sales

Amazon buyers in Massachusetts have another 11 months to enjoy before the retail giant starts collecting sales tax on their purchases.

In a deal reached with Massachusetts regulators, Amazon will begin imposing a sales tax on all online purchases made by state residents as of November 1, 2013. The agreement was reached only after several months of negotiations, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Amazon has naturally resisted charging its shoppers state-by-state sales tax. In the past, the company has instead proposed using a national law that would regulate the collection of all online sale tax rather than leaving it … Read more

Seventy-seven days after putting the iPhone 5 on sale, there's no longer a wait to buy one from Apple in some countries.

Today the company began showing online iPhone 5 shoppers a notice that the gadget was "in stock" in a handful of its online stores, including the U.S. and Canada. That's versus the previous estimate of two to four business days, notes MacRumors.

It's the shortest estimated wait time for the phone, which launched in the U.S. and eight other countries on September 21. Quickly after the device went on sale, wait … Read more

Demand for Windows 8 touch-screen PCs is strong, according to two analysts who spoke with CNET.

"Touch machines are actually selling above expectations," said Bob O'Donnell, a program vice president at IDC.

And that means supply shortages. "Some vendors are actually facing shortages because touch panels are in limited supply. Vendors are saying they can't get as many touch-based machines as they would like to meet the demand that they're seeing."

Rhoda Alexander, an analyst at IHS iSuppli, echoed O'Donnell's comments. "We've talked to a number of PC makers … Read more

Microsoft's Surface RT tablet is expected to see sales of more than a million units in the fourth quarter, IHS iSuppli told CNET today.

"We see estimated sales of 1.3 million" in the quarter, Rhoda Alexander, an analyst at IHS iSuppli, said in a phone interview today. The fourth quarter still has a few weeks left.

"I would be surprised to see it much above that," she added as a qualifier.

The Surface RT version of Microsoft's tablet first went on sale October 26, well into the fourth quarter, so sales of over … Read more

It's official -- unlocked iPhone 5 smartphones are now on sale in the U.S.

As of today, instead of choosing from carriers Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon when buying the device at the online Apple Store, the tech giant is also offering the option of an "unlocked and contract-free" iPhone 5.

By selling the smartphone unlocked, it means that users can insert nano-SIM cards from any supported carrier for use on the network, as opposed to the locked phones, which are tied to the carrier they purchased the phone from.

However, the feature comes at … Read more

Cyber Monday this year took the trophy for the biggest online shopping day ever in the U.S.

ComScore reported that U.S. online spending on Cyber Monday 2012 reached $1.465 billion, up 17 percent from a year ago, "representing the heaviest online spending day in [U.S.] history and the second day this season (in addition to Black Friday) to surpass $1 billion in sales."

Breaking the total down, ComScore said that the top category for sales was digital content and subscriptions (up 28 percent), followed by consumer electronics (up 24 percent and "buoyed by … Read more