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Old 3rd Sep 2021, 7:15 pm   #21
GrimJosef
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Default Re: Importing from Europe and us....

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... I wanted the cheapest rate possible, and timescales didn't matter.

The BEST price they could do was $118 , this is for uninsured and untracked, ETA around 1 week, and with the possibility of customs charges on top. It arrived 11 days later, in generally good order, but with some dings to the corners of the metal front plate.

The assistant at the depot told my brother since Brexit the cost of shipping to and from the UK has been driven up, possibly due to problems in UK customs ...
Of course there is nothing intrinsically more expensive or time-consuming about shipping now. At 17:30 on Saturday Aug 28th I hit the 'Order' button on some items I'd chosen from Digi-Key UK. The goods were at Digi-Key's warehouse in Thief River Falls, MN. Before 08:30 on Wednesday Sept 1st my doorbell rang and a UPS driver put them into my hands. 87 hours, including a Sunday and, in the UK, a bank holiday Monday. While both countries have coronavirus and this one also has a shortage of HGV drivers. Because I'd ordered more than £33 worth of stuff the shipping charge (to me) was zero. I thought this was very good indeed.

The existence of a UK office must have made all the difference. They'd worked out how to do the paperwork and that was that.

By contrast I am also interested in approx £100 worth of transformers from a US manufacturer (catalogue items). Their website says that "Due to EU and UK VAT rules placed into effect" they will no longer ship direct to either place. They do have an EU agent, based in Germany and Spain, but they seem uninterested in dealing with me. I'm guessing, but perhaps it's because they would have to deal not just with the issues at the US-EU border but then also with those at the EU-UK one (goods manufactured wholly within the EU can move to the UK with less trouble than those manufactured in whole or in part in a third country).

I'm wondering about using one of the false-address handlers e.g. MyUS or Ship7. Does anyone have experience with them ?

Cheers,

GJ
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Old 3rd Sep 2021, 7:17 pm   #22
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Default Re: Importing from Europe and us....

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That's what I did when I bought a 1935 Packard Bell table radio in California. The folks at the airline were smiling and full of understanding for elderly blokes collecting such boat anchors.
It's surprising what you can take as carry on luggage. I was at SFO once in the queue for international security and a woman in front of me carried a large old upright vacuum cleaner in and put it on the Xray machine. No one batted an eyelid.
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Old 3rd Sep 2021, 7:45 pm   #23
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Default Re: Importing from Europe and US....

A lot of American companies just can't be bothered with the admin and complexity, especially as only a small proportion of their sales go to the EU or UK. It's the same with websites - lots of American sites can't be bothered to comply with the GDPR rules so just block European access.
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Old 3rd Sep 2021, 7:55 pm   #24
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Default Re: Importing from Europe and us....

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Drawing all these points into consideration I come to the conclusion that when it comes to old, antique or valuable items I'd prefer to give it to someone I know travelling to take it with him on a plane.
That does work; in times-past I had a friend who worked for .gov.uk and was assigned to New York; his couple-of-times-a-month UK-US-UK trips often included "Carry-on" luggage like Zenith Transoceanics, Collins KWM380s and Drake TR4CWs.
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Old 3rd Sep 2021, 8:16 pm   #25
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Default Re: Importing from Europe and US....

I had an excellent US manufactured large format laser printer ideal for my type of work. The UK supplier ceased to be a distributor, and as it appeared the machines were a bit of a specialist item, nothing was available from aftermarket suppliers of consumables. However, the items were readily available in the US but, even pre-GDPR etc., no one was interested in an order from the UK.

Fortunately, I found a UK distributor of a different line of the US firm’s products that had some NOS cartridges sitting on a dusty shelf and occasionally some turned up on eBay. Between the two I gathered enough to keep me going until the machine died.
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Old 4th Sep 2021, 7:41 am   #26
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Default Re: Importing from Europe and US....

At least one German company I have had dealings with in the past, Thomann, can now charge all fees at the checkout, so no nasty surprises upon delivery.
They are, however, a bigger company than some being the worlds largest mail order musical instrument retailer, and as such a workable solution would have been seen as a necessity by them.
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Old 4th Sep 2021, 3:38 pm   #27
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Default Re: Importing from Europe and US....

I've recently posted an item to Northern Ireland to a BT postcode, at present it's how it used to be, no customs or extra costs, that will change in October, probably not for the better. This was an item under 2kg, sent by RM and cost £3.20 2nd class.

I sold a bike tyre on Ebay to a bloke in NI, in that case I had to cancel the transaction as my courier wanted an EORI number, the obtaining of which would be for me a bureaucratic nightmare. The problem is that if your item is over 2kg, the RM postal cost shoots up considerably, a courier is often cheaper, but you need an EORI number if sending to NI.

I recently received a parcel from the USA, it took about a week, no customs, but it was a gift. Components from the USA from Digikey and Mouser are now a cheaper option (for myself relatively speaking) than buying from Farnell in the UK, as the latter have increased their minimum order with free postage to £40, bringing the total once the taxman has had his cut up to nearly £60, this is above what I can afford on my income in one go. Add to that that a lot of components have increased in price considerably, means a few resistors, capacitors and other odd and ends soon add up..

My conclusion is that my hobby just got a lot more expensive and more complicated. On my last amp I had to use what components I had, subbing 200k to 470k presets for 100k ones, and subbing BD139's for MJE340's as well as other subs. The days of cheap easy to get parts and other gear seem to be over, at least for the near future, might be worth those members that have the cash getting stocked up.

Andy.
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Old 4th Sep 2021, 4:41 pm   #28
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Default Re: Importing from Europe and US....

I have a MacMaster-Carr paper catalogue from the 1990's. Then, they were proud of their long record of supplying goods all over the world for a century, and the preface included ordering instructions in a number of languages, including Chinese and Arabic. When I tried to order some stuff on-line in the late 2000's, there was no option for shipping outside the US. It transpired that, following 9/11, the US authorities had introduced legislation that required exporters to file documentation relating to export orders to ensure the goods were not for militarily-strategic use. Apparently because they had missed a deadline for filing the paperwork on a shipment, they had been hit with a substantial fine, and decided that export to other than established large customers was just not worth the hassle. I had to get a contact in the US to buy what I wanted and send them to me by post, which worked OK.

Last edited by emeritus; 4th Sep 2021 at 4:44 pm. Reason: typos
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Old 4th Sep 2021, 6:50 pm   #29
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Default Re: Importing from Europe and US....

From what I can gather, those who don't want to to the paperwork to get into or out of the UK, simply can't be bothered. A friend of mine runs an automotive company and he ships in and out, all across europe and says he just needed to fill a few forms out and it's business as usual.......
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Old 5th Sep 2021, 4:48 pm   #30
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Default Re: Importing from Europe and us....

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Originally Posted by David G4EBT View Post

Don't know what happens with Bangood or aliexpress).
Since 31st December AliExpress have been complying with the rules as they apply. Goods costing under £135 have the VAT added at the time of purchase. I didn't think they were charging VAT on any postage charges, most items I buy I try to find with "Free Delivery". I have bought a few items with very low delivery charges though and had thought the VAT was only added to the cost of the goods?

I bought a superb little oscilloscope from AliExpress that was just under £135, paid the VAT and it is a real gem. It sailed through customs and was delivered to the door in under ten days.

I'm wary of spending much more than £100 as I'm often uncertain that what will be sent will match the pictures and description on the site. I have to say that although the claims procedure can be drawn out, whenever I have had cause to complain AliExpress have always refunded me. They also seem to have a UK returns 'office' now for returning faulty or damaged items to if needed. So far I've not needed to post anything back to China, just to Docklands in London.
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Old 16th Sep 2021, 11:59 pm   #31
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Default Re: Importing from Europe and US....

Unless something is specifically not rated for VAT, i.e. book / educational item, you will get charged 20% VAT into the UK. You will also be charged an 'admin' fee, which is £10-15, depending on which courier.

Customs Duty is where it gets complicated:

If item is of UK or EU origin, then it ought to be zero-rated when moving within EU. However, note that not all EU countries are up to speed, and the receiver often will be charged duty if you sell to them (and it's very difficult for receiver to appeal, thus diminishing the attractiveness of UK goods in the EU).

It's worth finding out the specific tariff code. Rates of duty can vary enormously. An oscilloscope, for example, has a low rate of duty. Most other electronic items will have a much higher rate. If you buy a nice scope from Uncle Sam, and the vendor doesn't put a tariiff code on an invoice with it, you may well (will) end up paying the rate for another item! There are thousands of tariiff codes... But it's worth sniffing out the right one if you can. Make sure there is a clearly-written customs invoice with the item.
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Old 17th Sep 2021, 12:10 am   #32
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Default Re: Importing from Europe and US....

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Originally Posted by dglcomp View Post
At least one German company I have had dealings with in the past, Thomann, can now charge all fees at the checkout, so no nasty surprises upon delivery.
They are, however, a bigger company than some being the worlds largest mail order musical instrument retailer, and as such a workable solution would have been seen as a necessity by them.
Thomann really are great to deal with. Their prices are really competitive too.

As for postage cost rises, I'd like to know the real reason for the sharp hike in airmail prices to the USA!
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