importing CDs

[reg]

i'm not to keen on buying the new RVGs here in the UK because of the copy controlled and sound quality thing. so i'm thinking about buying them online from CDUniverse.com, having only bought CDs from UK sites before i was wondering if there were any charges i should know about?

for example, CD Universe has jackies mclean's let freedow ring for $8.39, with shipping ($6.99) and would make it $15.38 with is about £9.70. this seems pretty cheep me thinks. is that all i pay or are there any import duties and stuff like that to pay? does it depend on the amount of CDs you get at any one time?

thanks

Edited August 31, 2003 by reg

[J.A.W.]

I don't know anything about U.K. Customs regulations and import duties (I think I read somewhere on this board that the U.K. duty-free limit is £25, but I could be wrong), but why not order two CDs from CDUniverse - shipping for two CDs is $8.49, which would make it considerably cheaper per CD.

[reg]

thanks for the reply. i was thinking about getting 4 CDs from CDUniverse. cost $51 (approx £30).

[David Ayers]

UK duty limit is £18 or about $26.

Thnis is the value of the product excluding shipping cost. If you exceed this they charge you duty (about £3.50) + VAT on total value (including shipping) + a handling charge (can be £8 from Parcelforce).

One way round this is to order from True Blue who declare the value at $5 per CD (or did so recently). SO you could order five, plus shipping of $12, but have no duty at this end. Last I looked there was a sale at Blue Note (handled by True Blue) so you could try that route.

Otherwise the thing to do is order two at a time from one of those companies that charges less per CD than True Blue, but who WILL declare the full value on the customs declaration. This increases shipping but eliminates duty. Most companies charge about $6 shipping on two CDs - pay no more!

Edited August 31, 2003 by David Ayers

[A Lark Ascending]

Be careful!

If your order comes to over £18 customs can slap on a surcharge. Sometimes the stuff gets through, other times you can end up paying anxtra fiver at the post office.

CD Universe is a very reliable (and fast) vendor. But I tend to ensure my order comes below £18. That means I rarely order more than one disc at a time.

Can't recall if its £18 before or after postage!

[A Lark Ascending]

Crossed response with David's much more precise one! Answers my postage querie too!

[J.A.W.]

Most companies charge about $6 shipping on two CDs - pay no more!

Which companies?

[David Ayers]

Music Resource is $6.50 for two.

Dusty Groove is $5.70.

I have seen similar on others but I generally use these two.

Reg

Two RVGs from Music Resource are 2 x 9.95 plus 6.50 shipping = $26.40 and a declared vlaue of $19.90 which is not subject to duty.

That is less than £9 per CD which is not bad considering!

Edited August 31, 2003 by David Ayers

[J.A.W.]

Music Resource is $6.50 for two.

Dusty Groove is $5.70.

I have seen similar on others but I generally use these two.

OK, but it takes ages until The Music Resource (TMR) stock new items, and it takes them even longer to fill orders (though their prices are quite low), while Dusty Groove's prices are rather high compared to CDUniverse's prices.

I use CDUniverse most of the time, and TMR, Forced Exposure, Downtown Music Gallery and a few smaller companies (with higher shipping charges!) for "free / improv" CDs; I also use Deep Discount now and then: see my TMR comments above. A company I don't (can't) use is Cheap CDs, since they don't ship to Continental Europe.

Edited August 31, 2003 by J.A.W.

[David Ayers]

Well I am not dissing CD Universe! I have been fortunate to find Music Resource stock indications accurate and in my favour, but I know others haven't.

The main advice for people planning to do this for the first time is to work out carefully how to avoid duty, and this can only be done by keeping the declared value below $26.

Good luck Reg!

[J.A.W.]

Well I am not dissing CD Universe!

I know, and that's not my point. Dave Holland's new album Extended Play: Live at Birdland is a case in point: CDUniverse appears to be the only company that has this one at a reasonable price ($18.18); TMR, Dusty Groove, Deep Discount, and Forced Exposure don't carry it at all (at least not now), while Downtown Music Gallery's price is $24.

Edited August 31, 2003 by J.A.W.

[Claude]

I usually shop at CDuniverse.com, towerrecords.com (during sales) and deepdiscountcd.com . They all charge around $10 for shipping 3 CDs ($50 worth).

The customs rules and tariffs in the EU are regulated by the same EU rules, so they must be quite similar in all countries.

In Luxembourg I have to pay 19% tax (= 3.5% customs tax + VAT (15%) rounded up) on imports above 22 Euro and below 350 Euro. But on my past 20 overseas orders I only had to pay taxes on 1/5 of them, because the customs administration usually doesn't bother. That of course varies in every country.

You should avoid to have something sent by private companies (UPS, FedEx), because they do the customs formalities systematically and charge 7-10 Euro for this "service".

Shopping on the Internet (UK Customs)

Edited August 31, 2003 by Claude

[J.A.W.]

You should avoid to have something sent by private companies (UPS, FedEx), because they do the customs formalities systematically and charge 7-10 Euro for this "service".

That's also my experience.

[Claude]

One way round this is to order from True Blue who declare the value at $5 per CD (or did so recently). SO you could order five, plus shipping of $12, but have no duty at this end. Last I looked there was a sale at Blue Note (handled by True Blue) so you could try that route.

Thanks for the tip. I noticed that too on my only order I have made at True Blue, but thought it was an error.

Unfortunately, True Blue's RVG prices are not very competitive ($13).

Edited August 31, 2003 by Claude

[J.A.W.]

One way round this is to order from True Blue who declare the value at $5 per CD (or did so recently). SO you could order five, plus shipping of $12, but have no duty at this end. Last I looked there was a sale at Blue Note (handled by True Blue) so you could try that route.

Thanks for the tip. I noticed that too on my only order I have made at True Blue, but thought it was an error.

Aren't True Blue's "normal prices" (i.e. when there's no Mosaic sale) rather high compared to the prices CDUniverse and a few other stores charge, and wouldn't that cancel out the advantages of declaring low value? You'd have no duty, but you'd still have to pay their high(er) prices, which might make the total higher than with lower prices + duty.

Edited August 31, 2003 by J.A.W.

[Claude]

Yes Hans. $13 for a RVG is not interesting. I just edited my previous post (adding the last sentence) while you were posting. I thought True Blue was having a RVG sale, but in fact it is Blue Note.

Edited August 31, 2003 by Claude

[kumakuma]

I live in Canada and have noticed that Mosaic/True Blue consistently puts a value of $5/disc on the customs declaration form. Canada Customs usually takes the declared value and accesses tax (14.5%) based on this value. On a couple of occassions they have opened the package and dinged me for more tax based on a higher per disc price.

[AaronG]

Hello all--

I am considering a CD purchase from the Netherlands, to be shipped to me in Texas. Alas, I have had no experience ordering overseas and am wondering what experiences others here might have had. The total price for me would be $350, before shipping ($50 more with the shipping). The seller stated the declared value would be less, which lines up with what others have stated in these old posts. The total cost is already high for me, plus there would be taxes for importing (ridiculous--I'm not a reseller) but I'm most apprehensive about simply having the product safely shipped to me. Then again, problems occur with domestic shipping, so perhaps the risk is no different. And, yes, the seller is someone I'd consider trustworthy.

Any advice, etc. would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Aaron

[erwbol]

Are we talking new CDs or second hand? Never trust a Dutchman's appraisal of the state his second hand CDs are in. Or expect a bargain. Seriously. I'm Dutch and as a general rule avoid Dutch sellers on eBay and Discogs.

Edited May 21, 2015 by erwbol

[AaronG]

New, not eBay, Discogs, or any such thing, but directly from the source, so to speak, whom I met in person recently.

[jazzbo]

Aaron, I don't think you'll have any taxes to worry about. Should go smooth. Texas mail is okay. I had things shipped to me from Europe and Japan etc. while living in Austin. No problems.

[erwbol]

Yes, shipping from the Netherlands to Texas should be free of trouble. Earlier this year, I sold an item to a board member who lives in Texas and the parcel arrived fairly quickly.

[AaronG]

Thanks, both of you. This helps. I just needed some reassurance.

[jcam_44]

No fees to worry about when shipping to the US.

[JSngry]

I am that board member, and I can vouch for that statement.

Of course, the handling of business on the seller's end went a long way towards that, erwbol got it packed up and mailed out with exemplary promptness, but also, after it was shipped, it got here quickly and safely.