Heritage has notified NY customers that they will begin charging sales tax in NY, since they're opening a NY office soon. Add that to their already higher-than-the-market buyers' premium and you'll be spending nearly 26% over your bid before you're done. I have no squabble with the sales tax issue: it's the law. NY bidders will just have to adjust their bids accordingly...and, obviously, buy fewer lots. Any reaction from other collectors?

Technically, buyers in ALL states owe the tax on every purchase. We are supposed to self report it.

Businesses don't "charge" sales tax, they collect it.

I spend a good part of my work explaining such tax issues to clients. On auction sales, Canadian tax authorities have an effective means of collecting such sales taxes in that if arriving by mail, Canada Post collects the taxes, and if shipped to the US, a Canadian must declare and pay the sales tax at the border (unless an exemption for duty exists, such as being away from Canada for 48 hours or longer)when bringing back the goods.

Max

It kills me sometimes because I will see items I really like from a california seller and will avoid bidding because of the sales tax. I know that if I put in too high of a bid and it gets bidded up to my max than I could get caught with an expensive additional surprise. I would always rather be patient and buy out of state and save the extra money. It also gives me an excuse to stay within my budgeted means.

I feel bad for the sellers because I see items that I would pay much more for go rather cheap. I know that it may seem like I would get a good deal even with the tax added but I buy so much that I got to focus on some things rather than others particularly on a busy sunday evening. I always ignore the sales tax included auctions.

Joe,

I'm not sure I would come on a public forum and say I had gone out of my way to avoid paying taxes due. (And as I said, we ALL owe sales tax on ALL purchases, regardless of what state we purchase them from.)

I don't know what's wrong with you guys. Paying taxes is a patriotic duty. It's almost a religious experience. Don't you guys listen to President Obama?

In California we have an area for "use tax" on our income tax statement, and some of us actually pay it.

It was not my intention for this posting to be a discussion of the legality of paying (or not paying) sales tax. In fact, in my original post, I did not dispute Heritage's obligation to collect sales tax.
My point, and perhaps I should have been more direct, is that, as a NY customer, I'd now be paying 25% above my bid on winning bids. Where that leaves NY customers is either adjusting their bid downward, paying more or bidding on fewer lots. Since I've managed to buy some nice material from Heritage through the years, this leaves me a bit disappointed.

I don't understand what the "Legendary" crowd is thinking. How can there still possibly be consigners not paid? Jim can't even get a phone call back from Doug? Oh, but I did get my email last night saying the "Legendary" catalog was on the way!

I think the point of the responses is that it doesn't matter. Whether you are a NY resident who buys an item from Heritage for $1000 who then collects an additional $50 Sales tax (I don't know the rate - I'm just guessing 5%) or if you are a NY resident who buys from an auction site outside NY for $1000 and then are responsible for sending NY $50 Use tax, you still pay the same. The only factor is price.

Either way you are competing against folks from states with no Sales and Use taxes.