With the second “Hunger Games” movie hitting theatres soon, I finally decided to read the books and discover what the hype is about. I logged in to my Amazon account and transferred the first book from my wish list to my shopping cart.

After proceeding to checkout and choosing the $3.99 standard shipping fee, I noticed another number was added to the order summary: $1.04 in “estimated tax to be collected.” Discouraged by this unexpected extra cost, I cancelled the order.

I’m probably being unnecessarily anxious, but like most students I spend a lot of time thinking about how to save money. Yet, one of the main reasons people shop online is because it’s less expensive. There is no gas or bus ticket to buy, and everything is within easy reach.

Since Nov. 1, Amazon has added another charge to the original price and shipping fee. Because Amazon will be opening a distribution center in Kenosha, Wis. they are required to collect a 5.5% sales tax on purchases made by Wisconsin residents. This is another fee added to the order summary, another reason to cancel orders when money is too tight.

Is it that big of a deal? Yes. Amazon is the privileged destination to buy cheap textbooks, but this tax will affect students’ purchasing power. Maybe in the long run this tax collection will have a positive effect on everyone. As an international student I don’t see how it will benefit me. Right now though, it just looks like an additional cost added to everything else that needs to be paid: tuition, loans, rent, phone, internet bills, etc. It’s small, but put in a larger context, this tax is significant.

This tax is imposed near holiday season, when we think about gifts to buy our loved ones. We won’t have that much choice, will we? We’ll have to pay the gift-wrap cost, the shipping fee and now the sales tax.

Since the “Hunger Games” novel has a long wait list at the local libraries, I guess I’ll have to wait to know what’s the fuss over Katniss Everdeen.