Worthwhile importing from US? E.g. SV90T

[coliea]

I was looking at US manufactured telescopes purchased from UK dealers and noticed quite a discrepancy between the UK and US prices. Consequently I was wondering if anyone on the forum could suggest a good reason why we shouldn't buy direct from the States?

For example, take the gorgeous Stellarvue SV90T Triplet. From a UK dealer this would set you back £1595 excluding delivery. However you can buy the exact same package from Stellarvue in California for $1995. Converting this to Sterling using the exchange rate at the time of writing equates to £1005.

If we add HM Customs standard duty for telescopes @ 4.2% and VAT @ 17.5% we get 1005 + ((1005/100) x 21.7) = £1223 excluding delivery.

So (excluding both UK and US delivery charges) buying the same SV90T package direct from Stellarvue would save you £327. Quite a difference.

My question then is... am I missing something? :?

Customs duty quoted for telescope imports was found here: http://tinyurl.com/hovo7

[GazOC]

A couple of things to consider is that the warranty may not be valid outside the USA (and either way it would be costly to return a faulty scope) and don't forget you also pay VAT on the delivery cost. IMHO buying from America is OK for smaller stuff like filters and eyepieces, but you're taking a chance with a fragile item like a scope.....

...Just my 2p.

[Whippy]

We've been here before once or twice. And whilst on paper it seems like a good idea and you may think 'someone's making a fair bit of profit bringing these into the UK', but it's not really the case and I agree with Gaz. If it goes pear-shaped, what are you going to do? Send it back to the US?

Tony..

[Eclipse]

A lot of dealers will not send scopes out of the US. And Meade (and probably others) specifically forbids its US dealers to do so. Dealers that can send scopes also tend to make HIGH shipping charges. And remember you will have to pay import duty and then VAT on top of that, which takes a big bite out of any saving on paper. Makes it all look a lot less attractive.

I have bought EPs and diagonals from the US at a good price, and the Spanish Correos has not charged me import duty and VAT, basically because they can´t be bothered. The Royal Mail NEVER fail, of course.

[coliea]

If it goes pear-shaped, what are you going to do? Send it back to the US?

Mmm.. what price peace of mind eh? Yeah I see what you mean.

Thanks for the replies guys.

[MikeP]

Some other points to consider ...

What tends to happen is that the good get shipped and end up in a warehouse somewhere in the UK. You may or may not be contacted to pay the duty. In my case my parcel went missing for three weeks and I had to chase the supplier in the US to chase the shippers to locate it.

Customs charge what they charge - it may be the 4.2% + VAT but I would not bet on it. What you will be asked to pay will be a figure that also includes a handling fee for the couriers at this end - yes, even though you have paid for shipping already. I'm guessing, but in your case it could be a further £30.

Finally, being a pedant, I think you would be charged VAT on the goods plus the duty so it should be 1005 * 1.042 * 1.175 = 1230.47.

Yes, you are still ahead financially, but what if your scope arrives in a damaged condition? What do you do if you have a problem with it (probably unlikely with a Stellavue)? As you say - what price for peace of mind.

Mike

[James]

Something to also remember - I bought a top notch graphics card a few years back from the US that turned out to be faulty. On arranging the return I was advised to prominently mark the package as warranty repair as the odds were that the company I was sending it to could be charged for import duty at their end and I could be charged again when the replacement article arrived - that would have added a lot to the costs so I didn't bother.

Luckily the tale ended well for me as at the time I was working for Apple UK and they replaced the card along with a stiff letter telling me not to circumvent the system next time; a lesson which I hve learned.

James

[Kai]

The only way i would buy a Scope from the States would be if i flew out and picked it up personally so i could guarantee its condition.But then the savings would be wiped out

[RobH]

I bought a DSI pro2 in the US last summer. Good saving as I was there anyway, and didn't have to pay delivery costs.

It commited Hari Kari 2 months later and isn't under guarantee in this country.

I later gave it to an American colleague of mine to get it back to them....he sent it back...not recorded delivery (some folks do not engage brains it seems!)...and that was the end of that. $600 dollars wasted

Wouldn't do it again.

Cheers

Rob

[Roy]

As far as scopes arriving in good condition and only buying small items, I think a lot depends on the vendor you are dealing with, I bought a 20" Obsession from the states and you can't get much bigger than that but because Obsession go out of their way to make sure every item is packed extremely well it all arrived in perfect condition.

I guess the best thing is to do a little research and find out as much about the vendor as possible and try to speak to other people that have dealt with them.