I agree with you and Star, the chances of being charged taxes are probably slim. And certainly taxes charged may depend on how its shipped. But buying direct from the factory is far more complex than worrying about taxes. Its one component of the decision for me. Here's why I got spooked and finally thought, screw it, pay up you cheap ass. Here was my thinking!
I had 2 Vevors go down within 48 hours of each other, one was a backup because I knew their product was crap. I needed a compressor bad and now. I was exchanging hate e-mails with Vevor CS starting Monday early AM and if you read their reviews you know why, their CS is horrible. I know, it's fair to verbally paddle me for buying Vevor, but in my defense I was a newbie. I started watching Forge videos Monday and quickly determined GX was a good solution for me, so I went price shopping. Its why I chatted with GX corporate Wednesday morning after reading Reis's post. On a scale of 1 to 10, dealing with GX was a 6. I never could get a straight answer for us on that C4 grease fitting, and I tried hard. That spooked me a bit since I had Vevor PTSD.
I've been on a spending bender of late buying stuff from all over the world. This month I ordered some Notos Carm mags the same day I ordered the gun. I ordered from Darko like 3 times or more in the last year so I was familiar with his ship times, customs, etc.. IMO the Notos was worthless if I had to use OEM mags. I needed them inside the 30 day return window for testing so I was tracking them daily. I started to panic and a week later as I could see the Carm mags were stuck in customs hell. So I ordered a mag from Canada (Maple) to ensure I got a mag ASAP, it got hung up in customs. The problem was not USPS or their postal services. I prefer USPS much more than UPS and Fed Ex, the tracking is exceptional, delivery is fast, and I know "within an hour" of when my mailman will show up at my house. This point is huge to me, I don't have to wait through a 4 to 6 hour UPS or Fed Ex window. And porch pirates are a problem in our area. Last week I had a GK1 shipped to me and requested it ship USPS, not UPS or Fed Ex. If you don't have USPS Informed Delivery, get it. No way I wasn't going to be home for that delivery, that package is a porch pirate salt lick! My mail man comes everyday at "happy hour" around 4:30 PM, I love it, it's easy to wait around. I've also signed up for Amazon "key delivery" the month it was offered. In the end Amazon was a no brainer, overnight delivery, secure in my garage, no waiting around to be delivered, sign me up, I ordered yesterday at noon for delivery today . I could have purchase the same unit via e-bay or Walmart cheaper than Amazon. Another HUGE reason for me to buy through Amazon, Walmart or E-bay? One of those Vevors was insured via Walmart, I filed a claim Sunday. By Tuesday afternoon I received an email asking me how I wanted my money, via credit card or a check.
GX direct does not offer extended warrantees. Ya I paid a more to Amazon, but today I get my GX, secured, overnight, with 3 years of financial comfort. And Forge is stocking parts which is a big plus for GX! As a certified cheap ass, it was worth the extra $.
