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Post by professorplum on Jul 10, 2018 11:09:42 GMT -6
Hey everybody,
Looking for some advice on importing from the UK at the present time. I've done some research and looked through old discussions about it, but keep finding different answers from different people, and would love to hear people's first hand experiences who have imported from the UK with "formal import" purchases totaling more than 2500 for personal use.
The product would be coming from SX Pro Audio in the UK, shipped via Fedex Priority International.
1. Some people talked about needing a "broker" for imports over 2500 dollars - how necessary is this, if at all if using Fedex?
2. How bad are the Fedex import fees? I've seen people throw around 4.9% of the item cost as to what Fedex charges for import/duty fees. Anybody know if that's accurate?
3. Will I pay state tax in California ontop of the other duty/Fedex fees?
4. How does the "formal" import paperwork work? Does Fedex or the import broker handle this?
Any advice would be much appreciated. The dealer seemed to be at ease regarding importing to the US, but I've also heard some real horror stories about insane import fees/percentages, and would like to try and avoid any similar scenario as best as possible. Thanks for any and all help!
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Post by svart on Jul 10, 2018 11:20:32 GMT -6
I don't have experience importing anything significant, but I do have some questions..
Is it something you could possibly find here if you contacted a company like Alto Music? A lot of companies can source foreign products for you and deal with the importing mess a lot easier than a single person can. I did this buying SSL gear, and saved a ton going through Alto specifically.
If it's used gear, or something needing freight shipping, I don't know. Something like this I'd call/email the shipper's preferred shipping company and ask these questions. I'm sure they know all about it and can tell you what the issues might be.
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Post by professorplum on Jul 10, 2018 11:29:21 GMT -6
Is it something you could possibly find here if you contacted a company like Alto Music? A lot of companies can source foreign products for you and deal with the importing mess a lot easier than a single person can. I did this buying SSL gear, and saved a ton going through Alto specifically. Well that's an interesting concept. Alto Music doesn't carry the brand, and they are sold in the US, but the price is cheaper in the UK with the conversion and the CA 9% tax is about another $300ish. So between the state tax and conversion I'd be saving about $6-700 when buying from the UK. Any other online stores that source from the UK? I don't think many US dealers would be willing to price match by that much... |
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Post by svart on Jul 10, 2018 11:49:51 GMT -6
Is it something you could possibly find here if you contacted a company like Alto Music? A lot of companies can source foreign products for you and deal with the importing mess a lot easier than a single person can. I did this buying SSL gear, and saved a ton going through Alto specifically. Well that's an interesting concept. Alto Music doesn't carry the brand, and they are sold in the US, but the price is cheaper in the UK with the conversion and the CA 9% tax is about another $300ish. So between the state tax and conversion I'd be saving about $6-700 when buying from the UK. Any other online stores that source from the UK? I don't think many US dealers would be willing to price match by that much... I don't know. Alto beat everyone else's price and shipped the product in, AND got me store credit to get it right away. This was some time ago though. I'd call around. I know Sweetwater will make deals if you call and talk to a rep.. |
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Post by winetree on Jul 10, 2018 12:25:12 GMT -6
I know anything over $800.00 will be charged a U.S. import tax.
I paid $125.00 for a purchase just over.
The shipper will handle everything and you'll receive an e-mail to inform you of the fees.
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ericn
Temp
Balance Engineer
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Post by ericn on Jul 10, 2018 13:47:43 GMT -6
Is it something you could possibly find here if you contacted a company like Alto Music? A lot of companies can source foreign products for you and deal with the importing mess a lot easier than a single person can. I did this buying SSL gear, and saved a ton going through Alto specifically. Well that's an interesting concept. Alto Music doesn't carry the brand, and they are sold in the US, but the price is cheaper in the UK with the conversion and the CA 9% tax is about another $300ish. So between the state tax and conversion I'd be saving about $6-700 when buying from the UK. Any other online stores that source from the UK? I don't think many US dealers would be willing to price match by that much... Be very careful with your savings estimate, first exchange rates fluctuate, and you don’t know if who ever you are using for payment is building in any extra on their exchange rate till all is said and done. Second the most common shippers charge a fee for being your customs agent and are far from transparent or upfront. Now if your importing a new product think about this is the manufacturer or US importer going to offer any help if you have a problem, because you don’t have a US warranty! Third are you sure what ever you are buying has a universal power supply? Because if it’s wired for UK you could be screwed. |
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Post by professorplum on Jul 10, 2018 14:27:28 GMT -6
Be very careful with your savings estimate, first exchange rates fluctuate, and you don’t know if who ever you are using for payment is building in any extra on their exchange rate till all is said and done. Second the most common shippers charge a fee for being your customs agent and are far from transparent or upfront. Now if your importing a new product think about this is the manufacturer or US importer going to offer any help if you have a problem, because you don’t have a US warranty! Third are you sure what ever you are buying has a universal power supply? Because if it’s wired for UK you could be screwed. Hey Eric, Thanks for the tips. I've seen that shippers charge fees, but I can't seem to find an estimate as to what the fee would be for a $3K purchase from Fedex. I called the manufacturer and the power supply is universal; and I know the warranty is overseas but the audio dealer has pretty good policies for returning/warranty issues. Anybody know if I will still have to pay California tax on it? Or have an estimate on the Fedex fees for a purchase around $3K? |
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ericn
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Post by ericn on Jul 10, 2018 14:43:39 GMT -6
Be very careful with your savings estimate, first exchange rates fluctuate, and you don’t know if who ever you are using for payment is building in any extra on their exchange rate till all is said and done. Second the most common shippers charge a fee for being your customs agent and are far from transparent or upfront. Now if your importing a new product think about this is the manufacturer or US importer going to offer any help if you have a problem, because you don’t have a US warranty! Third are you sure what ever you are buying has a universal power supply? Because if it’s wired for UK you could be screwed. Hey Eric, Thanks for the tips. I've seen that shippers charge fees, but I can't seem to find an estimate as to what the fee would be for a $3K purchase from Fedex. I called the manufacturer and the power supply is universal; and I know the warranty is overseas but the audio dealer has pretty good policies for returning/warranty issues. Anybody know if I will still have to pay California tax on it? Or have an estimate on the Fedex fees for a purchase around $3K? FedEx fees can vary do remember if you do need warranty shipping overseas it will be on you, I’ll bet both ways. As for tax as discussed in the sales tax thread you should be paying Taxes on any out of state purchases on your state tax form. Also you have basically admitted to wanting to avoid these taxes on a public forum. Not sayin they will bust you or that you won’t save some money but you might not. Also the few times I have personally brought something in the seller has used a shipper/ custom service that did it all on a flat fee, I’ll try to see if I can find that company. |
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Post by professorplum on Jul 10, 2018 16:57:35 GMT -6
I've been reading some more on the subject, and I think Fedex acts as the "broker" that is needed for "formal" imports over $2,500? Has anybody found this to be true? I can't find any hard yes/no answers on that, but that's how it reads to me...
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ericn
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Balance Engineer
Posts: 14,967
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Post by ericn on Jul 10, 2018 17:38:13 GMT -6
I've been reading some more on the subject, and I think Fedex acts as the "broker" that is needed for "formal" imports over $2,500? Has anybody found this to be true? I can't find any hard yes/no answers on that, but that's how it reads to me... They do but often their charges are very high and they are not transparent about fees up front. |
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Post by yotonic on Jul 14, 2018 22:50:29 GMT -6
I've been reading some more on the subject, and I think Fedex acts as the "broker" that is needed for "formal" imports over $2,500? Has anybody found this to be true? I can't find any hard yes/no answers on that, but that's how it reads to me... Fed Ex served as my "Broker" on some Quad Eight Preamps from Canada that I paid almost $3k for and they whacked me for $300 if I recall correctly. |
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Post by the other mark williams on Jul 14, 2018 23:05:28 GMT -6
I'm not saying $600-$700 isn't a lot of money, because it certainly is to me, especially these days. But still, I don't think it would be worth it to me to order from overseas with all the potential import problems, not to mention possible warranty issues, as ericn said. It just makes me nervous. And who knows? We could be in the middle of a trade war with the UK next week for all we know.  |
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Post by 51xAudio on Jul 15, 2018 6:30:44 GMT -6
Any Great Britain exclusive trading war has to wait until March 29 2019, 11pm British Time.
Until then the trade war with the EU applies.
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Post by yotonic on Jul 15, 2018 11:09:42 GMT -6
Customs duties are import taxes charged by the U.S. government on all products imported for resale. There is a common misconception that goods under $2,500 are not charged import duties. While shipments valued less than $2,500 are sometimes eligible for “informal customs entry” they are always subject to duty, and the duty rate on your product should be checked during the product research phase. Use the calculator below to determine the amount of customs duty on your product. Once you find the correct classification for your product, multiple the total amount on your commercial invoice (excluding shipping, if applicable) by the duty rate for your product. This will give you the amount of customs duty you will pay. fbaforward.com/customs-duty-calculator/ |
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Post by professorplum on Jul 17, 2018 1:13:13 GMT -6
Use the calculator below to determine the amount of customs duty on your product. Once you find the correct classification for your product, multiple the total amount on your commercial invoice (excluding shipping, if applicable) by the duty rate for your product. This will give you the amount of customs duty you will pay. fbaforward.com/customs-duty-calculator/Thanks yotonic, I've been looking for something like that online. My issue is that when I use it, and apply different import codes that I've found for studio monitors (851821 Loudspeakers; single, mounted in their enclosures) or other ones (85182900, 85182200) I keep getting results from the calculator that say 0% fees, which I know must be wrong. Anybody have any insight on this? The power supply is universal and their US headquarters are in Irvine, CA so the power and warranty issues aren't of any concern to me. Even if I get hit with $300 to import them, its a whole lot cheaper than what I'd pay in the states. Thinking about just going for it... Anybody else have some last minute advice to convince me otherwise? |
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