Buying a cricut expression ...

swingofthings

Monring all,

Not sure if this is the right place to post but here goes. The wife wants to buy a Cricut Expression with her Christmas money. We are aware of other cutting machines on the market but the Expresson seems to get her vote at the moment, and who am I to disagree?!

Anyway, has anyone bought one of these recently and if so, any feedback that I can pass onto the wife?

Also, looking on google, the cheapest place we have found it is at overstock.com which comes to around 260 pounds - taking into account vat and postage charges. Anyone used overstock.com before?

So many questions ... sorry ...

Thanks

sethsgran

If my daughter was answering this she would say simply Buy one. She loves hers and uses it alot. My daughter in law has also bought one and uses hers alot, she bought from a company over here just incase there was a problem with the machine, easier to sort out in Uk rather than the US. What will she get for the £260? My daughter also has the Sure Cuts Alot to use with the Expression but this is foreign to me as she lives in US so I haven't seen it work yet. Hope this all helps.

TomsMom

If you use Overstock.com, is it being shipped from the US? Don't forget there will be duty/VAT to pay on anything with a value above £18 which might not make it such a good buy. And as Sethsgran says, if you've got a problem with it you will sort it out easier if you buy from someone in the UK.

deborah64

Hi, have you tried this company http://www.cuttingedgecrafts.co.uk/cart.php,
they have them in stock, not cheap but does come with 3 cartridges and all p and p is free.
I have used them many times, very reliable, no connection just a very happy customer
xxxx

dizzytina

I have one which i love. I bought mine off ebay froma lady who had hardly used it and it came with 3 cartridges two mats and other stuff. i won it for £114 which is a bargain so i would definately recommend checking out ebay.

swingofthings

Well, we have checked out at overstock.com and it comes to £269.15. This is for an expression with 2 cartridges. This apparently includes p&p plus duty and taxes. It said that this total is 100% guaranteed and will not change (i.e. no additional taxes to pay etc I assume).

So as i say the price is good. However, it's a good point, shipping from america does make returns difficult to cater for ... will have a look on the website to see what it is ...

Thanks for the link to cutingedgecraft ... it's pink which te wife will love I know. 3 cartridges is not bad either ... I know how much the cartridges are so it would be good to get as many as we can when we buy it.

Finally, we have checked out ebay - not much action on the expression machine front ... for a saving of 20 pounds, I'd rather get a new one to be honest.

Thanks for the advice so far, much appreaciated.

TomsMom

I'm not sure how a supplier in the US can guarantee there will be no further import duty, taxes, VAT etc to pay this end .

Take a look at this recent thread where one member had to pay an extra £12+ on a purchase costing £51 plus delivery.

I'd make absolutely sure there's nothing else to pay before you go ahead.

Also, have you looked into the fact that the US have a different voltage/plug system to the UK, will it work over here or will you need to buy a transformer or converter plug to fit out sockets?

swingofthings

Well I have had a look at the FAQ on their website .. it states ...

Additional Costs:
There will be no additional costs when you receive your order. When you use the FiftyOne Global Checkout, you will be provided with a guaranteed order total in your selected currency. The order total presented will be the exact amount that you will be billed. There will not be any additional costs billed upon delivery or due as C.O.D. charges.

U.K. customers please note: The taxes you pay when checking out are not extra taxes, they are the normal taxes you would pay for a regular purchase

One could argue that this is a little vague as it doesn't mention import duty etc ... they do have a live chat facilty so I shall check it out.

However, my worry is more if something goes wrong ... as someone said earlier, it is far easier to deal with the UK company then a US one - well, one would hope so

Lou05

Cant really re. the expression but I recently bought a cricut (the basic one) with my birthday money - it came with 2 cartridges. I bought it off of an ebay shop but they also have a website which I've bought a few extra bits from since - http://www.smartcrafts.co.uk/epages/es117161.sf

I'm really pleased with my machine, so far only used it to make placecards but was pleased with them! Attempting thank you cards tonight!

The one I have was around £170 + 2 cartridges - the smallest mine cuts is 1inch, I think the others are 0.25 inches - I couldnt justify the extra money as wasnt sure how much I'd use it etc and hadnt really done card making etc before.

Minxy_Bella

I love mine - bought from Ideal World. Yes, it's a lot of money but it's worth it if you craft a lot and the possibilities are endless!

Giggle

I got mine from the u s and was very very lucky i didnt pay any duty and i love it and wouldnt be without it