Buying gear from other countries

[Steve Goldstein]

In both my cases the selling prices were the same regardless of location. The only difference on the second item was a $5 higher shipping cost to the US. This was less than 5% of the item cost, which I believe to be less than the tariff percentage for the UK.

I don’t know what to make about the appparent lack of tariff in the purchases, but I’m not going to waste any effort trying to understand it. I’m just reporting my recent experiences.

 

[gbroadbridge]

In both my cases the selling prices were the same regardless of location. The only difference on the second item was a $5 higher shipping cost to the US. This was less than 5% of the item cost, which I believe to be less than the tariff percentage for the UK.

I don’t know what to make about the appparent lack of tariff in the purchases, but I’m not going to waste any effort trying to understand it. I’m just reporting my recent experiences.

Did you buy it pretending to be somewhere else as well? If not, how do you know what adjustment would have been made after the purchase?

Sellers I know on various platforms are providing discount at checkout after the sale for buyers outside the US.

 

[Steve Goldstein]

Did you buy it pretending to be somewhere else as well? If not, how do you know what adjustment would have been made after the purchase?

Nope, no tricks, bought as me from actual companies and shipped to my US address. The amounts billed to my credit card matched those shown at checkout.

I'd need a VPN to know if my US location was detected and the price displayed to me adjusted.

 

[loccdor]

I have a VPN that can be set to just about any country. If someone wants me to test a site let me know.

 

[Richard Lawson]

One more data point: purchased Sinar compendium shade from a US vendor on eBay (the camera outlet - a branch of KEH) on 2nd March. All taxes, duties, tariffs etc paid as part of the eBay purchase.

Arrived this morning, 1st April. Nothing to do with the vendor who shipped it the next business day, just endless shipping delays.

 

[Marcelo Paniagua]

Pretty sure I've bought from this seller before. Don't remember any bad experiences with that seller. Hopefully that was an exception.

 

[Richard Lawson]

Pretty sure I've bought from this seller before. Don't remember any bad experiences with that seller. Hopefully that was an exception.

Definitely nothing to do with the vendor. They shipped next business day and everything was labelled and documented correctly. Packed really well too.

It reached the eBay international shipping hub within the USA fine too (2 days). Just DHL international being incredibly slow.

 

[ags2mikon]

DHL you say? They are the worst. DHL= Damaged, hijacked or lost. Japan to NM, USA 11-15 days. Fedex 3 days. I ask the seller who they ship with and if they say DHL I don't buy. They have managed to break stuff and loose stuff for me in the past. I trust the USPS befor them.

 

[ChrisGalway]

DHL you say? They are the worst. DHL= Damaged, hijacked or lost. Japan to NM, USA 11-15 days. Fedex 3 days. I ask the seller who they ship with and if they say DHL I don't buy. They have managed to break stuff and loose stuff for me in the past. I trust the USPS befor them.

I think it depends where you are located, and where the parcel is being shipped from/to. DHL are excellent (and inexpensive) in the EU in my experience, especially when shipping from Germany (often the cheapest place for new photo stuff). In contrast, FedEx are usually very very expensive. For shipping stuff from Ireland, I've used an intermediary like Parcel2Go who provide several quotes.

Shipping rates from the US are just silly, even via USPS.

 

[Craig]

DHL is great. I did an order for car parts from a UK vendor Friday morning and they had the order picked and boxed up and ready for pickup Friday evening and DHL had it to my door in Canada Monday afternoon.

UPS is the worst cross border, their brokerage fees are insane. As mentioned above shipping anything from the US to another country is silly expensive. I wanted a O ring for an air conditioning system, and I saw it at a US vendor for 99 cents each. It would have easily fit in an envelope and put in the mail. They wanted $98 USD to ship from US to Canada. Shipping rates are yet another reason to never buy anything from the US.

 

[GregY]

DHL is great. I did an order for car parts from a UK vendor Friday morning and they had the order picked and boxed up and ready for pickup Friday evening and DHL had it to my door in Canada Monday afternoon.

UPS is the worst cross border, their brokerage fees are insane. As mentioned above shipping anything from the US to another country is silly expensive. I wanted a O ring for an air conditioning system, and I saw it at a US vendor for 99 cents each. It would have easily fit in an envelope and put in the mail. They wanted $98 USD to ship from US to Canada. Shipping rates are yet another reason to never buy anything from the US.

USPS to Canada is pretty crazy lately too. Four sets of guitar strings (free from a friend) in a small padded envelope..... $43 USD

 

[mshchem]

Why isn't there O-rings and Guitar strings available in Canada? The stuff wasn't made in the USA? I buy goat cheese at Costco, made in Canada, there's your leverage, threaten to embargo Canadian goat cheese exports until the US comes around on Guitar strings!

 

[GregY]

Why isn't there O-rings and Guitar strings available in Canada? The stuff wasn't made in the USA? I buy goat cheese at Costco, made in Canada, there's your leverage, threaten to embargo Canadian goat cheese exports until the US comes around on Guitar strings!

There are both. A friend changed brands and offered to send the ones he wasn't using. The reflection is on how much good & services (in general) have escalated in value.

 

[mshchem]

There are both. A friend changed brands and offered to send the ones he wasn't using. The reflection is on how much good & services (in general) have escalated in value.

Absolutely! And with the trend of the last few weeks (months) little chance for prices to retreat

 

[mshchem]

Oh, and the goat cheese is wonderful!

 

[Craig]

USPS to Canada is pretty crazy lately too. Four sets of guitar strings (free from a friend) in a small padded envelope..... $43 USD

Once place I have found to help with shipping is called Netparcel.com. Enter your packages dimensions, weight and where it's going from and to and they give options for discounted shipping from a variety of carriers.

I've saved a fair bit of money using them.

 

[GregY]

Once place I have found to help with shipping is called Netparcel.com. Enter your packages dimensions, weight and where it's going from and to and they give options for discounted shipping from a variety of carriers.

I've saved a fair bit of money using them.

Thanks....i wasn't involved in the shipping decisions....

 

[Craig]

Thanks....i wasn't involved in the shipping decisions....

I realize that, but in future you can organize the shipping through netparcel, prepay customs and send the shipper a pdf to print a shipping label. Then all they have to do is drop it off at the carrier you chose (postoffice, fedex etc) and it's on it's way to you.

 

[GregY]

I realize that, but in future you can organize the shipping through netparcel, prepay customs and send the shipper a pdf to print a shipping label. Then all they have to do is drop it off at the carrier you chose (postoffice, fedex etc) and it's on it's way to you.

it wasn't a commercial deal.....it was a friend to friend thing. The price was a surprise to me. Other than the string gift, i consider the USA still an elbow's up situation....not buying anything from south of the medicine line.....