Buying a Macbook Pro without tax

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Level 1

8 points

Buying a Macbook Pro without tax

Hey everyone. I'm a high school student right now and I've managed to save up a lot of my own money in order to buy the newer 15" Macbook Pros. However, I don't think the standard screen resolution would be suitable for me because I like to work a lot using Photoshop for school, and many other video projects. The problem is this, if I want to upgrade the display to the anti-glare, I'll end up paying another extra $150 on top of the $1,800. After that, the total is $1,950, but here's the bad part. I live in California and tax would be another 10% so basically, I end up paying almost $2,200 for the Macbook Pro that I want. The base configuration for the Macbook Pro 15" with standard everything, I can easily grab from Amazon for about $1,700. I've also tried MacMall because someone told me that they don't charge tax there either and you can do upgrades there too. But sadly, I figured out that they do indeed charge tax for residents of California... Basically, I need help finding a site that will configure your Macbook Pro just like Apple and not charge me tax. If anyone would please help me with this or give me some other type of advice regarding the screen resolution, I would greatly appreciate it. I really don't want to pay an extra $200 worth of taxes just for the anti-glare

Message was edited by: AngkorDeNNiS

null

Posted on Apr 5, 2011 11:15 PM

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Answer 1

Mar 14, 2016 8:33 AM in response to varjak paw

http://www.apple.com/startpage/

Left side of web page. It even has a link.

Also on the bottom of the page

for Apple education pricing is a great way for college students, parents buying for a college student, and faculty and staff at all grade levels to purchase Mac computers, Apple software, and select accessories at special prices. Students who have been accepted to college are also eligible. Just shop at the Apple Store for Education and start saving. Quantity limits apply. See terms and conditions.

ALL GRADE LEVELS.

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Answer 2

varjak paw

Level 10

182,668 points

May 31, 2011 9:35 AM in response to dahammer1

dahammer1 wrote:

Wrong Warehouse 13.... They do give discounts to K-12... I got my daughter 11 grade 1 at the apple store by me 15%. off. 2 weeks ago.

Post correct answers Dave.

My answer is correct as regards the original poster. If the Apple Store gave you a discount, either you qualified as a home school, you are an employee or board member of a K-12 school or school district, or the Apple Store made a mistake. Eligibility requirements for educational discounts can be seen here:

http://storeimages.apple.com/1851/store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Images/salespolicie sEdIndividual.html#topic-2

Regards.

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Answer 3

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,494 points

Apr 5, 2011 11:39 PM in response to AngkorDeNNiS

You can buy from a reseller like MacConnection.com however and locate many configurations however they do not have a configuration like Apple. If you want to customize then you will need to save more money to allot for California Sales Tax. Also you may want to look into Apple's Student Discount, if you call the online store they will be happy to explain that program and it's savings to you.

Roger

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Answer 4

Apr 6, 2011 6:36 AM in response to AngkorDeNNiS

Sorry to bring this up but if you are concerned about the 10% tax, maybe you should not be paying $2,200 for a computer. You should think about being more frugal. You can get a comparable PC for about half the price. And, especially considering that you are a high school student there is a high probability that you will lose your computer, it will be stolen, or it will be damaged.

My advice, for what it worth, is to save money by buying a cheaper computer. Then when you finish high school and going to University check the school calendar and ask other students if Macs are suitable for your selected course of study. If so, then consider a Mac. If not then wait until you are working then treat yourself to a Mac. Hopefully by then you won't be concerned about the 10% tax as you'll have a good paying position.

Just my opinion FWIW.

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Answer 5

AngkorDeNNiS Author

Level 1

8 points

Apr 6, 2011 7:44 AM in response to BobTheFisherman

Well. I already have a high end pc that I put about 1.8k into last year. Basically I don't need a PC at all, all I use that desktop for is basically gaming. And yes, I understand that I can get something comparable for way cheaper but my only concern is what I do with the OS. I would really like a MacBook Pro because OS X will be very beneficial to me because I can use iMovie for school, Final Cut Pro, and many other good programs. There's also another reason why i really need a Mac. It has to do with xCode. I'm trying to learn how to make my own apps for the iPhone app store. To me, this is like a challenge but at the same time, it'll be a good learning experience for me. As far as the stealing part goes, I'm pretty much cool with all the people at school and everyone else brings their laptops too. No one has ever stolen a laptop before and that's basically because of the small community, basically everyone knows each other. And btw, I need something fast with 4 cores and even though I can get a quad core windows laptop for like 1000, the battery life *****. 3 hours??? The MacBook Pro has 7 hours on ther quad core and that's a really good amount of battery life or me. Thanks for yor suggestion anyways.

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Answer 6

Apr 6, 2011 7:52 AM in response to AngkorDeNNiS

Then it sounds like you've made up your mind. I thought from your original post that the issue was money (10% tax) so responded based on that post. Given that you think you need a Mac for the reasons you posted, then 10% tax should not be an issue. Buy what you think you need.

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Answer 7

AngkorDeNNiS Author

Level 1

8 points

Apr 6, 2011 8:17 AM in response to BobTheFisherman

Yeah apparently BHPhoto doesn't charge tax on California residents and they're also giving parallels for free to with every Mac purchased. So basically, I'll save about $270 including the software. That's almost $300 I'll save right there. Thanks for helping too!

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Answer 8

varjak paw

Level 10

182,668 points

Apr 6, 2011 8:29 AM in response to AngkorDeNNiS

You need to be aware that in many if not most states, you're legally obligated to pay sales tax regardless of whether the seller collects the tax or not, and several of those states are requiring out-of-state resellers report sales to people in the state. I don't know if this is true in California, but you may well find yourself being contacted by the state saying that you have to send in the sales tax anyway. So there may not be the "savings" you think you'll get by purchasing from an online out-of-state reseller.

Regards.

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Answer 9

a brody

Level 10

85,314 points

Apr 6, 2011 8:34 AM in response to AngkorDeNNiS

Consider buying a used or refurbished Mac*:

http://www.macmaps.com/usedrefurbished.html

More often than not, you can get the power you need without having to sacrifice your bottom dollar. Very few people need every ounce of power of the top end new Macs, and usually they are already making enough money to justify the cost.

You do have to watch out for vipers out there, but my link above helps you look out for potential red flags.

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Answer 10

Apr 6, 2011 8:50 AM in response to varjak paw

Dave Sawyer wrote:
You need to be aware that in many if not most states, you're legally obligated to pay sales tax regardless of whether the seller collects the tax or not, and several of those states are requiring out-of-state resellers report sales to people in the state. I don't know if this is true in California, but you may well find yourself being contacted by the state saying that you have to send in the sales tax anyway.

It is true in CA - the tax is officially called "Sales and Use Tax" and applies to sales within the State of California and top items purchased outside of California (e.g. from B&H in New York via the Internet) but intended for use in California. The Use Tax applies when, for example, "+You purchase something from a mail order catalog, the Internet, an online auction, television shopping network, etc. located outside California and you don't pay tax to that retailer.+" Purchases like that should be claimed on (and tax paid with) your state income tax return.

It's unlikely that the Franchise Tax Board will come after you for the money, so as long as you have no ethical issues with breaking a law and evading state taxes...go ahead. 😉

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Answer 11

AngkorDeNNiS Author

Level 1

8 points

Apr 6, 2011 1:42 PM in response to neuroanatomist

You and Dave point out a really good point there. But how about Amazon??? Californians buy things from places like Amazon all the time and they never have to pay taxes on stuff they purchased from there. I haven't purchased the Macbook yet but this is something to consider. I really don't want to get into any trouble but if I can purchase things from Amazon and not have to pay tax at all, why can't I do the same thing here with BHPhotoVideo?

Edit: Maybe just going to the Apple Store would probably be the best choice after all...

Message was edited by: AngkorDeNNiS

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Answer 12

varjak paw

Level 10

182,668 points

Apr 6, 2011 1:45 PM in response to AngkorDeNNiS

But how about Amazon??? Californians buy things from places like Amazon all the time and they never have to pay taxes on stuff they purchased from there.

They're supposed to, just as they are for items purchased from B&H.

if I can purchase things from Amazon and not have to pay tax at all,

You can't, not legally. Legally everyone is supposed to pay the sales taxes, regardless of where the item is purchased. It doesn't matter whether you buy from Amazon, B&H, or Joe's Computer Shack. If the reseller doesn't collect the sales tax - and states at this time cannot force a retailer with no physical presence in the state to collect tax - then it's the purchaser who has to pay.

So yes, if you buy something from Amazon, legally you're supposed to pay sales tax yourself directly to the State of California.

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Answer 13

AngkorDeNNiS Author

Level 1

8 points

Apr 6, 2011 1:53 PM in response to varjak paw

Thanks a lot to everyone who responded to this thread. I really appreciated all the help and supported. I'm glad that I learned a couple of new things through here too that I've never knew before. I made up my mind and I've decided that I'll get my Macbook Pro from an Apple Store instead. Might go during next month or something or perhaps I'll wait until summer and upgrade my phone altogether. Anyways, thanks a lot once again!

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Answer 14

Summer66

Level 1

55 points

Apr 6, 2011 2:22 PM in response to AngkorDeNNiS

Hi A,
Roger was correct when he suggested that you inquire with Apple about their student discount program - you would just need to show your student id. I just bought a few months ago a MBP with AppleCare and saved close to $400 dollars. Without the student discount program, I - like you would probably needed to save up for a while longer. If you are buying online, there is an option at the bottom of the screen I believe that is labeled "Education."

Good luck with your purchase!

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Answer 15

Summer66

Level 1

55 points

Apr 6, 2011 2:34 PM in response to varjak paw

Ooops! Darn, didn't realize... thanks for the heads up, I know that it saved me. After 2 new pc's crashed in the middle of my semester, the student discount allowed me to get a premium/reliable computer that I can count on.

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