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Importing Guitars


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[quote name='WonderHorse' timestamp='1354142535' post='1882792']
How much should I be looking to insure then bass for during delivery?
[/quote]

You have a choice between what you paid for it and what it is generally worth on the open market... conversely, if it gets smashed in transit, how much do you want back from the insurance/courier company!

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If you are buying through eBay and paying with PayPal you might be protected anyway without needing insurance (as a seller I wouldn't send any eBay sold item out without full tracking and insurance and that would be reflected in the original quoted delivery cost) - read the small print carefully and don't take my word for it.

If the bass costs £312.19 - delivery from the US by USPS will normally bump that up to around £400 (other carriers will be considerably more). VAT and import duty will add approximately another £100 to the cost and then Parcel Force customs clearance fees will be around £15. I would expect the total cost to be under £550. However picking another delivery service such as UPS or FedEx could well increase the total cost to the figure you've quoted.

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IME buying a bass from aboard in order to save money on the UK street price is a bit of a non-starter right now. Maybe if exchange rates reach £1 = $2 and £1 = ¥200 again it might be worth re-evaluating.

I've bought a lot of guitars and basses from the US and Japan (both new and secondhand), but all of them have been instruments that were otherwise unavailable in the UK. That way the only question I needed to ask was is this instrument worth to me the asking price (plus shipping VAT etc.)

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

[quote name='Jazz Bass 65' timestamp='1355761679' post='1902343']
In 1999 I bought a Musicman Stingray 5 for £805 whilst on holiday in Nashville I took it back to the motel and put the neck in one suitcase and the body in the other.
[/quote]

Might try that....going to Vegas soon....might come back with a vintage jazz...... suppose theres nothing stopping you stripping the bass right down

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  • 2 months later...
  • 2 months later...

[quote name='Darcy' timestamp='1179663360' post='2866']
Very dangrous site, lots of things sparking GAS attack

[attachment=153:Telebass.jpg]

Never seen one of these before.....interesting :) Semi Telebass 70's neckbucker and jazz at bridge, wonder what that sounds like?
[/quote]

Well, I bought one of these around five years ago from a Japanese retailer on the Bay, and, in my opinion the one I had didn't sound or even feel good. Sold it for quite a big loss pretty quickly. Looked interesting as you say, but not for me.

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  • 2 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

[quote name='sgh' timestamp='1376117520' post='2169840']
Not sure if this belongs here but I'm thinking of shipping a bass to the US for a holiday rather than check the bass in, any idea on costs from UK to US?
[/quote]

Couldn't give an exact figure but it will be hundreds and likely cheaper to buy your bass its own seat on the flight! Added to which you will likely get grief (or at least need to complete loads of paperwork) re. importing/exporting an instrument; consider buying a 'travel' bass like the Aria Sinsonidia.

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  • 1 month later...

I imported my Ed Reynold Lakland 4 94 a few years ago. No real problems but nothing compares with the terror of losing track of the shipment when it arrived at Heathrow. Reminded me of the final scene in the second Indiana Jones film, when the camera pulls away from a zillion crates in some secret storage facility. In this case, somewhere at Heathrow and my precious bass in one of them, lost forever!

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  • 3 months later...

Hi folks,

Looking for some customs / importing advice,

Im in a situation where I'd want to trade a bass with a guy in Canada. As no cash is changing hands does this change the tax liability?

Ive never traded outside the EU previously so this is new. My gut tells me that I'll be liable for the full duty, VAT and handling charges so Im hoping there is a knowledgable chap on here able to give me the key that makes this very nice trade possible.

Cheers

Col

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Your worst fears are correct Col, you will be liable for taxes (as will the recipient of your bass)! :(

I've read (but have no proof) of folks that have allegedly sent items with returns coming back BUT the onus would be on you to get this sorted in advance and you'd need to 'prove' that it wasn't a trade or purchase.

I was involved in a Warwick promotion and sending a preamp to the States (and back) had me paying taxes even though it went from me and back to me!

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  • 1 month later...

There is a way around all of this. (mods, feel free to reprimand me over this, if necessary)

When I was absolutely flat broke poor, I had to ask my girlfriend to lovingly unscrew the neck off of my Ibanez and then split the bass in two into two separate packages for it to be sent to here in blighty. Do I endorse the idea? Not particularly, but this is what I would recommend if you are absolutely desperate.

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  • 1 month later...

I was looking at the cost of importing my most recent acquisition, a non-export Fender Aerodyne Jazz and by the time I'd run all the calculations (which were approximate, as has been previously mentioned in the thread the tax man can be unpredictable) I chose instead to pay a bit more and use a Japanese import specialist (The Guitar Emporium in Staines).

Really glad I did too because I had some technical issues initially which the guy who imported it for me was happy to fix for free.

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  • 2 weeks later...

[quote name='DanEly' timestamp='1396907620' post='2418735']
Guys, can any one help me source a Fender Japan PB70-US ASH Precision?
[/quote]

Try searching on [url=http://www.digimart.net]Digimart[/url] and the [url=http://store.ishibashi.co.jp/ec/srDispCategoryTreeLink/doSearchCategory/11933200000/04-05/3/1]Ishibashi Ubox[/url].

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[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1396909921' post='2418769']
Try searching on [url="http://www.digimart.net"]Digimart[/url] and the [url="http://store.ishibashi.co.jp/ec/srDispCategoryTreeLink/doSearchCategory/11933200000/04-05/3/1"]Ishibashi Ubox[/url].
[/quote]

Loverly! Digmart has something I'd love but I've never done importing. How do I go about ordering one? Sorry for the mass of questions.
If someone could PM me. That would be fantastic

EDIT *Think I've got the hang of it now*

Edited by DanEly
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Somewhere on the Digimart site there are instructions in English for how to get in touch with the retailers whose instruments are listed on the site (or at least there were last time they had something I was very interested in). Be aware though many Japanese retailers aren't comfortable dealing with exporting and people who don't speak/write Japanese, so don't be surprised if some of your enquiries are ignored.

On the other hand Ishibashi are set up to deal with export enquiries (although they do have a minimum order value for these). I've bought 4 basses from them in the past and they have always been extremely helpful. The only thing you need to watch is that because of the time-zone difference and the fact that the instruments on the Ishibashi site are also on display in one of their shops, you may find that by the time they have received your enquiry the bass will already be sold. If you are definitely interested in something on their site make sure that you ask them to reserve it for you in your initial enquiry.

Edited by BigRedX
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  • 4 weeks later...

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1399045304' post='2440441']
IME it can take several days. What does the tracking say?
[/quote]

It is in UK customs since 08:00 on the 29th. Guess I need a little more patience!

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