Great 'Buy now from the US' Hunt.

josiehill

Has anyone bought spectacles online from the USA? I have found my lovely Prada frames for half the price, but I am concerned about getting hit with a big import bill when they arrive. Any tips?

fatboyonadiet

josiehill wrote:

Has anyone bought spectacles online from the USA? I have found my lovely Prada frames for half the price, but I am concerned about getting hit with a big import bill when they arrive. Any tips?

Not really, you will get hit for some extra charges from customs and excise, how much are they worth? The only way to could possibly get around this is by getting the sender to mark the item as a gift or used or of lower monetary value on the customs form. But this is illegal and I think customs can open and search the box if they want. I could be wrong though.

Muzzman

I have been a member of Access USA http://www.myus.com for over 2 years and they have always given an excellent service. You are given your own US mailing address where items are received and you get an e-mail to let you know they have arrived. They will hold your items until you request a shipment (the price per kg gets lower as the weight increases) which is sent by DHL and usually arrives in 2-3 days. DHL will then invoice you for the customs charges. You can specify the value you want to be declared on the shipment when you tell Access USA to send it.
Although the membership fee seems high I have saved a bundle by using their service.

tightbstard

I( bought my wife a car from the states, its great, it has everything and lots more than a home bought one and it waas half price, the only downside is the steering wheel is on the wrong side, this isnt too much of a problem cos conveniently, so are the other controls. the other day I heard a public alert that somebody was driving up the motorway on the wrong side of the road. I knew my wife would be travelling home from work on that particular road, so thought I had better call and warn her that there was a dangerous driver heading her way. she told me that there wasnt just one, but everybody was going the wrongway. incedentaly she is not a real blonde.:rotfl: :eek:

ultrak3wl

fatboyonadiet wrote:

Not really, you will get hit for some extra charges from customs and excise,

Are you sure? I thought spectacles counted as medical prosthetic aids and thus not subject to duty. I bought a pair from the US and didn't get hit, possibly just lucky.

fatboyonadiet

ultrak3wl wrote:

Are you sure? I thought spectacles counted as medical prosthetic aids and thus not subject to duty. I bought a pair from the US and didn't get hit, possibly just lucky.

Maybe then, not sure. Maybe some more info on the customs website? Think some people have reported on thsi thread that it's a bit hit and miss with charges.

garfield23

Books seem the obvious one, though nobody's mentioned them (I think). I just use Amazon, though there are probably cheaper US options. It's always worth checking Amazon.com if you want to buy a book - even with the postage, I can still often get books cheaper from the US (sometimes a LOT cheaper).

gazhawkins

Also worth bearing in mind that some US States, eg Montana are free of sales tax. I think Nevada is too.

(US Sales tax is similar to British VAT, albeit usually less than our outrageous 17.5% and varies from State to State).

irish_angel

UltraCheap wrote:

And, if you are going to fly over to the states, then you might as well pre-order a Dell Laptop while you are at it, https://www.dell.com, the prices are far better the the UK website. Why should the same computer be **twice** the price in the UK?

Be sure to get your order in about 3-4 weeks before you plan to travel, and arrange a safe delivery address (friend or family).

I am off to California next week so may have left it too late to organise this. Can dell be bought in shops? and do I need any special adapters for a laptop?

Art_2

irish_angel wrote:

I am off to California next week so may have left it too late to organise this. Can dell be bought in shops? and do I need any special adapters for a laptop?

No you can't buy Dell's in shops but you can order by phone or on the net. Remember to know what spec you want so that you can compare the price with the UK price.

Most laptops work on dual voltage these days but you will have to check that the leads are suitable for charging once you are back in the UK.

A very important thing to check is to see that you can get the laptop repaired under warranty outside the US. Some companies won't do this. Maybe as Dell is sold worldwide they will look after you.

I am currently in the US and finding that many prices are no longer the bargains they once were. Check what you are paying and what it would cost in the UK. Also remember that you might get caught for duty when you return to the UK.

Regards,
Art.