Any Robbins Diamonds in Philly/Delaware customers out there?

[cxr344]

Just went shopping for an engagement ring diamond today and I saw one that I liked at Robbins Diamonds at 8th & Walnut in Philadelphia. The price they''re at now is very competetive with similar diamonds on Whiteflash, but when you factor in the $600 of sales tax I''d have to pay buying it in Philly it''s not quite as good of a deal.

I remembered reading on the forums here from some people who had bought jewelery through Robbins'' Delaware branch in order to avoid sales tax, so I asked the salesman if that was a possibility and he didn''t seem very open to it... he basically told me that they wouldn''t offer the same price at their Delaware branch because they don''t have as much competition there (as opposed to the store on Jeweler''s Row that I was at). I was a bit skeptical of that explanation, but I let it go because I wasn''t really sure if it''s legal for them to essentially sell me a diamond in PA but then hop over the border to finish the sale just to avoid paying sales tax. So, I was just wondering if anyone out there has been in a similar situation, and if so did you handle the transaction?

 

[Kaleigh]

That seems a bit odd. I live outside Philly and know that store. Seems to me it''s all the same organization, but find that they don''t want to ship the stone to DE and loose a sale in Philly. Could be wrong, but that''s my take on it. Good luck and check out the online vendors here. I have bought from 2 and have been very pleased. HTH.

 

[icekid]

hmm, that is weird. I have been to the Philly store a few times, mostly because I live a few blocks away. But if you hear the radio ads, they tell you go to to Delaware to save on tax. I am pretty sure they will sell you the same thing in DE so you don''t pay tax. In fact, I think one of their salesmen told us that!

 

[oldminer]

Strange answer from them. I do a lot of grading work for this firm and never thought they''d discourage a sale if you were willing to drive to Delaware to pick it up. Maybe the salesperson looses a commission if you go to another branch. I don''t know why, but I would think you could avoid the tax if you worked on it a little more. You need to be aware that the tax is still due as use tax in PA even if you purchase it elsewhere. Whether the state catches you or not is another question, but the tax is owed regardless. If you have a security clearance, work in government or law enforcement, or if you are involved in any way as an officer of the court or have political aspirations, I''d suggest that you pay the tax and get on with it. It is not worth your good name....... It is up to you.

 

[cxr344]

I guess I''ll just have to push them a little more on it. It seemed like a strange explanation to me, I did get the feeling that it had something to do with commission, or maybe just wanting to avoid some added legwork.

As for the use tax, I guess that would be due no matter where I bought it from, right?
So I should probably go on the record and say that I plan to pay all taxes and fees legally required by the state of Pennsylvania. I''m not planning on running for political office any time soon but I wouldn''t want this thread used as evidence against me, after all.

 

[joadma]

I''m from NJ and get most of my jewelry from Robbins (the one in NJ) and love them! In fact, I just got my new Ritani there

I have relatives in Delaware and while there is no sales tax, a lot of the prices are higher than what you''d pay elsewhere. Maybe because people think that they can go there and save on the tax, then the retailers can up the prices a bit because they have the customer anyway, kwim?

It can''t hurt to go to the Delaware store and check the prices for yourself; maybe this salesperson was just trying to keep your business in his store, and his commission too! But, $600 in tax is a lot of money if you can save it somehow! Good luck

 

[laney]

I'm not sure what negiotiating you've done just yet to get to the price that you are discussing.

But if you asked for an ... 7% discount (not sure what tax is in PA) - would that meet your needs? That way you'll still pay tax - but the discount would cover it..

Under 10% off - should be doable for the salesmen in question. If you were asking for 20% off or 30% off their retail price, I'd expect backpedaling on the part of the salemen.

But go in there ready to buy.. and say.. I'll take it today if you'll sell it for X! They may speak to a mgr - but 7-8% shouldn't be a big deal for negiotiations.. In fact, if you're feeling frisky.. why not 10%? If you'll buy "right now" that might work. The worst .. could be they say.. "No, we'll only sell it for list price - that's all".. or they could come back with another number.. say 7% off.

I say a little negiotiation will save the salesperson commissions - and you a ride to DE (even tho it's really not that far...)

 

[cxr344]

Date: 8/29/2005 1:55:21 PM
Author: laney
I''m not sure what negiotiating you''ve done just yet to get to the price that you are discussing.


But if you asked for an ... 7% discount (not sure what tax is in PA) - would that meet your needs? That way you''ll still pay tax - but the discount would cover it..


Under 10% off - should be doable for the salesmen in question. If you were asking for 20% off or 30% off their retail price, I''d expect backpedaling on the part of the salemen.

Thanks for the advice. They''ve actually come down about 10% from their original asking price, so I''m not sure how much further they could go. It''s an Isee2 diamond (though they call it a Robbins diamond, it has the Isee2 mark & serial number), 1.5 carat J SI1, scored a 9.5 on the Isee2 machine, and they were originally asking $9500 for it but they came down to $8700 after a little negotiation. That seems pretty close to similar branded H&A ideals available online, so I think I''m alright with the price. It''s just that pesky 7% sales tax that''s getting me upset.

Any opinions on the price though? Seems good to me but I haven''t been shopping long.

 

[laney]

Well I''ve seen some I2see cut stones in person and they can be pretty nice. As well as a 9.5 is a pretty darn good score for the machine. (I''m a 9.4

)

For a 1.5 ct.. that doesn''t sound too bad for a price.. but we''d have to to a quick check.. for that color/clarity now won''t we... let''s see..

 

[laney]

Well, it looks a little higher than what you''d find on the net. But if you are getting it from a brick & mortar store you should expect to pay a little more.

I didn''t look so much to find the exact size / color - but a little larger stones (1.6...) JSI1''s were a litte less than 8700. By about 800-900 or so.

It sounds like a great stone, and it sounds like you are leaning toward it. See if they can make it work by asking for another 5%.. worst they could say is no.

You could research other options for the sake of negiotiating.. and say well, I found this bigger stone - for less. If you can sell it at 15% off - I''ll do it. Get the I2see scores from comparable stones just to let them know that you are serious and are comparison shopping. If they know you are only considering them.. they may be less likely to budge. Just my $.02