Importing from America

motherfunker

Is there any reason not to buy guns from american sites, they are soo much cheaper than buying from Irish retailers, is there a catch? Even with postage they are still cheaper, is this part of rip off Ireland.

zero19

Hong Kong is cheaper than the US but if anything goes wrong with your kit you're in a spot of bother

andy_g

also you may get stopped with customs charges and vat

Killinator

Its the convienience factor, its worth paying a little extra to irish retailers because you have the advantage of getting what you ordered 2-3 days after placing the order, not to mention as already stated if something goes wrong with US or Asian bought products your boned,
Oh and customs and duty aswell!

Dar

Theres a few reasons:

• Convience: You know you'll get your order sooner
• Tax: The prices displayed by irish retailers include vat. If you order from outside the EU you are liable for VAT on top of the price paid.
• Shipping: Shippings costs are much lower
• Legality: All airsoft devices stocked by Irish retailers will be under the 1J limit.
• Returns: If you have a problem with the gear you order, it's much easier to return it to an irish retailer

Spetzcong

But the American AEGs have those snazzy orange tips that are so cool. I've been waiting for MIA to get in orange krylon so I can orange up all of mine, wish I'd just bought american...

To be honest I'd say buy Irish unless it's something you can't get here and an Irish retailer can't get it in for you. There's a lot that can go wrong with an AEG, especially if you're going to be legging it around a field with it. At least with an Irish retailer you can get some sort of after sales service.

Also although the prices at Irish retailers may look more expensive that their HK/US counterparts, when you factor in VAT and Shipping they actually usually work out about the same. I'd certainly be prepared to pay and extra euro or two for the joy of having my order in my hands two to three days later.

Mweelrea

motherfunker wrote: »

Is there any reason not to buy guns from american sites, they are soo much cheaper than buying from Irish retailers, is there a catch? Even with postage they are still cheaper, is this part of rip off Ireland.

They're not guns they're airsoft devices or AEG's.
The shooting forum is for guns

motherfunker

Hi guys, thanks for the advice so far. I understand what you say about comeback if something goes wrong but I can nearly buy 2 guns from america for the price of one here, I could just throw the broken one away.
The price I have for my order is as follows: 2 agm mp40's, 12 magazines plus postage - $400, that is €265, 2 guns alone from Ireland would cost me €280 not including postage, even adding another $70 for customs duty it still only works out at €310. The magazines alone would cost almost that much in Ireland or England. I think I would be willing to wait a few weeks for that much of a saving. Is there any difference in the quality of the product, is it the same gun I would get from an Irish retailer? Do all american guns come with the american tip and is it just a matter of painting over it or is it an actual added on peice that will spoil the look of the gun?
Sorry to any Irish retailers on here, I'm not trying to ruin your business or anything but money is money and I'd rather it be in my pocket than in yours.

Shiva

motherfunker wrote: »

The price I have for my order is as follows: 2 agm mp40's, 12 magazines plus postage - $400, that is €265, 2 guns alone from Ireland would cost me €280 not including postage, even adding another $70 for customs duty it still only works out at €310.

Thats a good price alright...where are you seeing that ?

Shiva

Mweelrea wrote: »

They're not guns they're airsoft devices or AEG's.
The shooting forum is for guns

Sorry for the off topic, but I keep forgetting...what does the "G" in AEG stand for ?

Witcher

motherfunker wrote: »

Sorry to any Irish retailers on here, I'm not trying to ruin your business or anything but money is money and I'd rather it be in my pocket than in yours.

they'lll get it out of ya one way or the other, you cant fight it


:cool::cool::cool:

NakedDex

Have you got a link to where you're getting these? The US has different power regulations on aegs so you may be ordering a unit over the 1J limit.

Also, you're looking at closer to 100 for customs and vat charges. I've been charged as much as 32% on goods incoming from the US in the past so don't assume it'll be the VAT rate you'll get lumped on. Also, the customs and vat charges are on the total including the postage, not excluding.

ambro25

motherfunker wrote: »

Sorry to any Irish retailers on here, I'm not trying to ruin your business or anything but money is money and I'd rather it be in my pocket than in yours.

Welcome in our little corner

Don't worry - you're not going to get shunned or sued if you don't buy Irish

But... there's a but (there's always a but)

Just don't come back complaining because:
* your order's late
* your order's wrong
* it's been impounded by Customs + Gardai for chronoing "sometime this year" (most extreme case: I think it's Lethal Bullet who's had a clone MP7 detained for something stupid like 4 or 5 months recently, for no reason :eek:)
* you've been overcharged by Customs for VAT + customs duties
etc, etc.
... and it proves just as expensive in the end, with a month or more's worth of delay on top

I've done both and I still do both myself (import + buy local), so I'm not biased either way

Mweelrea

Shiva wrote: »

Sorry for the off topic, but I keep forgetting...what does the "G" in AEG stand for ?

touché!:p

SniperSight

Shiva wrote: »

Sorry for the off topic, but I keep forgetting...what does the "G" in AEG stand for ?

Hooray, somebody else who realises that the use of gun makes perfect sense, I posted about it in a different thread.

motherfunker

www.boomarms.com is the website, I think the fps is smaller than the legal limit, 265fps for the mp40 I think it says.
I would have bought an mp40 from an Irish retailer if I could have found one, I searched for weeks but to no avail. That is when I found the american airsoft devices. €140 is the best price I can find in ireland, one shop is looking for €180, what is going on there, where is the extra €40 coming from, am I meant to trust a company that is blatently overcharging on their products, I'm sure its not just the mp40 they are overpricing either. In england the same guns are going for £90 or €120, why does Ireland have to be the dearest place to buy from, ok postage is cheaper and you can supply a certain amount of peice of mind but why can prices not be more inline with the rest of the world.

Dar

While 'gun' does have some negative connotations there can be no argument that airsoft devices are guns. So are glue guns, nail guns, water guns etc.

The term that should never be used is 'weapon'. The only way an airsoft gun could be catagorised as a weapon is if you clubbed someone with it.

SniperSight

I saw an MP40 in a shop in Cork city called DW2, it cost around €120, and was a very nice piece. The guy who owns the shop is very friendly too and will take orders on specific guns if your looking for them.

Lemming

OH, one other thing that I don't think anyone has mentioned about purchasing airsoft devices from US sites ..... most of them (bar Classic Army whom have rights I believe) don't have their markings on them due to US patent & copyright law.

motherfunker

What exactly does having their markings on them mean?
I ordered an mp40 from dw2 at christmas but they ran out, waited and waited till I got fed up waiting. As far as I know they still dont have them in, not on their web site anyway. Maybe they got them in the last few days. they were €149.

o1s1n

Lemming wrote: »

OH, one other thing that I don't think anyone has mentioned about purchasing airsoft devices from US sites ..... most of them (bar Classic Army whom have rights I believe) have their markings on them due to US patent & copyright law.

You left out the word 'don't'

OH, one other thing that I don't think anyone has mentioned about purchasing airsoft devices from US sites ..... most of them (bar Classic Army whom have rights I believe) don't have their markings on them due to US patent & copyright law

Shiva

motherfunker wrote: »

In england the same guns are going for £90 or €120, why does Ireland have to be the dearest place to buy from, ok postage is cheaper and you can supply a certain amount of peice of mind but why can prices not be more inline with the rest of the world.

Without going into a complete cost breakdown, the simple fact is that it costs a hell of a lot more to do business in Ireland than it does in the UK and most of the rest of Europe - higher tax rates being one, and believe it or not, a hugely more expensive shipping cost to actually get the stuff here. You also have to remember that the airsoft market is much, much smaller here than in the UK, never mind Asia and the USA - less volume in sales means we need to make a greater profit on each sale just to stay in business.

motherfunker

The guys at dw2 were nice though, they just dident have my gun, somebody said they were overpriced somewhere but for mp40's in Ireland they were at the cheaper end of the scale.

Lemming

o1s1n wrote: »

You left out the word 'don't'

Whoops!! Corrected

Witcher

dw2 are overpriced on a lot of aegs



:cool::cool::cool:

Lemming

motherfunker wrote: »

What exactly does having their markings on them mean?

Typo, I left out the word "don't"

SniperSight

motherfunker wrote: »

What exactly does having their markings on them mean?
I ordered an mp40 from dw2 at christmas but they ran out, waited and waited till I got fed up waiting. As far as I know they still dont have them in, not on their web site anyway. Maybe they got them in the last few days. they were €149.

Well like I said it was in the shop for €120, the owner let me test fire it, and that was on Monday this week. They have stuff in the shop that they dont have on the website.

o1s1n

Lemming wrote: »

Whoops!! Corrected

Sure who needs fancy markings when you have a sexy blaze orange tip instead

I bought my first rifle from the U.S.
Bad mistake. Came with a coloured tip and UPS raped me with taxes about three months later.

If you really have to buy outside of Ireland go with Chinese sites. The ones mentioned are really good at what they do. Ehobbyasia still comes out on top for me.

motherfunker

Shiva, I understand about the whole import thing etc, was just on a bit of a rant there, but as for the €40 difference in price for an mp40 from 2 different Irish sites, either somebody is making a hell of a loss or somebody is making a hell of a profit.

SniperSight

motherfunker wrote: »

Shiva, I understand about the whole import thing etc, was just on a bit of a rant there, but as for the €40 difference in price for an mp40 from 2 different Irish sites, either somebody is making a hell of a loss or somebody is making a hell of a profit.

Are they the same company on both sites?

Lemming

o1s1n wrote: »

If you really have to buy outside of Ireland go with Chinese sites. The ones mentioned are really good at what they do. Ehobbyasia still comes out on top for me.

Interestingly enough, had I gone with a Chinese site (Red Wolf in Hong Kong) for my Inokatsu, I'd have ended up paying roughly an extra €400 odd in customs on it.

I discovered that Fire-Support were actually selling it at a little over the price of Red Wolf when you converted both into Euros and of course .... no customs guaranteed since point of sale was within the EU.

In other words, shop around.

motherfunker

I take back what I said about the nice guys at dw2 then, €30 cheaper that on the web site and they had my money for 2 months and told me they would ring me as soon as they got the mp40's back in stock, F**k them.

SniperSight

motherfunker wrote: »

I take back what I said about the nice guys at dw2 then, €30 cheaper that on the web site and they had my money for 2 months and told me they would ring me as soon as they got the mp40's back in stock, F**k them.

Am I after getting someone in trouble?:(

o1s1n

Lemming wrote: »

Interestingly enough, had I gone with a Chinese site (Red Wolf in Hong Kong) for my Inokatsu, I'd have ended up paying roughly an extra €400 odd in customs on it.

I discovered that Fire-Support were actually selling it at a little over the price of Red Wolf when you converted both into Euros and of course .... no customs guaranteed since point of sale was within the EU.

In other words, shop around.

That's quite a nice saving. Although you wouldn't be able to do it now with the VCRA in full swing.

andy_g

Dar wrote: »

The term that should never be used is 'weapon'. The only way an airsoft gun could be catagorised as a weapon is if you clubbed someone with it.

hmmm wheres gatling hiding i wanna use my aeg as a club :P

Lemming wrote: »

OH, one other thing that I don't think anyone has mentioned about purchasing airsoft devices from US sites ..... most of them (bar Classic Army whom have rights I believe) don't have their markings on them due to US patent & copyright law.

and when purchasing from the states it wont have the mp40 logos of labels on it like other aegs you can get same as kwa/kwc

Lemming

o1s1n wrote: »

That's quite a nice saving. Although you wouldn't be able to do it now with the VCRA in full swing.

yes you can. The VCRA only applies to sales within the UK. HMRC don't give a monkeys if airsoft kit is leaving the UK. (they're probably throwing a party every time in fact; one less to worry about, etc.)

motherfunker

2 different companies as far as I know, Eirsoft is the cheaper one, I'll not mention the dearer one.

Shiva

o1s1n wrote: »

That's quite a nice saving. Although you wouldn't be able to do it now with the VCRA in full swing.

Why not ? I was under the impression they could export them ?
AFAIK the VCRA only applies to domestic sales.

o1s1n

Lemming wrote: »

yes you can. The VCRA only applies to sales within the UK. HMRC don't give a monkeys if airsoft kit is leaving the UK. (they're probably throwing a party every time in fact; one less to worry about, etc.)

Well that is news to me. And here I was thinking all UK sites were now off limits. Thanks for pointing that out.

Shiva wrote: »

Why not ? I was under the impression they could export them ?
AFAIK the VCRA only applies to domestic sales.

I was under the impression all sales fell under the act. Don't ask why.


Shows what I know. :eek:

SniperSight

I asked the guys at Airsoft Scotland and they said as long as you dont have an English postcode that law has no bearing on you. Good to know.:)

Shiva

o1s1n wrote: »

Shows what I know. :eek:

Dammit...I shouldn't have said anything. Now you have the option of buying from one of them instead of one of us

o1s1n

Shiva wrote: »

Dammit...I shouldn't have said anything. Now you have the option of buying from one of them instead of one of us

The euro to sterling conversion rate will keep me buying Irish, don't worry. Although, the euro to dollar rate always temps me to the Chinese.

Then again, none of this really matters. As my euro to wallet rate = 0.

motherfunker

Here's a different slant to it all then, has anybody any good stories to tell me about buying from america?

NakedDex

Not one. Not from me anyway. Issues every time. Never again.

Stercus Accidit

dw2 aren't worth buying anything from, they overcharge on most of their stock.

Jing gong "dragunov" for 279€, and they say it tokyo marui, thats a blatant lie infact, who can this be reported to as false advertising?

ambro25

o1s1n wrote: »

And here I was thinking all UK sites were now off limits. Thanks for pointing that out.

The (skirmish) sites are off limits.
The (online shopping) site are not off limits.

The difference is between:
* travelling within the UK with your gear (as a non UKARA-reg'd individual) = Big-No-No
and
* ordering gear in the UK to be delivered outside the UK = No-Problemo

Easy, when you know how

johnboyire

got a kwc p99 + parts from ehobby ordered at the week-end got the attempted delivery notice yesterday picked it up this morning paid €81 for the kit and €31 for shipping

pros of ehobby

rarley any customs duty
fast shipping - this was some kind of speed post they used shipping was a bit pricey but very fast
no orange tip
cheap even with shipping
wide variety of other products - i bundled in some aeg parts too

cons
sometimes there is customs duty
shipping is pricey at times
timezone + coms can be slow sometimes


general tip -

this is for worldwide orders - DONT USE UPS, FED EX, etc especially coming from america they will get you for customs it makes sense - your paying $$ for shipping somthing valuble must be in there
just use the postal service

also some sites get mixed up about the value of the items on the declaration on the shipping notes, it seems to happen mainly in hong kong -

motherfunker

Hi,
Thanks again for the advice, I am swaying away from america, possibly toward hong kong, Ireland just still seems too dear to me. Ehobbies dont have any mp40's, has anybody ever used www.uncompany.com, they have the aeg I am looking for and they offer to put a reduced price on the invoice incase it gets checked by customs, plus no orange tip. The same order (2 mp40's + 12 spare mags) works out at $393 including postage.
Any advice, positive or negative?

ambro25

motherfunker,

UnCompany are reputable, long-established and well regarded by most.

The only two risks left are import duty (potentially $130-odd, give or take) and the cash loss if your shipment goes AWOL (insurance only applies to the tune of the declared value). e.g.

pay 300, declare 300 on invoice, [maybe get taxed on 300], get 300 back if shipment goes AWOL

pay 300, declare 100 on invoice, [maybe get taxed on 100], get 100 back if AWOL (lose 200 because of 'adjusted' invoice)

It's rare that things go AWOL, but it's been known to happen (it's happened to me with DHL, of all people - quite how the f*ck DHL can lose anything once it's been DHL-barcoded and picked up/registered within their system is beyond me, but there ya have it)

Further to the above (for your guidance and anyone reading this thread), I'm not a Mod but I believe it's against Boards Rules and this Forum's Charter to discuss ways and means to avoid applicable duties

kdouglas

ambro25 wrote: »

Further to the above (for your guidance and anyone reading this thread), I'm not a Mod but I believe it's against Boards Rules and this Forum's Charter to discuss ways and means to avoid applicable duties

indeed it is

motherfunker

Sorry.
Thanks for all the info everybody, I think all my questions have been answered, I think I'll go with uncompany. Maybe I'll get my fingers burned and wish I had gone Irish, maybe I wont, we'll see. Life is all a big learning curve.