The obligation for a seller to collect sales tax depends entirely on where they are located and have places of business (if more than one).

In that case, I'm glad the jeans didn't cost much. Thanks!

But it's also not uncommon for unsophisticated out-of-state sellers who collect sales tax in a neighboring state to be ignorant of local rules or sales tax in general.

-They may have a Penn sales tax obligation but not know that clothes are exempt, or

-They may have collected NJ tax because that's what they do on all their sales,

Asking is the best thing

Alisande, there is no sales tax on clothes in NJ.

Strangely enough, I had something similar happen when I tried to order shoes online from Aerosoles last year. As I tried to complete the order, sales tax was added on, so I called the 800 number for Aerosoles directly. I placed the order and it was totaled up with sales tax too...despite the fact that the orders come out of their Edison, NJ warehouse.

When I explained, repeatedly, to the order taker that there is no tax on clothing or shoes in NJ, the order taker claimed she pays taxes on her shoe and clothes purchases in NJ. I told her to shop somewhere else where she wouldn't be cheated! She couldn't remove the tax charge as 'her program wouldn't allow her,' but she had to adjust the pricing of the shoes to reflect the credit for the tax amount incorrectly charged.

Blubird, I didn't realize it had changed. When I lived in NJ in the late 1960s/early 70s, we had a weekend house in PA and bought our clothes here to avoid the NJ sales tax.* Nice news for current NJ residents!

* I think that statement is accurate (obviously, it's been a long time!). It could be I'm thinking of when we lived in NYC, but I know we bought our clothes there, tax or no tax. :-)

Isn't there always something to tax one's mind ...

... on what had been a beautiful (if snowy ... and blowy) day?

o j

In NY the rule is, if a company from anywhere in the US has a store in NY then you must pay the sales tax. If the site you are buying from does not have a store in NY then no sales tax is charged. We often buy electronics from NJ online that do not have stores iin NY, no tax.

I have no idea how big this company is, although the listing says 1,770 pairs of jeans (two different styles) have been sold, and that sounds big to me. So I guess it's possible it has locations in other states. But if not, and there's no sales tax on clothing in PA or NJ, I don't understand how they can charge it.

We often buy electronics from NJ online that do not have stores iin NY, no tax.

However, NY still expects you to pay use tax on all items purchased online.

• purchases of taxable property or services made over the Internet,
  from catalogs, or by phone from businesses that are located outside of
  New York State;

New York Use Tax

Well, I just received a nice reply from the seller, who refunded the sales tax, which he said was charged in error.