Anyone bought a guitar from the EU since Brexit?

hollywoodrox

I bought a Harley Benton 335  it was lovely  but I sent it back as just didn’t bond with it 
  That was from Thomann . It’s a bit of a wait for refund due to logistics but no real problems at all.
  Vat & import guff is all done for you 

Musicwolf

Dave_Mc said:

Thomann does all the work regarding VAT etc. for you. That may not be the case (probably won't) with a lot of other EU-based retailers, especially the smaller ones.

This is true.

If you buy anything new then you only pay VAT once.  If you buy from Europe and import into the UK then you should not pay the VAT in the country of origin, Germany in the case of Thomann, but you do have to pay it in the UK.

In the case of Thomann, and other big retailers, they are able to handle all of the VAT shenanigans at their end and you shouldn't have to do, or pay, anything else (and this has been the case with all of my recent purchases from Thomann).

If the retailer isn't set up to handle the VAT then you get charged VAT at the European end, you claim this back, then you pay VAT to the UK Treasury.  You only pay once but somebody has to do all of the paperwork.  In practice this is usually the courier and they charge you for it.  Post Brexit the exporter also has to do extra paperwork.  It's not rocket science but it is a pain if you are not geared up to do it (I sold a pedal to a guy in Jersey and had to print out 5 pages of accompanying paper work) so some smaller retailers may have taken the decision not to sell to the UK.

The bad news is buying second hand - this is now subject to VAT so prices have effectively risen by 20% if the goods cross the Brexit / Eu boarder.

Yorkie

Yeah, second hand purchases and stuff like sending mince pies to the EU have become a pain in the arse. Receiving gifts too. Buying Spanish ham or French cheese on eBay hasn’t become more difficult or expensive, but some of the sellers I used to buy from went under pretty quickly after 2019. Only the larger ones remain. 

JerkMoans

I just get it all delivered to my mum's home in France.  Job's a good 'un.

...assuming I want to go and play various EU sourced, high end guitars and amps in France...  

Svartmetall

Yorkie said:

Yeah, second hand purchases and stuff like sending mince pies to the EU have become a pain in the arse. Receiving gifts too. Buying Spanish ham or French cheese on eBay hasn’t become more difficult or expensive, but some of the sellers I used to buy from went under pretty quickly after 2019. Only the larger ones remain. 

I have 3 friends whose small businesses have gone under because of Brexit. Brexit was a national tragedy.

brooom

Unfortunately with Brexit, we all lost... British and European.

Dave_Mc

Yorkie said:

Yeah, second hand purchases and stuff like sending mince pies to the EU have become a pain in the arse. Receiving gifts too. Buying Spanish ham or French cheese on eBay hasn’t become more difficult or expensive, but some of the sellers I used to buy from went under pretty quickly after 2019. Only the larger ones remain. 

Not sure second-hand food is a good idea...

( )

bacchanalian

Musicwolf said:

Dave_Mc said:

Thomann does all the work regarding VAT etc. for you. That may not be the case (probably won't) with a lot of other EU-based retailers, especially the smaller ones.

This is true.

If you buy anything new then you only pay VAT once.  If you buy from Europe and import into the UK then you should not pay the VAT in the country of origin, Germany in the case of Thomann, but you do have to pay it in the UK.

In the case of Thomann, and other big retailers, they are able to handle all of the VAT shenanigans at their end and you shouldn't have to do, or pay, anything else (and this has been the case with all of my recent purchases from Thomann).

If the retailer isn't set up to handle the VAT then you get charged VAT at the European end, you claim this back, then you pay VAT to the UK Treasury.  You only pay once but somebody has to do all of the paperwork.  In practice this is usually the courier and they charge you for it.  Post Brexit the exporter also has to do extra paperwork.  It's not rocket science but it is a pain if you are not geared up to do it (I sold a pedal to a guy in Jersey and had to print out 5 pages of accompanying paper work) so some smaller retailers may have taken the decision not to sell to the UK.

The bad news is buying second hand - this is now subject to VAT so prices have effectively risen by 20% if the goods cross the Brexit / Eu boarder.

You all need to make friends with some of your Northern Irish members.  We can buy or sell used gear, without the VAT, in both EU and GB.  If you see something you fancy in the EU,  have it delivered to one of us and we will ship to GB for a mere 10% of value.*

The difficulty is many retailers don't know how to cope with some UK addresses paying VAT at source and others not.
I wanted to buy a Stewmac crank** for vintage style truss rods and found a supplier in Belgium.  They explained that it was no longer worth their while trying to ship to GB/NI. 
I have been looking at Tom Anderson guitars and the prices on Reverb for Guitars Rebellion in Paris were very good. When I contacted them the Reverb prices were ex. VAT. 

*I am not really suggesting this, but am trying to highight to our local politicians that we are unique and should exploit this to our advantage.***

** I fortunately don't need the crank now as I am in the process of selling the FCS Telecaster that I wanted it for. 

***I don't think any of our local politicians are members here.

TTony

brooom said:

Unfortunately with Brexit, we all lost... British and European.

I think you're forgetting the benefit to the NHS.

bgmartinsbridge

Got to love the Brexit comments coming out and the NHS comment. 

My best ones recently - 

On holiday last year in the lake district and talking to a local doctor who was complaining he could not get enough cheap migrant labour to work in his two restaurants.

And the multi millionaire relative in Scotland complaining about brexit - there aren't enough waiters to serve them in restaurants and cafes since Brexit. It's a bloody disgrace. 

ToneControl

Thomann handle it well now.
For the first few months, they did it the basic way, which is OK if the guitar is in good condition, and you want to keep it.
Otherwise, sending it back for repairs or refund is complicated. tbh UPS made it 20 times worse.

If you are in NI, should be no problem at all really.

Habanero

I’ve bought a guitar and two pedals from different Reverb sellers coincidentally all in France. It was all pretty smooth, including paying the duty on the guitar.

spir4L

I'd suggest you to take a cheap flight and go and pick up yourself.
You might need an extra-item seat on your way back but it's easy with ryanair and the other economy companies.

Yorkie

Dave_Mc said:
Not sure second-hand food is a good idea...

It's new old stock.

Dave_Mc

Yorkie said:

Dave_Mc said:
Not sure second-hand food is a good idea...

It's new old stock.

  

JerkMoans

Dave_Mc said:

Not sure second-hand food is a good idea...

Worked for Fleetwood Mac as the opener to Rumours.

Dave_Mc

JerkMoans said:

Dave_Mc said:

Not sure second-hand food is a good idea...

Worked for Fleetwood Mac as the opener to Rumours.