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Post new topic Buying a guitar in GB, anyway to save on expenses?
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Author Topic:  Buying a guitar in GB, anyway to save on expenses?
Mark Shuda

 

From:
Wisconsin, USA
Post  Posted 9 Jun 2016 2:03 pm    
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Looking to purchase a guitar from a fellow in Great Britain.
Any idea on how one may most economically ship through customs and minimize value added taxes?

Any help is appreciated !
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Lane Gray


From:
Topeka, KS
Post  Posted 9 Jun 2016 2:09 pm    
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We don't have VAT. which is kinda like a sales tax.
Import duty coming this way ranges from 0 to 6 percent.
From talking to people who have used FedEx, DON'T. their customs agents are difficult. I'd use the postal service, the British would hand off to USPS.
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Howard Parker


From:
Maryland
Post  Posted 9 Jun 2016 2:19 pm    
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I don't believe there are import duties for American products brought back into this country. (if an issue)

Best to check though.

h
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Lane Gray


From:
Topeka, KS
Post  Posted 9 Jun 2016 2:26 pm    
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Interesting take, Howard.
But I suspect it would be considered importing, since there's a sale involved.
A phone call to customs might be in order.
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Don R Brown


From:
Rochester, New York, USA
Post  Posted 9 Jun 2016 3:31 pm    
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Howard Parker wrote:
I don't believe there are import duties for American products brought back into this country. (if an issue)

Best to check though.

h


I agree, I believe if you can show the item was originally made here you will avoid some fees. I also agree you should make sure in advance.

Of course if it's something made new over there, that's probably a different story. They'll get you any way they can.
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Howard Parker


From:
Maryland
Post  Posted 9 Jun 2016 4:51 pm    
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Here you go.

h
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Don R Brown


From:
Rochester, New York, USA
Post  Posted 9 Jun 2016 7:23 pm    
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In my post above I said "They'll get you any way they can.".

Howard's link sure bears that out:

"For instance, if you take gold to India, where it is then made into jewelry, the gold can not be re-entered into the U.S. free of charge. Nor is the value of the gold deductable from the value of the finished jewelry"

(emphasis added)
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steve takacs


From:
beijing, china via pittsburgh (deceased)
Post  Posted 10 Jun 2016 3:53 am    
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Howard, thanks for the helpful information. Right on target. steve t

Last edited by steve takacs on 10 Jun 2016 7:48 am; edited 1 time in total
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Howard Parker


From:
Maryland
Post  Posted 10 Jun 2016 5:04 am    
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Don R Brown wrote:
In my post above I said "They'll get you any way they can.".

Howard's link sure bears that out:

emphasis added)


Isn't this what we want, to encourage domestic manufacturing with domestic raw materials?

Anyway, my point is that if the steel was American made it can be imported back to this country, often with no fees or tariffs.

I used to have to deal with this stuff professionally.

That is all.

h
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Larry Allen


From:
Kapaa, Kauai,Hawaii
Post  Posted 18 Jun 2016 5:38 pm     GB guitar
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I recently bought a guitar from a guy in Naples, Greece...He sent it Greek postal service, it arrived in 7 days, in New York it was stamped by customs...no $$ involved...it was great service with daily tracking...Larry Very Happy
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Peter Harris

 

From:
South Australia, Australia
Post  Posted 19 Jun 2016 4:43 am    
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And assuming the 'fellow in GB' is in fact an individual and not a business, and that it is a private transaction between two such parties, (British) VAT should also NOT be a part of the deal on a personal item..
If buying from a business in the UK who would normally be applying VAT to local (UK) sales, one has to ensure that the purchase is declared as being 'for export' in order to AVOID paying VAT as part of the price in that instance, as it is not applicable to items being sent out of the country (particularly to those countries with no connection to the EU).

While I have never bought a steel out of UK, I have bought many other items that have been shipped to Australia, and these are the conditions I have been made aware of over the years..

HTH

Peter
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Charley Bond


From:
Inola, OK, USA
Post  Posted 20 Jun 2016 1:48 pm     shipping from GB to the USA
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If you have an Army buddies, they can get r dun pretty inexpensive through an APO/FPO
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