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Ordering from the states?


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So I’m looking at ordering a mcmillan rifle stock from the states. If anyone has similar experience ordering stuff like this from shops across the pond, how much do you tend to get hit as an extra when it arrives here? It’s never just the price and postage as advertised so thought folk on here might have useful tips or suggestions? I do have a mate based in Canada. I could potentially post to his address and then send it across from there or not worth the hassle?

 

 

Thanks!

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11 minutes ago, wildfowler.250 said:

Ah okay. So VAT is say 20%. What do you get hit for duty?

 

 

Thank you!

I believe it’s very unpredictable at times, depends who opens the packages. 

Can always be an option to go through a regular importer eg Edgar Brothers? 

 

Welshwarrior (Daf) off here ordered a stock from the US for me last time. 

The company sent the wrong stock, and he sorted it all. Fair play to him. 

Id send him a message. 

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Shipping from the USA direct from the supplier is getting more difficult every year. Used to be so easy.  I think even Cabela's will not now ship.  A few years since I did deals over there and usually when the stuff arrived, mainly rifles, then as said an import duty, back then it was 12% on the total cost including shipping and then VAT on top of that.  When the dollar was around 1.90 to the pound it was worthwhile but no good dels today I'm afraid.   I tend to have anyhting I need shipped to a friend over there and then shipped on to me. My 410 reloading dies came that way because the firm would not ship them to the UK.  Similarly with firearms you need and export license and back in the early 90s it was $50 for the whole package, now it has been put up to $250 for the same paperwork.

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Most US suppliers wont ship to anywhere outside US any more because they don't want the hassle and fear the ITAR rules even if it doesn't actually apply.

Import duty into the UK has every appearance of being a random figure plucked from thin air by a disinterested clerk who doesn't read the paperwork Sometimes its nothing because they can't be bothered. Other times I have been charged way over but you can't appeal unless its over £2.5K. Then the Post Office charges you £20 (?) to collect it.

I stopped importing stuff from US some years ago.

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14 hours ago, wildfowler.250 said:

Cheers! Did have a look at theirs but they don’t have the correct inlet currently. Looks like I’ll have to go via them anyway now.. 

 

 

thanks!

Do you know anyone in the states that could order it and then send to you as a gift? I did this through a friend in the uk who had a friend in the states for a dozen full body flocked Canada decoys in 2017. Avoided all duty., just sent the money to my friend who sent it on to his in the states.

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Careful Penelope what you are suggesting here would be of great interest to HMRC, having worked in import and export of military goods for many years I can assure you that it can be done just as long as you follow the rules 

The U S dealer might have to get an export licence and you as importer would need to declare the goods to Customs but if it’s shipped via DHL or FedEx they can do this for you 

Duty payable depends on the commodity code applicable to the goods and then there’s VAT on top plus a charge for the declaration to HMRC but it can save you money 

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16 hours ago, Penelope said:

Do you know anyone in the states that could order it and then send to you as a gift? I did this through a friend in the uk who had a friend in the states for a dozen full body flocked Canada decoys in 2017. Avoided all duty., just sent the money to my friend who sent it on to his in the states.

Gifts are still charged duty, there is no exemption from duty for gifts. Duty is based on the value of the goods not whether (or what) you say you are paying for them.

They are well aware of that old trick,  they are just as likely to charge you a steep estimate if you don't put a proper declaration  of value on the paperwork. You must have just been lucky they couldn't be bothered to chase it up 

Edited by Vince Green
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hello, i bought some items from the USA ,a gun shop right out in the wilds of Michigan, called Squirrel claws, sent normal post and never had any UK duty or vat, not the same with an ATN night vision scope, cost nearly as much for import as the scope, then it broke !!!!!!!, not my best purchase advice to my self !!!!!! 

Edited by oldypigeonpopper
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