Flying to the USA to pick up a guitar

hotpickups · June 2018

Mixed reactions on this thread. I've learnt that one has to be careful of what you actually post on here. What can start out as an innocent thread can turn in to some sort of 'orrible back lash

Glad you got it in the end @skinfreak ; I bet you feel ecstatic, albeit in debt but hey that's what we work for, for these rewards to ourselves isn't it

Philly_Q · June 2018

hotpickups said:

Mixed reactions on this thread. I've learnt that one has to be careful of what you actually post on here. What can start out as an innocent thread can turn in to some sort of 'orrible back lash

You've just described most of the threads on here....

Nice looking guitar, that. The white top and natural back gives it something of an iced bun look.

Freebird · June 2018

Everybody should be forced to declare everything that they ate and drank while out of the country, and made to pay import duty on it. Ditto gifts, clothes, jewellery, electronics, etc., let's Make Britain Great Again!

Ted · June 2018

I think you can still buy a guitar or most other products in the EU and ship it to the UK free from duty under single market rules.
If the UK government gets it together to sign a free trade agreement with Trump(who seems to like us) then the Customs might not be an issue anymore..

Meanwhile I think you'd have to calculate whether getting 20% off the Vattable price is worth the expense and risk of flying to the US and then trying to blindside past UK customs. I think they do have Vat in the form of sales tax in most US states although I think it is more like 8-10%.

Regarding the moral question I guess this is a personal judgement - I personally don't buy blackmarket tobacco for the reason that I quite like the NHS and feel that I as a smoker I should be paying for it. But a one off diddle on a guitar may be lower level although I guess you could say if you start feeling free to blatantly break the law ,where does it end?

ToneControl · June 2018

I don't mind paying tax that much

When importing a few grands worth of kit I was offered a faked invoice to pay less duty and tax, and refused. That's where I am now, it makes me feel content. It's my business I suppose.

However, putting that aside, reading this I was struggling to see the logic of paying large air fares, taxis fees etc. in the hope to offset those costs by illegally avoiding duty and tax, risking losing the guitar. Also losing days to air travel.
Surely it was indeed less risk and less hassle to just import with insurance and pay the tax

JEPBLEP · June 2018

Came for the promise of an adventure, stayed for the drama, got rewarded with some excellent NGD material.

Excellent thread!

hotpickups · June 2018

Philly_Q said:

hotpickups said:

Mixed reactions on this thread. I've learnt that one has to be careful of what you actually post on here. What can start out as an innocent thread can turn in to some sort of 'orrible back lash

You've just described most of the threads on here....
Nice looking guitar, that. The white top and natural back gives it something of an iced bun look.

It's bringing the forum down a bit IMO

Hope it improves

skinfreak · June 2018

ToneControl said

However, putting that aside, reading this I was struggling to see the logic of paying large air fares, taxis fees etc. in the hope to offset those costs by illegally avoiding duty and tax, risking losing the guitar. Also losing days to air travel.
Surely it was indeed less risk and less hassle to just import with insurance and pay the tax

The
whole point was to weigh up the pros and cons and in the end flying would not have been worth it. I appreciate that it might have come across as some pure tax dodge decision but honestly it wasn't, but was definitely was a factor. The guitar is in the mail anyway and I will wait to see how far north of £1000 the duties will be....

skinfreak · June 2018

Ted said:

Regarding the moral question I guess this is a personal judgement - I personally don't buy blackmarket tobacco for the reason that I quite like the NHS and feel that I as a smoker I should be paying for it. But a one off diddle on a guitar may be lower level although I guess you could say if you start feeling free to blatantly break the law ,where does it end?

I agree. Guitars can cause RSI and therfore should be taxed accordingly. I have now been converted! I repent!

Whitecat · June 2018

Ted said:

I think you can still buy a guitar or most other products in the EU and ship it to the UK free from duty under single market rules.
If the UK government gets it together to sign a free trade agreement with Trump(who seems to like us) then the Customs might not be an issue anymore..

Meanwhile I think you'd have to calculate whether getting 20% off the Vattable price is worth the expense and risk of flying to the US and then trying to blindside past UK customs. I think they do have Vat in the form of sales tax in most US states although I think it is more like 8-10%.

Regarding the moral question I guess this is a personal judgement - I personally don't buy blackmarket tobacco for the reason that I quite like the NHS and feel that I as a smoker I should be paying for it. But a one off diddle on a guitar may be lower level although I guess you could say if you start feeling free to blatantly break the law ,where does it end?

All an FTA with the USA would bring is potential elimination of the duty - 3.4% - maybe. VAT and all the brokerage stuff would absolutely still apply, as would potential Customs inspections and CITES malarkey.

EG - you still pay a f*cktonne to import a guitar from the USA to Canada and Trump thinks Canada’s deal is “too good.”

Ted · June 2018

skinfreak sai
I agree. Guitars can cause RSI and therfore should be taxed accordingly. I have now been converted! I repent!

Yes and they might cause deforestation as well, and rock music is decadent too.

Sporky · June 2018

Ted said:

Yes and they might cause deforestation as well,

Surely guitars are carbon traps, and thus very environmentally beneficial?

Ted · June 2018

Sporky said
Surely guitars are carbon traps, and thus very environmentally beneficial?

I am guessing it would depend on the extent to which trees are specially planted just to make guitars.

But they are undoubtedly extremely sinful and should be taxed accordingly.

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Flying to the USA to pick up a guitar

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