Buying In The US Discussion Area

luxor4t

I bought a set of strings for DD's double bass from the USA via E-bay. Amazing value, saved about 30% (£25) of the UK price even with all costs. Definite bargain!

RoseH

Hi can any one tell me what the cost element would be to have family in the US post a PS3 and Ipod nano to me in the Uk as gifts from grandparents.
I understand from the website that there is no excise duty, but will there be VAT Payable?

misterjohn

I've just contacted Microcenter, who are listed as delivering to the UK.

They have told me that they do not , and deliver only to the USA (Not even Canada)

teddyco

RoseH,
The only problem with getting a PS3 from the USA to the UK is the format of the games that play on the game console. The PlayStation 3 format for the UK is PAL and the format for the USA is NTSC.

I am not sure if a USA PS3 will operate in the UK using NTSC games?

You may want to Google your question and find a good forum where folks are savvy about those questions.

I do know that a lot of US made electronic items will work here in the UK as long as the item is 'voltage compatible'. Check the technical specs of the item in question and on the back it will say 110 - 240V.

There are electronic components inside that recognize the 240 voltage and automatically convert it to run the product.

On other hand, if it says '110 - 115V' and you plug it into 240, it will burn it up. In this case, you will need to purchase a separate transformer to step down the voltage.

teddyco

chezrez,
You can figure the amount by using one of the currency calculators that are online. For example XE.com will give you a value of GBP £120.797

https://www.xe.com

You are not going to get the market value of 2.06 since that is what banks charge other banks to change currency. For example, if you use PayPal to purchase goods then deduct about 5 points from the exchange rate.

It's easy since it's approximately 2 for 1.......

As far as the shipping costs and taxes, I haven't a clue?

RoseH

teddyco wrote: »

RoseH,
The only problem with getting a PS3 from the USA to the UK is the format of the games that play on the game console. The PlayStation 3 format for the UK is PAL and the format for the USA is NTSC.

I am not sure if a USA PS3 will operate in the UK using NTSC games?

You may want to Google your question and find a good forum where folks are savvy about those questions.

I do know that a lot of US made electronic items will work here in the UK as long as the item is 'voltage compatible'. Check the technical specs of the item in question and on the back it will say 110 - 240V.

There are electronic components inside that recognize the 240 voltage and automatically convert it to run the product.

On other hand, if it says '110 - 115V' and you plug it into 240, it will burn it up. In this case, you will need to purchase a separate transformer to step down the voltage.

Thanks teddyco,
I think i'll bite the bullet and go to argos!!

Brian_H_2

A few months ago I bought some clothes from the the US Lands End catalogue. The clothes and shipping came to approximately £135. I received a bill from parcel force for around £80, this was for VAT, Duty and included £15 for the privilege of being informed of these charges. I had to use an automated service at Parcel Force to pay before my goods would be delivered. I paid this and queried what seemed an excessive amount, after a few weeks I received a reply confirming the charges were correct and detailing them.

I had paid the fee on an evening. The very next day my credit card details were being used fraudulently. Fortunately, my credit card company spotted the atypical usage of my card and queried it with me before things got too out of hand. My card had been used infrequently around this time so I strongly suspect the Parcel Force transaction had resulted in the fraud.

I no longer feel confident about buying from the USA.
Brian H

UncleMerv

Hi,

AVOID ROYAL MAIL LIKE THE PLAGUE

May I suggest that you try to get any seller in the USA to use DHL. I got a pair of shoes for $75 so I knew I would have to pay VAT and Duty. DHL charged me £3.75 hanling charge. I recently got CSI-NY for what translated into £18.69 and the Royal Mail, bless 'em charged me £8.00!! for a £3.72 VAT and Duty charge. This means that had the conversion been 70p less I would have saved £11.32.

GoodOlAl

Anyone who likes the excellent Mercola.com site (healthy living) should know today is the last day for free shipping worldwide (for the avoidance of doubt that includes Britain)

plusman

The article mentions that Costco in the US ship to the UK. I've checked their US website but it says they only ship to North America. Does anybody know if they actually ship to the UK? Or has anybody ordered and shipped anything from them?

By the way: If you are a Costco member in the UK, you can use your Costco card to gain entry to a US/Canada Costco.