Buying Clubs from America : Rockbottomgolf

maynooth_rules

came across www.rockbottomgolf.com and just wondered f anyone had used them. They have extremly cheap prices but the whole custom issue has me worried. This may sound like a stupid question, but would i have to play customs on a set of clubs if they were ordered just from England?

Am looking at the these two sets from ebay incase rockbottom is a non runner

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Wilson-Fat-Shaft-IV-Irons-4-SW-NEW-MODEL-Golf-Set-NEW_W0QQitemZ320390495516QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_SportsLeisure_Golf_GolfClubs_JN?hash=item4a98c2fd1c&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12|66%3A2|39%3A1|72%3A1688|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-Wilson-Golf-Prostaff-Fat-Shaft-3-PW-Hybrid-Irons_W0QQitemZ350222651440QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_SportsLeisure_Golf_GolfClubs_JN?hash=item518ae59030&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12|66%3A2|39%3A1|72%3A1688|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50


Not sure of the real difference between them but they look good value. Im newish to golf so im hoping they will help my game

DonkeyPokerTour

Import duty is quite low at only 4% and it only applies on goods coming into the country from outside the EU. What really sticks you is the VAT at 21.5% giving a total cost of 25.5% to be added onto your order. So remember to factor that in if thinking about ordering from america. The current exchange rate is 1euro = 1.38usd approx. So for convenience consider the dollar price, the actually price you will pay in euro!

If your ordering from the UK then remember to take into account shipping and delivery time. Sometimes (not always) you can find the same clubs for a small amount more money in Ireland which gets rid of the waiting and if you have any problems you have a local rep to talk to!

maynooth_rules

Thanks for that mate. Thats quite a chunk to add to the price of American orders. The VAT does not be charged on orders from the UK right??

copacetic

I ordered a nice set of taylormade rac combos from rockbottomgolf a few years back, I got lucky with customs though. I ordered shoes from them once and the customs/fed ex stung me for more that the shoes cost!

Imo you need to be very lucky these days to avoid customs and by the time you add the charges and large shipping cost you are probably looking at 50% on top of the price of the clubs. Generally that means it is cheaper to get the clubs from uk, either ebay or online, or by bargaining in the shops here.

You don't have to pay customs or extra vat if you buy in the EU as prices already include the vat.

maynooth_rules

Cheers. I see they have gorgeous adidas golf shoes on rockbottom for the equivelent of €20. However i heard that there is even an extra charge on top of the originals for footwear. Seems like to much hassle to bother with America and i wouldn't fancy my chances of my orders sneaking through customs

MiniGolf

DonkeyPokerTour wrote: »

Import duty is quite low at only 4% and it only applies on goods coming into the country from outside the EU. What really sticks you is the VAT at 21.5% giving a total cost of 25.5% to be added onto your order.

Just to be pedantic pat...... It works out at about 26.5% as they - Revenue - add the 4% first and then add the 21.5% just to make sure they get as much as possible from you:eek:
If you want a complete set of Wilsons (NOT Fatshafts, I know!) try this link http://www.thesportshq.com/wilson-ultra-hybrid-golf-clubs-set--bag.aspx I bought my first starter set from them about 2 years ago and have bought other stuff since.... Always fast delivery and no problems. Postage is £15.00 to Ireland.

PeterJamesDoyle

If you had the time you can set up a forwarding address from the states. There is a company called MyUS.com.

They will have your item delivered by courier to your forwarding address, and then re-sent via the Postal Service to help keep your costs down. I think they will even put a new value on it to keep it under the radar of the C&E people.

http://www.myus.com/index.shtml

There might be other companies who do the same thing, but this is the only one my mate uses, and so far he's happy with the service

DonkeyPokerTour

maynooth_rules wrote: »

Cheers. I see they have gorgeous adidas golf shoes on rockbottom for the equivelent of €20. However i heard that there is even an extra charge on top of the originals for footwear. Seems like to much hassle to bother with America and i wouldn't fancy my chances of my orders sneaking through customs

Well a 20euro Item is unlikely to go ballistic, I'd say there's no way you'd pay more than 50euro (excluding shipping because from some places shipping is ridiculous). If there something you really like then I'd go for them.

For clubs then your looking at a bit more hastle.

MisterAnarchy

I dont think its really worth it due to the weakening Sterling and the recession.
Alot of the UK retailers are giving good deals and even the local Irish shops have brought down their prices.
If you do buy from the states and you use any of the main couriers,Fed Ex,UPS,or DHL you will get hit badly on customs.
Fed Ex charge a hefty administration fee ,as do UPS,DHL is the lowest.
Vat is also charged on the shipping cost (Which is outrageous to be honest)

Screed

Yes used them good site.

jimbling

PeterJamesDoyle wrote: »

If you had the time you can set up a forwarding address from the states. There is a company called MyUS.com.

They will have your item delivered by courier to your forwarding address, and then re-sent via the Postal Service to help keep your costs down. I think they will even put a new value on it to keep it under the radar of the C&E people.

http://www.myus.com/index.shtml

There might be other companies who do the same thing, but this is the only one my mate uses, and so far he's happy with the service

Are you saying using these guys will help you keep down / avoid the cost of customs/duty??

MisterAnarchy

jimbling wrote: »

Are you saying using these guys will help you keep down / avoid the cost of customs/duty??

Yes,Well if its sent via USPS (US Postal Service) it will have a good chance of avoiding customs.
Its the couriers ,Fed Ex,UPS,DHL that you cant escape.

Adiaga 2

I think rockbottom use UPS and then Fedex look after the billing for customs/tax purposes(they also charge an admin fee).

I 'think' if you have the stuff shipped to your place of work, then you won't get charged. Though I could be wrong. Or maybe your place of work would have to be a registered importer/exporter with dept of transport. Can't remember where I heard this.

It's a pity it's not easier because rockbottom have some great deals from time to time.

jimbling

Our usual shipping method is DHL Express. We also ship via FedEx Priority, either for destinations where DHL service is unavailable, or per customer request. We use FedEx Air Freight on heavy shipments whenever possible, to save you money.

I don't really get the benefit of using this system of direct delivery to Ireland from the shop.... obviously baring the fact that you can order items that don't usually ship to here.

PhilipMarlowe

Guys, just have to be mindful that some of this discussion basically is about how to evade tax (duty) which is a very bad thing to do, m'kay? There is enough information on the thread already about different ways you can ship stuff so don't post anything more about how to bend the law.
The consensus seems to be that if the item is shipped by USPS (United States Postal Service, not UPS the courier) that you may or may not get billed for duty depending on luck or whatever and if you don't then you can happily declare the import and pay your duty yourself as a fine citizen would.

PeterJamesDoyle

I do'nt think its anyone intention to evade taxes and excise duties. But how many times has anyone received expensive goods from the states via the postal service and the post man never asks for payment.

It makes me think a lot of these guys sit around drinking coffee while tonnes of packages pass by unnoticed.

In fact, I recall getting asked for a charge for an item which came under cut off point, for which you can get charged. It was the shape of the box, which caught their attention.

maynooth_rules

I ordered the clubs from them. Mainly because they are so much cheaper than anything in the UK, even with the likely custom charge i get. Id much much prefer to buy the clubs in Ireland but that wasn't possible. Ill do enough Irish golf purchases over my career so it won't be so bad. The shipment is with Fed Ex so i guess i can fully expect custom charge

copacetic

you are pretty much sure to be charged via fed ex. They deliver first and charge later so don't think you got away with it.

Adiaga 2 wrote: »

I 'think' if you have the stuff shipped to your place of work, then you won't get charged. Though I could be wrong. Or maybe your place of work would have to be a registered importer/exporter with dept of transport. Can't remember where I heard this.

You certainly get charged no matter where you get things shipped to. I've been charged when I was in an export only company with a massive fed ex account if that means anything.

maynooth_rules

Damn Fed Ex:(. Oh well, its not a big expense

maynooth_rules

Got my package yesterday, Monday at 11am. Fantastic delivery considering it was posted on Thursday. It arrived in Dublin on Sunday night so i have my fingers crossed it wont have got nabbed by customs. If customs checked it surely they would have put a stamp or something on the package??

Adiaga 2

The next few days will be tough - checking the post as soon as you get home, breathing a sigh of relief when you see no bill.. After a week or so you'll think you're out of the woods and begin to get a full night's sleep again. Then BAM! they'll get ya.. :pac:

Seriously though, I ordered from them about 3 years ago and only got the customs bill from fedex after about a week or maybe more. Good luck though. And enjoy your purchases.

maynooth_rules

Adiaga 2 wrote: »

The next few days will be tough - checking the post as soon as you get home, breathing a sigh of relief when you see no bill.. After a week or so you'll think you're out of the woods and begin to get a full night's sleep again. Then BAM! they'll get ya.. :pac:

Seriously though, I ordered from them about 3 years ago and only got the customs bill from fedex after about a week or maybe more. Good luck though. And enjoy your purchases.

Thanks for that mate, all i need now is to pray for a good day to get out and use the clubs:o. Im not gonna get to excited until a month passes and i have received no bill

bucks777

was thinking of getting some clubs from rockbottomgolf but worried about the customs and excise.....i have a buddy living in boston,if i could get the clubs shipped to his address,could he send them onto me and thus avoid paying excises or would i still be liable....??

f22

bucks777 wrote: »

was thinking of getting some clubs from rockbottomgolf but worried about the customs and excise.....i have a buddy living in boston,if i could get the clubs shipped to his address,could he send them onto me and thus avoid paying excises or would i still be liable....??

I used to buy stuff in from the US all the time up to a couple of years ago. FedEx/UPS etc are guaranteed to be flagged by customs and then the maths just simply doesn't add up. There is great value in the UK at the moment.

www.golfalot.com has a pretty good price comparison tool

corban

bucks777 wrote: »

was thinking of getting some clubs from rockbottomgolf but worried about the customs and excise.....i have a buddy living in boston,if i could get the clubs shipped to his address,could he send them onto me and thus avoid paying excises or would i still be liable....??

if he marked them as a gift you should be ok i think?

rafared

Havent bought from rock bottom golf but have used 3Balls golf maybe a dozen times. Fedex or ups are the couriers they use and I was always charges duty, vat and a handling charge. UPS require this payment on delivery while Fedex send you a bill 2 or 3 weeks after the initial delivery.
In most cases it turns out to be about another 50% of the cost in Euros.
I havent bought from 3Balls in a good while but during the boom years it was much cheaper to get clubs from the states even allowing for the extra charges.