Gear Purchase from European Website

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BLee88

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Location
Northern California
Hello all,

I'm in the market for a Scubapro Hydros Pro and a regulator set (probably Mk25 with S620ti) and the prices in all of the US stores seem to be pretty consistent at this time.

Wondering if I can get a bit of input from people here, please.

I found an online store based in the Netherlands that has these items at a substantial discount even with shipping to the US factored in. Anyone have any experience or reasons to steer away from such a shoppong strategy?

Also, I've read that Scubapro controls retail pricing. Do these gear ever go on sale in the US? Any tips for getting a good deal on them?

Thank you!
 
I could be wrong, but I believe a lot of EU stores also have a Value Add Tax (VAT) that may or may not be reflected in the price...I myself have been debating on buying some xdeep clips that I saw at a substantial discount on a netherlands store...so would also be interested in other people's experience purchasing from such places.
 
The only problem you might experience is that some sites will not ship to the US due to impositions by the manufacturer. I am from the US living over here in the EU and find many items to be less expensive than in the US even with the VAT calculated in, but I have my European street address to ship to.

A couple of examples of proce difference:
Si-tech silicone neck seal from the US averages about $60.....here in th EU it averages 30euros with @20% VAT already added in.

Aqualung fusion bullet drysuit from the US costs about $2600. Here in the EU it costs about $1500 with VAT.

If you find that something you need/want to order wont ship by the vendor to the US, let me know, perhaps it can be sent to my house here and I can forward it via the USPS APO on the base where I work. I can repackage in either a plain box, priority box, or flat rate mailer boxes.

-Z
 
you have to get it transshipped via an EU address most times due to restrictions

and then if you have a warranty issue, you will be shipping it back to europe

you can try to look for a LDS sale, haggle with a LDS, or see if they can make a deal on a floor display
 
Hello all,

I'm in the market for a Scubapro Hydros Pro and a regulator set (probably Mk25 with S620ti) and the prices in all of the US stores seem to be pretty consistent at this time.

Wondering if I can get a bit of input from people here, please.

I found an online store based in the Netherlands that has these items at a substantial discount even with shipping to the US factored in. Anyone have any experience or reasons to steer away from such a shoppong strategy?

Also, I've read that Scubapro controls retail pricing. Do these gear ever go on sale in the US? Any tips for getting a good deal on them?

Thank you!
Its europe there is a VAT there. value added tax. perhaps 45% i dont know. I bought a service for 120 from germany and it ended up with sales and vat over 180. at another time I bought a sp mk25 for 143 american and it cost 200+ by the time it got to me. make sure you know all the costs befor you buy from across the pond
 
The above comments mainly provided all info. In summary:

1) check whether website directly ships to US. If not, you will have to ship to some Europen address and then to US.
2) Usually all prices include VAT. However, it might be the case that if shipping is allowed to US, you already see price without VAT. You need to doubke check.
3) check what are custom duties are they
4) check shipping costs.

When you add these factors it might be the case that actual price is similar to your US price.
 
Just to clarify some of the info discussed here.

1. VAT in the EU is country specific but it is not 45% anywhere in Europe. Current VAT rates vary between 17% (Luxembourg) and 27% (Hungary). The current average VAT rate across Europe calculates to @ 21.5%

2. Warranty coverage should not be an issue if the product is purchased in the EU and a claim needs to be made in the US, unless a shop in the US that carries the brand in question will not help...that would be unfortunate and often a call or email to the manufacturer will help resolve this. There are many people who buy stuff in one country and then move to another. A manufacturer's warranty is not invalidated by this...this is why companies have dealer networks.

Customs/Duty to import into the US can definitely cause the total cost of an item to climb to an amount that it is not worth it. And one should definitely make voice or email contact to verify shipping costs.

Remember to also factor in the exchange rate: currently 1 Euro = $1.14 US (per google 7/16/2020)

-Z
 
Its europe there is a VAT there. value added tax. perhaps 45% i dont know.
You're quite right: You don't know.

Typical VAT rates in Europe are 20-25%. Cite. If the goods are shipped from an EU country to a country outside the EU, VAT should not be charged (or, typically, deducted from the listed sales price which usually is quoted including VAT). If you live in a non-EU country, then VAT is charged by local tax authorities on import.
 
Importing dive gear into the US is usually much cheaper as long as it is declared as "SPORTING GOODS for use underwater".

Michael
 

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