Waterstones UK selling off demo 650s

[Lyn2012]

The silver and black models are on eBay UK now for £159.99p. They have only 3 months warranty though.

[carpetmojo]

Only a bit cheaper than mine when I got the VAT back !


So pleased I spotted that scheme - didn't last long though.

[cybmole]

Originally Posted by carpetmojo

Only a bit cheaper than mine when I got the VAT back !


So pleased I spotted that scheme - didn't last long though.

explain please - how to get VAT back ?

[Quexos]

Do I get this right ? they are selling demo models ? models that countless people have been touching all day for months in stores, with dirty fingers, some pushing too hard and hurting the e-ink, others messing with it (that stuff always happens with demo stuff in stores). and they are selling it 160 pounds ?
So who's stupid enough to pay such a price for abused technology ?

Originally Posted by Lyn2012

The silver and black models are on eBay UK now for £159.99p. They have only 3 months warranty though.

[elcreative]

They are unlikely to be straight from shopfloor to punter... these types of deal usually involve a full refurb and end up being effectively new but can't be described as such for legal reasons...

Originally Posted by Quexos

Do I get this right ? they are selling demo models ? models that countless people have been touching all day for months in stores, with dirty fingers, some pushing too hard and hurting the e-ink, others messing with it (that stuff always happens with demo stuff in stores). and they are selling it 160 pounds ?
So who's stupid enough to pay such a price for abused technology ?

[elcreative]

Get VAT registered... it's called having a business and gives the privilege of wasting time every three months to collect tax for the government and/or claim back VAT paid out on purchases... not required if turnover under something like £55-75K per annum, not sure exactly what current limits are...

Originally Posted by cybmole

explain please - how to get VAT back ?

[cybmole]

Originally Posted by elcreative

Get VAT registered... it's called having a business and gives the privilege of wasting time every three months to collect tax for the government and/or claim back VAT paid out on purchases... not required if turnover under something like £55-75K per annum, not sure exactly what current limits are...

not a great idea

1. could you convince a suspicious VAT inspector that a Sony e-reader is essential to your business & is only for business use?

2. once you register for VAT you have to charge it & collect it. ( I am a self employed guitar teacher - I doubt my students would appreciate paying 20% extra per lesson!)

back to the demo thread. an unscrupulous trick would be buy the demo model. drop it from a great height , return it under the 3 month guarantee & have it swapped out for a brand new one. too sneaky for my tastes though!

[carpetmojo]

Originally Posted by cybmole

explain please - how to get VAT back ?

Sorry cybmole - it was a Sony backed scheme whereby yoy got the amount of VAT you paid on proof of purchase, & I think it was on all Sony stuff, not just ereaders. Ran around 2'3 months over Christmas.

And, as a VAT registered entity, I can tell you fergit it - it's an unpaid role as a tax-collector for the government, which only makes money from around 25%% of businesses registered, (the BP/ICI/Tesco's etc.. of this world ) which kind of suggests they're after information really !

Unless you're a book shop, or the like, dealing in 0% VAT 'able goods or services, in which case it's a jolly good wheeze !

[cybmole]

Originally Posted by carpetmojo

Unless you're a book shop, or the like, dealing in 0% VAT 'able goods or services, in which case it's a jolly good wheeze !

straying off topic but its a good wheeze for banks also ( I used to work for a bank). their core "services" are all zero rated, but they claim vat back on all the IT hardware that they buy!

[PF62]

Originally Posted by cybmole

straying off topic but its a good wheeze for banks also ( I used to work for a bank). their core "services" are all zero rated, but they claim vat back on all the IT hardware that they buy!

Staying off topic, banks core "services" are exempt from VAT not zero rated, and you can't claim VAT back on any expenses related to exempt supplies. The VAT on IT hardware will still be accounted for by the banks, since a tiny fraction of the bank's services are taxable, so they can claim back on that tiny fraction.

But back on topic, I think anyone who buys an ex-demo e-reader is mad.