import charges?

[b4rs]

i want to purchase a few items from associatedparthouse.com and it amounts to $33 approximatly, which is really good price. but will customs tax me or charge me for them? has anyone else bought something from APH.com? did you get charged? what do oyu normally get charged for?. its just i dont want to be paying like half price which is basically what they are in america, and then be charged when they get to the u.k making me have paid more money in the long run.
thanks
Alex

[Lee]

If it comes in an envelope you usually miss customs;)

If it comes in a box ie a car etc then they usually nail you, it is still cheaper though

[b4rs]

well its some tyres,springs,screws,washers etc really i think the biggest thing im getting is tyres

[bigred5765]

listen u wont pay import duty, get it listed as scale model parts none import taxable, and will only pay vat 17.5% in uk dos so 33 dollars 16 quid time 17.5%

[greyfox]

Go here for full details:-

http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageVAT_ShowContent&id=HMCE_CL_001454&propertyType=document

[BenG]

I got a box of B4 bits from the US, It was RCBoyz.

It came in 1 week, and I got no charge for it.

[sosidge]

$33 dollars right now is £16.62.

VAT and duty are only due on goods over £18, so in this instance you should not have to pay anything at all.

Bear in mind though that the customs value is calculated INCLUDING shipping. So, if the shipping cost an extra $10 on top of the $33, then you will go over the £18 limit.

The VAT will be next to nothing on that - but what will kill you is the customs clearance fee of between £8 and £13.50. Your $33 of parts could easily end up costing you £35, not £16, probably a lot more than buying in the UK, but without the backup.

[Oscar]

If it comes in an envelope you usually miss customs;)

If it comes in a box ie a car etc then they usually nail you, it is still cheaper though

Nonsense ! :eh?:


Simple, if its declared over GBP£18 you pay, if its under you dont !
Yes it is possible for a more expensive item to "Slip through", but its rare, after all royal mail make between £8 and £13 for every parcel they collect a charge on, so they have a vested interest in taxing wherever possible;)

[BenG]

Nonsense ! :eh?:


Simple, if its declared over GBP£18 you pay, if its under you dont !
Yes it is possible for a more expensive item to "Slip through", but its rare, after all royal mail make between £8 and £13 for every parcel they collect a charge on, so they have a vested interest in taxing wherever possible;)

ahhh.

isn't that charge going up too? They told me last time I had to got heckmondwike for my parcel.

[chrispattinson]

Fancy a job as an accountant sosidge?

[losixxx]

lee is very correct,

if package comes via royal mail postman type delivery you have a 80% - 90% chance it will come through no problem, parcel force seem to be the only one's who impose charge's on almost everything.

[Markoxx4]

I picked up a nokak brushless yesterday from the Leeds depot, i had a nice £25.08 charge waiting for me. £13 release fee and the rest as VAT.

I asked for a breakdown of what they did for £13 and they couldnt tell me. so i asked to see a manager and he couldnt tell me.
I equated it to bank charges in the fact any charge has to be itemised to validate it . Sent them a letter today giving them 14 days to prove the £13 is valid or i will be making a claim.

I would sugest to anyone to do the same as all they have to do is sign a bit of paper to accept it. Not worth £13!!!!

[BenG]

I picked up a nokak brushless yesterday from the Leeds depot, i had a nice £25.08 charge waiting for me. £13 release fee and the rest as VAT.

I asked for a breakdown of what they did for £13 and they couldnt tell me. so i asked to see a manager and he couldnt tell me.
I equated it to bank charges in the fact any charge has to be itemised to validate it . Sent them a letter today giving them 14 days to prove the £13 is valid or i will be making a claim.

I would sugest to anyone to do the same as all they have to do is sign a bit of paper to accept it. Not worth £13!!!!

I asked this once.

I think the guy worked as like a free lance delivery dude for UPS.

They wanted £50 for a replacement part that was free.

He said that they open the box, and re-seal it.

thats it.

Also, he was that good, he actually opened it up, let me replace the new part with the broken part, then sent it back, as I had refused it.

What a guy. ;)

[mark christopher]

Nonsense ! :eh?:


Simple, if its declared over GBP£18 you pay, if its under you dont !
Yes it is possible for a more expensive item to "Slip through", but its rare, after all royal mail make between £8 and £13 for every parcel they collect a charge on, so they have a vested interest in taxing wherever possible;)
if you know how to get it shipped you can avoid all charges ;) , i have so far a 100% free record

[jimmy]

wrapped in a condom and swallowed? :o

[jcb]

Import charges are only due on items with a value of the equivalent to £36 (around $70) and excluding postage or more. This is the value at which items can be gifted so generally there is no charge on anything up to that value.

Above that amount you are liable for VAT on the excess and more than likely a handling charge from your local post office. These are paid when you visit your collection office to pick up your parcel.

I generally order between $50 and $60 of stuff at a time from the US (at the shop mentioned) and have never had a problem with customs or the postman.

The bit the shops won't like is that even if you do get caught for import duty and a handling charge the items will still work out cheaper than you can buy them in the UK :wtf:

[losixxx]

charge's are due on good above £18 not £36 jon

[jcb]

if you know how to get it shipped you can avoid all charges ;) , i have so far a 100% free record

Thats also illegal, and can land you and the person doing the shipping a hefty fine or imprisonment :(

[losixxx]

Thats also illegal, and can land you and the person doing the shipping a hefty fine or imprisonment :(

can't get you into trouble only the person who send the package. there's no way they can do anything to you when you had nothing to do with the customs form labelling!

[mark christopher]

Thats also illegal, and can land you and the person doing the shipping a hefty fine or imprisonment :(
its only illegal if
1/ they catch you
2/ they can prove its not a warranty return item

speeding is ilegal, so is drinking under age but everyone has done it! and how many buy good on a holiday over the limit and dont declair it?


sorry but i pay enough taxes 25% on wages, 17.5% on most stuff i buy, road tax, fuel tax, council tax, think its only fair i get a bit back

[jcb]

charge's are due on good above £18 not £36 jon


You used to be able to gift something up to the value of £36. So say your relation in the USA wants to send you something over to the value of £30, the parcel can be marked as a gift and there is no charge payable. Looks like i'm a bit out of date on my legislation :p

[mark christopher]

wrapped in a condom and swallowed? :o
the b4 went in as a kit and came out built, hurt like hell comin out the other end tho lol

[losixxx]

the b4 went in as a kit and came out built, hurt like hell comin out the other end tho lol


thought that would be the easy part for you mark :D :D :D

(sorry could'nt resist)

[Lee]

As illegal as it is mark, i look up to you:D

After what i have just been taxed this week on my wages right now i hate gordon brown:wtf:

[jcb]

its only illegal if
1/ they catch you
2/ they can prove its not a warranty return item

speeding is ilegal, so is drinking under age but everyone has done it!


sorry but i pay enough taxes 25% on wages, 17.5% on most stuff i buy, road tax, fuel tax, council tax, think its only fair i get a bit back

On payroll you actually get your taxable allowance which for most people is £5225 tax free, then your next £2230 charged at 10% and the following amount of £32370 at 22%, if your lucky enough to earn more than £34600 you get to the dizzy heights of 40% tax, but at least you pay less NI then. Oh and NI is chargeable after you start earning more than £5225 and thats another 11% off your wages.

Trust me the VAT office is worse than most for deciding what you can and can't do, I have to deal with them nearly every day of the year and most of the time it just depends on how good or bad a day the person is having as to what the answer is.


Easiest way is not to worry about the charges, it will be cheaper than the UK whether you get caught or not.

[bigred5765]

it isn't illegal, if you get the sender to declare the goods as scale model replica kits or spares, they are outside the impost duty bracket no matter how much they cost. u will pay vat but no import duty, trust me i know this to be true and legal, and thats from a guy that deals with import duty

[Lee]

On payroll you actually get your taxable allowance which for most people is £5225 tax free, then your next £2230 charged at 10% and the following amount of £32370 at 22%, if your lucky enough to earn more than £34600 you get to the dizzy heights of 40% tax, but at least you pay less NI then. Oh and NI is chargeable after you start earning more than £5225 and thats another 11% off your wages.

Trust me the VAT office is worse than most for deciding what you can and can't do, I have to deal with them nearly every day of the year and most of the time it just depends on how good or bad a day the person is having as to what the answer is.


Easiest way is not to worry about the charges, it will be cheaper than the UK whether you get caught or not.


Or you could Create a ltd company in which you pay just over £100 a week as a directors fee in which your NI and tax @22% comes out of and the rest is all taxable at 20% (corporation tax) minus expenses;)

Saves me a fortune!!

[jcb]

Or you could Create a ltd company in which you pay just over £100 a week as a directors fee in which your NI and tax @22% comes out of and the rest is all taxable at 20% (corporation tax) minus expenses;)

Saves me a fortune!!


Thats the advantage of being a director and not an employee, I suppose you take the rest of your earnings out through dividend's and directors loan accounts?

[Lee]

Exactly! and split the dividends between and the Mrs so i can earn twice as much before i hit 40%

I reckon it saves me about 20k a year in total

[BenG]

its only illegal if
1/ they catch you
2/ they can prove its not a warranty return item

speeding is ilegal, so is drinking under age but everyone has done it!

Not me :D

[modelimages]

as a shop owner i clearly have have issues with people buying from america etc, however i live in the real world and accept that you have the choice and why should you pay more just to feed me, that said major importers like cml,horizon etc don't get the opportunity to defraud the vat by declaring the large container of parts from associated as "gift". i accept that you order the items and if they get through without a charge thats not your fault, however if you deliberatly declare the goods as something there not to avoid the charges due that is clearly wrong.

as a second point how can you come onto a forum and explain how you avoid charges whilst carrying a shop name in your signature line. if your supported by that shop in your racing surely you should be supporting them back. telling people how to get goods cheaper from somewhere else does not seem the way to do it.

[BenG]

. i accept that you order the items and if they get through without a charge thats not your fault, however if you deliberatly declare the goods as something there not to avoid the charges due that is clearly wrong.



I agree with that, you cant ask the company to mismark the package. However, many times over have i received a Parcel from the US, Switzerland, and Hong Kong, and unbeknown to me, they have marked the value at stupidly low prices.

How can we stop that? What happens if I customs found out. Who gets into trouble? :confused:

[philly]

wrapped in a condom and swallowed? :o

Jimmy...I worry! lol

[BenG]

Jimmy...I worry! lol

Tell me about it.

If Jimmy didn't have this site to let out his oOplely madness, goodness knows what would happen.
(sorry Jimmy, but like you said the other day, you love me :wtf::o;):D)

[sosidge]

Fancy a job as an accountant sosidge?

Wouldn't mind the salary and the shiny new Audi... :D

...but I can live without all those numbers... make my head hurt.

[emzy]

wrapped in a condom and swallowed? :o

... OUCH.

[sosidge]

I reckon it saves me about 20k a year in total

You must have one hell of an accountant then :o.

[jim76]

as a second point how can you come onto a forum and explain how you avoid charges whilst carrying a shop name in your signature line. if your supported by that shop in your racing surely you should be supporting them back. telling people how to get goods cheaper from somewhere else does not seem the way to do it.

well said John. Hopefully the shops will be reading this!

[jim76]

You must have one hell of an accountant then :o.


you need to earn over £150k a year in order to save £20k on tax through this method.
And if you earn that much you shouldn't really need to shop abroad to save the odd £20 on gear!!

[bigred5765]

without being to funny about it, horizon that own Losi sell Losi car's online cheaper than you can buy em from any shop in the UK, and that includes import duty and vat, although import duty should not be paid on any scale model or replica kit apart from trains and thats from UK customs them selfs, and thats not listing anything as there not, just plain simple facts. yes you should and still do have to pay vat,but with that and postage a xx4 is 40-50 quid cheaper than here in UK,xxxcr 30-40 quid,i would love to support our great British shops, and suppliers but some one some were is making a killing and if it isnt the shops then who??, i have my own ideas but what do you guys think.??

[b4rs]

lo, thanks everyone, i ve got a vague idea now, thanks. something like the possiblity of no charges is 80%. so i jus hope im in luck.

thanks

[philly]

When I got into racing I bought my first new kit from the USA. I paid all duty and VAT and still saved about £50. At the time I thought that was great.However, as time goes on and I need spares, tires etc I support the shops that in turn support the clubs where I race. I think it's only fair to do so. It's true that UK dealers cant offer the low prices we are offered from the US but, for example, the shop at York always give a discount to members and these deductions add up over the season. Also, if you shop around there are still good deals to be had. I got my radio gear from an online store linked from this site at considerably cheaper than elsewhere. The point I'm making is loyalty can be beneficial to everyone concerned, whilst time spent looking for equipment around the UK brings its rewards and forces prices down.That's business!

[tc2k]

After my experiences with customs, being stung twice from america for £17.50 and around £38. Im alot more cautious on what I buy. HK and Japan usually get through without any trouble even when they are marked correctly, but American products seem to be alot more susceptable.
However, pricing up a few things I need for my B4, it would cost around £25 from the USA with shipping and around £60 over here without, its madness.

[Doomanic]

How about this for a horror story.

A chap on one of the car forums I go on recently bought some new cams for less than 40% of the UK cost.

UK customs cut them in half to see if they had drugs in them!:o

When he tried to claim they offered him the $25 it said on the parcel.
He is about £250 out of pocket, all to avoid import duty and VAT.

but some one some were is making a killing

It's not the bloody shops, I can assure you of that!:(

[BenG]

How about this for a horror story.

A chap on one of the car forums I go on recently bought some new cams for less than 40% of the UK cost.

UK customs cut them in half to see if they had drugs in them!:o

When he tried to claim they offered him the $25 it said on the parcel.
He is about £250 out of pocket, all to avoid import duty and VAT.



It's not the bloody shops, I can assure you of that!:(

:D:D:D:D:D

Thats why, you always tell the truth

[bigred5765]

true Dom,
if you try to rip em of in the end u get your arse bit lol, but do it legally and still save enough money to make it worth it,
i know its not the shops, but we all know were the real profit is and until they get there arse kicked nothing will happen apart from us customers being take to the cleaners,and you genuine shop owns earning a crust, not a living just a crust, it is a shame but a fact of life,

[Chequered Flag Racing]

for example, the shop at York always give a discount to members and these deductions add up over the season.

club members get a 10% discount if they use 1 of our LHS in Teesside :)

[DCM]

This is all nice, but we have no local shop, at the moment, that offers a discount let alone support the local clubs, mores the shame, I wish there was.

[LiamD]

How about this for a horror story.

A chap on one of the car forums I go on recently bought some new cams for less than 40% of the UK cost.

UK customs cut them in half to see if they had drugs in them!:o

When he tried to claim they offered him the $25 it said on the parcel.
He is about £250 out of pocket, all to avoid import duty and VAT.

Haha. We've just had a set of cams sent over from the states. They landed yesterday.

A fantastic charge from customs for 260 quid(ish) though. :(

Although, even with $200 shipping on these items, to buy just the alloy heads in this country would have cost more than the heads, cam and nitrous kit shipped from the USA. So it's not just R/C where it's expensive.

[jcb]

Importing is favourable at the moment due to the strength of the pound, you can't moan at $2 to the £1 which is why a lot of things appear cheap other than just rc stuff.

The trouble is the benefits of the current exchange rate are not passed onto the customer through the local shops. Whether it's because of the shops margins or the distributors costs the customer never sees the advantage.

[b4rs]

yeh i dont get it. its like $8 for some wheels yet the shops charge £8 which i think is apaulling, if they imported enough they would still get profit from selling them at £4.32.

[LiamD]

yeh i dont get it. its like $8 for some wheels yet the shops charge £8 which i think is apaulling, if they imported enough they would still get profit from selling them at £4.32.

But most things like this are made in the USA, which is why they are so cheap. Try buying a Schumacher kit from the USA, or from Japan, I would guess that it's more expensive.

When it gets to the UK you have to factor in shipping,and then the bit that the distributor takes, THEN try and make a profit.

[Mrs oOple]

But most things like this are made in the USA, which is why they are so cheap. Try buying a Schumacher kit from the USA, or from Japan, I would guess that it's more expensive.

When it gets to the UK you have to factor in shipping,and then the bit that the distributor takes, THEN try and make a profit.

Don't forget the VAT, and costs/overheads of running a shop, income tax, nat insurance, cost of living. It all adds up.

[jimmy]

Nearly everything is made in China anyway :D

[TRF_Tastic]

Liam, just checked on the new Mi3 $399 shipping $30 all told £215ish bargain when you consider that to get it over here its well over £270.

[jim76]

Liam, just checked on the new Mi3 $399 shipping $30 all told £215ish bargain when you consider that to get it over here its well over £270.

that's the bit that sucks. made in the UK, shipped to america, sold for a profit by the shop in america, shipped back to UK AND still cheaper than getting it here!! :mad:

[modelimages]

i could write an exceptionally long post reference the differences between the american market and the uk one, however if you believe you are being ripped off by the uk madel market your not going to believe it, as for the mi3 if you are going to quote prices at least get your facts correct, any american advertised price does not include sales tax, all uk prices do (vat at 17.5%), so before making a comparison take away 17.5% from the uk price, then at least your on a level playing field, the exchange rate is high at the moment what was it when cml/helger etc paid for the container?

[jimmy]

I never understood it in the USA, when you go and buy anything you have to pay tax on top of it! :o What's that all about? I've been to the USA many times and worked there, but still don't understand why my bag of crisps goes up in price at the checkout.

[losixxx]

us sales tax only applies if you buy it in that state, not if you ship it to another state or country. plus most on-line stores the price you see is the price you pay no added sale's tax!
$ has been around 1.9 for a long time up higher at the moment but even at 1.9 still make's it cheaper than buying a uk product in the uk!

rearrange the following shot theory hell too!;)

[modelimages]

i am not argueing that the mi3 would be cheaper or that there is nothing wrong with the current imbalance between the uk and us price.
lets take the quoted figures $399.99, on todays exchange rate it comes out at £199 however most people would order using a credit card and you will not get that rate from your credit card company, if you use $1.9 then the price would be £210 add $30 shipping it brings the price to £225. now take the quoted uk price of £270 remove the vat at 17.5% and it would make the price £222, if you got the best exchang rate you will stay between £216-£225. now this is a special case as we are talking about a british product in the us whereas most of the argument is about US products in the uk market a classic example would be the XX4 the losipartshouse price is $284 or £142 (using $2-£1) my shop price is £249.99 so order from them and save £107 you will of course have to pay for shipping which will eat into your saving, lets use the $30 quoted now your saving is £92 still substantial, lets assume your honest and don,t take liberties with the customs and excise. you will pay 17.5% on the total value inc shipping (£157+ 17.5%) =£185' parcel force charges will be £8-£13 so you would be looking at around £200 still a decent saving of around £50, all this assumes an exchange rate of 2 to 1 which you may or may not get.
the difference in price between the two markets is 20% ish so who gets the 20% because that is where the accusation of rip off occurs, is it 20% cheaper to run a distribution business in america are wages 20% higher in this country. all these questions i dont know the answer to, it may well be that there isn't a difference in which case your being robbed or that there is a difference and your not. unless you are an expert in the british and US business economies i doubt a definitive answer will be available.

[TRF_Tastic]

I think that point Im trying to make with the quote of the prices is the following, if it can be shipped to USA and sold there at a profit for £200 why is it £270 over here and dont give me sales tax or any other excuse. There is still a vast profit being made be A the manufacturer, B the Shop.

Now do I want to pay that premium for a British product?? err no and certainly not when I can run the gauntlet and get it shipped here for less even £10 less is enough for me to try my luck.

I and many otheres dont have a vast pot of cash and I look for the best deals where ever I can find them and Im not fussy, if you offer me a world beating price I will shop with you, if its the shop in Japan or Hong Kong then bet your ass I'm going to send my business over there.

Sorry if this sounds like a rant, but I am fed up with rip off UK, we are taxed then taxed some more for our luck and then whatever we think we have left is taxed as well. I know shops have to make a profit and so do distributers so its not all your fault however, I do think that margins can be cut a little and not hurt anyone too badly, you never know you might sell more.

Sorry rant over and sorry if I offended anyone.

[b4rs]

or you could jut move to america or dig a tunnel?

[gramey]

I think that point Im trying to make with the quote of the prices is the following, if it can be shipped to USA and sold there at a profit for £200 why is it £270 over here and dont give me sales tax or any other excuse. There is still a vast profit being made be A the manufacturer, B the Shop.

Now do I want to pay that premium for a British product?? err no and certainly not when I can run the gauntlet and get it shipped here for less even £10 less is enough for me to try my luck.

I and many otheres dont have a vast pot of cash and I look for the best deals where ever I can find them and Im not fussy, if you offer me a world beating price I will shop with you, if its the shop in Japan or Hong Kong then bet your ass I'm going to send my business over there.

Sorry if this sounds like a rant, but I am fed up with rip off UK, we are taxed then taxed some more for our luck and then whatever we think we have left is taxed as well. I know shops have to make a profit and so do distributers so its not all your fault however, I do think that margins can be cut a little and not hurt anyone too badly, you never know you might sell more.

Sorry rant over and sorry if I offended anyone.

:) I'm deeply offended, your comments are unacceptable to me as an individual and the government of this fair country as an orginisation as a whole!
Without your taxes where would this country be hey, for heavens sake man do you have no sense of civic responsibility?:o

[TRF_Tastic]

As soon as you find the good civic responsibility of all the near do wells, lightfeet, cut purses and other pond dwellers that WE let into power the I will kindly tell you where I keep mine. :)

And your only worried where you next overtime cheque is coming from if we all stop paying taxes!!!;)

[terry.sc]

that's the bit that sucks. made in the UK, shipped to america, sold for a profit by the shop in america, shipped back to UK AND still cheaper than getting it here!! :mad:It amazes me that an Mtroniks ESC, made in Yorkshire, shipped to Hong Kong, then back again, is cheaper than buying the same ESC in Modelsport.:o

But then again in Hong Kong there are no sales taxes, cheap rent and cheap labour.

[gramey]

As soon as you find the good civic responsibility of all the near do wells, lightfeet, cut purses and other pond dwellers that WE let into power the I will kindly tell you where I keep mine. :)

And your only worried where you next overtime cheque is coming from if we all stop paying taxes!!!;)
:) It's true, please keep paying them to cover my overtime this B/H Monday, I need the money for the HB Cyclone D4 soon to arrive at my LHS from whence I ordered it!:)

[DCM]

You think our taxes are being spent well, best not go look at how overdrawn in Europe, old Gordon Brown is. I would happily spend my money in the UK and it's associated Taxes, if I seen policemen on the beat, localy, footpaths not dangerous, reasonable roads, a chance of seeing a consultant in a hospital without waiting 18 months.... etc etc.... our taxes are squandered, it comes to something, it is easier for an immigrant coming into the country to get housing etc than it is for a working family.

And don't even get me going on employment and the type of jobs this government thinks is good for the UK....

[terry.sc]

I think that point Im trying to make with the quote of the prices is the following, if it can be shipped to USA and sold there at a profit for £200 why is it £270 over here and dont give me sales tax or any other excuse. There is still a vast profit being made be A the manufacturer, B the Shop.

Sorry if this sounds like a rant, but I am fed up with rip off UK, we are taxed then taxed some more for our luck and then whatever we think we have left is taxed as well. I know shops have to make a profit and so do distributers so its not all your fault however, I do think that margins can be cut a little and not hurt anyone too badly, you never know you might sell more.

Shops over here are usually struggling to make money, they aren't ripping anyone off. Based on those prices if you take off the VAT in the UK then factor in rent, rates and staff wages (US minimum wages work out at £2.60 per hour at the moment) you would probably find the US shops are paying the same trade price as the UK shops for the kit but they will actually be making a bigger profit even though the retail prices are much less.

Yes, profit margins for the distributors can easily be cut, dropping all driver sponsorship and discounting and not bothering with customer support would reduce their outgoings easily. A bit difficult to cut down on the rent, rates, utilities, wages and taxes.

Tamiya can be commended, they discount the prices in Europe so it means it costs roughly the same to buy them in the UK as it does from Japan.

[jcb]

It's the items made in the UK which make the least amount of sense as that would make them more expensive for a shop in the USA to get hold of them, narrowing there margins to sell the item at a competitive price. Yet you can still have one posted back to the UK for less than you can by it from a shop in the UK.

Kits wise I personally don't think there is a lot to be saved, postage for large parcels is quite pricey and if you do end up paying import duty or VAT then the saving is really negligable. It's the small items like wishbones, shocktowers, screws and the like which sell for $8 abroad or £8 in the UK were the money is saved as the postage cost are generally pretty similar whether buying from the UK of the US.

On a slightly different tangent the other reason for buying from the USA, Japan or Hong Kong etc etc is that the websites are far more user friendly to order items (and have up to date stock info) from and know exactly how much your bill will end up being.
I hate to say it but it's customer service. I can go onto a US store website put my items in the shopping basket get a quote for postage pay my bill and 4 days late it's on my door step. If theres a problem the money has been credited back and I have had an email within a day stating what the problem is. The couple of UK model shops I have ordered from online have varied the postage price, and more annoyingly you find out when your parcel arrives that something was out of stock. You then have to ring the shop to find and when you get the replacement, the shop won't give you a refund, doesn't do the courteous thing and email you to say we don't have it in stock, then they want some more money to post the item out that you have sinced replaced from somewhere else.

I know that not all UK model shops are like this and that most of them will bend over backwards to try and help you out.

[bigred5765]

read my earlier post our xx4 cost me 50 quid less from states inc postage packaging and vat than anyway here in the UK, and thats not coming in the back door thats straight forward over the counter, scale model kits don't pay import duty, nether do replica kits, only trains for some weird reason, but vat is payable even then 1 xxxcr saved me 40 quid

[gramey]

Shops over here are usually struggling to make money, they aren't ripping anyone off. Based on those prices if you take off the VAT in the UK then factor in rent, rates and staff wages (US minimum wages work out at £2.60 per hour at the moment) you would probably find the US shops are paying the same trade price as the UK shops for the kit but they will actually be making a bigger profit even though the retail prices are much less.

Yes, profit margins for the distributors can easily be cut, dropping all driver sponsorship and discounting and not bothering with customer support would reduce their outgoings easily. A bit difficult to cut down on the rent, rates, utilities, wages and taxes.

Tamiya can be commended, they discount the prices in Europe so it means it costs roughly the same to buy them in the UK as it does from Japan.

:) O.k. so it's time to come clean now as Terry's bought up the subject of Tamiya, whilst I try and support our LHS who in return give me fair trade in prices on cars & equipment I'm upgrading, I don't buy everything from there. The main reason for that being that my son & I run Tamiya's in TC class.
I'm not sure where Terry's getting his figures from or even where he's getting his supply of Tamiya kits from? Our LHS hasn't stocked anything above a TT01 for years as they say they can't buy them at a cost which would make them competitive with the other manufacturers, they didn't even stock a TB02.
The last I heard the crappy, crappy U.K. distributor for Tamiya didn't even bring in the TRF415's & the TB Evo IV's & V's, the latter of which we run. At the time we bought our Evo V's Fusion Hobbies we're advertising them at £399.00:eh?: we bought ours from a very well known RC store in Japan for £195.00 each which included shipping and several spares such as wishbones, body posts, bumpers etc.
Clearly I may have lost touch as I as I havn't bought a Tamiya kit in the U.K. for years just the odd spare part from U.K. suppliers when desperate.
As far as I can see Tamiya, and their U.K. distributor, do little to nothing for those wanting to run their cars in the U.K..:mad:

[sosidge]

I think that point Im trying to make with the quote of the prices is the following, if it can be shipped to USA and sold there at a profit for £200 why is it £270 over here and dont give me sales tax or any other excuse.

Sorry but the sales tax/VAT does make a huge difference. If you are going to moan about prices/taxation at least compare like with like and add 17.5% to any tax-free foreign price.

And by the way, it certainly isn't the shops who are making the money on RC goods.

[bigred5765]

removed double post

[sosidge]

As far as I can see Tamiya, and their U.K. distributor, do little to nothing for those wanting to run their cars in the U.K..:mad:

Put bluntly, RC racing is not part of the Hobby Company's business model.

I'm pretty sure they bring in one batch of every car, but only the minimum that they have to order to keep their contract with Tamiya.

TT-01's are relatively easy to get at a very, very good price now (where shops can make a decent profit selling the whole setup with Acoms gear for £99).

[Doomanic]

read my earlier post our xx4 cost me 50 quid less from states inc postage packaging and vat than anyway here in the UK, and thats not coming in the back door thats straight forward over the counter, scale model kits don't pay import duty, nether do replica kits, only trains for some weird reason, but vat is payable even then 1 xxxcr saved me 40 quid

And a XX4 is a scale model of what, exactly?:confused:

"Scale model" means diecast replicas and plastic assembly kits, not RC cars that come under the category "Toys"

Import duty is only 4% anyway, it's the VAT and clearance fees that make the difference.

For the record, I make £25 on a XX4, not really a lot of room for cutting my margin there.:(

[bigred5765]

Dom i don't think anyone is slagging of any shop, it seams to be the importers/ distributors that are at the brunt of all these comments.
we know the model shop are on small margins, and burly keeping there heads above water,
but as per your comment re xx4, it represent a (1/10th scale model kit working or none working)of a Baja bug sand racer, and the bit in comments() is from the UK customs and excise web site
it Say's all scale model kits ether working or none working (except trains)are exempt from import duty but liable for vat when import from abroad.
but as u say even with that one top at 4% would only add 5 quid so still 45 quid cheaper from abroad,