Shipping?

Hey guys,

being from the UK i've noticed a lot of cheaper prices from american stores/sites (ebay mainly)

for example a cymbal in the uk may be double the price as one from america.

bu my real question is about the shipping?

most of these cheap prices seem to be from legitimate ebay stores and seem to be willing to post to the UK but should i expect to pay any additional/hidden costs? tax etc?


let me know if you've had any experiences or if you know anything about this sort of thing

cheers!
Nick

I've imported both kits and drums. There are two charges. VAT which as you know is now 20% and then import duty on top of that which, without checking, is around 3-4%. So you are looking at adding 20-25% of the retail cost in taxes and duty plus of course shipping costs. typically the couriers (DHL etc...) will pay the duty and then charge you. If it is just posted then Royal Mail will collect the duty and will impose a further £8.00 admin charge on top again.

At the current dollar/sterling exchange rate it is probably not worth it unless you are planning to buy rare or vintage equipment that simply isn't available in the UK.