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Amazon Figures Out How To Funnel California Sales Tax Back Into Its Own Pockets
By Mary Beth Quirk on May 21, 2012 12:00 PM
66 Comments
Amazon has been battling against having to pay state sales tax for awhile, and now it seems to have dreamed up the perfect scheme: It'll pay sales taxes in California starting next fall, but by setting up shop in two cities, it'll manage to funnel that money right back into its own pockets. More »
Amazon Reportedly Set To Introduce Front-Lit Kindle In July
By Chris Morran on May 14, 2012 3:04 PM
26 Comments
Since the introduction of the iPad, e-book fans have generally fallen into two camps — those who prefer the E Ink technology in Kindles and Nooks because it causes less eye strain and uses relatively low battery power; and those who prefer the backlit screens of tablet computers, which allow them to read without the need for a secondary light source. The Nook has come up with one possible solution, and now Amazon is reportedly set to launch a Kindle that would use a front-lit system to allow people to read in the dark. More »
(formatc1)
How My Ex-Wife Is Unintentionally Keeping Me Away From My Money
By Laura Northrup on May 11, 2012 9:00 AM
21 Comments
If you're going to be goofing off on the Internet anyway, you might as well make some money at it, right? That's how so many of us find ourselves doing tiny tasks using Amazon's Mechanical Turk in the wee hours of the morning. Reader Alex recently started using it, too. He's built up a nice balance, which he would like to withdraw using his Amazon payments account. Only he can't, because that account is a joint one with his ex-wife. Who he never added to his payments account, but might have had a wedding registry with long ago. Now Amazon has locked him out of his payments account entirely, and he can't fix the situation. Hey, $75 is $75. More »
Now You Can Force Your Friends To Finally Read 'Harry Potter' With Kindle Lending
By Mary Beth Quirk on May 10, 2012 3:00 PM
35 Comments
If you're sick of trying to foist various large tomes from the Harry Potter series on your friends so they can finally see for themselves how exciting Quidditch is, there's relief in sight. Amazon announced today that Kindle owners can now borrow Harry Potter e-books from the Kindle Owners' Lending Library. More »
((Mon1ca))
Amazon Says It Will Never Compensate Us For Or Assist With Problems In Any Future Deliveries
By Mary Beth Quirk on May 9, 2012 2:00 PM
135 Comments
Consumerist reader L. and his wife have been loyal customers of Amazon since the giant e-tailer started out, he says. But because of a recent email his wife received today, he says they're going to reconsider their allegiance. More »
The Word "Used" Should Never Describe Sanitary Products For Sale
By Mary Beth Quirk on May 7, 2012 5:00 PM
31 Comments
Anyone can appreciate a good bargain on a used product that works just as well as when it was in brand new condition. Used cars? Great! Gently worn clothing? Sign me up. But perhaps when describing an item such as say, feminine hygiene products, such a term should not be attached. More »
(acetonic)
Amazon Getting Into The Business Of Making Its Own TV Shows
By Mary Beth Quirk on May 3, 2012 10:05 AM
20 Comments
Amazon has already learned how to tie its own shoes, and now it wants to figure out how to have its own successful TV shows to offer on its streaming service. Netflix has its web shows already, so it seems it's time for Amazon to catch up to the other kids. More »
Target Stops Selling Kindle Over Reported "Conflict Of Interest"
By Chris Morran on May 2, 2012 11:34 AM
65 Comments
Even though Amazon's Kindle e-reader has been a top seller for Target since the retailer began selling the device in 2010, the Minnesota-based chain is pulling the Kindle from stores and has already stopped selling it on Target.com. More »
Amazon To Start Collecting Sales Tax In Texas
By Chris Morran on April 28, 2012 2:17 AM
87 Comments
Starting in July, shoppers in Texas will no longer have to go through the hassle of calculating and paying all that sales tax that Amazon hasn't been collecting on their purchases. On Friday, the Lone Star State joined a growing group of states reaching accords with the online giant about making sure those taxes get collected at the time of purchase. More »
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Amazon Marks My Order As Fraudulent But Doesn't Reverse Charge Or Stop Shipment
By Mary Beth Quirk on April 27, 2012 5:00 PM
21 Comments
Consumerist reader Paul works in the Internet retail business, and as such, knows how easily an order can get tangled up if the shipping and billing addresses don't match. So after he'd moved, he made sure to change the address on his credit card before ordering an item on Amazon. Even that didn't save him from the headache that followed. More »
Illinois Judge: Law Requiring Amazon To Collect Sales Tax Is Unconstitutional
By Chris Morran on April 26, 2012 11:18 AM
51 Comments
Last year, Illinois joined the ranks of states passing laws requiring Amazon and other online-only retailers to collect sales tax on purchases by that state's residents. Yesterday afternoon, a judge in Cook County, IL, surprised a lot of people by ruling this law violates the U.S. Constitution. More »
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Amazon Agrees To Collect Sales Tax In Nevada
By Chris Morran on April 24, 2012 11:15 AM
59 Comments
The number of states where Amazon shoppers aren't charged sales tax continues to shrink, as the massive online retailer has agreed to begin collecting the tax on sales to Nevada customers starting in 2014. More »
Apple Willing To Stand Trial On E-Book Price-Fixing Allegations
By Chris Morran on April 18, 2012 6:20 PM
20 Comments
Even though three of the publishers accused of colluding with Apple to fix prices on e-books have already settled with the Dept. of Justice, the electronics giant continues to assert its innocence and wants the opportunity to answer the charges in court. More »
USPS Turns Box Into Accordion, Hopes You Won't Notice
By Laura Northrup on April 17, 2012 10:30 AM
69 Comments
When Chris received this package in the mail, he assumed that his mail carrier had crammed it in his mailbox with overwhelming force. That wasn't the case, though. The truth is more mysterious and much weirder. More »
Do Amazon And Netflix Inflate Their Streaming Libraries?
By Laura Northrup on April 17, 2012 9:30 AM
56 Comments
When you read that Amazon offers 17,000 "movies and TV programs" in its streaming library, and that Netflix has 60,000, what do you assume that figure means? Sure, a movie's a movie, but what constitutes a TV program? Using Amazon's math, a "program" is a single episode of a series, meaning that the entire run of "24" counts as 192 programs. Is this a reasonable way to count videos, or is it misleading? Fast Company's stance is clear: they think that both companies are using this trick to inflate their total program count and make their services look more impressive than they are. More »
One Of These Things Is Not Like The Other: Beware Knock-Off Books On Amazon
By Mary Beth Quirk on April 16, 2012 5:00 PM
82 Comments
It's not just fake Louis Vuitton purses and Prada shoes getting knocked off and sold on the Internet — you could get scammed by a book title as well if a self-publishing author plays their game well enough. And yes, this kind of thing happens under Amazon's watch. More »
This Kebab Seasoning Is Unlike Any Other Meat Spice We've Seen
By Mary Beth Quirk on April 12, 2012 12:00 PM
28 Comments
Consumerist reader Ashi was surfing the interwebs, perhaps on the hunt for just the right kebab seasoning, when he happened across a promising item sold through Amazon. "Sadaf Ground Meat Kabob Season, 1-ounce." Sounds tasty — too bad it's being sold with a picture of an entirely different product. More »
How Amazon Was Amazing To Kindle Customer
By Laura Northrup on April 12, 2012 11:45 AM
48 Comments
Mike wasn't looking for a freebie. He just had a few cosmetic scratches on the touchscreen of his Kindle Fire and wanted to know if there was a way he could minimize them or buff them out. He called up Amazon to ask, and their solution wasn't a healing screen cover or a special polish. They shipped out a new device to him the very next day. More »
(lexuh)
DOJ Agrees On E-Book Price-Fixing Settlement With Three Publishers
By Chris Morran on April 11, 2012 3:00 PM
30 Comments
Only hours after filing suit against Apple and six book publishers over allegations of e-book price-fixing, the Justice Dept. said has agreed on settlement terms with three of those publishing companies — HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette. More »
Can Bricks-And-Mortar Retailers Beat Amazon At The Pricing Game?
By Chris Morran on April 11, 2012 1:45 PM
102 Comments
In recent years, retailers across the country have taken issue with Amazon and other online stores that don't collect sales tax in most states, saying it gives e-tailers an unfair advantage and offers consumers an easy way to skirt their sales tax obligations. But recent studies show just how far apart prices at bricks-and-mortar stores — and their websites — are from what consumers will pay on Amazon. More »
