[PhaedrusX]

i don't have a big problem with under-declaring or marking bought/ sold items as "gifts," as long as both sides know about, and are willing to take the risks.

i'll stop lying to the government when the government stops lying to me.

 

[Luvan01]

Quote:

After watching that video, it made me think that higher taxes weren't so bad after seeing what was going on.

No, it is rather good if You think about it.
I can go to see a doctor and pay about 30USD for the visit. If there is something wrong with me and I have to stay in the hospital for a month or ten i pay 20USD per night. That´s it!. Doesent matter if my treatment cost´s 100.00USD and that I have to have medicin for the same amount!

Quote:

i'll stop lying to the government when the government stops lying to me.

Ps. My Nordost Baldurcable from Canada arrived today. No extra taxes since it was marked "Gift"

. Saved about 110USD.....

 

[Audiofiler]

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Originally Posted by tom hankins /img/forum/go_quote.gif Stealing a little bit from someone is the same as stealing alot. It doesnt even matter what the effect on the artist.

well put
Quote:

Originally Posted by kydsid /img/forum/go_quote.gif Don't know about EU, but for the US if you file a false declaration, eg falsify and invoice, etc you could pay the original owed duty PLUS a civil penalty or penalties depending on the exact nature of what you did. It's just not worth it in my opinion..

yup
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Originally Posted by Wodgy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sales tax is not the same as VAT (value added tax). The two concepts are completely different.

agree
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Originally Posted by acidbasement /img/forum/go_quote.gif I download music illegally.

Too many people engage this activity and I am a firm believer against this. If I want to hear about a band, I read up on them or buy an EP if available. Or I go to the record store and hear a sample. Maybe ask questions to the Mgr at a record store; too many people illegally download and it does not make it right in my opinion.
Quote:

Originally Posted by pez /img/forum/go_quote.gif ..I do community service every weekend, and I babysit for my neighbors, you are absolutely right..

Doing community service is a noble activity and is your choice, as is stealing music from the Internet. It is ultimately your call on the actions you take.
Quote:

Originally Posted by pez /img/forum/go_quote.gif Your right I am selfish..

I'm not convinced; I do think you come off a bit bitter and jaded. But, I won't argue that point further with you nor your lack of proper grammar in the above post. I simply wish you all the best with the path you've chosen for yourself. And I do mean that.
Quote:

Originally Posted by KUNFUCHOPSTICKS /img/forum/go_quote.gif Labeling it as 'gift' will most likely result in custom agent not having to rip up your package.

This is pure speculation from this member, not sure I can get behind this.

I too would like to add that if one repeatedly marks outbound parcels to other regions as gifts VS purchased goods or whatever, this could result in red flags at the behest of customs to the point of origin, just a thought.

I think it unethical to mark improperly as gifts and undervalue goods in any given transaction, especially if payment and terms are already negotiated and the request comes as an afterthought, etc.
Then again, I don't illegally download music either, to each his own I suppose

 

[acidbasement]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Audiofiler /img/forum/go_quote.gif Too many people engage this activity and I am a firm believer against this. If I want to hear about a band, I read up on them or buy an EP if available. Or I go to the record store and hear a sample. Maybe ask questions to the Mgr at a record store; too many people illegally download and it does not make it right in my opinion.

What's the difference between listening to a sample for free in a record store and listening to a sample for free from your computer? The net result is the same if you buy the album upon deciding you like it.

The law is in place for a reason - that people deserve to be paid for their work. If you can make this happen without following the law, why does the law necessarily apply to you (from a moral standpoint that is; not legal)?

 

[scompton]

Listening to a 30 second sample at home in iTunes, Amazon, AMG, etc. is the same as listening to the same sample in the store. It's not the same as illegally downloading an entire song and listening to it.

 

[Audiofiler]

Quote:

Originally Posted by acidbasement /img/forum/go_quote.gif What's the difference between listening to a sample for free in a record store and listening to a sample for free from your computer? The net result is the same if you buy the album upon deciding you like it.

Well nothing if the song is free, but the process I was speaking to was illegal downloads, not legal/free ones.
In that case:
The difference would be that the record or CD is physically there in the store and I am not removing any tracks onto my Turntable or CD transport as one would be as a potential downloader. Where he/she would be adding a track to said library,DAP, and/or media player illegally.

In other words, I am legally listening to the sample in house but not removing the song per my use later. Many people do this with downloads on the Net.
There is a difference the way I see it, just my opinion. :0)

Quote:

Originally Posted by scompton /img/forum/go_quote.gif Listening to a 30 second sample at home in iTunes, Amazon, AMG, etc. is the same as listening to the same sample in the store. It's not the same as illegally downloading an entire song and listening to it.

agree completely

 

[pez]

Oh god, just drop the music, go join the Feds if you want to yell at us, and I knew I someone would have to bring up the point of grammar on a forum on the interent, sorry for being less than perfect for you, but than again your lack of periods and capitalization doesn't offend me.

 

[subtle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhaedrusX /img/forum/go_quote.gif i don't have a big problem with under-declaring or marking bought/ sold items as "gifts," as long as both sides know about, and are willing to take the risks. i'll stop lying to the government when the government stops lying to me.

Precisely.

 

[Audiofiler]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pez /img/forum/go_quote.gif Oh god, just drop the music, go join the Feds if you want to yell at us, and I knew I someone would have to bring up the point of grammar on a forum on the interent, sorry for being less than perfect for you, but than again your lack of periods and capitalization doesn't offend me.

It is not as important to some not to utilize proper grammar and/or capital letters or periods..so to each his own. I have read your posts in other threads too, no worries from my side, am simply giving my thoughts on the matter as well which is allowed in a forum atmosphere.

To be honest, the whole new wave of acronyms online or in texting which are commonly denoting profanity (as seen in your avatar - i.e. "What") seems to be more the norm nowadays. I also don't care too much for "nu-skool" spellings of words like probably ("prolly") either, so I may as well throw that in there too. I find these acronyms and short-hand spellings as somewhat offensive myself in a way, and see them too as a continued "dumbing" down of the communication process. I think these acronyms which are commonly associated with profanity should be removed from Head-Fi's site, as there is no place for profane language here.
Sorry to stray OT...

Steal all the music you want, it is your right do what you want but is also my right to discuss the matter and/or disagree as such in this forum, "pas de touche"

I see you are a non-contributor and that you have a quote in your sig which contains profanity? Nice.

 

[acidbasement]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Audiofiler /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well nothing if the song is free, but the process I was speaking to was illegal downloads, not legal/free ones. In that case: The difference would be that the record or CD is physically there in the store and I am not removing any tracks onto my Turntable or CD transport as one would be as a potential downloader. Where he/she would be adding a track to said library,DAP, and/or media player illegally. In other words, I am legally listening to the sample in house but not removing the song per my use later. Many people do this with downloads on the Net. There is a difference the way I see it, just my opinion. :0)

I understand your preference, but not everyone has the ability to hang out in a music store to sample music. I would probably have to drive ten hours to get to the nearest music store that catered to my musical preferences. I order CDs from amazon or elsewhere online, and before I decide to purchase, I sample music through a variety of means online as well. My ability to access "free" music in an illegal fashion allows me to buy more music than I otherwise would. My cheap and rather poor nature means I would very rarely buy music on a trial basis - there is simply too great a risk that I won't like it.

I draw a distinction between sampling music and stealing music. It's too bad so many people see file-sharing technology as a means to free them from the obligation to pay for music. What is the solution? As far as artists are concerned, it's intellectual property, and the medium is not important. How about a Big Brother system where everytime a song is played, it's logged and the person who pushed the 'play' button gets debited 2 cents? I would have no trouble paying to sample a song if it only cost 2 cents, and that way, the artists whose work I enjoy regularly get a decent chunk of money over time. Of course, that wouldn't work logistically. Just musing.

 

[Audiofiler]

Quote:

Originally Posted by acidbasement /img/forum/go_quote.gif I understand your preference, but not everyone has the ability to hang out in a music store to sample music. I would probably have to drive ten hours to get to the nearest music store that catered to my musical preferences. .

Just was an example!!
I do not agree with stealing music be it downloading off the Net or from a local store. It is not right. Calling it "free" is questionable whence obtained by file sharing, copying your friends' CD into your iTunes, or from Limewire..etc.
Just my thoughts.

 

[pank2002]

First things first: Marking something as a gift or not will always primarily be moral concern, rather than an actual economic concern. The tariffs primate target would be firms. Personally, I always have it marked as a gift.

On music: There is only one the music industry itself to blame. The cost (not only money-wise) of downloading is minor compared to going to store, buying the cd, getting to music off the cd, tagging the music and putting onto your mp3 player. If you download you get the cd in good quality, you get it tagged, and you get it in a open format. Would people mind paying for the cd? I doubt so. Should the music industry do better? Certainly!
Rather than closing allofmp3 down they should have embraced the model and given the user full control of the music at a low cost (money wise and in other aspects as well).
If I get an album off the pirate bay it is encoded with LAME, it contains cover and is tagged correctly.
If I get a track from my online store of choice I get a DRM-WMA with no album, that sometimes misses proper tagging.

Cheers,
Rasmus

 

[pez]

Oh, nvm I give up, I'm too immature and offensive.

 

[Assorted]

From the sound of the various posts, I'm assuming it's "OK" to actually "break the law" if it's justified... for convenience/economic sake. Not everything is black and white.

Lesson learned?

1. If you think the government is cheating/lying/blackmailing/deceiving you, or simply gone morally bankrupt, it is perfectly justified to set your standards to the same level as theirs, and do unto them what they have done unto you.

2. If it is extremely inconvenient, there is always the "downloading alternative", illegal or not, since it is perfectly justified for you to enjoy the same privileges other people have.

3. Doing community service, volunteer work, and visiting the elder home to play cards makes up for all of the petty internet crime you do.

4. The music industry is enticing you to illegally download by providing flawed delivery methods, so all the more reason to do so. By illegally downloading content, you are starting a new generation of paperless information -- think of the environmental benefits!

Thanks everybody, sure is a very different culture from what our schools have us believe. Laws are bendable and subtle, everything has an implied meaning and are not meant to be taken literally.

 

[Audiofiler]

I don't think that because someone feels they are being cheated it warrants whatever action in response..

Quote:

Originally Posted by pez /img/forum/go_quote.gif Oh, nvm I give up, I'm too immature and offensive.

+ 1 to my ignore list