Buying basses online from abroad

[originalfunkbrother]

Just wondering if anyone on here has had any experiences from buying basses online (ebay, Talkbass etc) from across the Atlantic or Japan. Any pointers or stuff to look out for?

[joe_bass]

I bought a bass from a guy in Florida through Ebay about 3 years ago. It was stated as being in near mint condition and when it turned up I checked it over and then left good feedback for him. I then found he'd covered up a few small problems, nothing major but frustrating none the less. I learnt to thoroughly inspect an instrument from then on!

Also Parcelforce took ages to send through a letter about holding the bass once it got to the UK. I think it sat for about a week waiting for me to call and pay the charges, when I had no idea about it!

[neepheid]

Don't be surprised by the tax bill. Don't be surprised by the courier charging you to present the goods to HMRC, paying the duty/VAT on your behalf then collecting the money from you. Don't think for one minute you'll be able to sneak a bass under the noses of HMRC, little bits and bobs sure, but not a whole bass.

Do ask for all tracking info/reference numbers etc. so you know what's happening instead of waiting for a letter to appear.

[PTB]

If you do to the Bass Guitars section, you'll find a pinned section at the top called "Importing Basses" which is full of useful stuff.

I Imported a used bass from the US about 7 or 8 years ago when the x rate was more favourable IIRC. I got a bargain & BassNW in Seattle were a pleasure to deal with.

Hope it works out for you.

[Coilte]

I bought two bass on line from abroad, one on E Bay and one from Talk Bass. No problems with either. Make sure to check the feed back for a potential seller, and to factor in the shipping cost and possible import duties in the over all price. I find Pay Pal useful in case anything goes wrong. At least you have some sort of come back.

[originalfunkbrother]

Cheers guys, much appreciated.

[BigRedX]

I've bought plenty of instruments from the US and mainland Europe on eBay, from Ishibashi in Japan and direct from the manufacturer in the US. Never had a problem with anything I've actually bought. The biggest problem I've encountered is trying to persuade some shops/owners/manufacturers in the US and Japan that selling to me in the UK was actually worth their while. These days I walk away if the seller is being in any way difficult about shipping abroad, as on the few occasions I've encountered reluctant sellers I've expended a lot of time and effort to make them happy and the sale still didn't go ahead.

Just remember to pay by PayPal or Credit Card and allow an extra 25% on top of the item PLUS SHIPPING costs to cover VAT and import duty for anything outside of the EU and you should be fine.

[Musky]

It'll be worth your while checking the Avoiding Rip Offs sticky in this forum as well.

[gregsguitars]

Get a full disclosure, good pictures ,ask questions about anything ,check the dealer online in a search for related content and yes duties or taxes, don't ask a dealer to place an errant value as that is traceable if customs asks to see the sales transaction and fraudulent..

[M-N-Y]

I once bought a Michael Kelly Dragonfly Fretless from a US seller on Ebay. What a huge mistake. The bass was awfully set up, the seller was far from helpful and I had to pay duty,vat and return postage to the US. Ouch!!!!