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Celestron NexStar 8SE DE/UK version diffrent price?


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Hello, i've been looking to upgrade my telescope recently, and i set my eyes on the Celestron NexStar 8SE, but i noticed there is a big price diffrence between the DE (1845 EUR) version of the scope, and the UK(1465 EUR) version of the scope. Prices are taken from amazon, but they are about the same if you look on other websites. Anyone have any idea why there is such a big price diffrence between the two?  (Edit: forgot to mention prices are taken from amazon.de)

-Clear skies, Ahgii

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Do make sure both are VAT included or VAT excluded.

I just had a look at TS (German dealer) - listed price for NexStar 8SE is 1.457,98 VAT excluded.

On the other hand FLO lists it at €1,569.51 reduced from €1,743.90. Can't tell if that is VAT included or excluded.

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7 minutes ago, vlaiv said:

Do make sure both are VAT included or VAT excluded.

I just had a look at TS (German dealer) - listed price for NexStar 8SE is 1.457,98 VAT excluded.

On the other hand FLO lists it at €1,569.51 reduced from €1,743.90. Can't tell if that is VAT included or excluded.

UK prices always include VAT.

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4 hours ago, Cornelius Varley said:

UK prices always include VAT.

It's $1,138.85 from B&H Photo in NYC.  That would make it sales tax free shipped to Texas.  I'm not really sure why VAT is used like an import tariff in Europe.  Sales tax is never charged on any imports into the US and only rarely when purchasing from out of state.

That would make it 920 Euros or 802 GBP.  Who's pocketing the difference over there?

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As well as any import duty (which is dependant upon the type of item - they are quite specific!) all imports are subject to VAT on the total cost of the value HMC considers them to be, including delivery charges, plus an admin fee. I have quite a high value consignment on its way atm, and I am working on the basis that the final price will be about £1 per $1!!

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46 minutes ago, Louis D said:

It's $1,138.85 from B&H Photo in NYC.  That would make it sales tax free shipped to Texas.  I'm not really sure why VAT is used like an import tariff in Europe.  Sales tax is never charged on any imports into the US and only rarely when purchasing from out of state.

That would make it 920 Euros or 802 GBP.  Who's pocketing the difference over there?

A US product priced at $99 will often appear in the UK at £99 and in Paris at €99.  All UK and EU prices include VAT, but in the US sales tax is added. The $:£:€ exchange rate is only relevant to the currency exchange or credit card transaction.  Any apparent regional retail price difference after tax considerations is more a question of local retailer margin, local costs (higher retailer rents/taxes in EU) and, of course, shipping costs from the USA.

Not every retailer can offer export, and that applies both in the US and EU, so check it's capabilities. For example; Celestron retailers located in the US are not permitted to export Celestron items to the UK. This is due to a single UK wholesaler having the exclusive UK import rights and there, tax is irrelevant as that is the impact of a commercial agreement. I guess similar relationships exist in reverse.

However, if a visiting US citizen buys a UK product he/she can recover the VAT on airport departure so 'VAT' is not being used as an import tariff. But if buying from a UK retailer remotely from the USA you must make it clear that you are strictly non-resident in the UK else you won't automatically get the right paperwork to recover the tax. Again, not all retailers can offer tax free export due to commercial agreements.

Conversely, if we in the UK buy from the USA, we either pay your sales tax (which can be recovered on our departure etc) but then might pay UK customs tax on the import. But that is the same percentage tax as if we had bought an identical British or European product over here.  So again, it is not a trade tariff. It is neutral to your personal tax domicility, and just reflects different fiscal practices.

Frankly,  taxes are higher in the UK/EU.  I don't want to start a political debate, but higher taxes to offer a free health service and wider personal welfare benefits tends to be a European preference, whereas in the US you will pay separately for medical treatment or require expensive insurance. UK taxes cover us, but we don't penalise our US visitors that can still buy 'VAT free' if they follow the recovery procedures but do require travel/medical insurance for non-emergency treatment. The current $:£ exchange rate still means that visiting the UK and buying products here for export  is a good value vacation. 

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3 hours ago, noah4x4 said:

Conversely, if we in the UK buy from the USA, we either pay your sales tax (which can be recovered on our departure etc) but then might pay UK customs tax on the import.

Not to get more off-topic, but don't European consumers pay VAT on direct imports from the US such as internet orders as well as paying import tariffs?  It's not just official importers paying and recouping VAT.

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