{"id":20467,"date":"2013-07-09T00:15:57","date_gmt":"2013-07-09T07:15:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/?p=20467"},"modified":"2022-09-10T08:48:10","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T15:48:10","slug":"are-you-smarter-than-a-5th-grader-guess-which-item-costs-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id20467-are-you-smarter-than-a-5th-grader-guess-which-item-costs-more.html","title":{"rendered":"Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Guess Which Item Costs More."},"content":{"rendered":"

Last night I was doing a little shopping on Amazon<\/a> and I came across an item that was being offered for sale by two different vendors. Here was the price summary that appeared on my screen:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

So, which item is the better bargain<\/a>?<\/p>\n

On first glance, you might think the first item listed would result in a higher bill at the checkout stand. And why not? It’s $10.30 price tag is a full $3.40 more than its lone competitor selling for the seemingly bargain price of $6.90.<\/p>\n

However, upon closer inspection, and all things being equal, the second item is actually 14 cents more expensive after including the shipping charges.<\/p>\n

But Wait … Actually, It’s Not Quite That Simple<\/strong><\/p>\n

In case your wondering, the first item is cheaper regardless of whether or not taxes come in to play. Kinda sorta.<\/p>\n

Let me explain:<\/p>\n

Five states have no sales tax<\/a>: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon. And although that means 45 states do<\/em> have one, currently, most items sold by Amazon or its subsidiaries are subject to sales tax<\/a> only if they are shipped to one of the following states:<\/p>\n