Buying a guitar from the States.

PonderStibbons · 06-11-2005 7:07pm #1

I am thinking of getting this guitar http://cgi.ebay.ie/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7364009709&sspagename=ADME:B:AAQ::1 due to it being ridiculously less expensive than over here. I was just wondering if anyone has experience of buying a guitar or similarly sized instrument from the USA. How long should it take to arrive? (It would be sent by ordinary US airmail, not fedex et. al.) Is there a chance of it being opened by customs and me having to give them money to get it back? How much would this be? Anything else I should be aware of?

Also what do you think of the guitar itself, is it worth it?

Thanks folks!

Beecher · 06-11-2005 7:21pm

PonderStibbons wrote:

I am thinking of getting this guitar http://cgi.ebay.ie/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7364009709&sspagename=ADME:B:AAQ::1 due to it being ridiculously less expensive than over here.

Dont forget to add at least 100 for shipping and then 25% of the total cost (including shipping) for import duty which roughly brings it to 603 euro (still a very good saving, allthough some places sell it for 700 with a hard case, you may want to look into that).

PonderStibbons wrote:

I was just wondering if anyone has experience of buying a guitar or similarly sized instrument from the USA. How long should it take to arrive? (It would be sent by ordinary US airmail, not fedex et. al.) Is there a chance of it being opened by customs and me having to give them money to get it back? How much would this be? Anything else I should be aware of?

Ive ordered 3 guitars from America this year. The first took 2 weeks, the second took 4 months, the last got lost in transit and took me ages to get my money back. Customs prob wont open it, but the parcel will state whats inside and what its worth so they can charge you accordingly, some nice places will offer to change this value so you pay less, but if it gets lost/damaged during transit you are only insured for the amount stated.

PonderStibbons wrote:

Also what do you think of the guitar itself, is it worth it?

You can never go wrong with a Taylor imo.

PonderStibbons · 06-11-2005 7:51pm

Thanks for the reply.

Just a few more questions:

When is the import duty paid? Do they add it on and organise all that from their end or do I have to pay when it comes over here?

What happened with the guitar that took 4 months? Was it before it was shipped or after when the delay occurred (i.e was it the fault of the company or the postal service?)

Any ideas where I could get it for 700 with the case? Is this in the UK or mainland Europe or the States again? I'm assuming it's not in Ireland.

Thanks again.

Ravelleman · 06-11-2005 7:52pm

What he said.

Beecher · 06-11-2005 8:15pm

PonderStibbons wrote:

Thanks for the reply.

When is the import duty paid? Do they add it on and organise all that from their end or do I have to pay when it comes over here?

When the guitar arrives in this country it'll stay in holding till the customs man looks at it, he'll then calculate how much extra you have to pay and this information is passed onto whichever courier is delivering it to your house. The delivery man then arrives with your lovely new shiny guitar mere feet away and demands 'x' amount on money before he'll hand it over! They also never carry change so ive always ended up paying a few euro extra for not having correct coinage

PonderStibbons wrote:

What happened with the guitar that took 4 months? Was it before it was shipped or after when the delay occurred (i.e was it the fault of the company or the postal service?)
.

I bought the guitar from www.chrisguitars.com (everyone here can vouch for chris, he's a stand up guy) and it was shipped by USPS (United States Parcel Service, its like an-post over here and has no affiliation to UPS) in early May, Chris had e-mailed me the shipping documentation same day as proof. Towards late June I started getting worried and e-mailed both Chris and USPS but only got responses from Chris who tried to contact USPS on my behalf aswell, but niether of us could find out anything about its location. Then on a Saturday in late August it just arrived (and they still charged me after that ridiculous wait), but ill never find out whether USPS misplaced/lost it for a bit or whether it was held in customs for those months.

PonderStibbons wrote:

Any ideas where I could get it for 700 with the case? Is this in the UK or mainland Europe or the States again? I'm assuming it's not in Ireland.

Yup, I found some links ages ago (im after a Taylor acoustic aswell, but ill have to see how my finances are after Christmas). Ill give a look around and post some up after I finish my Corona (mmmmm)

Edit: I think theres a guitar importing price calculator somewhere in the stickies, that could give you an exact price on importing the guitar.

PonderStibbons · 06-11-2005 8:19pm

Thanks, you're a great help. I'm starting to think it's not worth it, tbh, it seems quite risky. I could get the same model for €665 from Thomann.de, it might be worth paying the extra 60 bucks or so for some more peace of mind - I'd assume that sending something from within the EU is much less hassle.

Steoob · 06-11-2005 8:24pm

PonderStibbons wrote:

Thanks, you're a great help. I'm starting to think it's not worth it, tbh, it seems quite risky. I could get the same model for €665 from Thomann.de, it might be worth paying the extra 60 bucks or so for some more peace of mind - I'd assume that sending something from within the EU is much less hassle.

good choice :v:

Parsley · 06-11-2005 8:26pm

PonderStibbons wrote:

Thanks, you're a great help. I'm starting to think it's not worth it, tbh, it seems quite risky. I could get the same model for €665 from Thomann.de, it might be worth paying the extra 60 bucks or so for some more peace of mind - I'd assume that sending something from within the EU is much less hassle.

And you've got someone to send it back to if it's broke. Welcome to the boards, my friend, I told you these people know their stuff! It's fun here.

:v:

PonderStibbons · 06-11-2005 8:30pm

Hey Parsley! It sure is fun, but the sheer volume of boards kinda hurts my head. I feel I should be posting in all of them, all the time...

Have you ordered stuff from thomann? Any idea how long it should take?

Beecher · 06-11-2005 8:31pm

PonderStibbons wrote:

Thanks, you're a great help. I'm starting to think it's not worth it, tbh, it seems quite risky. I could get the same model for €665 from Thomann.de, it might be worth paying the extra 60 bucks or so for some more peace of mind - I'd assume that sending something from within the EU is much less hassle.

If its coming from the EU it will not be held up in customs, Theres even a good chance if you ordered from Thomann on a Monday morning you will have it by Friday (has happened to me before) You also get tracked shipping so you can see where it is so theres no consant waiting by the door every morning, you know when its coming.

I found a Taylor 110 for 723 euro on Ebay from the UK with a hardcase Linky, but I would prob go for the Thomann deal myself. Shipping from Ebay will cost more (Thomann is a fixed 20 euro afaik) plus I'd always feel safer ordering from a large company. If you need a hardcase you could always get A Thomann Case for an extra 48 blips (make sure it fits first though) which actually adds up cheaper than EBAY!

Edit: WOOT:v: (gratuitus use of new smiley)

PonderStibbons · 06-11-2005 8:39pm

Right-ho, hopefully thomann.de it is. The possibility of a fast delivery really seals it. If I ordered a hard case would they put the guitar in it, or would I have to pay the €20 twice? What's the packaging like? Safe?

:v: :v: :v:

Beecher · 06-11-2005 8:53pm

PonderStibbons wrote:

Right-ho, hopefully thomann.de it is. The possibility of a fast delivery really seals it. If I ordered a hard case would they put the guitar in it, or would I have to pay the €20 twice? What's the packaging like? Safe?

:v: :v: :v:

Its a fixed €20 no matter how large the order, I have a cab arriving tommorrow along with various cables/plugs/foot switches all for €20 delivery (they are coming from www.musicstore.com, not thomann, but I believe musicstore,musik-produktiv and thomann all have the same shipping deal)! The guitar does come in its on softcase and by default would be wrapped foam and then put into the softcase (Ive never had an instrument arrive with dents or scratches from any online shop ive used, even when only shipped in a cardboard box!). I believe theres a comments box on the ordering confirmation page (not 100% on this, havnt used thomann in about a year) and you could tell them to put it in the hard case, and they should send the softcase along with it.

Edit: :v: :v: :v: :v: :v: :v: :v:

PonderStibbons · 06-11-2005 8:56pm

Cheers, thanks for all the info.

:v: ^:v:
(pacman to the power of pacman)

Beecher · 06-11-2005 9:05pm

PonderStibbons wrote:

Cheers, thanks for all the info.

:v: ^:v:
(pacman to the power of pacman)

No worries, just checked thomann, its 23 euro flatrate shipping (woot :v: ) to Ireland . Also the Taylor from America on Ebay is second hand so its def worth 60 squids more to buy it new from Thomann!

feylya · 06-11-2005 9:16pm

Actually, it's €20 these days although I've been waiting for over a month at this stage for a delivery. feylya smash :mad:

Beecher · 06-11-2005 9:27pm

feylya wrote:

Actually, it's €20 these days

Even better :v:

feylya wrote:

I've been waiting for over a month at this stage for a delivery. feylya smash :mad:

Has it been sent out yet? I ordered my cab 3 weeks ago from musicstore, and quickly recieved an e-mail sayin 'Ah yes sir, its in stock, it'll be with you as soon as possible!! and they only shipped on thursday !:mad:!!! At least it'll be here tommorrow (or so they say)! Im sooo excited

:v:

feylya · 06-11-2005 9:28pm

It was shipped on the fifth along with another package that I got the following Wednesday from DHL of all companies. What cab?

Beecher · 06-11-2005 9:35pm

feylya wrote:

What cab?

Its a Fame 2x12 (2 Celestion Vintage 30's mmmmm) linky , I wanted the Framus 2x12 but its sold out everywhere and wont be in again till mid November. Apparently the Fame cabs are great from what I've read in online reviews, and they look quite nice (will look nicer when I pull the fame logo off the front

)

feylya · 06-11-2005 9:37pm

I've heard loads of different things about Fame stuff. I'll be interested to hear your opinion on it. Shame about those cheap Framus cabs disappearing. Wouldn't mind one just to have one.

Parsley · 06-11-2005 9:41pm

PonderStibbons wrote:

Hey Parsley! It sure is fun, but the sheer volume of boards kinda hurts my head. I feel I should be posting in all of them, all the time...

Have you ordered stuff from thomann? Any idea how long it should take?

I ordered my bass set, and it took about 4 days after they dispatched it. They had stock problems with the amp, so that delayed it a bit.

Beecher · 06-11-2005 9:47pm

feylya wrote:

I've heard loads of different things about Fame stuff. I'll be interested to hear your opinion on it. Shame about those cheap Framus cabs disappearing. Wouldn't mind one just to have one.

I should have opinions/pictures of completed rig/soundclips up tommorrow :v: . The Framus cabs should be back in stock in around 2 weeks, I just couldnt wait any longer for a cab!

Buying a guitar from the States.

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