Importing a Noble DI - What's the extra costs?

[Steve_M]

Hi All

 

I'm just about to pull the trigger and join the 36 week wait list for a Noble DI, but can't find out any info on the additional costs for Import Duty and VAT to the UK. Have any of you lovely peeps been there and done that? If so, how much did you have to give Rishi for the privilege? Thanks in advance.

 

Steve

[Jack]

You can count on roughly 20-25% if you get caught. It should be import duty, then VAT on top of both the item and the postage, but they don't always catch everything. 

[BigRedX]

As a rule of thumb add 25% onto the combined cost of the item and the shipping price and add an additional £15.00 to cover customs clearance fees and you won't have any unpleasant surprises. 

[Quatschmacher]

Look up the category (or closest equivalent) on the HMRC website for the item. It’s basically 20% VAT, plus the customs duty for the item (about 2.5% for effects pedals), plus a £12-25 clearance fee to whatever courier is handling the delivery, depending on the size of the item. 
 

you might be able to put it under this code:

“Amplifier, consisting of active and passive elements mounted on a printed circuit, contained in a housing” 8543709030. 2% customs duty on this. 

[BigRedX]

41 minutes ago, Quatschmacher said:

Look up the category (or closest equivalent) on the HMRC website for the item. It’s basically 20% VAT, plus the customs duty for the item (about 2.5% for effects pedals), plus a £12-25 clearance fee to whatever courier is handling the delivery, depending on the size of the item. 
 

you might be able to put it under this code:

“Amplifier, consisting of active and passive elements mounted on a printed circuit, contained in a housing” 8543709030. 2% customs duty on this. 

 

The only problem with this method is that there is no guarantee that either the manufacturer on filling in the customs declaration, or the HMRC, will pick the same commodity code when calculating the duty and on a pricy item like this that difference could be quite expensive. 

[Beedster]

2 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

 

The only problem with this method is that there is no guarantee that either the manufacturer on filling in the customs declaration, or the HMRC, will pick the same commodity code when calculating the duty and on a pricy item like this that difference could be quite expensive. 

 

Bought back memories that did! I bought a bass on eBay from the US years ago, and the seller indicated a valuation of around twice what I paid on the basis that in his opinion that's what the bass was worth should it be lost or damaged. Can almost see his logic but didn't do me any favours when it came to import duty, VAT etc. 

[admiralchew]

I received one in April back and the tax and duties payable on receipt came to just shy of £230. Mine was a non-rush order and I bought a few extra bits (case, tubes, cable etc) but that should be around the right ballpark.

 

It’s part of my permanent set up now though so it was worth it to me.

[skychaserhigh]

Save yourself some money and get one of these instead. Great bit of kit and mine arrived in about 10 days from what I remember. 

https://reverb.com/uk/item/42144898-jt-amplification-alpha-direct-box-standard

[fretmeister]

19 minutes ago, skychaserhigh said:

Save yourself some money and get one of these instead. Great bit of kit and mine arrived in about 10 days from what I remember. 

https://reverb.com/uk/item/42144898-jt-amplification-alpha-direct-box-standard

 

Is that designed to sound like an old B15 though?

[skychaserhigh]

It's designed to sound like a quality valve DI , has some great eq , gain and pad settings too.

[fretmeister]

Sounds like it's aimed at different needs then.

[BigRedX]

Remember also that the VAT and duty will be calculated using HMRC exchange rates which will be different to what is generally being quoted for currency exchange at the time. At the moment the value of the Pound is falling in relation to the Dollar and maybe worth even less in 36 weeks time.

[Quatschmacher]

2 hours ago, BigRedX said:

 

The only problem with this method is that there is no guarantee that either the manufacturer on filling in the customs declaration, or the HMRC, will pick the same commodity code when calculating the duty and on a pricy item like this that difference could be quite expensive. 

The importer needs to pick a code and this one looks the closest match.

 

Noble is a small company so I’m confident a buyer could easily communicate this info to the seller. 
 

1 hour ago, BigRedX said:

Remember also that the VAT and duty will be calculated using HMRC exchange rates which will be different to what is generally being quoted for currency exchange at the time. At the moment the value of the Pound is falling in relation to the Dollar and maybe worth even less in 36 weeks time.

HMRC publish monthly exchange rates so it is easy to look up exactly what one will be charged at the point of purchase. Probably prudent to order at the beginning of a month so as to not get caught out if there’s a big rise the next month. Though with a 36-week wait, that’s much harder. 

Edited July 22, 2022 by Quatschmacher

[BigRedX]

4 minutes ago, Quatschmacher said:

HMRC publish monthly exchange rates so it is easy to look up exactly what one will be charged at the point of purchase. Probably prudent to order at the beginning of a month so as to not get caught out if there’s a big rise the next month. 

 

Surely the exchange rate is calculated by HMRC at the time of import? How would they know when the item was actually paid for? Current waiting time between ordering and receiving your item is over half a year...

[admiralchew]

I think you can cancel any time up to it being posted so if rates do look like they’ve gone haywire then you should be able to cancel. What you’ll get back is a whole other can of worms but, frankly, if the dollar and pound shift so much that it makes a massive difference then we’ll all probably have bigger things to worry about.

 

Mine is on my desk next to me and is one of four pedals permanently in my chain. I’d highly recommend it and I’d like to note too that Jack offers a great service; he answered all of my queries both before buying the pedal and after it was delivered too, as well as recommending other pedals it may pair well with.

I’ve got a few other tube preamps (five, I think) but the Noble is the one that stays, even though the others are all in what I would have considered the top tier had I not got a Noble.

[Quatschmacher]

3 hours ago, BigRedX said:

 

Surely the exchange rate is calculated by HMRC at the time of import? How would they know when the item was actually paid for? Current waiting time between ordering and receiving your item is over half a year...

Yes, I realised about the long wait times, hence the last sentence which I appended about a minute after posting.
 

Hmrc sets the rate for the calendar month a few days before the beginning of the month, so the rate for the whole of July this year was set on 27th June. The rate is fixed for the whole calendar month. So if your item is processed by customs on any day within that month, that is the rate that will be applied. 

Edited July 22, 2022 by Quatschmacher

[Supernaut]

If you want the B15 tone, go for a REDDI. 

[bassist_lewis]

I too have a Noble on order (roll on November), and I found a website that did detailed calculations based on the price of the item, cost of postage, VAT etc (can't be bothered linking it right now, might add later) and it came to around £250 duty on top of the price of the preamp. Even if its sounds like s**t, for that price I'll be singing its praises forevermore 😂

[admiralchew]

18 minutes ago, bassist_lewis said:

I too have a Noble on order (roll on November), and I found a website that did detailed calculations based on the price of the item, cost of postage, VAT etc (can't be bothered linking it right now, might add later) and it came to around £250 duty on top of the price of the preamp. Even if its sounds like s**t, for that price I'll be singing its praises forevermore 😂

Mine cost about £230 more in fees so that sounds like the right ballpark. Don’t worry; you’ll be singing its praises (if you can believe a statement from someone else who may have been inclined to double down - people are always looking for them on the classifieds so you’ll be fine). Mine is now part of my permanent set up of four pedals and has replaced all but a couple of my tube-based pedals (they are also great but the Noble has pushed them aside).

[admiralchew]

Congratulations to those with one on order too; enjoy it when it arrives!

[Sibob]

You won’t be disappointed!!

 

 

Si

[fretmeister]

Are you guys running these di into the PA or as a posh pedal with an amp?

[admiralchew]

I’ve not run mine into an amp yet. I may try that later today!

 

I like my bass’ dry tone without cabsims etc so the Noble has been good for just warming that up.

[Reggaebass]

Has anyone compared or had both the noble and the jule Monique 

[Happy Jack]

Noble are based in California and have a long wait-list.

 

Their product is tiny and will disappear into pretty much any piece of luggage.

 

If you book a flight to California several months in advance, the flight is much cheaper.

 

Currently, the cost of such a flight is about £150 more than the cost of importation.

 

Just saying ...