>Items valued at £18 and over, entering UK (not as MIB) from outside the EEC, >are liable to duty & tax. Whether or not they bother to charge this tax >seems >to be a bit of a lottery. If it comes on a courier, you can bet they will >get >the money, sooner or later. The Post office, otoh, ahem are somewhat >sporadic. Here are the duty rates: >Digital Cameras 1%, Camera Accessories 4.4%, Camera Bodies & Flashguns 4.8%, >Lenses 7.4%. Plus the dreaded. That's the killer. Call this LX a digital >camera, and you might get away with it ..........
I bought my 'Mint in Box' A*85 1.4 (unmarked - it looked like it had been stored from new) from a guy on eBay for $960. That was very steep for me, but it's not a lens I considered buying on the spur of the moment. I took a huge risk, but the seller ticked gift and put the value at $100, and sent it normal USPS. It arrived in 7 days, nothing to pay. With the rates quoted above, I saved 239 bucks. I bought a Leica CL from another US eBayer for about $400-odd. She ticked 'Merchandise' and I copped it for an extra £70 odd, as well as the full CLA and rebuild I was expecting to pay. My friend Margot got a Sigma 70-200 EX 2.8 from B+H in NYC for $750 or thereabouts and brought it with her on a visit. The same lens here retails for between $860 and over a $grand. I bought a Motor Drive MX from a private seller in the US. I paid $300 and it arrived normal post in just over a week. No duties/taxes, even though it's true value was proudly displayed on the customs label. Some observations when dealing internationally: 1. GOOD email contact is vital, especially when sending large amounts abroad. Literally get to know the person. maybe I've been lucky, but ALL the people I've dealt with (USA, France, Japan) have all ben as good as gold. It helps if they are, but even when they're not as chatty as some, it's surprising how much more confidence this produces on both sides of the deal. 2. I use normal air mail services between here and the USA, and have yet to be let down. Good packaging is essential. Tip: on the address label, Cellotape (Scotch-tape) over it to give a good degree of protection from water. I've had packages that have spent time in the rain (probably on an airport apron in a trolley) and the ink can run! 3. Insurance. I have used it, but I tend not to. When I buy from the USA it is usually because I'm trying to save money, even though risk increases. Once the insurance and tax gets added on, I might as well buy in the UK (where I am). Unless, of course, I want something very hard to find (remember that MX drive!?). Speaking of which, if you're after an item like this, it's always worth checking out the eBay.de site (German) - there's LOADS of Pentax gear there. Put the page through a translater like Babelfish, and it's great. I saw a Pentax 18mm go on there a while back... 4. I drink a lot to calm the nerves. ;-) Cotty _______________________________________________________ Personal email traffic to [EMAIL PROTECTED] MacAds traffic to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Check out the UK Macintosh ads http://www.macads.co.uk - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
