StickTax calculates cigar excise tax and sales tax at BigCommerce checkout. Wholesale-basis percentages, per-stick rates, tiered caps, combo methods, and state sales tax — one app, fully automated.
Avalara and TaxJar handle general sales tax but have no concept of per-stick excise rates, wholesale-basis percentages, tiered caps, or cigar combo methods. Cigar retailers need both excise and sales tax in one place. StickTax does both.
General providers apply flat percentages. Cigars need per-stick rates, wholesale-basis calculations, and state-specific caps that don't exist in their systems.
A box of 20 needs per-stick tax on 20 sticks, not 1 unit. General providers don't know your box sizes. StickTax does.
Without correct excise calculations, you're either absorbing the tax yourself or overcharging customers. Neither is sustainable.
StickTax installs from the BigCommerce App Marketplace. Configure your rules once, and every checkout is handled automatically.
One-click install. StickTax syncs your product catalog automatically — SKUs, variants, prices. No CSV uploads, no manual mapping.
Configure excise tax per state — method, rate, caps, and which products it applies to. Set sales tax rates for states where you have nexus. All through a clean interface inside your BC control panel.
Tell StickTax how many sticks are in each box type. A "Box of 20" and a "Box of 10" need different per-stick calculations. Set it once, it remembers forever.
On every checkout, StickTax resolves the SKU, determines single vs. box, calculates excise tax using the correct state method, adds sales tax, and returns both to BigCommerce. Customers see clear tax lines. You stay compliant.
Most states tax cigars on wholesale cost — not retail, not MSRP. StickTax calculates excise tax on the correct basis for your state, with tiered caps for Vermont, combo methods for Arkansas, and legacy MSRP methods preserved for backward compatibility.
Fixed dollar amount per cigar. For boxes, multiplies by cigars per box automatically. Used by Alabama, Arizona, Oklahoma, Texas.
Percentage of wholesale cost. The correct basis for most states — California, Colorado, Hawaii, New York, and more.
Percentage of wholesale with a per-stick maximum. The most common method — Indiana, Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, and others.
Wholesale percentage with a cap that changes based on the cigar's wholesale price. Vermont style: $2 cap below $10 wholesale, $4 cap above.
Flat per-stick rate stacked with a capped percentage. Arkansas style. Uses wholesale when set; falls back to MSRP.
MSRP-based methods kept for backward compatibility. Useful if your store still prices off MSRP rather than true wholesale.
| Feature | Avalara / TaxJar | StickTax |
|---|---|---|
| Sales tax calculation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Per-stick excise rates | ✗ | ✓ |
| Wholesale-based excise tax | ✗ | ✓ |
| Per-stick cap calculations | ✗ | ✓ |
| Tiered caps (Vermont style) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Box stick-count awareness | ✗ | ✓ |
| Single vs. box format detection | ✗ | ✓ |
| Merchant-controlled rules | ✗ | ✓ |
| Tax history & CSV export | Varies | ✓ |
| Price | $50–$500+/mo | $79/mo |
Excise tax and sales tax. Every state. Every method. One plan.
Excise tax and sales tax, calculated automatically at checkout.
14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.
Available on the BigCommerce App Marketplace