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#290651 - 15/12/11 04:45 PM
Buying a guitar from USA good idea or bad????
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Haining83
Be Nice (I'm New!)
Registered: 12/12/11
Posts: 7
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Being looking at buying a guitar from america any one bought one or got any advice if its a good idea or bad
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#290655 - 15/12/11 05:49 PM
Re: Buying a guitar from USA good idea or bad????
[Re: Haining83]
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Lester
Professional Forumite!
Registered: 28/05/11
Posts: 543
Loc: UK & Slovakia
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If the guitar is £150 or more you will be liable for paying the 20% VAT for importing it into the EU, plus customs and charges.
Returning it if there is a problem could be troublesome.
However, if this is a rare, boutique or custom made guitar that you could not otherwise buy, there are times in life when greater risk can bring greater reward.
If this is about what acoustic to buy from £200 to £350, think about how many quality Guitars in that price range are available in the UK.
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#290657 - 15/12/11 08:06 PM
Re: Buying a guitar from USA good idea or bad????
[Re: Lester]
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Haining83
Be Nice (I'm New!)
Registered: 12/12/11
Posts: 7
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thanks lester being raking my brain last two days on what to buy cant make my mind up managed to up my budget to £400 was hoping for a taylor hard tho with tht budget any suggestions
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#290659 - 15/12/11 09:34 PM
Re: Buying a guitar from USA good idea or bad????
[Re: Haining83]
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Lester
Professional Forumite!
Registered: 28/05/11
Posts: 543
Loc: UK & Slovakia
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It's your money and will be your guitar, so you must make the final decision.
For your budget I doubt that you could do much better than talk with Richard, the chap that runs this forum and Richards Guitars. Look at the 12 Cort guitars that are in your price range.
My neice and a friend's son both have nice Tanglewood Guitars, both costing just over £200. There will be other makes that can be recommended.
With a £400 budget you will only have the Taylor baby guitars to choose between, the ones not made at the California factory. I believe Bob Taylor's reputation was built by building top end acoustics. Don't assume that the cheapest Taylors will necessarily play better or sound better than other brands of similar prices.
I play a Takamine. By all means, try a Takamine too.
You will often hear the sensible advice to go and play Guitars. Because they are made from wood, each one is individual and so you need to find the one that you love the feel and sound of.
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#290673 - 16/12/11 09:24 AM
Re: Buying a guitar from USA good idea or bad????
[Re: Jocko]
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Surfsilver
Professional Forumite!
Registered: 04/12/11
Posts: 177
Loc: London
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The 'free' limit (if you like), was a massive £18. But since this November, and after a lot of petitioning re; 'It's been £18 for ages and it's silly low', they said OK, we'll make it £15 - have a nice day, we're here to serve, etc, etc, etc.
And, not to be left out your caring-sharing Post Office want an additional £8 for themselves for doing.......err, their job?
HMR&C
£0.01 to £15 ■ No customs duty ■ No Import VAT
£15.01 to £135 ■ No customs duty ■ Import VAT due
£135.01 & over ■ Customs duty due, but waived if amount calculated due is less than £9 ■ Import VAT due
http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPorta...000014#P28_2966
Plus:
"Any package assessed by HM Revenue and customs as being liable for customs charges [duty and/or VAT] will also incur a Royal Mail handling fee of £8."
http://www.royalmail.com/delivery/mail-advice/customs-information
Rought guide calc (maybe?), a £260 guitar + whatever the seller charges to send to UK (insured), say £75 + about £60/£66 when it gets here. So a £260 guitar in the US ends up in your hands here for something like £400.
Edited by Surfsilver (16/12/11 09:25 AM)
_________________________
~~~~~~~~~~ "I've suffered for my music, now it's your turn" ~ 
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#290675 - 16/12/11 10:15 AM
Re: Buying a guitar from USA good idea or bad????
[Re: stickyfiddle]
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Surfsilver
Professional Forumite!
Registered: 04/12/11
Posts: 177
Loc: London
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That’s a very useful link sticky, came out within a few squid of my fingers and toes calc. However, they don’t seem to mention the G’PO rip? True, maybe £8 isn’t your biggest concern if spending £400-£500, but you get the same rip if you’ve only spent £20 – i.e. you pay the G’PO more than the VATman. That’s the rip.
_________________________
~~~~~~~~~~ "I've suffered for my music, now it's your turn" ~
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#290676 - 16/12/11 10:23 AM
Re: Buying a guitar from USA good idea or bad????
[Re: Surfsilver]
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Lester
Professional Forumite!
Registered: 28/05/11
Posts: 543
Loc: UK & Slovakia
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That made me laugh. It was 30 years ago that the GPO was split and mail is now handled by Royal Mail. Keep up, Surfsilver!
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