Thinking of buying a guitar from USA

HAL9000 · December 2014

If you buy a guitar and bring it back through UK customs you're only liable for taxes etc if it is over a certain value which I believe is currently around the £400 mark. Might not sound a lot but that amount of money will buy more in the US than here. Bear in mind though that the value of any one item can't be shared with fellow passengers so you can't buy an £800 guitar between two of you and avoid taxes and duties.

impmann · December 2014

GavHaus said:

@impmann NO! I won't have it. USA Standard Teles are now £300. That's the benchmark.

Find me one for that and I may buckle and buy one... and not in Scumburst!

impmann · December 2014

HAL9000 said:

If you buy a guitar and bring it back through UK customs you're only liable for taxes etc if it is over a certain value which I believe is currently around the £400 mark. Might not sound a lot but that amount of money will buy more in the US than here. Bear in mind though that the value of any one item can't be shared with fellow passengers so you can't buy an £800 guitar between two of you and avoid taxes and duties.

You could if you took it apart! ;-)

GavRichList · December 2014

impmann said:

GavHaus said:

@impmann NO! I won't have it. USA Standard Teles are now £300. That's the benchmark.

Find me one for that and I may buckle and buy one... and not in Scumburst!

LPB?!

GavRichList · December 2014

..to be fair, i've had to buy a new set of saddles for it, new strap buttons and a new case.... so really you're looking at £400.

RaymondLin · December 2014

BigMonka;439618" said:
RaymondLin said:

Done it twice, as above, budget for VAT, duty and handling fee. Typically another 25% on top.

does that include delivery in that figure? My sister is moving to the US so if I go and see her it might be tempting to pick something up and potentially save the delivery costs (but I don't how significant they are).

25% on top of total amount.

Typically 20% vat, £40 duty and courier handling charge. The last guitar I bought the dealer gave me free delivery so that saved me more than the first time.

Hertz32 · December 2014

They don't charge customs on it if you are having items returned to you via post. have a friend in the states post it with PERSONAL BELONGINGS scrawled in big letters on it. They won't charge a penny

Highly illegal of course, but how could they prove it?

impmann · December 2014

Hertz32 said:

They don't charge customs on it if you are having items returned to you via post. have a friend in the states post it with PERSONAL BELONGINGS scrawled in big letters on it. They won't charge a penny

Highly illegal of course, but how could they prove it?

Er... by you putting it in writing on an open forum? ;-)

Adam_MD · December 2014

Hertz32;439745" said:
They don't charge customs on it if you are having items returned to you via post. have a friend in the states post it with PERSONAL BELONGINGS scrawled in big letters on it. They won't charge a penny

Highly illegal of course, but how could they prove it?

This can be a real pain in the arse. My wife's parents send us packages every few weeks which comply with the rules but they still try and charge is tax on them.

The packages are sent from a domestic US address to a domestic UK address with gift written in huge letters on the side but inevitably we get an invoice a few weeks later demanding we pay. We then have to call them and point out it meets all of the rules.

Hertz32 · December 2014

Adam_MD said:

Hertz32;439745" said:
They don't charge customs on it if you are having items returned to you via post. have a friend in the states post it with PERSONAL BELONGINGS scrawled in big letters on it. They won't charge a penny

Highly illegal of course, but how could they prove it?
This can be a real pain in the arse. My wife's parents send us packages every few weeks which comply with the rules but they still try and charge is tax on them.

The packages are sent from a domestic US address to a domestic UK address with gift written in huge letters on the side but inevitably we get an invoice a few weeks later demanding we pay. We then have to call them and point out it meets all of the rules.

Gifts have to be taxed too, it's only if it belonged to you prior to being sent to you that you can get around it.

"Anything posted or couriered to you goes through customs to check it isn’t banned or restricted and you pay the right tax and ‘duty’ (customs charges) on it.

This includes anything new or used that you:

buy online
buy abroad and send back to the UK
receive as a gift"

Neil · December 2014

Hertz32 said:

They don't charge customs on it if you are having items returned to you via post. have a friend in the states post it with PERSONAL BELONGINGS scrawled in big letters on it. They won't charge a penny

Highly illegal of course, but how could they prove it?

They charge you tax on it anyway and then ask you to prove you took it abroad with you.

I had a similar situation when somebody in the US sent me a watch including a fake receipt for repair (not at my behest).

I was charged tax and when I took it up with HMRC they said they needed proof it had been sent from the UK in the first place i.e itemised postage receipt.

My middle son lives in the US and I have thought various times about bringing guitars back but what with the quandary of taking it on the aircraft and the fact you can only spend £390 before tax I have given it up as a bad job although it won't stop me hunting around next time I go out there.

:-S

underdog · December 2014

What if two of you went and one bought a guitar body loaded with pickups and the other bough, oh I don't know, a neck complete with hardware.

Neil · December 2014

underdog said:

What if two of you went and one bought a guitar body loaded with pickups and the other bough, oh I don't know, a neck complete with hardware.

TBH that is the only way I could see you avoiding tax on that one.

It could obviously only be a bolt on type guitar but I was seriously thinking of on my next visit breaking down say a nice cheap Fender Jag and putting the two halves in separate cases (well wrapped in clothes) which would also stop the worry of having to hope the aircrew would stow your guitar for you.

Moe_Zambeek · December 2014

I often think about this but don't think if have the chutzpah to get through customs without looking guilty

Plus who'd want to take a nice guitar on a plane?

GavRichList · December 2014

aside from Virgin Atlantic losing it for 24 hours, my Jaguar came back from the USA as hand luggage.

Neil · December 2014

GavHaus said:

aside from Virgin Atlantic losing it for 24 hours, my Jaguar came back from the USA as hand luggage.

Interesting.

If it was hand baggage how did it get lost?

I thought a Jag would have been too large for the overheads but I'd love to find out differently.

GavRichList · December 2014

Went in the hold actually, come to think of it

Eartrumpet · December 2014

I have just bought a guitar from My Generation Guitars in New York.
I paid £880 for the guitar, shipping was quoted on the ebay site at $550

However when i expressed interest they told me to ignore the ebay shipping cost as many of the guitar shops in the US now get preferentially rates from FedEx

Any hoo, the damage was £880 for the guitar, £115 for five day delivery (insured) and £200 for Import duty, VAT and Fees.

This was a month ago so the prices are current

Adam_MD · December 2014

Hertz32;439827" said:
Adam_MD said:

Hertz32;439745" said:They don't charge customs on it if you are having items returned to you via post. have a friend in the states post it with PERSONAL BELONGINGS scrawled in big letters on it. They won't charge a penny

Highly illegal of course, but how could they prove it?

This can be a real pain in the arse. My wife's parents send us packages every few weeks which comply with the rules but they still try and charge is tax on them.

The packages are sent from a domestic US address to a domestic UK address with gift written in huge letters on the side but inevitably we get an invoice a few weeks later demanding we pay. We then have to call them and point out it meets all of the rules.

Gifts have to be taxed too, it's only if it belonged to you prior to being sent to you that you can get around it.

"Anything posted or couriered to you goes through customs to check it isn’t banned or restricted and you pay the right tax and ‘duty’ (customs charges) on it.This includes anything new or used that you:buy onlinebuy abroad and send back to the UKreceive as a gift"

@Hertz32 not if the value is below £36 you don't. Despite the fact they should know the rules they still try and charge us. My wife's mum writes everything she's required to on the box but unfortunately they're fecking useless and can't seem to read... Or follow the rules.

Neil · December 2014

Eartrumpet said:

I have just bought a guitar from My Generation Guitars in New York.
I paid £880 for the guitar, shipping was quoted on the ebay site at $550

However when i expressed interest they told me to ignore the ebay shipping cost as many of the guitar shops in the US now get preferentially rates from FedEx

Any hoo, the damage was £880 for the guitar, £115 for five day delivery (insured) and £200 for Import duty, VAT and Fees.

This was a month ago so the prices are current

So you paid very nearly 50% on top of the guitars price for shipping and taxes?

It's a lot of money but I assume you still got a bargain?

TBH when I have looked at some nice US guitars by the time I add on shipping and tax the saving isn't really worth the hassle. However there are certainly some older models that are virtually unobtainable in the UK.

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Thinking of buying a guitar from USA

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