Importing gear to the UK from US!!!

[Paul Evans]

Hers's a good one,

The exchange rate £-$ is currently very good so why don't we brit's buy our gear from the States???

Yes you will have to pay VAT, IF!!! your parcel is interceped by customs and you will have to pay import duty, Approx 8% but you can still get some great deals. (I've been told one third get through).

I bought some lights and camera equipment from Scubatoys and saved £500 on the UK price!!!!!!!

Use a credit card that does not charge for coversion eg. Nationwide visa

But remember, you must be sure the gear you order is the gear you really want. Expensive to return!

I dont know how this would effect other countrys??

Sorry all this is in the wrong thread, dont know how to move it?

 

[Paul Evans]

The exchange rate from our side of the pond is fantastic £110 = $200, trust me this is good for us

 

[chippy]

I think more and more people are doing the same.

I've just done the very same thing with all (except the camera body) my UW photography gear. I saved £1,000 easily!

Luckily (living in Jersey, C.I.) I didn't have to pay any VAT or import duty either!

 

[verona]

A few months back I ordered a housing from the States. Got caught by customs but even with the £67 (yikes!) I had to pay, it was still cheaper than buying it in the UK. Only thing is that it woudl be difficult if the goods were faulty so it's important to buy from a reputable source that takes care with packaging and uses insurance

 

[munkispank]

yeah-deffo a good idea to do it this way-Of course I am hurting as a brit living in the states cos I get screwed every time I buy something from home right now. Birthday presents have been a bit tight of late!!!!!

 

[Bob3]

I've been known to rub my cat on merchandise I ship out of the US, it's suprising how much something like that devalues an article.

 

[Dectek]

While selling an eBay BP to a guy in the UK I asked if he thought paying for the high shipping was worth the purchase. He told me that it would sell for much more than the total so I offered to include two more at the same price and shipping was increased only slightly. He sold the other two....got his free in the bargain and surprisingly sent me a little extra cash because he split the profit of the BP with me.
Now whenever he buys something in the US he has it shipped to me. I open it, remove all packaging and tags and smudge it up a little. I use his last name on the return address and mail the tags separately. The "Gifts" have made it through customs every time.He says this method saves him tons of cash. I will have to keep the pet hair thing in mine.

Hold on a minute.....My wife says MI5 is at the door asking for me. Let me go find out what the heck that means.