Author Topic: Shipping from U.S. to Europe (Read 250 times)

hammer · « **on:** July 25, 2013, 03:57:48 PM »

Has anything here found a way to transact a purchase between U.S. and Europe including shipping that makes any sense for either the seller or buyer. I have a club member interested in the purchase of my Distillate but when I add up the taxes/ duties, and shipping the price needed for me to get what I think would be reasonable goes up $800-$1000.

keith_h · « **Reply #1 on:** July 25, 2013, 05:44:36 PM »

What you need to do is set the price for the bass and shipping and have those funds sent to you in US currency. Taxes and duties would be the responsibility of the purchaser and paid by them when they pick up the instrument at customs. I believe companies such as UPS and DHL will also handle the customs work on the purchasers end and receive the required taxes/fees from them.

Keith

slawie · « **Reply #2 on:** July 26, 2013, 03:32:28 AM »

Drop the sale price receipt to minimise the VAT.
Sell the bass for $500 and provide a receipt for that amount. If you send an item that has a sales receipt for lower prices the VAT goes down. But then again that may be illegal.

slawie

jazzyvee · « **Reply #3 on:** July 26, 2013, 04:26:24 AM »

My advice would be to get the buyer buy a gig bag, get a cheap flight to the usa to collect the bass in person. The the buyer can't avoid paying $800 to &1000 if it's shipped into Europe so won't be losing anything if he spends that money on a flight over. He can carry it back with him on the plane and have the memory of collecting his bass in person and maybe a weekend in USA and hook up with some Alembic forum members.

Just an option.
Jazzyvee

jacko · « **Reply #4 on:** July 26, 2013, 04:30:47 AM »

It's not just illegal but could also end in tears if the instrument is lost as the listed value of the piece the maximum the carrier is responsible for if something happens to it.
That said, I was happy that Beaver at GC listed my sig deluxe at the dealer price and not what I paid - we get stung for a ridiculous amount in import duties and VAT over here and I'm not sure I understand what 'value' the british government has added to an instrument built in California.

Graeme

keith_h · « **Reply #5 on:** July 26, 2013, 06:30:12 AM »

Graeme,
The value add must be the pre-delivery inspection customs performed on your behalf. :-)

Keith

hammer · « **Reply #6 on:** July 26, 2013, 02:06:57 PM »

Well, I've proposed to the potential buyer something akin to what Jazzyvee proposed...only in reverse with me doing the traveling.
If he's interested it would make a lot of sense since:
(1) My spouse works for an airline so I fly for tax only
(2) I've been just about everywhere in Europe other than the Scandinavian countries and he's living in Norway; and
(3) Even with the cost of a decent ATA or Gator flight case it would be lot cheaper than shipping and customs.

Question I have is...do they check to make sure you exit a country with what you had with you when you entered if you take something like that through customs.

lozbass · « **Reply #7 on:** July 26, 2013, 02:51:17 PM »

Oops - removed (misunderstood)

(Message edited by Lozbass on July 26, 2013)

jazzyvee · « **Reply #8 on:** July 27, 2013, 02:39:14 AM »

Hammer. In my experience, no they don't check that much detail. Unless of course you look more dodgy at either point.

Jazzyvee

klinkepeter · « **Reply #9 on:** July 27, 2013, 05:25:50 AM »

I bought a couple of basses in US and i always took a flight myself or i asked some friends they accidently stayed there to bring them over, no hardcase, just a softcase and they could bring it on bord, no taxes, no extra fee, nothing, for me lways the best way to do it also considering the risk of the postal way