Hi Everyone,
Recently I decided to buy fender player stratocaster hss and i was found it in some uk shops for either £589 or £609 and i was happy with that till yesterday I accidentally went to Thomann website and searched the name of the guitar and was shocked that is only £469 which is lot cheaper that £609 , first I thought that might be fake or second hand and i went and researched about Thomann and found out that they are one of the biggest and all the people recognize them by their cheap prices, and i read some reviews which some of the people were complaining about damaged delivery or missing part but some of the people were saying that they been ordering for last 5 years and had not have problem with anything yet and good thing is they have warranty and guaranteed money back if something is wrong . Now long story short, I really want to order from there but i am scared a bit because it’s my birthday treat and i wanted it for so long I don’t want it to be damaged or anything when i get it , have anyone ordered guitar from their website and is happy with it? Should i order from them?
Comments
https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/198074/
it will arrive safe and sound, but my current order is taking 3 times longer than previous orders as to arrive (10 days expected delivery compared to 3 previously) due to delays at the border.
Howvever, the guys are right about the VAT sadly thanks to the Brainless Brexit Bunch...
Special Rules for our UK Customers
With the new trade agreement between the EU and the UK, new regulations have been applied to all commercial transactions between the two distinct markets.
As of 01.01.2021 all current prices shown on our UK website do not include VAT 20% (Value Added Tax).
According to the new regulations, the VAT (20%) and additional handling fees will have to be paid to the courier upon delivery with the only exceptions being special VAT-free zones (e.g Channel Islands).
Based on the feedback we have received so far, Government Charges will be collected by UPS and they consist of the 20% VAT plus a small amount for the paperwork involved (usually around 2.5%). There is also an additional amount to be paid to UPS for their service, which is a minimum of 11.50 GBP. As not every order has the same customs requirement, for further information we advise that you check the costs and procedures in advance with the courier locally.
VAT will be added and charged by Thomann GmbH after processing an order only if the net value of the items is equal or less than 135.00 GBP or if delivery will be to Northern Ireland. In these cases, no additional fee will have to be paid upon delivery.
For items exceeding 31 kilos, or heavy goods such as PA equipment, pianos, etc., we have to employ the services of a heavy haulage company. As these new regulations only came into effect a few days before the end of the transition period, delivery by this method of transport to the UK is currently not possible. Further information will be included in our order confirmation email.Please be assured that with more than 20 years of close cooperation with our UK customers, it is our priority to find new solutions that will allow us to provide door-to-door online prices as soon as possible
They said no, look at the stock manufacturer photos as per their website.
- £10 more in VAT +
- £20 import duty+
- £12 admin fees.
I'd expect Thomann to be sorting out paying UK VAT and import duty at point of sale fairly soon, thereby removing the courier's admin fee.I've purchased a lot of equipment from Thomann over the years, but not because of price (sometimes they have been the cheapest, but that wasn't the main reason for choosing them). When buying online you have, or had, the whole of Europe to choose from. I look first at suppliers whom I can trust or have offered particularly good service in the past (no problems with Thomann and, on the one occasion where I needed to return a keyboard which developed a fault, they turned things around very quickly). There are a couple of suppliers, both in the UK, who are at the bottom of the list due to poor experiences.
My main reason for using Thomann is the range of product which they stock. I often place an order with them for large purchases because I can include smaller, more difficult to find, items as part of the shipment. What I avoid buying from them are things with an external power supply (and so requiring a UK adaptor).
In a few months’ time, when things have settled down, I expect that I’ll be using them again. I’m pretty sure that things will be more expensive and that delivery times will be longer but that particular UK trawler has already sailed.