If you have a chance to go Astro shopping in USA...

[L8-Nite]

I'd be very, very careful about what declarations you make here.

To start with C&E rules state that if you are importing personal items from outside the EC, they must be more than 6 months old in order to qualify for VAT and duty exemption - presumably to stop exactly the circumstances in your (1.)

Also, providing different valuations for shipping and insurance purposes will stick out a mile and open you up to accusations of insurance fraud. Plus, the insurance company may then be entitled to only pay up for the $1 declared value. I wouldn't like to get stuck in the middle of a dispute like that.

Ups is a world wide carrier that ships millions of packages a day. Why should I question it when they provide me with the best and most economical way to ship through their system ?

EDIT: The $1 was entered to satisfy filling in the box, which was required by the computer system in order to go on to the next step of filling in the following box, etc., I guess thats how it works at UPS.

[reddoss]

What would you buy?

Eyepieces like TV or ES seems nice. Orion stuff is cheap.

A few more gadgets seems to be available, equatorial platforms for example.

A suitcase Dob maybe?

Hmmm....

Anything else?

On mobile (excuse the strange predictive words...)

A Saturn V rocket, with lunar lander , space suit and moon buggy!

[L8-Nite]

A Saturn V rocket, with lunar lander , space suit and moon buggy!

And why not !

[sologuitarist61]

Also brought back a US made Fender guitar as checked luggage. Declared it at customs at Heathrow and the nice customs man told me not to worry about it; he obviously had bigger fish to fry .

Right! I'm off to the States next weekend (can always do with another Fender, got a Strat and a Telecaster - always fancied a Jaguar!!) Do you know what the custom mans name was by any chance??

[cantharis]

Well that's something I have looked into recently and I would say a telescope. Especially one of the makes you are forbidden from ordering from the US.

Forbidden fruit is laways the sweetest! What brands are we forbidden from ordering? Or is it just that the Americans have no interest in exporting, because their home market is so huge!

[JB80]

I'm not sure how many others have this sort of set up in place but Meade and Celestron don't want US retailers to sell new products outside of the US.

[E621Keith]

I'm not sure how many others have this sort of set up in place but Meade and Celestron don't want US retailers to sell new products outside of the US.

Nikon and Canon do the same thing, so it's not just astronomy equipment that is affected. Nikon won't fix grey market imports.

[pete_l]

Forbidden fruit is laways the sweetest! What brands are we forbidden from ordering? Or is it just that the Americans have no interest in exporting, because their home market is so huge!

It's more because they make an agreement with specific importers to give them sole rights (i.e. a monopoly) within a given geographic region and anyone who wants to sell those products can only be supplied by that main dealer.

As it is. Meade & Celestron used to be the only games in town (certainly when I started, in the 90's). However these days the chinese manufacturers are largely eating their lunch (maybe due to the lack of restrictive trading practices) and the range of products and suppliers is much wider than it ever used to be. Though it must be said: M & C still dominate the in astro advertising, which seems to be what keeps demand for their products going.

Though you are right: because M & C have such a large home market, they aren't really too bothered about what happens in the rest of the world - though they aren't having such a happy time with their new products lately. Personally, I think M & C are no longer the dominant forces they used to be, so the need to go 'stateside to get good equipment is much less than it was in the past.

[E621Keith]

...

As it is. Meade & Celestron used to be the only games in town (certainly when I started, in the 90's). However these days the chinese manufacturers are largely eating their lunch (maybe due to the lack of restrictive trading practices) and the range of products and suppliers is much wider than it ever used to be. Though it must be said: M & C still dominate the in astro advertising, which seems to be what keeps demand for their products going.

...

btw, Celestron is now Chinese. Synta bought it a few years ago after Tasco went bust and US count barred Meade from taking over them.

[Dunkster]

Meade seem to have limited presence here (UK), so I'm surprised they'd be so against import/export.

I know when I looked at a bigger scope, the bargain price worked itself up to much less of a bargain once shipping (C11+mount come in big heavy boxes!), duty and vat were added. I bought locally (this country!) during C's promotion in the end.

I think if you happen to be there and can carry/move it yourself, then go for it but make sure you do your sums first

[bottletopburly]

Better if you have a us serviceman based in the uk they can get stuff sent to the base apparently

[Demo johnny]

I used to get quite a bit of photography kit in the US when the X Rate was a lot better. My Sister lives out there so would visit at least once a year not so much now I have kids. To avoid paying import duties etc. I would pack the lens, body etc in my hand luggage as normal however I would post the empty box and receipt back to myself. I can only remember being stopped once when coming back from NY in December, Chrimbo shopping trip my Mrs had rattled the credit card on clothes had a few presents for others (still with tags and bags) and we walked right through never bothered about my Nikon D2X. We had de-tagged the clothes but it was the bags that we had with us that had probably flagged us we had taken an empty bag with us and bought another one over there.

I have no problem trying save some money when the government can't stop big business like Starbucks paying no tax on £400m profit.