid gold.

The last time I was looking for some reloading tools, I went to Midway. With the 'Hide discount, I still came out ahead.
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

I live near EuroOptics so I buy directly from them. Even with PA's 6% sales tax. Alex and Jason are still cheaper than anywhere else I've found online. To say that their selection is outstanding is an understatement. I have a mental orgasm every time I walk into their shop.
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: matt33</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I live near EuroOptics so I buy directly from them. Even with PA's 6% sales tax. Alex and Jason are still cheaper than anywhere else I've found online. To say that their selection is outstanding is an understatement. I have a mental orgasm every time I walk into their shop. </div></div> Three words: Must.... Be.... Nice....
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

Well the local shop didn't have the scope I wanted so I tried to save a few bucks and bought a scope over the Internet. I got one of the few that made it past quality control and had an problem with the occular. The savings I saw with tax and the better price were just about equal to what I had to spend on shipping and insurance to send it back to the manufacturer for corrections. Had I ordered it through the local shop, it would have been their problem. It also took the scope out of my hands for three weeks. I figured it was a fluke getting a scope from a higher end manufacturer that had problems so I bought the next one by Internet with no issues.

I went to five dedicated gun stores to buy my wifes Christmas rifle and accessories. Everything I bought including the rifle ended up being over the Internet. Your lucky if you live by a store that has the items your looking for. I try to support the local shop but they just never seem to have a very good stock on hand. At least the places I bought from have a storefront and I'm helping a business in someone elses community.

RT
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

I live near SportOptics, and their prices are awesome, my last NF I bought a couple of weeks ago Jay brought me in the back and let me see the inventory of NF's WOW!!
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

Between the cost of gas and sales tax - it's getting harder to justify driving anywhere when you can get free shipping or even $5-10 shipping. In this economy, every buck counts. I drive a gas hog so that has to be taken into consideration. If I'm near a store that has good stock I will stop in and see if I can pick up anything.
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

I two make the bulk of my purchases online and preferably from "Hide" vendors. The local shops just dont seem to get it when it comes to pricing in this age of computers and the internet. Yes I understand their overheads but consumers are getting wiser and when your saving amounts in excess of $100 dollars for single purchases I can easily see why more and more consumers are choosing the internet.
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

I would buy from my local shop but they sell mostly low end stuff.Most People around here don't spend much on higher end products
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

Enjoy it while it lasts.... The Gub'mant is steady trying to close the tax free internet loophole...
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

Buying my NightFofce from Jay at Sprot Optics saved me over $200 not having to pay sales tax and shipping. That's not chicken feed!!!
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

Yeah JRose, I can't believe our beloved gov hasn't jumped on top of taxing out of state sales and completely F#%k down free Interprise!!
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

Good thread
When I started shooting I bought from 2 local stores. The more and more I learned about shooting the more I realized they were giving me poor information and the prices were absurdly high for everything. This was before the Internet revolution and comparison pricing and information were not so readily available. I have not been back to the local guys except for paying transfer fees for the use of their FFL's in years. Customers should not be abused and caveat emptor..I learned...
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

What local business? Wal-Mart? Small town America no longer exsists. To hell with their taxes. I buy everything I can online and never leave the house. Plus I can buy alot of reloading components with my savings.
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

it always upsets me when i have to charge local guys tax. personally i buy a lot online but when i get devoted to a local business i stick with them, tax or no tax
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

The Gubmint is gonna cache' in on internet taxes sooner than later. With all the states going broke they are not gonna let this go on long.

If we don't support local stores there won't be any. Try getting your NF from Wal Mart!!!
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

I always buy online when i can. Might as well enjoy no sales tax while you can as it wont last forever! Not to mention if your like me you pay to manuch in taxes as it is, why pay more if you dont have to!
 
Re: "Tax-free" Internet or Local Shop

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: J-Ham</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The "shops" around here suck ass, and I refuse to even walk in the door. I'm never taken seriously and these jerk-offs sit on their fat asses behind the counter like they're too goddamn busy to show you a gun. They all think they are some sort of high speed operator because they wear their pistols exposed on the belt and there is a Bushmaster AR-15 on the wall. There are way too many hide vendors that are just awesome to work with for me to waste my money with a local guy. I wish that weren't the case, YMMV. </div></div>
My local Tacticool gun store has the same type guy sitting behind the counter in front of the high dollar rifles thinking his shit doesn't stink.
As much as I like to shop local, I can't handle some people's attitudes.
SScott
 
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