European basses for sale ?

[dmccombe7]

Seeing quite a few very nice basses in various European countries. 

Just curious to know if anyone has bought from abroad in a private sale.

Were there any issues worth pointing out.

Obviously Brexit may change things in future but for now did everything go according to plan.

Dave

[PatrickJ]

I've not purchased a bass from abroad, but the only time I sent some bass gear to Europe it was lost.  Multiple couriers, each one passing the blame to the other.  Not sure I'd take the risk with a high end bass.

[Slappindabass]

I have sent two bssses to Europe this year. Both with parcelforce. Both arrived fine. I think the secret is to get the quickest delivery possible.

[Bolo]

Speaking from across the wet bit, I've traded some pedals through here, ordered from UK companies and even flew in from the Netherlands to trade a bass at the airport! Nothing but smooth transactions.

[kodiakblair]

Bought a bass from Hungary, arrived in 6 days with no hiccups. Must have bought 4 or 5 from Germany, 3 to 4 days for arrival. Again no problems. 

 

Sent a bass to Norway, not technically an EU country. Forgot to include 3 copies of the customs paperwork and it was tugged for CITES. DHL got in touch both times, printed the extra copies and passed on my declaration there was no rosewood. That caused a 24 delay. Not bad for £24 delivery charge 🙂

[Cuzzie]

I have done some guitar deals in Hungary with no problems.

Transferwise for payments

DPD for delivery as it stays with 1 courier.

Also done pedals etc to other European destinations, Germany mainly.

I think the key is to use a carrier that does point to point for the relevant country

[dmccombe7]

Interesting point about using just one courier. 

Have to say i've had parcels go amiss in UK so guess there's no guarantees with any courier.

 

[Cuzzie]

Ingot that from a mate who I was sending things to in Hungary.

For him, in that particular country he said it was the only courier to trust, and I have used it for 2 bases, 1 amp, 1 pedal board with pedals. And a solitary pedal no problems.

Different couriers May well be better in other places

[odysseus]

Bought a JM6 from a nice guy in the Netherlands.  It arrived quicker than a lot of purchases I've made from here in Britain!

[dannybuoy]

3 hours ago, kodiakblair said:

Bought a bass from Hungary, arrived in 6 days with no hiccups. Must have bought 4 or 5 from Germany, 3 to 4 days for arrival. Again no problems. 

 

Sent a bass to Norway, not technically an EU country. Forgot to include 3 copies of the customs paperwork and it was tugged for CITES. DHL got in touch both times, printed the extra copies and passed on my declaration there was no rosewood. That caused a 24 delay. Not bad for £24 delivery charge 🙂

CITES should hopefully not be an issue any more:

https://www.thestrad.com/news/cites-exempts-musical-instruments-from-rosewood-permit-system/9382.article

Edited September 4, 2019 by dannybuoy

[BigRedX]

4 hours ago, dannybuoy said:

CITES should hopefully not be an issue any more:

https://www.thestrad.com/news/cites-exempts-musical-instruments-from-rosewood-permit-system/9382.article

Still at least 90 Days before it comes into effect.

[kodiakblair]

4 hours ago, dannybuoy said:

CITES should hopefully not be an issue any more:

https://www.thestrad.com/news/cites-exempts-musical-instruments-from-rosewood-permit-system/9382.article

CITES wasn't a problem then. Norwegian customs were playing safe. 

[gt4ever]

I purchased my modulus from a guy in Italy through BC.  Never met him before, but put over £2k in his account hoping a decent bass would turn up.  Sure enough it arrived as stated and I’ve been as happy as a pig in 💩 ever since.  If you want a bass bad enough you’ll take a bigger risk.  Sound the seller out,  see the tone and quality of their previous posts etc and good luck.

 

rich

[Cuzzie]

Benefit of something like TransferWise is that, the currency conversion rate is good, but also you can use your credit card as the means for money transfer to their account and this further decreases the risk

[greenolive]

I’ve bought & traded with sellers in Europe ,( Belgium, France , Germany & The Netherlands) and never had a problem before , it does help that they’ve been trusted BCers and know how to pack & ship well , also a few bits & pieces from zikinf & onlybass - but of course if you get a weird vibe , just think it over.

I’m expecting a bass from France tomorrow ( with rosewood 😱 )

[Cuzzie]

Even during this CITES thing and until it’s lifted, just tell them it’s Pau Ferro - doubt the customs officers know the difference

[EMG456]

Bought basses from Europe on this site and had no issues. Also have bought basses from the US including one through eBay- again, no issues. 

If you communicate with the seller you’ll get a pretty good idea of how sincere they are. Pay by credit card using PayPal for eBay or a low cost escrow system if outwith eBay and high value. 

[Lozz196]

I’ve bought & sold within Europe, last Sale included me delivering to the buyer in The Netherlands as we were on tour in Germany and our route in wasn’t far from him. 

[TheGreek]

I've bought and sold basses in Europe - no more problems than any other deal I've done in the UK.

Use a reputable courier...

[Deedee]

As above, I’ve bought and sold guitars, basses and amps in Germany and the Netherlands this year along with wiring looms and pickups from Finland without issue. I also purchased an amp from Poland.

The key thing is establishing who pays if there are any additional fees required due to exchange rate conversions beforehand. I fell foul of this with the Poland transaction.

[kevin_lindsay]

Personally, I have sold basses to buyers in Germany, Denmark, Portugal, France, Monaco, Italy, Belgium, and The Netherlands. 

Each one went without any problems (although the delivery to rural Portugal took a couple of days longer than expected). Because of the the EU membership, it was a really straightforward process, with no cross border problems (even the sale to Monaco had no issues). 

If Brexit actually happens, it'll be back to the old days of import / export taxes and tarrifs being applied to such sales.