Importing Basses

[Tomkin]

I'm considering buying a bass from the USA, can anyone give any tips or advise of any pitfalls to avoid and recommend some good reputable shops to deal with.

I have had a look at Martins Guitar shop and was wondering if anyone has had any dealing with these guys?

Cheers

Robbie

[spinynorman]

Worth reading the sticky thread under Bass Guitars

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=139"]Importing Sticky[/url]

Main thing to remember is you'll have to pay import duty and VAT on top of the shipping cost, so what may look like a great bargain, because of the exchange rate, may turn out not that much cheaper than buying here.

Can't comment on shops, basses I've bought from the US have been eBay or someone I know.

Watch shipping - USPS is a good service and not too expensive, somewhere around $100 for a bass. Other couriers can be a lot more, and of course shops can also charge what they like.

[Hamster]

It's worth checking out [url="http://www.talkbass.com"]http://www.talkbass.com[/url] and going through their for sale forums.

Hamster

Edited July 18, 2008 by Hamster

[woodster]

I've bought twice from Bass Central in Florida ( www.basscentral.com )

Grasshopper and the guys there are really helpful and will guide you through the whole process and will even SLIGHTLY under-declare the value of your shipment to save you a few quid on the VAT.

Even with the charges, my Stingray 5 was a few hundred quid cheaper that it would've been from the UK and was at my door 8 days after ordering.