Anyone got climbing gear from abroad lately?

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 smithaldo 16 Oct 2021

Hi all, seen a good deal on a pair of boots at c.£300 but it’s on a German site that has an English link (backpacking United). 
 

has anyone ordered from here since Brexit and if so what were the customs fees??? DHL are the couriers so not sure if anyone has had stuff from them either?

advice appreciated on likely extra charges!

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 neuromancer 16 Oct 2021
In reply to smithaldo:

You'll get spanked by 20% plus DHL's internal fee, usually something like 2.5%.

Happened to me buying axes from Varuste.

In reply to smithaldo:

I bought Phantom Techs from here for £262. Ended up with tax bill £65.

I disputed the £12 handling fee, ended up paying £53 in the end.

Stuart

 Ciro 16 Oct 2021
In reply to smithaldo:

I don't buy anything from anyone in Europe who isn't registered for UK VAT and providing a total price for a delivered item.

It's a shame, as it cuts down choice of supplier, but it doesn't seem worth the hassle.

 stevevans5 16 Oct 2021
In reply to smithaldo:

Have you asked the shop if they are UK vat registered? (Or scoured the website) Shops that are it's like before Brexit, those that aren't you pay the vat to the courier along with some extra fees. If it's really expensive item and a great deal may still be worth it as duty is usually only a couple of percent and the courier fee is in the tens of euros, but for something that costs £300 that may be significant! 

 streapadair 16 Oct 2021
In reply to smithaldo:

A while ago I ordered an expensive (€900) Samaya tent from Alpinstore in France. Before it arrived I was notified of a c£200 customs charge, so with regret I took the option of returning it and (eventually) got a refund. 

 Dave the Rave 16 Oct 2021
In reply to smithaldo:

Just buy from UK shops? 

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 Maggot 16 Oct 2021
In reply to Dave the Rave:

> Just buy from UK shops? 

What, do you mean support your local independent gear retailer so they're not swamped out of business?!?!

A regular topic here on UKC.

OP smithaldo 17 Oct 2021
In reply to Stuart the postie: Cheers Stuart, yeah it was phantom techs at £312…. Oh so wonder if they already add on the £53 as with exchange rate rounding that seems about right adding on from £262.
 

rather than pontificate here I could of course just ask them……..

In reply to smithaldo:

With exchange rate, shipping, my Visa bill was about £283. Then I had to pay import duties on top of that!

Stuart

 alibrightman 19 Oct 2021
In reply to smithaldo:

I bought bike parts from Germany recently.  There are no additional fees to pay if the value of the order is less than £135. Source: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/buying-online-from-europe-post-b...

(a bit of background - it's still cheaper for me to buy bike parts from Germany rather than a well-known supplier in the south of England that charges £15 for delivery to the Scottish Highlands)

 jimtitt 19 Oct 2021
In reply to alibrightman:

> I bought bike parts from Germany recently.  There are no additional fees to pay if the value of the order is less than £135.

No extra charges that you pay on delivery, there sure are at the sellers end! For smaller traders it's not worth the hassle to sell to the UK ( I apply a £135 minimum order value and am considering an admin surcharge for issuing the customs papers, my courier already charges extra for processing them).

 iani 19 Oct 2021
In reply to smithaldo:

I bought a half metric size pair of boots from Backpacking United recently - (I was confident they would fit). The price (which I paid) was quoted excluding 20% German VAT. I then paid 20% UK Vat + a handling fee to Fedex and the boots were delivered. The all in cost to me was the equivalent of the UK list price (~£200). The down side is that if you need to return the goods the shop will refund the price but you would need to recover the UK VAT separately which i believe is complicated / not easy (and pay return postage). Backpacking United service were very helpful and I would use them again.


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