Will paying sales tax & higher shipping cost cause you to buy less online?

WINE TALK
21

I almost never buy in a store, just because I have chosen not to spend my time off shopping for anything. Possibly this will change when I retire.

22

Not every wine store has their inventory online, but itā€™s so much easier to both browse and look for specific wines online than in person. Spending more time in stores was not something I planned to do in retirement. Though being able to shop off-peak when most people are working makes it more pleasant.

23

Fortunately our favorite LWS has a very accurate online inventory. Two others I rarely patronize do not. Wines not in stock are listed and at times one has to click on each wine to determine if itā€™s really available. No wonder I rarely patronizeā€¦

24

Do you know of many retailers that still do this? Or are you mainly talking about wineries? It seems that this is not common anymore at the retail level, and I totally understand why. The places with the prices we all want are generally working at pretty slim margins, and shipping is expensive for all but the biggest players.

25

Mainly wineries, in my experience. But I do run across some retailers that offer case discounts. So considering all-in total, could approximate free shipping. FWIW if I cite a cost in a TN, itā€™s all inclusive. List price + tax + shipping.

Hope this is helpful.

26

Bumping this. I was just about to buy a small, 3-bottle order from Paloma Vineyard (two Merlot, one Cab, newly released 2019 vintage). I havenā€™t purchased from them in some time, but the 2019 vintage was good and the new release was the first in a while from them. I figured, sure, itā€™s expensive(ish) wine but why not?

Then I looked at the checkout screen. $41 to ship three bottles. Now a $72 Merlot and $85 Cab become $85 and $98 wines, respectively, not including tax. I closed the browser and wonā€™t order. Hopefully I can find some at retail. I know wineries have to make money, but $41 for three bottles GROUND is a lot.

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27

Guessing that $41 is close-ish to their costs, but for many small producers that includes transporting wines by the pallet to 3rd party shipper, whatever labor the third party shipper charges to box them up, and then actual shipping costs charged by UPS/FedEx.

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28

That may be so, but it was enough to keep me from buying.

2 Likes
29

For some reason the taxes do not bother me but high shipping costs are a huge red flag for me.

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30

#1 and #5 are basically the same choice.

I always look at the total price of a wine and consider if I want to buy it for that price. Shipping and tax will change the price but it doesnā€™t change my decision-making process. So my answer is some combination of #1 and #5.

31

Im with you. Factoring in tax and shipping, Im usually still paying 20-50% less than buying locally.

32

This.
I understand that shipping costs have gone up everywhere, and thatā€™s ok.

But when I see double-triple type shipping charges (like ~$175+ for a case, shipped GROUND), it makes me question the trustworthiness of a shopā€™s operations. That was an outlier, and a near-extortionate one but stillā€¦

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33

And then de Negoce does not always charge for shipping. I just bought a case of $9 wine from DN this morning, and zero for shipping. Not sure how they do that. They must have huge margins on the wine itself to cover the shipping.

34

this

35

I passed on a winery offer last time specifically due to the crazy shipping price. I think really it matters most for the reach wineries that are already pretty expensive and then I get hit with a fat shipping charge and just cancel. We have like 1-2 stores here that are ok, not great, but the upcharge is usually crazy high so online is better.

36

I am in NYC, my sale tax is around 8.88%. Letā€™s say shipping cost is about $3 per bottle for a case. Then if I buy a bottle over $34 online without state tax, the sale tax saving will be better than the shipping charge. When I buy online, I will make sure I select bottles that are over $34 and order in the multiple of a case.

37

For me itā€™s simply the total cost of obtaining a certain bottle or bottles. With additional consideration given to buying locally, even if it is slightly more expensive but doesnā€™t need to be shipped (supporting local businesses, shipping risks).

38

This.
Iā€™d buy more locally, but ā€¦Atlanta. Butā€¦Burgundyā€¦

Always happy to spend spend where I live.