Importing Guitar from the U.S?

ThaMasta

Folks,

I got the following quotes on a few Ibanez guitars from the U.S

"220h - $1505
220a - $1540
320 - $1970
express mail $130
customs paid on your end. call customs. all depends on what you have the package valued/insured for"

So how does the customs end of it come into play? (VAT)
Its up to me to value the instrument and take out whatever insurance I see fit?


Any help greatly appreciated.

EDIT*

Ok I will pay the exise of 3.7% and VAT at 21%, but what is the story with insurance?

Beecher

Insurance is paid when its posted. Generally tends be be reasonable enough but I cant remember any exact figures right now. Also worth noting that if the guitar is falsely valued for customs and it is damaged then the insurance wont cover it.

I would also like to point out that there are similarly priced European shops like this for example which will save the hassle of import duty. There is also an Ibanez J-Custom for sale on Adverts.ie for around half the price of those guitars in very good condition.

xanthor

Customs Charge vat on the declared value of the item, plus vat on the postage plus a 'clearance fee' to process the money they're taking from you.

Beecher wrote:

I would also like to point out that there are similarly priced European shops like ....

Yep, there's a few J-Customs/Prestiges on eBay UK which seem decently priced too.


A thing to remember about Customs, they may ask you for a receipt prooving how much you paid for the guitar.

ThaMasta

Thanks for the info lads.

The prices the guy in the states is quoting includes full guitar setup, and the edge pro locking stud mod. This justifies bringing it in from the U.S, as I wouldnt chance seting it up myself, and it would cost a couple of hundred to get it done here. Heres the link to the work he'll preform in case your interested

http://www.ibanezrules.com/new/setup_trem.htm

Beecher thanks for the GuitarBargins link, have you (or anybody else) got any more so I can have a look?

Eoin Madsen

Just bear in mind that the wood will change shape when it arrives in its new climate, which will throw that setup to one degree or another.

Voodu Child

Aha, Rich from Ibanezrules, what a w*nker :rolleyes:
Id buy fom this guy if his prices work out cheaper than what you can get elsewhere. Dont mind the guff about his magical setups and locking stud mod

ThaMasta

Voodoo whats the craic with IbanezRules?. Why do you call him a w*anker?

Have you had dealings with him in the past?. That is the first negative thing I heard about him. Every forum I've been to (Ibanez forum etc.) has been signing his praises.

Why do recon he's talking guff bout the locking stud mod and setup etc??

The 220a works out about 200 euro cheaper on GuitarBargins but will need to be setup when it arrives.

Lads input much appreciated..I'm getting this guitar next week hopefully...from somewhere.

Voodu Child

No, theres nothing dodgy or untrustworthy about him, he's just an arrogant pr*ck. I wouldnt have any problem dealing with him, but make sure he has your guitar in stock - he doesnt stock half as many guitars as he claims to, and you may be waiting a couple of months for a new guitar.

The locking stud mod is unneccesary, ive Ibanezs with locking studs and without, and theres no huge difference in stabilty.

Again, theres no problems with his setups, but nothing you cant do yourself, and as eoin said, you can spend hours fiddling with a setup, but its wasted as soon as you ship it halfway across the world. It wont go out of whack altogether, but a couple of mm here or there makes a big difference on a guitar thats supposed to have a low action anyway.

Anyhow, as i said, judge it based on price - if you can get a guitar 200 quid cheaper from europe, do. A setup isnt worth that much.

Gary ITR

Seeing as this thread is gone off topic anyway i'm gonna hijack it... I've just bought an early 90's Ibanez ex series from the states on ebay, I had one before but the headstock was smashed off :mad:. My first guitar though and I have to say it is a very sweet guitar. Anyway i got the guitar very cheap ($103) plus another $100 for p&p. So €160 altogether, does this mean at customs I will be charged 21% of the 160 and another 3.7% exise? How does it work do customs send me a letter or something when the guitar arrives?

Eoin Madsen

Onkle51 wrote:

So €160 altogether, does this mean at customs I will be charged 21% of the 160 and another 3.7% exise? How does it work do customs send me a letter or something when the guitar arrives?

The customs duty will be charged on the value of the item, the 21% VAT will be charged on the total value, including shipping. How the charge is presented depends on the carrier. Most shipping companies will either request it on delivery or send an invoice after delivery.

As far as I can tell, the "clearance fee" is something akin to a "handling charge" and is made by the carrier to extort money out of you - because of the obviously enormous inconveniece of having to transfer the money for the taxes. I'm of the opinion that it's an abuse of the tax system and Revenue should put a stop to it. On a related issue, I've personally had an experience where Fedex attempted to grossly (by about 100%) overcharge me for tax, and a friend of mine has had a similar experience with a different shipping company. So when the bill comes, I'd strongly recommend you sit down with a calculator and make sure you're not being shafted. Apparently some of the shipping companies are not above a little tax fraud.

Beecher

ThaMasta wrote:

Beecher thanks for the GuitarBargins link, have you (or anybody else) got any more so I can have a look?

Ishibashi are great, have models we cant buy over here and shipping is very fast. Expect to pay customs duty though.

Voodu Child

Beecher wrote:

Ishibashi are great, have models we cant buy over here and shipping is very fast. Expect to pay customs duty though.

Theres a RG8170 J-Custom there at the minute - would cost about E1300 including shipping and customs&vat.

I dont like the natural colour at all, and dont like centred position markers on Ibanezs either, but its a better guitar than the ones you mentioned from IbanezRules, and E1300 for a second hand J-Custom isnt too bad. Id take it over the RG220s anyway.

ThaMasta

I had a look at J-Customs but didnt consider them cos of price. I didnt look at second hand ones tho..

I've my mind made 99% on the 220a.

Beecher

Well whatever you go for you are gonna end up with an amazing guitar. Just watch out for the IBZ/Dimarzio pickups in the 220a, they are merely decent pickups in an amazing guitar.