How much would the full cost of a 1,999$ MBP be if bought from NY or Miami?

Sales tax in Miami is 7%. Sales tax in NYC is 8.375%. So $2138 and 2166, respectively.

Or you could find a friend who lives in a state without a Apple retail store and have it shipped to them.

You won't get charged sales tax that way.

yes u will?

No u won't

Yes, you will.

Give it a shot. Go to the online Apple store, put something in your cart, enter the zip code of a state without an Apple store, and see what the sales tax rate is. I tried zips from Arkansas and Wyoming. Both charge tax. Unless you have it shipped to a state without any sales tax at all, you're paying sales tax.

Yes you will. Apple taxes every single shipment.

Delaware is between NY and Miami. There is an Apple store in Christiana Mall. No sales tax in DE.

Do you live in either state from which you tried?

C'mon, Apple pings your IP when you make the request. Apple can only charge sales tax to customers when they have a retail store in the same state as the customer.

Apple complies with state and local laws and taxes according to the state and local taxes of the delivery address, as do most major online retailers nowadays. If you'd bothered to test your theory before posting, you would know that. What this does mean, however, is that if you ship to an address in a state with no sales tax -- with or without an Apple Store -- then Apple won't charge sales tax.

The presence of a retail store is irrelevant.

Okay, buy it in Oregon. No state sales tax.

Have you tested YOUR theory?

What a ridiculous post, oh wait, hang on.

Next week I'll move to a state that doesn't have a retail store to prove my point. Amazon just started charging sales tax here in NYC about a month ago. But then again if you tested your theory you would know that.

Yes, I have.

I'm done engaging with you, your attitude has begun feel to me as though it's verging on that of a troll.

I leave it to individual buyers to make the decisions that are best for them.

Companies must collect sales tax in any state in which they do business if there is a sales tax. Apple does business in all 50 states. The do not need a physical presence to be considered doing business in the state. This is First Year law school stuff. The taxed charged is the tax in the jurisdiction where the item is sent, not where the buyer places the order. Apple uses zip codes, not pings, to determine the proper tax.