Reply to Thread

Message:: [QUOTE="johnmilton, post: 3782095, member: 101855"]The way I look at it, I don't consider the shipping charges when I figure my bids. If I buy an item at a show, I have to pay to get there. Unless it's a local show, those costs are not cheap. They include the cost to get there (car travel or airfare, meals and a hotel. So rather than worry about the shipping costs, I ignore them in my dicision. The buyers' fee is another matter. That is part of the cost of obtaining the item, and it is including in the prices realized numbers that are published after the sale. They are also of the value of the item as the the underlying bid. Therefore, I break back my bids to reflect the buyers' fee. For example, if I think that the item is worth $5,000, my bid is $4,200. ($5,000/120% = $4,166.67. I usually runnd up if I really want the item.) The sales tax is another matter. In the past, you didn't have to pay it, but now it is an increasing reality. The choice is really yours. I try to arrange my purchases so that I can legally avoid it. In Florida, there is no sales taxes on U.S. coins. For foreign coins and bullion, there is sales taxes on bullion purchases that are under $500 and individual foreign coins that cost less $500. For tokens and medals there is no exemption. In these cases you have to make so personal choices.[/QUOTE]