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Quick question about Thomann


absolutpepper
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Funnily enough I was wondering the same thing this morning but found out if it's in the EU you won't have anything to pay.

Might be worth just being aware that if you encounter any problems, your warranty is often only with the store you buy it from and if you need to exercise it, you may be looking at having to return it to Germany. Only a thought, but if it's only a little bit cheaper to buy from Thomann, I'd be tempted to get it from within the UK, if not locally.

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[quote name='danhkr' post='1157867' date='Mar 11 2011, 11:41 AM']Funnily enough I was wondering the same thing this morning but found out if it's in the EU you won't have anything to pay.

Might be worth just being aware that if you encounter any problems, your warranty is often only with the store you buy it from and if you need to exercise it, you may be looking at having to return it to Germany. Only a thought, but if it's only a little bit cheaper to buy from Thomann, I'd be tempted to get it from within the UK, if not locally.[/quote]

+1. And you could even go to your local shop and ask if they can match the Thomann price, or at least get close. I've found the Thomann service to be excellent, but even so I'd rather buy locally (not least because of the convenience if anything goes wrong) and don't mind paying a bit extra for that.

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[quote name='absolutpepper' post='1157843' date='Mar 11 2011, 11:26 AM']I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on a new guitar and its a bit cheaper on Thomann than on other retailers. As its coming from Germany (i assume) will I have to pay duty/import on it, because I'll really need to factor this into my calculations.

Thanks guys.[/quote]


no duty within EU. What you see is what you pay.

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[quote name='Johnston' post='1158121' date='Mar 11 2011, 02:44 PM']There is some agreement now though so that doesn't happen.

If you are trade and can provide a VAT number you can get it VAT free. Rather than pay the VAT and claim it back.[/quote]

+1

On the 'UK' Thomann site you get charged UK VAT rate. I think the rate is actually fixed by the delivery address not the site location.

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[quote name='absolutpepper' post='1158091' date='Mar 11 2011, 02:21 PM']Sweet guys, thanks. I tried to get GuitarGuitar to price match or come close (so I could try before I buy) but they dragged their heels. Its a £80 difference so i think it'll be a Thomann purchase![/quote]

Ive dealt with Thomanns quite a few times over the past 5-6 years and IME they have offered the best service of any music shop ive used.

They offer a no questions asked 30 day money back guarantee and it wont cost you anything to return the goods. All you do is email or call them, tell them you want to return something and they issue you with a returns number and labels and you just call or use the web to arrange a pick up and thats it.

Ive sent basses back because i just didn't like them and they were really cool about it. Its not something i would do intentionally but in the past the saving has been quite large over local shops (ive never found one that would match Thomanns) and with nothing to loose other than a few days extra for delivery (always within 5 working days) i've felt it was worth using them. They also seem to carry a huge stock as sometimes they have been the only place i could find something without being messed around by UK stores with their "we need to order it after you have paid for it" lark.

I think they also offer a free 3 year guarantee as well. not many Uk shops will do that.

As other have said, no duty to pay and if its over £200 no postage either IIR. Their prices do seem quite high these days, due of course to the way the economy has gone but if you can find something cheaper on their site i say go for it.

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[quote name='Johnston' post='1158121' date='Mar 11 2011, 02:44 PM']There is some agreement now though so that doesn't happen.[/quote]
I did a little research after posting that and realized I was out of date. Seems a couple of you were busy scribbling replies as I was deleting my post :)

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[quote name='fatback' post='1158140' date='Mar 11 2011, 02:56 PM']On the 'UK' Thomann site you get charged UK VAT rate. I think the rate is actually fixed by the delivery address not the site location.[/quote]
That's a bit odd. VAT should be charged at the supplying country's rate. Unless you are being billed by a subsidiary they have set up here, which is what my printer ink supplier does.

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[quote name='dave_bass5' post='1158160' date='Mar 11 2011, 03:14 PM']They offer a no questions asked 30 day money back guarantee and it wont cost you anything to return the goods.[/quote]
Other music shops in Germany do that too. I wonder if it's a German thing.

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[quote name='Johnston' post='1158197' date='Mar 11 2011, 03:34 PM']It's an EU distance selling regulation thing :)[/quote]

How long has this been a standard practice? Ive ordered from a couple of European shops in the past and haven't been told about this.

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[quote name='stevie' post='1158191' date='Mar 11 2011, 03:32 PM']That's a bit odd. VAT should be charged at the supplying country's rate. Unless you are being billed by a subsidiary they have set up here, which is what my printer ink supplier does.[/quote]

Hmmm. Just checked and it seems the VAT rate is determined by the country page you log into. Mind you, it's wrong for at least one of those countries.

Wonder what happens if you .log into the cheaper country page but get a delivery to your own country? I've been assuming it defaults to your country of registration / delivery.

I know that Amazon.co.uk charges the VAT rate of the country to be delivered to.

This stuff gives me a headache. :)

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[quote name='EssentialTension' post='1158261' date='Mar 11 2011, 04:23 PM']Another advantage of the EU.[/quote]

According to what ive just googled the seller doesn't have to refund the postage cost when an item is sent back. The fact that Thomanns do (in fact they just pay it so you dont have any extra outlay) seems pretty decent to me.

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when ive sent stuff back to Thomanns ive been told to notify them within 30 days of receiving the order as they have to issue a returns number, i have then had 14 days IIR to send the item back. There was one time where i had a bass for almost 6 weeks before sending it back (i held on to it until the replacement was one its way and that had to be ordered in).

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Just bought a GK Neo 212 II from Thomann. Ordered at 6.30pm Monday, arrived 2.45pm Thursday - that's quicker than sending something first class in the UK (I speak from bitter experiance!)
Great to deal with and I couldn't find any shop that would price match them - not that any of them had any GK stock. The cab cost £80 less than the cheapest over here.

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