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Thinking of ordering a new acoustic guitar (Brook Lyn) from England and was wondering if anyone has any experience with int'l shipping and what's the easiest and quickest way to go about it. I have a Fedex acct that they're willing to use - would that cut down on red tape, etc.? I know I'll have to pay 8.7% duty on the guitar but not sure about the other fees. Any advice appreciated.
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03-31-2021 08:48 AM
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Thanks, Skip. I am also very interested in this topic as I prepare for the delivery of my classical from Spain in June.
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I don't have much experience here, but I'll share a little of what I know. I'm in the USA, like you Skip, and in my recent search for a classical guitar I purchased two from sellers in the USA and one from a seller in Canada. The USA guitars shipped FedEx and the other other went Canada post. The FedEx "next afternoon" shipments were delayed nearly two weeks due to weather conditions at their hub city, where the guitars sat for days. The Canada post guitar arrived on time. I'm a bit put off by the FedEx distribution model and its single-point-of-failure vulnerability as a result. Others, I'm sure, have had better experiences.
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I haven't bought anything as expensive as a guitar lately, but I have bought a guitar that came from China. I've been charged no duties of any kind. The package from the UK via the Royal Mail arrived on time, with no issues. The value was just above $100, if that matters. I'm not well versed on US customs duty matters, but I've never had to pay anything.
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My understanding is that the U.S. threshold for levying sales tax and customs charges is 800 dollars. I've shipped some 30 TOOBs to USA, and nobody has reported on any extra charges. I'm using UPS and Finnish Post. The pandemic distorts the situation; the operators with their own fleet are fast and can charge accordingly, while those relying on the cargo space of regular passenger flights experience long delays. Something I shipped recently to NY by Finnish Post, at a third of the UPS cost, entered the country in LA and took over a month to squirm to the destination. Each stopover and reloading entails a risk of loss or damage.
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If the guitar contains any endangered species wood, like Brazilian rosewood, you may have to do some extra work to get a proper import permit.
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I'm in the States; I've received gear from the UK and Canada, and didn't have to do (or pay) anything special.
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I sent an archtop to Greece. It languished for a couple of weeks in a post office there due to a strike. I understand the garbage wasn't picked up during the strike either.
What can you do? Poop happens.
I am disappointed in the FedEx story. I saw Tom Hanks in Castaway, so I expected more reliability.
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I have used Fedex to import into France from UK and US. On both occasions Fedex systematically submitted a customs declaration and billed me for import duty plus an admin fee of 15USD. I understand from friends in Belgium, Germany etc. that Fedex behaves similarly in other European countries but cannot comment on their practice when importing into the US.
The last experience in February/March was a disaster that took nearly a month to ship from the UK - the tracking ended up as 42 lines of events - often contradictory (for example, "cleared french customs" then 2 days later "submitted to french customs". Total unhelpful indifference from Fedex until I managed to get the direct line and name of a supervisor. They tried to put the delay down to Brexit but I had 3 other shipments going on that made the crossing in 2-3 days....... 4 day "guaranteed" deliver ended up as 27 days
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Now, this is about shipping into US from UK. Since UK is no longer in the EU, rules may vary from those concerning EU trade. According to Financial Times (UK newspaper), there are still some uncertaincy on how trade between UK and the rest of the world (EU not the least, of course) is handled after Brexit.
The opposite way - from outside EU (say US) into EU - the rules are that one has to pay customs and then VAT on the sum of product cost, shipping and customs. The VAT rate varies between the EU countries. Most carriers (postal services as well as couriers services) charged an additional flat rate customs handling charge. With postal services, one may sometimes be lucky and pass under the radar, but that happens rarely or never with the big couriers like FedEx and UPS. Usually the goods won't be handed over to you before the charges are paid. In Denmark, where I live, that means that I can expect add at least 40% extra on top of the price paid to a seller in US. Thes rules also applies to second hand items. Some persuade the seller to declare a lower than realistic value of the items in order to pay lover customs etc. Firstly, this is illegal and tax fraud. Secondly, it will also mean that the item is insured for less than the replacement value if something should happen in transit. And s*** happens now and then, especially with fragile items like guitars.
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I am looking to have my guitar shipped from Spain to the US. Can someone give step by step instructions here about what to do to minimize the risk for delays, etc? I am thinking that I will use UPS.
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All courier companies get their share of bashing. My experience with UPS Standard is generally good - the fastest from Helsinki to delivery in Brooklyn was just one day (with the time difference helping.) The only time something similar to Ray's experience was in early January in UK, where the Brexit chaos caught the tail end of the Xmas glut. The delay was just a week but there was some damage from rough handling. Normally, my speaker cabs are so rugged that they protect the carton from the inside. I can't give you step by step advice, because I'm dealing with UPS and others via an on-line broker. Also, I'm shipping merchandise requiring pro forma invoices and customer declarations, unless this is intra-EU. How to avoid having to pay customs on your own guitar? You need to talk to a non-robot at UPS
Originally Posted by Mark M.
Last edited by Gitterbug; 04-01-2021 at 12:55 PM.
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I’ve shipped to Switzerland, Australia, Brazil, Russia, and China. With each circumstance I’ve always used FedEx in every shipment. I’ve shipped some 90 plus guitars using FedEx. I’ve never had a single issue even with a shipment arriving late, or being damaged during shipping. I wouldn’t ship using any other service ever.
FedEx international shipment under normal times is 3-4 days. However, during these days of Covid I fully understand shipment delays for whatever reason. Life isn’t normal. So why should your shipments be? Be patient. Your item will arrive when its supposed to.
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+1 to using Fed X exclusively - no issues at all. Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
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2B, I’ll be reaching out for some advice. Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
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happy to help. Originally Posted by Mark M.
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Are you using your FedEx account to ship from England to the US? Originally Posted by Skip Ellis
If yes, call FedEx international and request your shipment to be shipped using their “great rates” program. That’s where they quote you a discounted rate based upon the shipments they have scheduled.
FedEx won’t quote or connect you with their “great rates” department unless you specifically ask for it.
I use that specific shipping tool because the savings is substantial.
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That was my intent - thanks for the tip!! Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
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