Bringing a Guitar from the states

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  • NeilNeil Frets: 3594
    It's a risk for what is now not such a great saving.

    I must admit I have been tempted on many trips to the US but TBH I thought the risks (VAT charge, damage etc etc) outweighed the reward.
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  • TTonyTTony Frets: 27345
    I note that PRS guitars are somewhat cheaper in the states and thought i may get one out there.
     
    The least hassle, least risk and least-loss approach is to buy here, s/h.

    Least hassle; no worries about where it'll get to spend the journey, or getting it back here and finding a problem with it.
    Least risk;  of journey damage and customs charges
    Least loss;  when you come to sell it, you'll lose more off the new $ price than you would off the s/h £ price

    The downside to that is that you might have to wait a while to find the guitar that you want, as opposed to going to a few mega US stores and picking the one you want off the wall.

    There's another possible risk - you go into the mega US stores having decided that you're going to buy a guitar.  Even if you don't find one that really "clicks", you've pre-decided that you're going to buy one, so you buy one without the click, get it back here, and decide that it's not really the one for you.  It happens when you put yourself in that buying pressure situation.

    Also depends on whether you want it NEW, or whether you're happy to have someone else play it in for you first.


    Your money, your trip, your choice ... I'd buy s/h.  (So pick a colour that I'll like!)
    Having trouble posting images here?  This might help.
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  • grungebobgrungebob Frets: 3300
    I was in San Francisco not long ago and couldn't find any guitar shops that where half decent, similarly in Vegas there's a Sam ash and cow town both are not near each other and will require cab rides. I did buy an SG and posted it back to myself as a gift on the customs form and it got through just fine using UPS.
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  • grungebob said:
    I was in San Francisco not long ago and couldn't find any guitar shops that where half decent, similarly in Vegas there's a Sam ash and cow town both are not near each other and will require cab rides. I did buy an SG and posted it back to myself as a gift on the customs form and it got through just fine using UPS.
    that sounds very clever actually. did not think of posting it home as a gift - you have got me thinking now.
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  • fretfinderfretfinder Frets: 4978
    grungebob said:
    I was in San Francisco not long ago and couldn't find any guitar shops that where half decent, similarly in Vegas there's a Sam ash and cow town both are not near each other and will require cab rides. I did buy an SG and posted it back to myself as a gift on the customs form and it got through just fine using UPS.
    that sounds very clever actually. did not think of posting it home as a gift - you have got me thinking now.
    Could be more luck than cleverness...?

    Gifts sent from outside the EU

    If you're receiving a gift from outside the EU, then you have to pay:

    • Excise Duty on any alcohol or tobacco products
    • Customs Duty and import VAT is payable if the value of the gift exceeds £36

    250+ positive trading feedbacks: http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/57830/
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  • grungebobgrungebob Frets: 3300
    Seems I got lucky then
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  • Adam_MDAdam_MD Frets: 3420
    edited June 2014
    We have horrible problems with gifts from the states. My wife's mum sends her parcels occasionally and if it's sent from a domestic US address to a house in the UK for an American citizen and is clearly marked as gift they can't tax it. We almost always get a tax bill that takes ages to dispute.

    Most of the time they totally ignore the fact it says gift and that it has the senders address on it. We keep all the packaging for a few weeks after we receive them as we've had to provide that as proof it was on the package.
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  • surley if i use an address of a hotel i stay in that may get around the issue
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  • crunchmancrunchman Frets: 11413

    Gifts sent from outside the EU

    If you're receiving a gift from outside the EU, then you have to pay:

    • Excise Duty on any alcohol or tobacco products
    • Customs Duty and import VAT is payable if the value of the gift exceeds £36


    This is where you are sometimes better carrying it back in person yourself.  You are allowed up to £390 instead of £36.  Definitely gives you scope to buy a couple of pedals at least.

    Example:  Xotic SL drive seems to be £121 here.  First US dealer I found listed it at $124.  Big difference.
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  • Adam_MDAdam_MD Frets: 3420
    They'll be able to tell the difference with a domestic address and a hotel.
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  • CatthanCatthan Frets: 355
    edited June 2014
    I bought a strat from Sam Ash NY and my uncle who was more experienced in negotiations and traveling in and out the US Got the employ to find us a receipt for a smaller amount in case I got stopped at customs which I didn't. Risky but it might be smth you can do if you buy from a big store. that employ acted as it was smth very common to ask and found us a receipt from a cheap strat that the buyer didn't bother to take. He may even falsified my actual receipt, don't remember..
    again, risky. I had arranged for people to wait at the airport with the right amount of cash in case our trick didn't fly but got lucky.
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