Get postal address in US to shop on sites available to US residents only

blink496

If you have ever filled out an order on a website only to be told on checkout that the goods are only available to US residents, you will appreciate the ingenuity of this website.

http://www.shopthestates.com/

This website offers to set you up with a US postal address. They then organise to forward your purchase on to you at bargain postal rates.


Paul O Mahony

http://irishlinks.blogspot.com/
This Blog is devoted to finding useful and money saving links relevant to people living in Ireland.

shoutman

great idea

thanks

Stark

Has anyone here tried these people? I'm wondering are they reliable.

Capt'n Midnight

Irish Rates
http://www.shopthestates.com/IrelandShipping.html

Also I'd suspect your chances of avoid VAT are about NIL.

OFDM

blink496 wrote:

Paul O Mahony

http://irishlinks.blogspot.com/
This Blog is devoted to finding useful and money saving links relevant to people living in Ireland.

You do know you don't have to copy/paste your sig everytime?
Click here.

Interesting idea for the US postal address - you'd still get slapped hard with import duty though.

blink496

thanks for that tip.

Regarding import duty, I am not sure as I havent use the service yet. I am not sure if they offer a service of sending the packages as gifts?? My guess is the service would be useful for large purchases. For instance you can buy several items over a period of time and have them all shipped in one go, thus saving on shipping costs. Hopefully there is a user out there who can enlighten us on this.

deevey

Im guessing you might avoid the import duty on some items shipped via USPS, i have had a good bit of stuff sent over commercially without being hit (marked at over $300 on the box).

Also nice they accept paypal too, i remember there was another site like this a year or two ago i was looking into but they charged silly money for the service and fed-ex only

looks like ebay just became alot bigger to me

Hobbes

A few of these sites were shut down after 9/11. Companies are not allowed export to certain countries for a reason. So if you do use this service its probably on borrowed time.

shoutman

i signed up to this site yesterday, but have yet to recieve my american address. Everyone in the same boat yea?

Rew

I tried to get some military gloves from EBay and the guy told me the the US Postal service wouldn't shipt to Ireland any more...

blink496

Hi guys,
Just to let you know that I got this source some months ago from a pc magazin, so I think the company is fairly solid. Do a search on google and you will find lots of material on them. Here is a thread from A vogue magazin thread.

http://www.vogue.com.au/forums/archive/index.php/t-586.html

shoutman

just got my address and i must say the whole site looks very promising

CiaranC

Except practically all US retailers who wont ship international wont ship to PO boxes either.

shoutman

ciaran its not a po box

CiaranC

Indeed, my bad. Looks like a good idea so.

jones

This looks the business!!! anyone report back with findings?? would this dodge import tax and all that?? or what sort of rates would you be looking at??

WizZard

They say they won't mark as gift which mens it's pretty useless as anything worth buying cheaply in the US will be caught by customs in Ireland - USPS -> SDS Customs in Portlaoise
And they charge VAT on the package total + Shipping charges

Eoin

WizZard wrote:

They say they won't mark as gift which mens it's pretty useless as anything worth buying cheaply in the US will be caught by customs in Ireland - USPS -> SDS Customs in Portlaoise
And they charge VAT on the package total + Shipping charges

Still, for those things that you don't mind paying full whack for, but just can't get shipped to Ireland it could be very useful.

Any feedback from anyone yet?

Cabaal

Looks very interesting indeed, wouldn't mind trying it for the odd thing that thinkgeek.com won't ship to Ireland

hk797

What is the maximum amount allowed on imports from the US before VAT kicks in?

philtaylor

Maximum amount is 45 euro worth of goods . However as off late because of AnPost and not GLS I have got most stuff through from the Staes with getting hit , however all boxes and packages I got marked with gift .

If the product is marked as a gift when they receive it at your US address , can they still not mark it has a gift when they send it.??????

Looks good do , might try something cheap to check it do

blorg

hk797 wrote:

What is the maximum amount allowed on imports from the US before VAT kicks in?

€22 according to this page on revenue.ie; I have also seen the figure €18 before.

Rew

About 30 euro's worth of stuff.

hk797

philtaylor, blorg, rew

thks for the info ... clear as mud

in for a penny in for a pound.

just ordered 100 worth of gear

will let you know how it goes ... or does'nt

blorg

hk797 wrote:

philtaylor, blorg, rew

thks for the info ... clear as mud

The official rate is definately €22, £18 was the UK Revenue's similar amount. I've bought stuff around ~100 from the US once before tho without problem.

Rew

blorg wrote:

The official rate is definately €22, £18 was the UK Revenue's similar amount. I've bought stuff around ~100 from the US once before tho without problem.

Only coz u dint get caught

blorg

Rew wrote:

Only coz u dint get caught

That is my point. €22 is the official cut-off. Whether you get away with over that will depend largely on your carrier and the customs declaration if any.

hk797

blorg wrote:

That is my point. €22 is the official cut-off. Whether you get away with over that will depend largely on your carrier and the customs declaration if any.

Thanks blorg - then I'm well over it :eek: - thought it was 145 or something - same as when you hand carry stuff in - **** or bust :cool: - will keep you posted on what happens

John R

Just recently got an order of lenses through USPS/an post that were clearly marked as worth $300 without any problem. they were in a box of 320x450x80cm so I assume would be parcel post not letterpost.

Rew

John R wrote:

Just recently got an order of lenses through USPS/an post that were clearly marked as worth $300 without any problem. they were in a box of 320x450x80cm so I assume would be parcel post not letterpost.

The bill has been known to arrive after the goods in some cases. Iv never had hassle with importing stuff but I know others that have. Its pot luck...

besty

im thinking of going throught this crowd and ordering some clothes from www.ae.com but their shipping costs are fairly hefty and theres no guarantee you wont get stung with import costs.

cormie

This is great news, Just curious though, how can they ship the items and the retail store can't?


I'm getting an order from a site in the US worth $447, shipping will be about $134 (weight is 600oz). Do they only charge import tax on the $447?

Eoin

cormie wrote:

This is great news, Just curious though, how can they ship the items and the retail store can't?

I don't know whether it's because there are some tax restrictions on the retail stores, or whether it is simply a case of a lot of Americans either not knowing or not caring about any other countries

WizZard

cormie wrote:

I'm getting an order from a site in the US worth $447, shipping will be about $134 (weight is 600oz). Do they only charge import tax on the $447?

No on the full value including shipping costs. You most likely will get caught. Everything I've ordered in the last couple of weeks has been stopped and charged.

So for that order is would be 447+134 = $581 ~= €481.94; VAT (21%) = €101.20

Total Customs Charge: VAT + SDS Charge + Duty: €101.20 + ~€5 + ~€15 = €121.20

So it's not as cheap as it seems to import stuff via post from the US.

Serbian

cormie wrote:

This is great news, Just curious though, how can they ship the items and the retail store can't?


I'm getting an order from a site in the US worth $447, shipping will be about $134 (weight is 600oz). Do they only charge import tax on the $447?

A quote from the Revenue.ie link above:

Revenue.ie wrote:

The value of the goods for the purposes of charging customs duty is calculated on the price paid or payable for the goods plus the cost of transport (including postage), insurance and any loading or handling charges associated with the delivery of the goods into the EU.

So the cost of importing your package will be 1.21 * ($447 + $134) = $703.01, or €582.98.

Edit: Wizzards calculation is better since he included Duty + Charges

besty

jesus its a real money pit this importation lark isnt it.

StickyMcGinty

its all about how much oyu declare it for. i got a laptop from the states for 1000 got the seller to gift wrap it and mark it as a gift, and declare it for $80. problem is that if it goes missing your only insured for 80 but the chance of it going missing are slim.

best way to buy from the us is ebay and eget them to mark it low. otherwise you'll get stung for taxes, i got done for 50quid on an ipod i got!

Eoin

VinnyL wrote:

its all about how much oyu declare it for. i got a laptop from the states for 1000 got the seller to gift wrap it and mark it as a gift, and declare it for $80. problem is that if it goes missing your only insured for 80 but the chance of it going missing are slim.

best way to buy from the us is ebay and eget them to mark it low. otherwise you'll get stung for taxes, i got done for 50quid on an ipod i got!

The problem is that many vendors just won't ship outside of the states - hence the reason for this service. The service is not there to bypass customs, it is so you can get stuff from shops that are not aware of any other countries.

cormie

That's so annoying. I was sure it was only on actual goods:( There's also no chance of them marking what I want as a gift. It's just not something people get as a gift :rolleyes:

There are big risks for the company to mark a package as a gift if it is a retail purchase too right?

thesteve

its all about how much oyu declare it for. i got a laptop from the states for 1000 got the seller to gift wrap it and mark it as a gift, and declare it for $80. problem is that if it goes missing your only insured for 80 but the chance of it going missing are slim.

Problem also is that most places won't do this and even if they do it doesn't work all the time, customs aren't idiots, not that many Irish have relatives etc to justify a fortune worth of goods flowing into the country every year...

blink496

This might be an interesting site to test on shopthestates.

www.woot.com

This deal-of-the-day site posts one item per day—typically overstocks ranging from electronics to toys, but "cool stuff" seems to be the running theme. If you want it, buy it fast, as that item is available for only 24 hours, or until it sells out (which happens often).

LegacyUser

i've bought rake loads of stuff from the states, and never been hit with import duty.

most of it was from ebay, mp3 players, christmas presents, computer ram, clothes, probably spent over a grand on there.

bought from other sites, loads of contact lenses, much cheaper than here, also vitamens dvds.......

must be because i get it all sent to work!

this site definitly looks promising, no doubt i'll prob use it in the future.

one site i've wanted to buy off for a couple of years now is this, http://www.bluefly.com

some nice gear on there.

cormie

The items you bought aren't really at risk of being taxed though.

I have a 40lb package coming from the states at the moment. It's a roll of fabric, there is no way it's a present. I'll let you know if I get stung by customs. It's not looking good:(

dearg_doom

cormie wrote:

Just curious though, how can they ship the items and the retail store can't?

The company you're dealing with act kind of as if they are just mailing a friend and kind of as if they are a re-seller.

It's a legal grey area.

US retailers not delivering is an economic measure to protect the US's interests.

The US has a lot of multinational corporations, these guys make a lot of profit, meaning tax dollars for the Government. Multi's make a disproprtionally large amount of profit selling the same goods to foreigners in foreign countries at inflated foreign prices; which allows them to sell the same product at a lower (relative)price in the US. This keeps the cost of living relatively low in the US, thus making US citizens relatively wealthier than their foreign friends.

Also I think it has to do with preventing terrorists getting American stuff or some thing:D



But basically the companies make more money(and the US makes more tax dollars) selling you their product in Ireland thru an Irish retailer than if you bought it off an American retailer.

This isn't a uniquely American thing tho, all countries do it to some extent. Or they would if they could.



Also wrt marking the package as gift: if US customs finds out the company are trying to diddle them out of the proper tax dollars due, the company will be fined for tax evasion.

WizZard

dearg_doom wrote:

Also wrt marking the package as gift: if US customs finds out the company are trying to diddle them out of the proper tax dollars due, the company will be fined for tax evasion.

I don't know about this. Isn't tax paid in the destination country, and not the originating country?

cormie

dearg_doom, thank for that. But since these online stores are only retailers, that would have no effect on them would it? Unless they are not allowed sell over-seas, but why shouldn't they be if others are? If it means more profit for the retail company? Are you saying every company that doesn't offer outside US shipping is a multi?

WizZard, I was told by a retailer they are not going to risk marking as gift due to fines.

Soundman

Rew wrote:

The bill has been known to arrive after the goods in some cases. Iv never had hassle with importing stuff but I know others that have. Its pot luck...

That is actually illegal. If they are going to charge you Import Duty then they MUST call you BEFORE the item leaves the country and let you know what the extra VAT charges will be and what the final total will amount to so that you have the opportunity to decline and tell them to send it back.

Also... Be wary as most customs officials aren't too savvy on what items falls under what category so they tend to lash it under any old heading. I was trying to get some microphones from the states before so I anonymously called up Customs and asked them what the import duty would be on 3 microphones valued at €200 before shipping and they said something ridiculous like €60 or something. I then remembered that a friend of mine works in the import/export, customs and excise business so I asked her. She looked it up under the correct category and told me that they shouldn't charge me any more than €12 for that delivery.

I was lucky though and managed to get it marked as a gift from the seller and it passed through no problem.

Soundman

Also, the reason that some companies in other countries won't ship equipment here is down to licensing laws regarding the sale of electronic and such like goods. Some companies like Apple Mac won't allow some of their products and technology out of the country it was developed in. I don't fully understand this myself but this is what I have been told by several customer information desks from the larger companies and some of the shops abroad. I remember someone mentioning that you have to have a license to sell certain items such as pro audio equipment so I think since they can't regulate who has what license in other countries they just play safe and don't ship so that the Owners don't object.


It's 5.16am so I hope that that made sense to all.

cormie

Soundman wrote:

That is actually illegal. If they are going to charge you Import Duty then they MUST call you BEFORE the item leaves the country and let you know what the extra VAT charges will be and what the final total will amount to so that you have the opportunity to decline and tell them to send it back.

How would the sender know how much it will be though? Isn't that up to the customs office? When I was charged on my delivery I was told if I didn't want to pay, they would send it back. I paid, but I was given the choice. Very kind of them :rolleyes:

blorg

Most US retailers don't ship internationally because they see the US as a large enough and rich enough market and simply can't be arsed with the perceived additional complexity. A secondary reason tends to be concern over getting stung with fradulent international credit cards. It really is as simple as all that.

When US retailers _do_ ship internationally the postage tends to be outrageous in any case. This is quite a contrast to Hong Kong, where a multitude of companies are falling over themselves to sell to Europe, and with very reasonable postage.

Manufacturer restrictions, government regulations, whether they are multinationals, etc. are not generally the reason...

dearg_doom

WizZard wrote:

I don't know about this. Isn't tax paid in the destination country, and not the originating country?

Yep, tax/VAT on items for export is paid in the recieving country.

But with these sites you are buying a product meant for the American market, this product is probably not meant for export. If it was meant for export there would be various legalities and forms and fees and such that would need to be paid/filed because this company isn't just a friend of your's sending you a fancy birthday present, they are a company who profits by charging you a service. This service they're providing undercuts the services provided by the relevant retailers' foreign subsidiaries, who have gone to the necessary efforts to be allowed to export that item.

And regardless, chances are what you're buying will be available in your own country but at a higher price;)

cormie wrote:

dearg_doom, thank for that.

Nay problemo:)

cormie wrote:

But since these online stores are only retailers, that would have no effect on them would it?

It isn't only about the company though, hey are still American companies. This means they have a legal responsibility to follow American laws(in this case trade laws) and pay the relevant taxes that the American government feels they owe.

cormie wrote:

Unless they are not allowed sell over-seas, but why shouldn't they be if others are? If it means more profit for the retail company?

Yeah it sounds retarded I know!! As Soundman says, it's all down to licensing.

The jist of how it works is kind of like this:

OK then, this is really quite complicated. If you bother to read all of this I guarantee you'll wonder: ''But why all the different companies?'' That's just the way it is with most multi's, it generally allows more local knowledge and localised staff which would increase sales. And since they are 'independent' companies, it means they really have to sing for their supper; if they don't perform well they'll be jobless soon enough because the company will go bankrupt.



so...

You start off with a parent company who makes something so cool that people want to pay for it..

This parent company needs to distribute the stuff it manufactures to shops in order to sell it's stuff to as many people as possible.

(we'll assume this company is American:))

So it makes an American distribution company to whom it gives the right to sell it's products to the good people of America. It is now a licensed distributor.

The distributer then sells these products to the all of the retailers who want them.

The retailer, if they want to gain the right to sell these products, must sign themselves up as a licensed retailer.


These licenses are the key, right. They are often used in the same breath as the word EXCLUSIVE. Only shops with the license can sell the products.



What it is is a legal contract saying that the retailer will buy the product off the company at the price the company says. OR ELSE. If the retailer tries to source stock cheaper from an alternative source, it will invariably be off a non-licensed distributor, they will lose their license, end up in court and have to pay a bundle in fines.

This gives the parent company ALL THE POWER.


After a while the company is big in the states and now they feel the rest of the world wants their stuff too.


So they create another company, for Europe perhaps.

This will be the licensed distributor for Europe, answerable to the parent company and in indirect competition with the American crowd(ie they sell the same products to different people)

But Europe is a bit different to America.

So they make a new licensed distributor for each country, answerable to the European company.

And European retailers will become licensed retailers.

Then, for example, an Irish shop will become a licensed retailer who buys it's stock off the Irish Distributor who buys it's stock off the European Distributor who buys their stock off the parent company.


So these American and European distributors are there to make as much profit as possible, but they are still in competition with each other. Now they have different markets so they want to maximise there own as much as possible. They don't want to steal customers off each other because that's against the exclusive licensing rules. Also the parent company would want to know for sure how they're doing in each market. So because of the licenses they know the retailers will play ball or they won't be able to sell the good stuff anymore, but normal people always want stuff cheaper.

So say an Irish guy is buying an American product cheap over the 'net, the European guys are 'losing' that sale.

The European distributors will have made less profit because he should have bought it off them, and they may seem less important to the parent company.

The big-companies may try to stop it by pressing charges against retailers who flout the licensing restrictions, but there is always the legal grey area. (For example all these game/music e-tailers working out of Hong-Kong, which is the ultimate open market, therefore there is not too much fuss with licenses there.)

But usually the law is on the side of the big-companies.

For example SONY took some e-tailer to court for selling the PSP to European's before it was launched there by SONY Computer Europe. And WON. Unfortunately.

cormie wrote:

Are you saying every company that doesn't offer outside US shipping is a multi?

Not at all! I've bought tons of stuff and my ex used to buy make-up off eBay because she couldn't get whatever it was here!! As blorg says some retailers just couldn't be arsed with selling to foreigners; but when and if they do decide to sell their stuff abroad they will usually become multi's as it's easier in the long run, more profitable and tends to give them marketing/political advantages.