Thomann prices?

[Kev]

5 minutes ago, ezbass said:

Handling fees sounds like an opportunity for some firms to fleece buyers. The BBC article being a case in point, VAT is fair enough, but how much for ‘handling’?

It's nothing new in general though, anyone buying stuff from the US will already know all about VAT and handling charges, its just understanding that buying from the EU in many ways is the same as buying from the US now. 

[EBS_freak]

On 22/01/2021 at 10:43, ezbass said:

Handling fees sounds like an opportunity for some firms to fleece buyers. The BBC article being a case in point, VAT is fair enough, but how much for ‘handling’?

It's just another stealth tax by the couriers. You've paid for the international delivery already...

To be honest, the whole courier game needs a shake up. I mean, having to take out extra insurance at your expense to safeguard your goods whilst in their care is just a nonsense. For instance, you wouldn't take your car to a mechanics and get a price for an oil change, and a price for an oil change and insurance incase they accidentally take out your windscreen. It's absolutely bonkers.

Edited January 26, 2021 by EBS_freak

[Steve Browning]

There is a ridiculous amount of paperwork to deal with, and Customs are being very pedantic on this point. They are also forking out the charges on your behalf so advancing a total stranger credit.

Costs like these seem exorbitant but you would probably pay it willingly if you had to do it yourself. That's not to say some aren't taking advantage.

[EBS_freak]

4 minutes ago, Kev said:

It's nothing new in general though, anyone buying stuff from the US will already know all about VAT and handling charges, its just understanding that buying from the EU in many ways is the same as buying from the US now. 

I get that - but the difference in costs between couriers can be somewhat sizeable!

[EBS_freak]

29 minutes ago, Steve Browning said:

There is a ridiculous amount of paperwork to deal with, and Customs are being very pedantic on this point. They are also forking out the charges on your behalf so advancing a total stranger credit.

Costs like these seem exorbitant but you would probably pay it willingly if you had to do it yourself. That's not to say some aren't taking advantage.

What we could do with... is a joined up import/export service where EU codes line up with those that can be read by the UK..... Oh.

Edited January 22, 2021 by EBS_freak

[jimmyb625]

This was £132 on the 29th November 2020. I have no idea what the final price is going to end up being.

[EBS_freak]

9 minutes ago, jimmyb625 said:

This was £132 on the 29th November 2020. I have no idea what the final price is going to end up being.

Aha! Trick! Harley Bentons end up being modded within an inch of their lives... so by the time you have new pickups, bridge, tuners, pickups... added a preamp, new pick guard, graphite neck... hundreds dude, hundreds.

[Skybone]

Brexit: 'I was asked to pay an extra £82 for my £200 coat' - BBC News

Some people still don't get it.

[Cato]

I wonder if we're going to start seeing European imports being held up by a UK customs backlog.

I remember reading last year that the government hadn't come close to hitting it's target for recruiting thousands of additional customs staff for post Brexit Britain.

They've got to be up to their eyeballs right now.

Edited January 22, 2021 by Cato

[EBS_freak]

59 minutes ago, Skybone said:

Brexit: 'I was asked to pay an extra £82 for my £200 coat' - BBC News

Some people still don't get it.

That was the link that we are talking off the back of earlier in the thread.

[Stub Mandrel]

18 hours ago, paul_c2 said:

 

"She was surprised when she then received a text from courier company DPD, containing a link asking her to pay £58 in customs duties, VAT and additional charges for her £180 order.

On top of that, the UPS courier for the second parcel showed up at her door several days later, asking for an extra payment of £82 for her £200 coat."

So people aren't aware that there's import duty??? I guess its possible....but I think most people know import duty exists. As for UPS charging £82 for a £200 item when the rate of import duty is max 25%, they're taking the P and it seems, taking commercial advantage of a situation.

 

As it is over £135 the prices don't include VAT

£200 + £40 VAT + ~£30 import duty + UPS handling charge ~£12

[EBS_freak]

53 minutes ago, Cato said:

I wonder if we're going to start seeing European imports being held up by a UK customs backlog.

I remember reading last year that the government hadn't come close to hitting it's target for recruiting thousands of additional customs staff for post Brexit Britain.

They've got to be up to their eyeballs right now.

We already are.

The additional customs staff is a bit misleading. The reason for thousands of additional customs staff is to make up for that fact that theres not a fully autonomous system to cater for EU import at the moment.

Up to their eyeballs? On fire.

[Stub Mandrel]

Last night the NI Secretary said that Northern Ireland had the advantage of being in a free trade area with Europe.

If the government see that as an advantage, I wonder if they think the rest of the UK should join a free trade area with Europe?

[Newfoundfreedom]

8 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Last night the NI Secretary said that Northern Ireland had the advantage of being in a free trade area with Europe.

If the government see that as an advantage, I wonder if they think the rest of the UK should join a free trade area with Europe?

That sounds like it could be a really good idea. 🤔

[Kev]

6 hours ago, Kev said:

Well, Musik-Productiv are certainly still charging VAT and state their price includes all duty and custom fees, so that should be a total price.  Currently waiting for a delivery of a £465 parcel, which will test this I guess. 

Well, that parcel and the sub £135 parcel were just delivered.  No real clue whether they passed through customs correctly or not as I know UPS invoice post-delivery. No markings on parcel of any kind, label on the front of the Expensive one with a customs fee/duty/vat receipt but it seemed sealed.

We’ll wait and see! Delivery time was two weeks from dispatch, on a 2-4 day delivery service.

Edited January 22, 2021 by Kev

[EBS_freak]

4 minutes ago, Kev said:

Well, that parcel and the sub £135 parcel were just delivered.  No real clue whether they passed through customs correctly or not as I know UPS invoice post-delivery. No markings on parcel of any kind, label on the front of the Expensive one with a customs fee/duty/vat receipt but it seemed sealed.

We’ll wait and see! Delivery time was two weeks from dispatch, on a 2-4 day delivery service.

Not too shabby then.

[Eldon Tyrell]

Interesting article:

"In an extraordinary twist to the Brexit saga, UK small businesses are being told by advisers working for the Department for International Trade (DIT) that the best way to circumvent border issues and VAT problems that have been piling up since 1 January is to register new firms within the EU single market, from where they can distribute their goods far more freely."

I guess Thomann could do the same and set up Thomann UK.

Set up shop in Europe, government advisers tell Brexit-hit businesses | Brexit | The Guardian

[Stub Mandrel]

Yes, I read about a cheese maker who has dropped plans for a new UK distribution centre and 20 jobs and is going to build one in France instead.

That means he only needs one set of paperwork per lorry, instead of paying for one for each individual customer order.

On Any  Questions today a lady who used to live in NI said she has found out she needs her two dogs to have rabies shots etc. plus paper work @ £270 per dog in order to take them to NI with her. New paperwork needed every visit and IIRC rabies shots need to be redone every year.

No border in the Irish Sea? Frictionless travel?

To me it really feels like NI has effectively been ceded from the UK.

[EBS_freak]

13 hours ago, Eldon Tyrell said:

Interesting article:

"In an extraordinary twist to the Brexit saga, UK small businesses are being told by advisers working for the Department for International Trade (DIT) that the best way to circumvent border issues and VAT problems that have been piling up since 1 January is to register new firms within the EU single market, from where they can distribute their goods far more freely."

I guess Thomann could do the same and set up Thomann UK.

Set up shop in Europe, government advisers tell Brexit-hit businesses | Brexit | The Guardian

Because that is exactly what a small business struggling in a pandemic wants to do right now. It's nuts isn't it? Have the country campaign for new border and import/export control and now we are looking for ways to circumvent it.

It's all just so moronic.

Edited January 24, 2021 by EBS_freak

[EBS_freak]

And this to look forward to... maybe?

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/jan/25/mastercard-to-raise-fees-to-eu-firms-by-500-percent-for-online-sales-to-uk-shoppers

[Beedster]

On 23/01/2021 at 19:51, Eldon Tyrell said:

I guess Thomann could do the same and set up Thomann UK.

They appear to be describing themselves as just that online (or at lest Google are, example below). I'm trying to sell some stuff on eBay at present, and quite a few people have said "I can get it new at Thomann UK for just a few quid more"? Apologies if this has already been covered, haven't read the whole thread.

[Kev]

Just now, Beedster said:

They appear to be describing themselves as just that online (or at lest Google are, example below). I'm trying to sell some stuff on eBay at present, and quite a few people have said "I can get it new at Thomann UK for just a few quid more"? Apologies if this has already been covered, haven't read the whole thread.

Thomann are listing Ex VAT, so that £499 and £511 will be 20% more, before considering duty/handling.

[Beedster]

6 minutes ago, Kev said:

Thomann are listing Ex VAT, so that £499 and £511 will be 20% more, before considering duty/handling.

I get that, but I think use of 'UK' is misleading as the naive buyer would not expect to pay extra on a UK purchase? 

[EBS_freak]

Just now, Beedster said:

I get that, but I think use of 'UK' is misleading as the naive buyer would not expect to pay extra on a UK purchase? 

Tell them to go buy it from Thomann UK then... and then to come back to you when they get to the checkout phase.

[Kev]

13 minutes ago, Beedster said:

I get that, but I think use of 'UK' is misleading as the naive buyer would not expect to pay extra on a UK purchase? 

I don't know, to me the excluding VAT warning jumps out at me, and I'm sure it warns you in the checkout too.  I don't really buy this "surprise" thing, as without putting in bold on the page UK BUYERS YOU WILL HAVE TO PAY MORE, I don't know what else shops can do.