Rapala plugs

[richard lawrence]

I've been looking at Rapala plugs on the internet trying to find a bargin or two and have noticed that in the States they are much much cheaper. Does anybody have any idea why we are expected to pay so much more for the same product. I can't believe that it's just postage.

e.g. Rapala Sliver 13 UK price about £12.99
price in the States about £3.90p!!!!!!

More to the point has anybody got any experience of ordering plugs from the states e.g. good web sites etc.

Cheers.

[sallysludgebucket]

I ordered a load of hooks that were not yet available in the UK, I asked for the seller to mark the package as "GIFT" which means that it may not be considered for import tax. I know if its electrical or its expensive etc they are pretty hot on it, but I have never had any bothers.

I cant remember the weights and prices exactly, but if its a certain size package it just goes in a one price envelope, next weight bracket is around £15, I always ask for goods to make up the weight.

Fleebay is OK if you really check out the feedback and places the seller is prepared to post.

[smiley73]

i used to buy optics (hunting scopes) from the u.s... and even with the duty, which you wont miss if the item is of high value, you can make huge savings!

e.g weaver grand slam 4-20.. u.k £360.. u.s import (with duty and postage) £250 :blink:

most stuff comes in on containers and customs just scan the bill of contents.. a bill will arrive at some stage, mine always did. but.. it always worked out cheaper!

the trick if you are spending over £30 is to e-mail the comany/seller and ask them to send via u.s postage.. this comes through as normal mail via royal mail. you may get hit with a couple of quid from royal "snail" to handle it from the import depot to your door, as no contract (or fee) is made to royal mail if you pay for postage from the states to your door. hence the fee.

most u.s small comanys will allow you to requiest u.s mail postage. customs and excise caught on to the "gift" label yonks ago, and these stick out like a sore thumb heading throught customs.

if its off e-bay your laughing as the seller will be using u.s postage.. which is missed/overlooked much less than courier. if its a private sale, ask them to lower the sale price of the items. most are symapthetic to us getting stuffed in the u.k.. no one likes tax.

you can get some real bargans on the u.k ebay though.. have a look for jersey and guernsey sellers.. i just bought 10 yo-zuris (all around 1-1-1/2oz) for £60 posted. £5 a lure!

or, befriend someone from the states on here. most u.s postage is free and they can send it onto you via a paypal payment to include postage to the u.k, with a note saying "second hand" lures, sold $5. you can help them out the sameway with imems unavailable in the u.s.

been doing this with a couple of guys stateside and its working out well for each end ;)

h.t.h, al

[Superged]

Sorry to be the dull financial adviser but you are discussing tax evasion in an open forum.

[richard lawrence]

Thanks for the replies. I'm trying to get in touch with Bass Pro in the states to give me some postage rates. They seem geared up for international sales.

Regarding the tax, for me it's not really an issue. VAT on £20 worth of lures is only about £3.50. That still results in pottentially £60 worth of lures at UK prices for less than £25.

The real point is why are certain items of fishing tackle so much more expensive over here. It's not just the VAT and postage!

We are being taken for a ride me thinks!

[smiley73]

Sorry to be the dull financial adviser but you are discussing tax evasion in an open forum.

i wont tell em if you dont.... :thumbs:

a hand full of lures is slightly different to £5000 worth of hooky "flea bay" memory sticks me thinks, but i see your point.

only three things certain in life.. tax,death, and fishing.

[fargo]

I could be worng, but I was told the amount on the customs for should be the manufacturing cost - not the retail cost - can anyone confirm whether this is true or complete rubbish ?

[Superged]

rubbish its based on the retail

[bil]

Ooooh yes, must make sure that you pay well for everything. Going abroad has opened my eyes to how badly we are gouged for the priviledge of living here.

After you have been taxed white, businesses get to charge you outrageously for goods that are a fraction elsewhere.

There is no great risk to ordering from overseas. I've just got together with a mate to get some Tasmanian Devils from Australia. MUCH cheaper that way, even with all the associated taxes and postage.

You asked why this is. My personal opinion is that they figure they have us trapped here, so they can gouge us as they wish.

My son in law goes to France for cheap booze, and he tells me it is now worth your while to drive there, and fill the car with nothing but mineral water!

Personally I want out of this country as fast as I can.

[richard lawrence]

The answer has to be vote with your keyboard!

Bass Pro (www.basspro.com) in the States seem to offer the following as far as I can gather:-

Rapala Sliver 13 about £3.60p
Post per lure if you buy 12 is 40p. (cheaper if you buy more!)
VAT on lure is 63p (in the event that customs find your package and claim the VAT.)

Grand total £4.63p

Rapala Sliver UK RRP £12.99

Get your bargins now while exchange rates are good.

Need I say any more?

[lurelover]

The answer has to be vote with your keyboard!

Bass Pro (www.basspro.com) in the States seem to offer the following as far as I can gather:-

Rapala Sliver 13 about £3.60p
Post per lure if you buy 12 is 40p. (cheaper if you buy more!)
VAT on lure is 63p (in the event that customs find your package and claim the VAT.)

Grand total £4.63p

Rapala Sliver UK RRP £12.99

Get your bargins now while exchange rates are good.

Need I say any more?

Fancy going shares on an order Rich, need a few more slivers myself.

GB

[Flyguy]

Just be aware Basspro take forever on delivery and the shipping isn't cheap either.

These guys are good for Aile and Yo Zuri, 3 weeks from Singapore.
http://www.hottackle.com/

Flyguy

[captaincojones]

http://www.rhodani.com/verfamilia.asp?id=4

you do seem to get ripped off for lures in the uk, this is the sort of price we pay in spain, (9€ is about 6 quid). there are some rapalas starting about 6€though.
this is not the cheapest site just an example.
cheers dave.

[richard lawrence]

Fancy going shares on an order Rich, need a few more slivers myself.

GB

Hi GB,

I'll drop you a PM when I've finished looking into prices etc.

Richard.

[blueskip]

I beg to differ, its the cost of the materials that go into the product that incurs import tax, what does catch you if you are unlucky, is the VAT imposed by our Customs & Excise. The US supplier is quite entitled to put the value of the materials on the label without breaking any US or UK tax laws, its up to our Customs & Excise to interpret the retail value, sometimes they do, sometimes they dont, you pays your money & takes your chance!
blueskip

[fargo]

Thanks blueskip, I had the distinct feeling that was the case,

Matt.

[richard lawrence]

I beg to differ, its the cost of the materials that go into the product that incurs import tax, what does catch you if you are unlucky, is the VAT imposed by our Customs & Excise. The US supplier is quite entitled to put the value of the materials on the label without breaking any US or UK tax laws, its up to our Customs & Excise to interpret the retail value, sometimes they do, sometimes they dont, you pays your money & takes your chance!
blueskip

Import tax / VAT ?

Are these the same thing or are they two different taxes? Sorry to be a complete dunce! :unsure:

If they're different, what sort of percentage is the import tax?

Thanks

[smiley73]

you will pay approx 35% (been a while since i checked rates though) over the whole cost of the purchase..

e.g item u.k = £500, u.s £300 (more like £250:dry: )... import tax (vat) £105..

save £95!

just watch you dont loose any savings on compulsory air freight delivery.. i once got stung £55 to the door for a $40 (£20 at time) hunting bag.

[richard lawrence]

It appears that import duty is 3.7% for fishing rods and reels and the VAT would be at the standard rate of 17.5%

Some useful info on this link

www.out-law.com/page-6235

[richard lawrence]

Well my gear arrived within about a week of placing the order with Bass Pro.

Rapala Sliver 13
J13
XRap
Longcast
Saltwater Chug Bug

Total cost including postage £25.00

UK RRP £51.00

Very pleased. What made me laugh / cringe is the fact that all the lures are made in Estonia, shipped to the USA and back again including profit for parties along the way for about half the cost of buying them in the UK!!!

[bil]

As it is with so much.

[fishy Finger]

Have you had the bill from Fed ex yet? you probably will soon.
If you do get stung, Bass pro are still cheaper after all the extra's are added

[richard lawrence]

Have you had the bill from Fed ex yet? you probably will soon.
If you do get stung, Bass pro are still cheaper after all the extra's are added

The package was sent by air mail so the postage cost was a little more than quoted on the web $13.50 instead of $7.95 (about £3 difference.) I've got the parcel and there was no charge from Royal Mail so if I get any further bills from 3rd parties I guess they can take a long walk off a short plank (to put it politely.):)

In all honesty, I really don't expect any further bills relating to the matter. VAT etc are not payable and would have been identified before delivery if they were.

[esox.man]

I personally use Rollies in the USA for all my lure and reel (ABU's) purchases. Have been lucky as I have not been stung for the UK tax purely because I have a mate who lives in the USA and makes regular montly trips back to good old blighty. Saves me a fortune :) .

[oakley_ten]

Sorry to be the dull financial adviser but you are discussing tax evasion in an open forum.

good on ya mate!:clap3:

[marknickson]

When importing from outside the EU you will most likely have imort duty, customs vat and the ridiculously overpriced Royal Mail "handling charge" to pay. Sometimes you'll get away with it; sometimes you wont. I have also heard from people who thought they escaped the charges, only to have a bill land on their doorstep weeks later.

A friend of mine imported a large radio controlled model aircraft from the states, but after paying all the associated charges, it ended up costing him about £100 more than buying the same item from the UK!

You also have to bear in mind that the UK importers have to make a living out of importing otherwise they wouldn't import at all. Then Rapala lures and thousands of other products wouldn't be readily available on the high street.

Sometimes it's well worth the risk, and good luck to those who try.
It's just worth bearing in mind the potential pitfalls.

[richard lawrence]

When importing from outside the EU you will most likely have imort duty, customs vat and the ridiculously overpriced Royal Mail "handling charge" to pay. Sometimes you'll get away with it; sometimes you wont. I have also heard from people who thought they escaped the charges, only to have a bill land on their doorstep weeks later.

Regarding the duty etc. you can predict the maximum charges by looking at the Customs and Excise web site where they detail the rates for various products.

Postage costs should be agreed at the point of order to avoid excess charges. i.e. make sure they charge you for international postage not just interstate.
A friend of mine imported a large radio controlled model aircraft from the states, but after paying all the associated charges, it ended up costing him about £100 more than buying the same item from the UK!

Importing electronic goods seems to involve a high rate of import duty. Fishing gear is only 3.7% and then only if the value of duty is over £7.

You also have to bear in mind that the UK importers have to make a living out of importing otherwise they wouldn't import at all. Then Rapala lures and thousands of other products wouldn't be readily available on the high street.

The point I was trying to make is that when ordering from the USA they have already imported the goods from the manufacturer and made their profit so why can't UK importers get the same deals. I'm not suggesting that the shops are to blame I don't know what mark up they make. The point is that when importing from the states numerous people have already taken their cut (including two lots of transport across the atlantic) and the lures are still half the price that they are in the UK. Something somewhere is wrong!

Sometimes it's well worth the risk, and good luck to those who try.
It's just worth bearing in mind the potential pitfalls.

You're right as with everything in life, buyer beware.:)

[marknickson]

I remember the early days of "grey import" motorbikes, when it was cheaper to import a Triumph (assembled in the UK!) motorcycle from the states, even after paying all shipping charges and duties etc... This had the effect of forcing the UK retail prices down to a more realistic level.

Basically, as long as the British public are prepared to keep paying over the odds, nothing will change.

Sorry about wandering off topic :unsure:

[bil]

You also have to bear in mind that the UK importers have to make a living out of importing otherwise they wouldn't import at all.

Of course US importers import our stuff and are able to sell it for half the price over there.

There's beer in French supermarkets that has gone from Italy to Britain to France, and is still on sale for half what it is in Britain!

[back lash]

hi whats the situation on second hand goods.imported from the usa.can you expect to pay duty on them.

[abu dhabi]

its not just lures that are cheaper in the syates
went to montana last year for holls when in missula visited a place called sportsmans warehouse any thing you need for outdoor sport ie fishing hunting boating is a fraction of the price we pay here.
i am going back again in 2007 still some places i want to se there and to do somke more fishing on the rivers and lakes.prices for storm wild eyed shads are $1 85,here ther are £5.99. THATS A RIP OFF so will be filling my case mto come back.
tight lines
abu

[bil]

Be careful. Customs catch you they will gouge you for your insolence.

[richard lawrence]

hi whats the situation on second hand goods.imported from the usa.can you expect to pay duty on them.

Hi,

If you search on th web for 'internet shopping' there is loads of useful info on the possible pit falls. Customs and Excise have produced a leaflet tha tcan be down loaded in pdf format.

Good luck.

[syisafterbigbass]

Just another case of rip of britain ,,,, every thing for sale in this country is overpriced and i mean everything ,,,,, we all want to make money dont we????? simple fact no one is happy with wot they got ,,,, and if you can get away with it good on you ,,, fleebay is top ,,, canada being best country :busted_co

[bil]

I just object to the fact that after paying the most tax in the EU (I'm pretty sure) I then get financially raped every time I buy anything with what I have left.

[Shropfisher]

On the face of it yes we pay over the odds for imports, specially from the USA but here are a couple of points to think on :

Firstly the UK importer will bne a sole agent, he will be responsable for Duty, tax, shipping, warrenty, exchange rate changes etc. then he needs to make a profit, otherwise why do it ?

Next you have the retailer who will be paying the next level of tax, VAT etc, and marketing, storage, stock, wages, and O ye, Profit for him selve.

Yes if you buy direct you may save big time on some items, but your not covered by any warrenty, so as long as you have no problems, great, but your also starving the UK trade of business, stopping some companies from employing more people or just expanding.

Buying tackle from the states might feel good now, but the UK agent will have planned stock purchases, allowed for currency changes etc and trust me his margin will be 20 - 30% Does that sound a lot ? well on a $200 item he might make $60, butwhen he pays all the tax, wages, asvertising etc, he will be lucky to clear $10 profit, Then the exchange rate changes, and he goese from +$10 to -$10.

How many units would you want to sell to make it all worth while ? Average wages in UK are around £20k with pensions, Nat Ins etc, a £20k wage costs close to £35k, on a $10 profit ( close to £5 ) He needs to sell 7000 units for one wage ! Even if he made £40 per unit, that's still close to 900 units he must sell per wage head. And thats before he pays tax on his profitys !!

So give the UK a break, they take the risk, they put their own money up front and gamble that they can still make a profit. If you go to the boat shows you will see some of the deals going, it''s cut throat.

Any time you feel like laying out £100k on stock and another £100k on advertising, ( halve page in one fishing mag is around £1k per month 1/8th of a page £350 plus vat) marketing etc, call me, I'd love to run my own business.

[bil]

That all sounds most splendiferous. Just one question tho. My son in law was in a French supermarket a month or two back. In there he spotted a beer he'd seen on sale in the UK, so he went over to look at it. On it was a label that betrayed it's sale history.

It had been brewed in Italy, sold by them to an English firm, and then the English firm had sold the beer on to the French Supermarket.

It was on sale for less than half the price in the UK.

Now I'm assuming that all the foreign firms also have to make a living, but I can't help wondering how the French and the Italian, and the English take their cuts and it's half price, whereas just the English and the Italians do and it's FULL price.

I don't know about you, but I'm seeing prices fall, especially in Tesco's. Three years ago, the economy flouro lightbulbs were a tenner each here and two quid in Spain. Mineral water was getting on for a quid a litre here and about 7p a litre there. Now the bulbs are 3 quid or so, and the water I saw 87p for a 5 litre bottle.

[marknickson]

That all sounds most splendiferous. Just one question tho. My son in law was in a French supermarket a month or two back. In there he spotted a beer he'd seen on sale in the UK, so he went over to look at it. On it was a label that betrayed it's sale history.

It had been brewed in Italy, sold by them to an English firm, and then the English firm had sold the beer on to the French Supermarket.

It was on sale for less than half the price in the UK.

Now I'm assuming that all the foreign firms also have to make a living, but I can't help wondering how the French and the Italian, and the English take their cuts and it's half price, whereas just the English and the Italians do and it's FULL price.

I don't know about you, but I'm seeing prices fall, especially in Tesco's. Three years ago, the economy flouro lightbulbs were a tenner each here and two quid in Spain. Mineral water was getting on for a quid a litre here and about 7p a litre there. Now the bulbs are 3 quid or so, and the water I saw 87p for a 5 litre bottle.

The beer was probably sent directly from Italy. All countries are part of the EU so duties and taxes aren't an issue (compared to US imports). The reason for the inflated price at Tescos?... Customers are prepared to pay that much for it, so they'll grab a bit more profit here to make up for the cheap milk/bread/clothes or whatever they're advertising at the moment. In the french supermarkets, the price would have to be low or else it just wouldn't sell. Also, the UK distributor can probably secure a better price for the order fror France because of the bulk order that they'll likely be placing.

Basically, as long as the British public keep paying OTT prices, the prices aint gonna drop.

[Shropfisher]

That all sounds most splendiferous. Just one question tho. My son in law was in a French supermarket a month or two back. In there he spotted a beer he'd seen on sale in the UK, so he went over to look at it. On it was a label that betrayed it's sale history.

It had been brewed in Italy, sold by them to an English firm, and then the English firm had sold the beer on to the French Supermarket.

It was on sale for less than half the price in the UK.

Now I'm assuming that all the foreign firms also have to make a living, but I can't help wondering how the French and the Italian, and the English take their cuts and it's half price, whereas just the English and the Italians do and it's FULL price.

I don't know about you, but I'm seeing prices fall, especially in Tesco's. Three years ago, the economy flouro lightbulbs were a tenner each here and two quid in Spain. Mineral water was getting on for a quid a litre here and about 7p a litre there. Now the bulbs are 3 quid or so, and the water I saw 87p for a 5 litre bottle.

Several factors involved with food and drink :

First Production costs, Italy has a lower labour rate and high goverment subsidies, in other words the Italy govt p[ay part of the production cost, this does not happen in UK or USA.

Secondly, Supermarkets tempt you in with some cheap goods say cornflakes, then you spend £100 on other stuff at higher prices, but if you only bought the cheap stuff you would end up going to every shop in town.

Finaly Tax, we have the third highest tax on booze in EU, But compared to national wages, beer is now cheaper as a percentage of your months salary than it was 10 years ago.

So you can't compare Supermarket stuff to specialist stuff like tackle. As we produce less and less in this country we are becoming a warehouse not a manufacturer, with increased wages more of our money is being spent on "luxury items " as sales go up, prices always come down. The bulbs are probably made in eastern Europe now at £4 per hour overhead, compared to UK production a vfew vyears ago at £18 per hour overhead.

[monktonlad]

We have not long been back from our holiday in Texas, so while out there we visited bass pro shop in Katy near Houston.

What a shop!

It was very well laid out and you could get everything from a pair of boots (bought some for the other half) to some really nice boats (she never bought me one).

We did get quite a few rapalas of differing types/colours and the highest price that we bougth in the shop was $6.45 with most about the $5 mark.

Also went to a shop called Academy, pretty general sports shop but also got a few lures in there too. Arbogast jitterbug was just over $3. Also bought circle hooks for $5 a pack of 50.

Stopped off in wal-mart on the way back and got yo zuri crystal minnows for $5.65 too.

Malcolm.

[richard lawrence]

We have not long been back from our holiday in Texas, so while out there we visited bass pro shop in Katy near Houston.

What a shop!

It was very well laid out and you could get everything from a pair of boots (bought some for the other half) to some really nice boats (she never bought me one).

We did get quite a few rapalas of differing types/colours and the highest price that we bougth in the shop was $6.45 with most about the $5 mark.

Also went to a shop called Academy, pretty general sports shop but also got a few lures in there too. Arbogast jitterbug was just over $3. Also bought circle hooks for $5 a pack of 50.

Stopped off in wal-mart on the way back and got yo zuri crystal minnows for $5.65 too.

Malcolm.

This just about sums up the whole issue. The prices above are the retail prices in the states after all and sundry have taken their cuts and all taxes have been paid.

I'm sure everyone would agree that you need to support your local shop and generally that's the best place to get you're gear, but when the price difference is so great you can't afford to give away an extra £5 on every lure!

[bil]

OK, so explain this please. Why is a car built in the UK thousands of pounds cheaper if bought in Holland and shipped back?

[richard lawrence]

OK, so explain this please. Why is a car built in the UK thousands of pounds cheaper if bought in Holland and shipped back?

Ironically this is because the tax levels in Holland (on cars particularly) are even higher than in the UK. The manufacturers therefore reduce their pre tax price so that the cars are more affordable to Jo (or Claus) Public. When you import a car from abroad you pay the UK tax and not the Dutch level of tax in that case. The net effect is that you get a cheaper car.

The above logic is most applicable to more expensive cars since their overall cost is proportionally higher when you add the tax so the manufacturers knock the price down even more (e.g. Golf GTi v's 1.6L)

What it does show is that the manufacturers have a healthy profit margin and maximise the cost to suit the tollerance of the market place!:nonono:

[bil]

No, I meant they are cheaper for us to buy in Holland than if we buy them here, where they are made.

Methinks that's because they have us trapped here, so they think we will have to pay whatebver they charge.

[richard lawrence]

Hi Bil,

I know what you mean, I wasn't very clear in how I answered.

If you travel from the UK to buy a car in Holland you pay the pre-tax price in holland. It is then necessary to pay your tax when you bring the car into the UK.

Because the tax level is much higher in Holland, the manufacturer reduces the pre-tax price compared to what we pay in the UK.

Therefore, if you import a car from Holland you pay the cheaper pre-tax price in Holland and the UK tax. The overall cost is then cheaper than buying the car in a UK garage.

As you say, because not many people do this the manufacturers carry on charging the higher pre-tax price in the UK.

I assume that the same applies to fishing tackle. As long as we pay the high prices, the manufacturers will continue to keep the costs high.

Ideally if the British importers / shops could get the same deal as those in the USA then the shops could make a decent profit and we'd get our gear at a reasonable price.

[bil]

Thanks for that.

Of course if they sold the gear cheaper, then we would perhaps buy more.