Is the film craze dead?

[BrianShaw]

Alive and kicking.

More like writhing in agony.

 

[BrianShaw]

I think I’ve been “middle man” in the past. Someone close to me lives in a high sales tax state. When they have purchased something small and expensive it gets shipped to me, living in a no sales tax state. I’m instructed to reship it somewhere and the cost is shipping is way less than the sales tax would have been. I suppose I am guilty of some crime.

Collusion in tax evasion…?

 

[Cholentpot]

More like writhing in agony.

Way past that point.

 

[pbromaghin]

Although similar, VAT is not quite the same as sales tax In the US.

I have often wondered just what that difference is. Can you expand?

 

[Oldwino]

Don't mean to digress, is the film craze dead, or not yet ?

to paraphrase Frank Zappa, "it's not dead yet, it just smells funny"

 

[Pieter12]

I have often wondered just what that difference is. Can you expand?

Every time a product or service changes hands, VAT is charged. That charge is credited to the seller the next time a transaction happens, but the buyer in that transaction is taxed on the new, higher price of the item. The final buyer ends up paying the total tax amount on the last price of the item. Most places with VAT include the cost of the tax in the final price and don't break it out. Items that are directly exported are usually exempt from VAT.

 

[MattKing]

Reminds me of restaurants that only take cash so they can hide income from the IRS tax people.

Or because the cost of accepting credit cards is quite high.
A fair number of small businesses around here accept cash or Interac - a Canadian electronic payment/debit system that charges the vendor much lower fees.

 

[ant!]

Or because the cost of accepting credit cards is quite high.
A fair number of small businesses around here accept cash or Interac - a Canadian electronic payment/debit system that charges the vendor much lower fees.

Cash handling is not free neither for a business (bank fees, handling time during payments and to get to the bank etc).

Here in Montreal many small shops which were before the pandemic cash & Interac only accept now credit cards without a problem (some of the iconic bagel shops excluded, e.g. St Viateur Bagel is cash only, but they have an ATM standing in their main shop...).

 

[MattKing]

Canada has its own version of a VAT - GST (Goods and Services Tax).
In some provinces, the GST is combined with any applicable provincial sales tax - HST (Harmonized Sales Tax).
The GST replaced the Federal Sales tax - a labyrinth of difficult to administer and expensive tax rules, which was hidden in the price of many goods.
The imposition of the GST has improved the bookkeeping of a large portion of Canadian businesses, because if their books are properly maintained, they get all the GST they paid back!

 

[foc]

In the EU, all retail prices must be shown including VAT.
In a B2B transaction (business to business) where both businesses are VAT registered, the price can be shown excluding VAT.

Private sellers are not liable to VAT, (since it is not a business) and so can advertise the price either including or excluding shipping and there are not customs or vat fees for inter-EU transactions.

When the transaction is from EU to non EU, that is where the fun begins ( custom, vat, and handling charges can apply and are collected on delivery of the package)

 

[pentaxuser]

I had to look at the thread's title to see what it began as

pentaxuser

 

[BrianShaw]

I had to look at the thread's title to see what it began as

pentaxuser

IKR

Just loaded some Portra 160 in a Hasselblad magazine and did some planning for tomorrow. Happy that the film craze still is alive and kicking. Can’t wait to photograph something!

 

[Marcelo Paniagua]

Anyone else notice cameras and lenses are not selling on the FS board? I see many nice things on the boards for weeks to months without selling. I have had my 500 C/M for about 3 months and I don't think my price is way high.

On my side, sold most of the items I would sell some years ago so not selling anything anymore. A couple of Rollei's and Leica got sold at a good price.

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

When the transaction is from EU to non EU, that is where the fun begins ( custom, vat, and handling charges can apply and are collected on delivery of the package)

??? I thought the whole customs/tariffs/VAT dance applied for non-EU to EU, like buying from America.

 

[Cholentpot]

Film craze.

A pack of expired non-frozen gold 200 just sold on this site for more than I would have paid fresh 3 years ago.

The film craze is not dead.

 

[4season]

I think that the film-camera market is cooling down a little, in the sense of buyers being choosier and more value-conscious compared to 2020-21, which was nutty: I did much selling then, but very little buying! 2023’s looking like a better time to seek bargains.

 

[VinceInMT]

Collusion in tax evasion…?

That would be the least of my transgressions, many that are firmly felonious.

 

[foc]

??? I thought the whole customs/tariffs/VAT dance applied for non-EU to EU, like buying from America.

Thank you for the correction I typed it the wrong way around. Yes it is like buying from USA or Great Britain.
Ebay UK and Amazon UK have a calculation at checkout to show and let EU customer pay all the custom/vat/ international duties/ import taxes at checkout rather than at point of delivery. (DDP)

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

In the EU, all retail prices must be shown including VAT.
In a B2B transaction (business to business) where both businesses are VAT registered, the price can be shown excluding VAT.

Private sellers are not liable to VAT, (since it is not a business) and so can advertise the price either including or excluding shipping and there are not customs or vat fees for inter-EU transactions.

When the transaction is from EU to non EU, that is where the fun begins ( custom, vat, and handling charges can apply and are collected on delivery of the package)

Are VATs passed along to foreign buyers?

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Every time a product or service changes hands, VAT is charged. That charge is credited to the seller the next time a transaction happens, but the buyer in that transaction is taxed on the new, higher price of the item. The final buyer ends up paying the total tax amount on the last price of the item. Most places with VAT include the cost of the tax in the final price and don't break it out. Items that are directly exported are usually exempt from VAT.

That's the thing with sales taxes in the US. They're only added to final sale price which the buyer pays. There are no taxes added at each level of manufacturing and distribution like VATs. Sales taxes vary from state to state and imposed by them. There is no Federal sales tax other than things like excise taxes, gasoline taxes, etc.

 

[abruzzi]

Are VATs passed along to foreign buyers?

No. If the reseller is setup for foriegn delivery, when you select USA as the destination, VAT is removed from the sale price. I have bought many times from Thomann in Germany (music dealer) and I've been planning to buy from Arca Swiss, bother remove VAT from the price when you select USA.

Sales taxes vary from state to state and imposed by them.

In some states it can be more complicated that than. In New Mexico, we have no "sales tax" instead it is "gross reciepts tax" its a little different but still very similar. Every political entity can levy a GRT on businesses. So where I live the total GRT==NM GRT (what the state levies) plus Doña Ana County GRT (what the county levies) plus Town of Mesilla GRT (what the town levies.) Beyond that, some people might live in a TIDD (Tax Increment Development District) which is geographically defined that add another percentage on top. The lowest total GRT in New Mexico is 5%, and the highest is 9.3125%. I live in an area which is about 8.1%.

 

[MattKing]

With

That's the thing with sales taxes in the US. They're only added to final sale price which the buyer pays. There are no taxes added at each level of manufacturing and distribution like VATs. Sales taxes vary from state to state and imposed by them. There is no Federal sales tax other than things like excise taxes, gasoline taxes, etc.

Imposition of a VAT regime usually corresponds with harmonizing a bunch of separate taxes into one, resulting in an overall reduction of the administrative burden imposed on business and many taxpayers. For example, our federal GST replaced the FST, which was an administrative nightmare.
A properly constructed VAT regime won't increase the total tax paid by the end user, but will be far easier for those in the manufacturing and distribution chain to administer and account for.
But like anything else, you need to do it right, and have a lot of parties buy in.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

No. If the reseller is setup for foriegn delivery, when you select USA as the destination, VAT is removed from the sale price. I have bought many times from Thomann in Germany (music dealer) and I've been planning to buy from Arca Swiss, bother remove VAT from the price when you select USA.



In some states it can be more complicated that than. In New Mexico, we have no "sales tax" instead it is "gross reciepts tax" its a little different but still very similar. Every political entity can levy a GRT on businesses. So where I live the total GRT==NM GRT (what the state levies) plus Doña Ana County GRT (what the county levies) plus Town of Mesilla GRT (what the town levies.) Beyond that, some people might live in a TIDD (Tax Increment Development District) which is geographically defined that add another percentage on top. The lowest total GRT in New Mexico is 5%, and the highest is 9.3125%. I live in an area which is about 8.1%.

So are vat taxes eliminated at all levels for foreign sales or just the final vat on the final sales price?


A while back I bought some German slippers through a London department store because that particular model was not sold in the usa. Only their other models. But it wasn't bad. I think I paid about $15 shipping charge from London to New York. Much better than American slippers or cameras. And I wasn't in the market for a missile or tank which we seem to make better than slippers.

 

[Anon Ymous]

@Alan Edward Klein I think you misunderstood something. Businesses reclaim the VAT of their expenses. VAT doesn't "add up" between transactions.

 

[Huss]

Film craze.

A pack of expired non-frozen gold 200 just sold on this site for more than I would have paid fresh 3 years ago.

The film craze is not dead.

Yeah, I don't get that. I even posted a thread that Fuji 200 is back in stock for $25/3 pack. Which was about the same as that 20 yr old Gold sold for.

I mean, I expect that on craigslist, ebay etc. But not here on photrio!