Shipping Into Michigan

cmkiefer · Sep 22, 2012

Does anybody know what the deal is with shipping tobacco into Michigan? I wanted to order some samples from Uhle's in Wisconsin but ended up having to have it shipped to my son in Indiana and retrieving it from there (my wife went down for a visit). There are B&M's in the area that carry this tobacco so I assume it's an issue with shipping to private residences.
By the way looking forward to my samples arriving Sunday night.

1-1/2 oz each of:

B&J's Cavendish

Bishop's Move

Black Stoker

Blend 00

Blend 232

Blend 44

Hunt Club Blend

Raiders Blend

dochudson · Sep 22, 2012

what did Uhle's in Wisconsin say the reason was? I just got a decent size order from Boswells in PA into OH with no problem also got a few bundles of cigars from Famous in PA.
this is probably the reason..

link

ocpsdan · Sep 22, 2012

Should be no problem... I've had plenty of things shipped here. Whereabouts are you located?

judcole · Sep 22, 2012

I get tobacco all the time from PipesandCigars and McCranie's.I have also purchased over the years from Thompson's, JR, 4 Noggins,and probably some others. Don't know why you had an issue.

cmkiefer · Sep 22, 2012

They DID mention something about taxes which would jibe with dochudson's link to the Michigan PACT Act. But as I said, commercial tobacconists (Book World) in Michigan do carry their tobacco. Their website specifically says they won't ship to Michigan though.
Hmmm.

cmkiefer · Sep 22, 2012

To answer your question, ocpsdan, I'm in Ontonagon, MI
.

taerin · Sep 22, 2012

It was illegal to ship any tobacco product to any residence in Maryland for a year (last year), something like that may have occured.

judcole · Sep 22, 2012

It's very easy. They don't ship here - don't buy tobacco from 'em. Lots of good blends to smoke without jumping through hoops 'cause somebody won't ship here. :puffpipe:

philobeddoe · Sep 22, 2012

Stock up your cellars, tobacco is going to get harder to buy and taxed higher until the nanny staters get rid of it. I hate to be pessimistic, but all of this "for our children" bullshit is only going to get worse.

keith929 · Sep 22, 2012

+1 Philo

taerin · Sep 22, 2012

local taxes should be charged according to the state in which the seller resides. That way states have to stay competitive in the market in order to collect taxes. People introducing laws like rothnh pointed out just simply do not understand how to create a stable, functioning economic enviroment. Over-regulation is so rampant it makes me want to cry. Because of this, I actually became an accountant!

cmkiefer · Sep 22, 2012

In doing some research, it is a tax/licensing issue. It is illegal for a private individual to buy tobacco in the state of Michigan unless the seller is licensed (taxed) by the state of Michigan. Apparently this includes mail order. Thus, the local B&M's can sell it but I can't buy direct and have it shipped into the state.
I don't blame Uhle's. They shouldn't have to jump through hoops for every state that wants to overregulate.

ocpsdan · Sep 22, 2012

cmkiefer:
Darn! Hoping you'd be closer. In just south of Holland; technically a southlander to you all in UP. I do wish I could relocate up there though. It's much quieter..

krizzose · Feb 19, 2013

Ferndale, MI here.
This is all news to me. I've gotten several orders from Boswell's, smokingpipes.com, pipesandcigars.com, etc. I'm pretty sure I've never been charged MI sales tax on any those orders.

uberam3rica · Feb 19, 2013

I've only ever had to pay sales tax.

rmbittner · Feb 19, 2013

It is illegal for a private individual to buy tobacco in the state of Michigan unless the seller is licensed (taxed) by the state of Michigan. Apparently this includes mail order.

This is 100% wrong. As in "inaccurate."
I live in Michigan. And I have purchased tobacco -- a lot of tobacco -- from SmokingPipes.com and lesser amounts from McCranie's, Iwan Ries, Just For Him, Cup o' Joes, and a small out-of-state B&M that had something I was looking for. I'm talking easily 200 pounds of tobacco over the last decade. And UPS just dropped off my latest order from SmokingPipes.com twenty minutes ago.
I don't know what Uhle's issue really was here -- and I see this thread was started four months ago -- but all you have to do is take your business somewhere else.

peckinpahhombre · Feb 19, 2013

Actually it appears to be illegal for a resident of Michigan to purchase tobacco from a vendor who is not licensed in Michigan (which license requires the collection of sales taxes). See http://www.michigan.gov/documents/TobaccoTaxPoster_132302_7.pdf

peckinpahhombre · Feb 19, 2013

See this as well: http://www.michigan.gov/taxes/0,4676,7-238-43542_43548---,00.html

rmbittner · Feb 19, 2013

If that is indeed the law, then something's wrong somewhere.
I am happy to pay sales tax on my out-of-state purchases; I couldn't care less about that. But I can tell you that not one of the tobacco vendors with whom I do business is collecting these taxes from me.

peckinpahhombre · Feb 19, 2013

There is nothing I could find that discusses penalties for the sellers - at first blush, it looks like it is up to Michigan residents who purchase the tobacco to self-assess and pay their taxes. There are several articles about Michigan demanding, by subpoena, out of state retailers to disclose their list of sales to Michigan residents, presumably so the state can verify that those persons have indeed self-assessed and paid their taxes. It may be that the particular seller referred to above didn't want to have to disclose their personal records to the state of Michigan if they were the subject of a subpoena. I am not a US attorney, so I don't know whether such a subpoena could be enforced in a different state, but it is clear that vendors in other states have complied with subpoenas in the context of cigarette sales - in fact, one news report indicates Michigan went after 9000 residents who had purchased cigarettes from out of state sellers and levied taxes and penalties on those persons.

Shipping Into Michigan

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