Ordering equipment from Spain to USA

[klauricella]

I used to order quite alot of things from them with no problems. The shipping cost got really high so the price advantage is not that good, but they are really good to deal with.

 

[buddhasummer]

I order stuff from them also, although I currently live in NZ, DHL is the carrier they use. ALL goods coming in through DHL are checked by customs and if the item/s including freight cost is/are over a certain amount then duty is charged, always, with no exceptions. In NZ the amount is $400. This has also been my experience when receiving goods shipped to Japan, England and Australia, although the cut off amounts vary. I would assume this would be similar in the US, seems pretty standard. Hope yours slips through ok, as others have said the freight costs are increasing and if you get stung with duty also the O/seas purchases can begin to lose their appeal, especially if you have a problem and have to return the goods. In NZ fortunately/unfortunately even with freight costs and even if we get stung for duty the price is still significantly lower in most cases than buying local, thats assuming you can even get desired gear. My experiences with Scubastore have been largely good, although they could take more care with their packaging and could be a little faster at replying to emails, still cant beat the prices and I guess they get do a ton of (and Im probably a little impatient at times) Good luck.

PS and if you order anything that will require/comes with a manual for a product manufactured in a non English speaking country I would advise you request an English manual if available otherwise don't be surprised if you receive one in Spanish.

 

[Hasbi]

At the shipping and delivery tab in scubastore's site duty rates for different countries is written. NZ is %20 for example, but USA is said to be free.

Duty depends on the purchased equipments both type and value. At the customs office site of USA (CBP.gov - home page) it is written that %65 of the products are duty free in USA. This info also confirms scubastores duty rates list.

I hope I'm not missing something.

 

[Deefstes]

I can't comment on duty fees for the USA or warranties or any of that but seeing as another poster mentioned waiting for very long to receive his goods I thought I could just mention this.

I purchased a Suunto D4 from ScubaStore a while back and it took 6 days (of which two were public holidays) before DHL delivered the package into my hands at my office (in South Africa). I couldn't be more satisfied with the service and the price was much cheaper than what I would have paid locally, even when I add the shipping and duty fees.

 

[buddhasummer]

Import duty in NZ on amounts including freight over $400 is 12.5%.(GST-Goods and Sevices Tax, similar to UK VAT) Some items, although no one seems sure what or how that is calculated also attract an additional import duty. So from above info looks like you might not have to worry, thats great news. Good luck with the purchase.