paying more for online shopping the wave of the future?

Paying More for Online Shopping

It seems that these days greed abounds in ways that would make the character “Gordon Gekko” from the 1987 film “Wall Street” proud. It seems that the US Senate is poised to pass a new bill which would add sales taxes to all internet purchases.

In many cases, purchasing goods online is cheaper than doing so in a store both because e-tailers are able to offer up lower prices due to less fixed costs such as storefronts and often times with free shipping and handling.

Combined with no sales tax and that makes for a nice savings for the consumer.

The Senate bill would allow states to levy sales taxes on online purchases which would increase the purchase price for consumers. The GOP-controlled House of Representatives has yet to endorse a similar measure. However, that is not the only factor affecting the price of online shopping.

Studies show that some popular retailers adjust their prices based on the internet browser being used. Shoppers using Firefox and Apple’s Safari browser have been found to be charged more for items due to the presumption that users of those browsers have more money to spend. Google’s chrome browser was shown to result in lower prices.

On The Web:

Senate bill may require paying sales tax for more online purchases
http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/04/23/3270591/bill-may-require-paying-sales.html

Your Browser May Cost You More When Shopping Online
http://vaconsumernews.com/2013/02/19/your-browser-may-cost-you-more-when-shopping-online/