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Shippng to London....advice?

5K views 20 replies 8 participants last post by  IbanezDaemon 
#1 ·
Hi all,

It looks like my purple ice swirl will be headed east over the pond to "Merry Ole'".

The buyer and I have decided it best to send the guitar dis-assembled. Of course I'll be giving it the best packing possible.

My questions center more around the UK's import or VAT taxes. The buyer is a great guy that, if I can, I would like to save as much as possible on these taxes while keeping both of our interests protected. So here goes:

- Would it be more efficient to send the entire guitar in one box- fully insured, or two boxes (neck and body separate) both insured for half the amount?

- Does UK customs hold an instrument for any prolonged period of time in a questionable environment?

- is there anything you can think of that will help both of us remain protected, the guitar remain exactly as I ship it, and to save the buyer some coin in the process?
 
#2 ·
- Would it be more efficient to send the entire guitar in one box- fully insured, or two boxes (neck and body separate) both insured for half the amount?

No - duty and taxes will still be levied on the full cost anyway and the thresholds are low enough that things like Blurays get picked up let alone guitars.

- Does UK customs hold an instrument for any prolonged period of time in a questionable environment?

No, clearance is usually quick and if you use a courier (eg Fedex) they will clear it through themselves.

- is there anything you can think of that will help both of us remain protected, the guitar remain exactly as I ship it, and to save the buyer some coin in the process?

No, the only way to get round the duty/tax question is to under declare which is of course a) illegal and b) will mean you have to under insure and so risk loss.
 
#3 ·
Thanks Dave, I certainly want to do this above board. I've just never shipped anything other than small parts to the UK before. I have shipped a couple of guitars to AU and never had a problem, but I've heard before that AU and UK have very little in common when it comes to taxes and procedures.
 
#8 ·
The vat rate and handling charges are criminal over here and that's why I have no qualms when getting things delivered from the US at a lowered package value.
The bastards even charge vat on the shipping.
you are not alone, here in indonesia :

musical instrument , guitar : import duty : 10%
luxury goods tax ( yeah... electric guitar is luxury goods ) : 20%
VAT : 10 %
Income tax : 7.5% ( personal) 2.5% ( company).
 
#13 ·
Are you shipping that guitar minus a case Ryc??

I've shipped multi thousand $$$ J Customs into the UK
from the States and had no choice but to declare lower
value on them i.e $400 on a $3000 J Custom. Never had
a problem. I still had to pay approx £80 on duties but there
was no way I was gonna pay the ridiculous 23.5% import duty.

I obviously did this at my own risk. If you and the seller are in agreement
I'd ship the neck separate, declare say $50, ship the rest as a body/parts
for $100.
 
#14 ·
I am shipping minus the case. The buyer has looked at this thread. I think it scared the hell out of him (and rightfully so). He's been working in OZ for a while now. Were thinking we might ship it there instead...... I haven't heard back from him yet to confirm that.
 
#19 ·
Yeah it's best if both parties are in agreement.

I got sellers from USA to just mark J Customs
as 'Ibanez RG Series'....boom.. no bother at all.
Shipping company paid the duty and I paid them.
UK customs have been a breeze for me to get guitars in through.
I guess the point is not that it can be done - hell, I shipped back my old DNA heavily under declared among many others - but the risk inherent in doing so. If there's a problem - such as, oh I don't know, someone running over the package with a forklift - you get stuck at the level you declared for insurance.

If both parties are happy with that, then happy days. If not, best just suck up the fees and taxes.
 
#21 ·
I guess the point is not that it can be done - hell, I shipped back my old DNA heavily under declared among many others - but the risk inherent in doing so. If there's a problem - such as, oh I don't know, someone running over the package with a forklift - you get stuck at the level you declared for insurance.

If both parties are happy with that, then happy days. If not, best just suck up the fees and taxes.
Yeah. I guess you gotta weigh up how much you can afford to
lose if things go tits up. Both parties have to be in agreement and
decide what would happen if things did go wrong prior to shipping.

Here's a great import duty calculator which will help you calculate
fees involved:

http://www.dutycalculator.com/new-import-duty-and-tax-calculation/
 
#18 ·
Why would a seller ship a guitar to UK and not declare full value (to benefit the buyer's cost). Something happens to the guitar, he makes a claim on paypal, and the seller is screwed. Why even bother with such a risk? Seems to me, if an individual in the UK wants to save a buck or two on import duties he should be willing to go paypal gift.
 
#20 ·
Ryc, I shipped two bodies, a neck and a few pickups to the UK recently. Used a regular guitar box but cut it down so the dimensions were smaller. Shipped an entire guitar to AUS once that way as well.

I generally ship Priority Mail International to the UK but insurance isn't even available. Read this:

http://pe.usps.com/text/imm/fh_014.htm

So if using that I'd declare a low value but the seller would have to assume all risk.

Or use GXG with insurance, but that's crazy expensive.
 
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