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Buying contact lens from the USA/Europe: Special ...
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I have used coastal contacts twice and found them really good, no problems at all. A few weeks ago i needed a new pair of lense tried them again but they have stopped doing the lenses i wear ( 6 monthly vial lenses ). I looked everywhere for another company that do the ones i wear and found them on a site called contactlensesweb.com again an american site they were very good got them in 8 days. Great service from both companys, much cheaper than this country would buy from both again.
I've used Clear Vision Contacts and had no problems. Their website looks very amaturish though and this may put some people off. They are the cheapest provider I have found so far although aclens come close
I've recently received delivery of 5 months supply of Acuevue Moist Dailies from Lens.com, based in the USA. (The more you buy, the cheaper it is).
All in all, even with delivery costs, the exchange rate ensured I saved abut 60 quid on the UK price.
Btw, for pre-purchase checks I wrote to the manufacturer Johnson & Johnson to enquire whether the lenses are the same in both countries - they are identical, in terms of quality and prescription (i.e. your UK eyesight prescription is the same as your American one would be).
Here are two articles about buying contact lenses from outside the EU from my www.edscontactlenses.com blog...
Buying Lenses from the USA
I reported earlier that 1 out of every 4 or 5 packages of contact lenses purchased (without VAT) from the USA get flagged at customs. In this case, you will pay an extra 2% import duty, and additionally an extra 17.5% in VAT. In addition (although we've never heard of this happening), you "may be liable to financial penalties or criminal prosecution". Read the note about "unscrupulous overseas suppliers" in the HM Revenue & Customs "Shopping on the Internet" page.
DO NOT BUY from US companies unless they clearly state that they will charge you VAT and import duty and will correctly fill out the customs declaration!
They compete favorably on prices, but do not mention that what they are doing is basically leading you into illegal activity, which only YOU are responsible for. In the end, you may get lucky... or maybe not.
US Suppliers Revisited
One of the problems I heard about UK (and probably EU) customers is that of duty and insurance problems with goods coming from the US. I already reported on the duty problems you might run into - now I want to talk about possible insurance problems.
I sent this question (unanswered for the last 2 days) to LensCatalogue: "Do your prices include VAT at 17.5%? Does your invoice separate the 17.5% so customers can then reclaim from their insurance companies? Does your invoice also include the company name, company number, registered office, and VAT number?".
I sent the same question to CoastalContacts.co.uk. Coastal DOES ship from outside the EU, but from what they've explained to me about their operation, I am guessing that they do their invoices correctly. I greatly doubt that the other non-EU suppliers do this, but I wait for a reply from LensCatalogue to see what they have to say.
I am not a lawyer nor an expert in insurance claims - I'm only going on stories I heard where I did not investigate thoroughly. Right now, I just want to see what the companies have to say. However, before buying from the US, you should make sure that you are covered.
Hope that helps,
Ed
No Unapproved or Personal links in signatures please - FT3
Everytime I collect a parcel from the Post Office I see atleast 1 person arguing about the import duty on contact lenses and how they have never paid it before.
The normal response seems to be you have just been lucky which makes me think that they are cottoning on more to personal internet imports.
I use www.contactforlenses.com who are Jersey based and have never had any need to complain.
i get mine from www.shopping4net.com
2x6 pack monthly lenses = 6 month supply
total cost = £28.79. yes all in
delivery takes about a week
brother and i have never had any problems
regards
bjo
Probably the best service i've had from any contact lens provider online.
Ive used AClens three times now and have been very satisfied with their service and prices. I've also had no problems with import etc tax. They appear to mail form within the UK but I may be mistaken. www.aclens.com
Ive used AClens three times now and have been very satisfied with their service and prices. I've also had no problems with import etc tax. They appear to mail form within the UK but I may be mistaken. www.aclens.com
"Duties, Sales or Value Added Taxes
Please note that some governments (especially in Europe and Asia) collect Sales or Value Added Taxes (VAT) on contact lenses and other optical items. Such duties and/or taxes are NOT included in the purchase price of your order. It is the your responsibility to pay any such taxes as required by local statute at the point of delivery."
Everytime I collect a parcel from the Post Office I see atleast 1 person arguing about the import duty on contact lenses and how they have never paid it before.
The normal response seems to be you have just been lucky which makes me think that they are cottoning on more to personal internet imports.
I use www.contactforlenses.com who are Jersey based and have never had any need to complain.
its always the same.when an item gets popular then customs spot rthem.
eg ugg boots were coming through from oxz with no charge then all the xmas orders came through and uggs were getting charged.
resistance is futile
apologies for my typing
i only have one part working eye just now
Probably the best service i've had from any contact lens provider online.
And thank you for that tip. Ordered 4 boxes of lenses for way less than half the cost in the UK and arrived today no problem. The items was correctly declared on the customs declaration so I don't feel bad at all.
I fear my timing may have let me down on this one....I was undergoing CL trials and am most suited with the ones I am wearing now. Not wanting to sign up for DD at their extortionate prices I made my excuses with the intention of buying online. I didnt however get a prescription from them before I cancelled. Are there any 'reputable' online sites that will provide CL without a valid prescription or them approaching my Optician to find out what it was?
It might be worth checking your local high street optician. Much to my surprise, I recently found mine was as cheap as any of the cut-price online services that I had been looking at.
It seems that they have restructured their prices, as they found they were losing out on lens sales to online suppliers. It may just be them, it may be general, but it would be worth asking.
Pls be nice to all MoneySavers. There's no such thing as a stupid question, and even if you disagree courtesy helps. Take care over copyright. Use excerpts and links rather than copying long text. This site asserts copyright on all comments posted on the board.
Pls be nice to all MoneySavers. There's no such thing as a stupid question, and even if you disagree courtesy helps.
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