Kimbo Camper BS and Mods

Anyone have any info on purchasing a Kimbo coming from a state that doesn't have sales tax? We are out of Montana and after requesting a quote, was surprised to see the $2,500 sales tax. When purchasing vehicles, campers, recreation vehicles in the past in Washington, as have friends, we've always been able to show identification with current address etc... and avoid the sales tax as we should be exempt. Collin with Kimbo has been very responsive in looking into it but it sounds like they do not do the exemption and that the only other option is to pay Kimbo to ship it into Idaho where we would meet them. And somehow that would avoid the sales tax. Only problem with that option is we then pay a delivery fee of $2.85/mile to get the camper there which is still another $1200 plus our expense to meet them halfway. We don't live that far away to just pick it up ourselves at the factory as a days drive is a days drive. Our gas and vehicle costs are way cheaper than $2.85/mile to get there and obviously free to camp in the new rig on the way home after picking it up. Anyone have any experience in this, say purchasing from Oregon as thats another sales tax exempt state close by? I know it seems like small potatoes but with the camper already being at the highest end of our budget, it would be nice to save money where we can. Thanks in advance for any info.

 

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If you are willing to make the drive, ask Collin if you can meet him at a Walmart in Portland. That’s what I have planned with him for my 12/10/21 pick up to avoid paying the extra gas charge for him driving all the way to Bend, OR (Central Oregon).

Then again, I am an Oregon resident so I’m not sure if this impacts me differently or not.

Good luck!

 

We are in Oregon, no sales tax here either. We picked our Kimbo up in early January this year and were also charged sales tax. I called the Wa. dept of revenue
https://dor.wa.gov/file-pay-taxes/apply-tax-refund/state-sales-tax-refund-qualified-nonresidents
They told me I am eligible to get my sales tax refunded, but have to wait until the calendar year after completing the sale, which for us since we got the camper in 2021 isn't until next year. My other question was since we put our deposit down in 2020 would that count as the purchase year, meaning I could apply for my refund now. Nope, it's the year you completed the sale. So at this point we are not eligible to apply for our refund until 1/1/2022 . I spoke to a human and he assured me that it would work out but I can't say for sure until I see the money. Hope that helps.
Disclaimer : Please confirm for yourself, I am not a professional sales tax refund advisor.

 

This is great. Will give it a shot too! Thank you for this. Great resource.

 

Good for you, back in the olden times when we got ours there was no "meet in Portland" option. Nice that they are working with folks a bit now.

 

If you really dig deep into Washington states Department of Revenue Website it almost appears that sales taxes could be exempt for qualifying residents right from the factory.
https://dor.wa.gov/education/industry-guides/auto-dealers/nonresidents. The part under Sales of Motor vehicles to Nonresidents says “sales tax does not apply to sales of motor vehicles, trailers, campers to nonresidents for use outside of this state, even tho delivery is made within this state, under the following conditions. At which point most of us from sales tax exempt states would meet the conditions. I’m not sure why Kimbo can’t remove the sales tax right at the time of sale if proper documentation is provided as it seems like this is what the DOR website is stating can happen.

On a final follow up from Collin I received. “I have talked to our Corp Admin Tianne about this. She said that we have also asked our accounting firm too and we will need to collect the sales tax and that there is opportunity to get the tax rebate once a year from WA as an outside state person but she up till now has never seen a person get the rebate back. That is the feedback I am getting. From a business point of view we have done all this in the past and the WA DOR has forced us to pay tax on what we felt was a non-tax collection sale. So that is what is happening in practice with us.”

Hopefully Tacamoroma the refund works out for you. Coming from states with heavy income tax and no sales tax, it really sucks to have to pay both or gamble with a potential refund possibly 2 years after a deposit is made. None the less, thank you all for the replies! This forum is amazing and been a joy to follow.

 

Well I will be trying for it after the first of the year. It's significant for sure but either way still glad we have the Kimbo.

 

Check this guy's Kimbo out license to chill style :O

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDjhmTyOnZE

 

Holy smokes - there is a LOT going on there for sure...

 

What!? That’s nuts. Love those windows though. So much stuff inside and out, have a lot of questions…

 

To each their own.

 

I just completed and submitted my form this morning. It was quick and easy but had a 6.5% sales tax locked in. On my invoice it has a 8.7% WA sales tax. Will call next week for some information on this. Have my fingers crossed.

 

Me too, hope it works out. Even 6.5 is a lot of money coming back.

 

For your kitchen DIY types- how are you securing the cabinetry/frame? Drilling through the shell?

I'm picking mine up in about a month and am still waffling on whether to build it out myself.

Thanks!

 

There is a basically a whole house-worth of stuff in that little kimbo. He mentioned that the air conditioner is no longer offered? Is that true? I feel like I had read someone else talking about that not being a thing anymore. I really want an ac :/

 

Good to hear. Yeah I went through the shell and sealed it on both sides. I used 1in HDPE plastic, stuff they make cutting boards out of, to act as a spacer on the inside. Straightforward process and solid. Only used two anchor points since it sits on the bench, doesn't budge. Last picture you can see the bolts on the other side.

Others may have gone a different route.

 

Thanks, Voltron! Sorry, I should have checked earlier in this thread for your info. Thanks for reposting.

 

No worries! Stoked for your pick up.

 

Thanks! Me, too! Haven't gotten the email from Collin yet so just trying to get stuff sorted before I ask him for a quote. I'm hoping to squeeze a Camp Chef stove/oven in the kitchen as this will be my home and I want it to feel like one.

Any bets on whether my '02 Tundra is the oldest truck a Kimbo will go on? Lol

 

Hey @cupface - congrats on the Kimbo, I've been able to utilize the posts that are already installed so far due to the light weight of the gear I've in stalled but in the near future I'm sure I'll have to make some dedicated holes like @Voltron4x4 has to keep things in place.