Content about Amazon.com

The battle over online purchasing and sales tax might be winding to a close as more Republican governors are dropping their opposition to a mandatory state tax on Internet sales. The turning point may have been in May, when New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie cut a deal with Amazon.com: Residents of New Jersey would pay a 7% sales tax on Amazon.com purchases, and the nation’s largest e-tailer would build two distribution centers in the state.

Described as a big win for advocates of a level retail playing field, Amazon.com began collecting sales tax in Texas July 1.

“A true free market is devoid of government preferences and special treatment,” said Sandy Kennedy, president of the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA). “Texas has made a powerful statement that it's time to end special treatment for online retailers and close the sales tax loophole that gives companies like Amazon an artificial leg up on Main Street retailers.”

Gov. Chris Christie has announced an agreement with Amazon, the Internet’s largest retailer, that will levy state sales tax on purchases made by New Jersey residents. Saying it took “months of hard work and good faith discussions,” the governor said it will be Amazon’s “obligation” to track and collect the sales tax starting in July 2013.

A similar agreement was struck with Nevada earlier this month and Texas in April.

Multichannel retailing has been a buzzword since long before Jeff Bezos first reported a profit at Amazon.com (that was back in January 2002). Today, the biggest home improvement retailers are still at it, walking shoulder-to-shoulder into the multichannel future. Well, at least, they sound a lot alike.

Consider the following clicks-and-bricks-related comments:

Towson, Md.-based Porter-Cable has launched two new corded products: a 7 AMP 1/2-in. two-speed hammerdrill (PC70THD) and a 7 AMP 4 1/2-in. small angle grinder/cut-off tool (PC60TPAG). Both the hammerdrill and small angle grinder are designed to offer aggressive performance and a compact, lightweight platform to professionals who are looking for corded power on the jobsite.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Amazon.com will continue to fight against a California law passed July 1, which requires the company to collect a 7.25% sales tax. Amazon said that the law is unconstitutional, and has now announced that it will make the case against the sales tax to voters, in hopes that they will vote to overturn it.

Results just released from an NPD Group study indicates that consumers ages 65 and over accounted for 30% more in power tool sales and 16% more in outdoor power equipment sales in the 12 months ending March 2011 than they did in the previous year. 

The next age group, 45 years and up, accounted for 11% more in hand tool purchases in the same 12-month period than they did the previous year. 

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSP), in cooperation with importer One World Technologies of Anderson, S.C., is recalling approximately 300,000 Ryobi 1/4th sheet sanders due to a risk of injury. 

Pieces of the fan can break off from the fan assembly and be ejected from the product, posing a laceration hazard to consumers, the CPSC announcement said. 

The firm has received 31 reports of broken fan pieces being ejected from the sander, including two reports of minor lacerations. 

If your company’s overarching online strategy sounds like this: “Integrate real-time platforms,” then your company is in trouble for two reasons. 1) The three words above were generated randomly by the Dack.com Web Economy Bulls--t Generator; and 2) Few people know what any of those words mean individually, let alone in conjunction with one another.


You gotta have a plan, in English.