Join the club guys. :cheers

Whilst we can freely "import" goods from any other European Union member country, we've always, in theory,  had to pay duty and VAT (TVA here) on goods imported from outside  the Union.

I don't have much experience of non-EU imports but it seems it depends on what sort of a day the officers on duty are having.  I'm sure there must be a "legally defined" value that triggers tax but I've had to pay it on "small" e-bay purchases from the States - certainly less than £50 sterling and yet I've had sound chipped locos sent from a certain guy in Oz which have not attracted any attention at all.

It's all a bit of a minefield and heavily linked to the current economic pressures on public purses - they need money and they don't really care where it comes from (just as long as it doesn't cost them the next election ……)

I've found a way round the 'cruelty to flies' issue. A goat attracts the flies and you zap the goat! They're very good grass applicators too but not got the 'static' sorted…. might try a cattle prod!

Just kidding

Ian:shock:

hmmmm so as they c*&p you zap ???? but how do you get it to stand on the layout in the first place ??  carrots ???


   ok ok ive spent an afternoon with Tom….what do you guys expect ???  our humour is tooo much alike  

cheers


 Matt

[user=321]SRman[/user] wrote:

As I see it, if I buy something from, say, Hattons, I ave the 20% VAT but will now pay 10% GST plus postage. If the item is approximately half the cost of the same thing over here in local model shops, then I am still well ahead on the cost to me.

Some years ago, I worked out that I could buy two Heljan locos from the UK for the price of one in a local hobby shop. Now even if that costs me 10% more, I think I have done well. The local prices are not the fault of the local hobby shops but of the greedy importers and middlemen. However, if I can get two models for a bit over the price of one, there is no question about who I will deal with and what I will choose to buy, GST or no GST.

Of course, as Ron (Sol) said, if the item is not available here at all, there is no choice in the matter.

SRman is right.

I don't think it will stop a lot of online/overseas purchasing.

 A few yrs yrs ago I purchased an ECOS (colour) from USA. Landed cost was $745 including P&H. Cost here in Australia was $1000.

 If 10% GST had applied I would still have been well in front.

 The availability of  product, I think, will be a big decider for many people.

Cost will be secondary consideration.

BTW, I would think GST will be added to final landed cost which will include postage & handling.

 Cheers

  Ian