West Marine - can you make real savings?

D

dickh

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 Feb 2002
Messages
2,431
Location
Suffolk
Visit site
Am considering buying some stuff from West Marine - Bluecharts + GPS bits, and I could save about £40. Will I be stung with extra charges by UK customs? If so it might not be worth it... What are other posters experience?

<hr width=100% size=1>dickh
I'd rather be sailing... :-) /forums/images/icons/smile.gif
 
I have only bought from West Marine when I have been able to have the item delivered to a USA address which I was about to visit.
Their service is good but genarally their prices are not competitive. For a £40 saving I wouldn't bother.

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
Ask them...

West Marine have a UK freephone number (hands up all those UK chandlers who have one!) Why not ring them on 0800 895473 and ask them? They should certainly know whether the items you want to buy involve any special duties, as opposed to VAT.

A few years ago, West operated a system where they quoted an all-inclusive UK price which took into account all shipping, duties, VAT, etc. Don't know whether they still do this.

I've bought lots of things from the US; from West and other suppliers. In most cases, it's been a painless and remarkably swift process. Sometimes the Post Office collects the VAT on behalf of C&E, and this can be a bit of a chore. Sometimes the VAT just doesn't get collected at all, which is a pleasant bonus.

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
I believe that if you are importing electronics in to UK from US you will be liable for duty and VAT, which comes to 25%-30%. On top of that you may have to pay a handling charge to the shipper for the task of clearing it through customs (maybe £10-£20). You can do the sums and see if it is worth it after that.

There may be an element of luck as to whether you do get charged at all - I don't know how that works.

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
My recent experience on buying a windlass from West Marine. I ordered it by Internet on Monday, it was delivered on Friday. The cost was roughly equivalent in dollars to the UK pounds price, without tax, of course. A few days later the importer billed me for the VAT. It was still worth importing financially and definitely so for the delivery time. I suggest that it's well worth it for expensive items but maybe less so for smaller items?

On the other hand, I bought a Navtex Clipper from Compass. After less than three months it stopped working. I returned it to Compass as instructed, they sent it to their head office, they sent it back to NASA who repaired it, sent it to Compass, who sent it to me. Total time elapsed - 8 weeks.

I have yet to return anything to West but I understand their replacement policy to be both good and fast.

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
Mmm - thanks for all the replies, the quote I got from West marine includes shipping & Handling via Federal Express to England BUT they do state that the quote "does NOT include any taxes or duty that may be added by UK government" - so if I have to pay VAT, it then doesn't become a good buy.

<hr width=100% size=1>dickh
I'd rather be sailing... :-) /forums/images/icons/smile.gif
 
I'll second this. I recently made a purchase which arrived within three days, but was followed a week later by a letter from the shipper requesting the import duty.

Rich

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
I have bought all of my recent electronics purchases from Cactus. These have been quite considerable, well on the way to five figures in pounds. No complaints at all with Cactus, everything delivered as ordered, on time, helpful in enquiries. Not so happy with B&G but that's another story.

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
- Depends! I bought an item some time ago which saved me over £200 - that came by Fed Ex. At that time I paid an all inclusive price. Painless and an amazing 3 days (yes 3 days!) delivery to my door. BUT I've since bought another item (not from West) which was delivered in the UK by Parcelfarce, who screwed me royally with a "release charge" of about £16 which on top of VAT, import duty, and other assorted funding for the welfare state, totaly destroyed any savings.

<hr width=100% size=1>http://members.lycos.co.uk/boaty1965/index.htm
 
"I have yet to return anything to West but I understand their replacement policy to be both good and fast. "

We use their wholesale arm to get stuff for our cusomers on US yachts, whenever there has been an occasional problem (damaged shipment for example) their service has been fabulous. Getting the customer sorted with a new unit first and worrying about the money/paperwork later. Our customers are happy, we are happy!

PAul

<hr width=100% size=1>Paul
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.polarity2.com>http://www.polarity2.com</A>
 
used to have a restaurant and every few months would buy cajun spices from louisiana, sometimes i'd get stung by the reveners and sometimes they wouldnt bother.
its just the luck of the draw in my experience
stu

<hr width=100% size=1>http://www.beneteau-owners-association.org.uk
 
I’ve bought lots of stuff from West Marine and have only received one demand for VAT (on my last order). The difference between my last order and the previous ones was that I selected DHL rather than Air Parcel Post or Fed Ex as my delivery option. But that might be a coincidence and VAT collection has been tightened up generally.

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
Note which shipping company is used

I've recently had stuff shipped to me from a US company (work, non-boaty) who used both fedex and ups. Fedex knew to charge the agent, not the customer, who'd included the taxes in the original price to us. Ups made a right royal mess of it, took and extra week and tried to charge me for the VAT & duty. I've no recent experience of DHL, but they were ok last time I used them. Ups seem fine for deliveries from ec countries though.
I would hope that people like West would have a system worked out, but if they haven't, then if you return anything to the US for repair, it should have a commercial invoice detailing its value and be clearly marked "return under warranty for repair" or similar. Otherwise you run the danger of being charged VAT and duty on it again when it's sent back to you.

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
You will have to pay VAT, plus import duties, plus almost certainly a local handling (postage) charge. I bought $66 worth of equipment from them two years ago that came to £80 by the time it reached me.


<hr width=100% size=1>
 
Suitcases are cheaper in US as well.

We generally travel out with a minimum of clothes and then shop for stuff to wear once we arrive, and bags to put it in too. My <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.davesnewyork.com/>first port of call</A> which is why I look such a scruff.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.writeforweb.com/twister1>Let's Twist Again</A>
 
Not such a good idea.

When you get back to UK you either have to declare it - and so pay the VAT and duty - or you walk through the "Nothing to Declare" channel - which is probably committing a criminal offence and will land you with a nasty fine if you do get caught.

Rumour has it that you are most likely to get away without having to pay the VAT if it is sent by ordinary parcel post. DHL and FedEx seem pretty efficient at collecting the duty.

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
You are each allowed to bring back £145 of 'other goods' (i.e not booze, perfume, baccy) from outside the EU for free, provided it is not for resale. This easily covered the two rope clutches I brought back from NYC last year, the oilie trousers Madame had in her bag and the h/held VHF my son had in his luggage. Interestingly, only the trousers would have made it at UK prices.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.writeforweb.com/twister1>Let's Twist Again</A>
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top