Bringing guitars home from USA

seanvox

Anybody have any experience in buying and bringing guitars (new or old) home from North America?
What was the situation with customs?
Did you get stopped?
What sort of fees were you stung for? etc etc

Heading out on holidays in the Summer and plan on picking up a few pieces

feylya

Import tax is ~3.5% and then you have the current VAT rate on top of that.

Usual warning: Tax evasion is illegal and discussion is not allowed on Boards.ie

Dord

seanvox wrote: »

Anybody have any experience in buying and bringing guitars (new or old) home from North America?
What was the situation with customs?
Did you get stopped?
What sort of fees were you stung for? etc etc

Heading out on holidays in the Summer and plan on picking up a few pieces

You will get stopped, from what I've heard they clamped down on this more recently. Be prepared to pay 25%~ of the value of the instrument(s).

The best thing to do is when you're looking at buying the guitar, factor the 25% into the cost and then weigh up whether its worth it with that included.

Eoin Madsen

If you're travelling abroad with a guitar or any high value item, you're supposed to fill out a form for Customs declaring what you're bringing so that you don't get charged duty and tax when you bring it back. The onus is on the traveller, not the customs officer, to prove that tax isn't due.

seanvox

Where do the customs folk get the valuations from?
American or Irish prices?

BuddhaJoe

seanvox wrote: »

Where do the customs folk get the valuations from?
American or Irish prices?

The value is the price you paid afaik.

Ravelleman

Pay your taxes! This is economic patriotism.

seanvox

I will pay my taxes just rather know the situation before purchasing!

ball ox

I came back from the states with a Taylor in a soft case. Checked it as on board luggage. It was xrayed but that was it. Not a word.


Now, I'm not saying I purchased it over there but if I had I would have gotten away with it

:pac:

Johnny Storm

Ravelleman wrote: »

Pay your taxes! This is economic patriotism.

You forgot your sarcastic smilie.

funkydunkey

As above i'd say definately factor in VAT etc. 'cause the likelyhood is you'll end up paying it, especially on a new guitar. And the hold up at the airport would most likely cause you to miss flights. having said that I picked up a vintage LesPaul a few years ago for a song in a second hand shop. Blissfully unaware of tax, vat et all at the time and just mosied on through. Looking back i'd say the fact it was in a tattered ol' case, no one really took any notice. But thats just a one off anomaly. What are you thinking of buying anyway? If its anything with a bolted neck i'd nearly say stay local, especially with Fenders, theres been alot of trouble with their necks of late. and getting support would be a nightmare.

usemyillusion12

i have bought two guitars in new york on two seperate ocassions and brought both of them back without paying vat as nobody said a thing to me at all , if your flight gets in early, usually customs wont be there

first guitar was amazing value , it was a fender deluxe players strat , the mexican one , it costs 1000e over here , but was only 500e over there brand new with the gig bag ect

second guitar was a second-hand yamaha , it was 100 dollars but the only reason i bought it was because it had an original floyd rose bridge on it and i loved the playability of it

both no problems getting them back , but bring them as carry on into the cabin , and if you are putting them in the overhead bins , be sure to put your new guitar in after everyone else has put their bags in . This stops people chucking their bags ontop of your prized possesion and damaging it , as nearly happened to me with a rude man sitting in the row beside me.

LesIsMore

I brought back a Martin D-28 a couple of years ago - no problems at all.