Graham A

18 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

Braver man than I, certainly would risk that at the moment!

Haha, I may live to regret it yet!!

Being a lefty if you see a bass you want you just have to go for it. God knows when i'll see another one for sale.

I would accept there's an element of risk, more so since Brexit, but that could be said for a lot of online purchases. It would be the same as importing a bass from the US, which was the only other place i've seen what i was looking for, for sale.

As previously mentioned i did try & source what i was looking for in the UK with no success. I couldn't even order the model. 

4 minutes ago, DaytonaRik said:

I placed an order with Thomann on 11th Jan, received the goods 18th but had no communication from the carrier before or after the delivery that I have an outstanding sum to pay them 🤔

Doesn't it depend on the value of the goods?

Goods under i think it's around £150 ( can't recall exact figure but it's on one of Thomann's / Brexit threads ) have the VAT paid for at Thomann's end...not sure about import fee's etc.

If you've got the goods i think you must have slipped through the net. The girl at the UPS depot i visited yesterday said that they had a storage room at the depot where goods were being held because the fees hadn't been paid. 

1 minute ago, Kev said:

My two orders from Germany took approx two weeks so sounds about right.  Although most of the hold up on mine was actually in Germany, if the tracking is to be believed.  Both were delivered within 48 hours of hitting Stanford.

I think the UPS app isn't very reliable Kev, that added to UPS's reputation ( look at Trust Pilot reviews!! 😮 ) leads to a bit of an uncomfortable wait.

The girl at the Sedgefield depot has my number. I'm hoping that as soon as it lands there she might give me a call & i can go & pick it up in person.

I posted on another thread about a left handed Musicman Sterling which i ended up ordering from Thomann's on the 15/01/2021.

I had been waiting a few months before Brexit hoping that it would come in stock beforehand, sadly it came in about 10-11 days after...sods law. I did try & source one from the Musicman distributor in the UK but they informed me that there were no lefties, & none becoming available in 2021!!

As Thomann's only had one in stock I bit the bullet & ordered. Prior to Brexit the price seemed to fluctuate between £2030 - £2050 from what i can recall. Price after brexit was £1699 ( no VAT added ).

It was shipped on the 16th by the UPS, & seemed to sale through Germany. 

I received an email on the Thursday night ( 21/01 ) saying that i owed charges totally £399.71, which was the ball park figure i had worked out around the £400 mark. 

Government Charges - £388.21

Brokerage Charges - £11.50

On the Friday (22/01), it appeared to cross into the UK, as the app showed it had been imported & accepted into Stanford Le Hope.

Then there was nothing......

With no apparent movement or update since the Friday i decided to visit my local UPS depot yesterday, as it's only a few miles away in Sedgefield, & definitely better than trying to get through on the phone. That seemed to do the trick & last night it actually cleared customs, something i assumed had happened last week reading the app, but at least it's back on the move. The girl at the depot did mention that there is a huge backlog at Stanford Le Hope with goods trying to get through customs. 

Fingers crossed it gets here in piece. I would say to anyone buying from Thomann's now, don't expect a quick delivery, mine looks like it's going to be at least two weeks, & a few heart in mouth moments when you think you parcel has been lost.....saying that there's still time for that to happen!! 

On 13/01/2021 at 21:31, jimmyb625 said:

Musicman pretty much only build to order (or at least that used to be the case), so if a store hasn't got one on order with them, there's going to be a fair wait.

 

This appears to be the case, i've been watching the one from Thomann's, & it's been on a countdown for months. I was hoping it might have come in prior to Brexit, but sadly that wasn't the case. They confirmed this morning that they only had the one item as well.

With that in mind, & not knowing when the next left handed Sterling might come along, i've bitten the bullet & ordered it from them.

Fingers crossed it's a pretty painless experience, but i'm expecting it to take longer to arrive, & cost more than pre-Brexit. I've calculated the 20% VAT, import fees, paperwork fees as best i can, & come up with a ball park figure, so hopefully there'll be no nasty little suprises along the way. 

Hopefully i'll be able to report good news on here. If you don't hear from me, you'll know that it ended badly!! 

8 minutes ago, FDC484950 said:

The only downside to buying in the UK is that of choice. In the case of the OP there are likely no left hand US Sterlings for sale anywhere in the UK. MM are not delivering anything as stock in 2021 (that was the answer I had from a UK retailer when enquiring about a bass in a finish they did not have in stock). Same dilemma I have/had - I’m hoping as all the colours say discontinued on the MM website that 2021 colours come out - more choice of Sterling colours, lighter hardware but keep the pickups and preamp the same and I’d be interested. However, if UK retailers get more UK customers from those who won’t buy from Europe, maybe they’ll have correspondingly fewer European customers? Hard to tell, I don’t know how much exporting is done by the likes of PMT, Anderson’s, GuitarGuitar etc. If they’re not importing significantly more volume it’s unlikely the choice will increase.

In any case there’s still not likely to be US Sterlings available here because there never were many if any sent into the UK. If MM have truly moved to the custom build only model it could be months or more to get your chosen bass - and no ability to return as it will be a custom order. Ho hum...

Looks like i could be sticking with the basses i've got.......but GAS does terrible things to a person!! 😂

Just now, Al Krow said:

I'll still be getting wide Minatour straps from Thomann - likelihood of getting damaged in the post is small and I already know I like them! 😊

Don't blame you @Al Krow, if you like them etc there's minimal risk.

Being left handed you can rarely try basses before you buy, so i rely on the ease of return to minimise the risk of not gelling with it.

In the case of the Sterling i was looking at if it was damaged or i didn't get on with it i would be chasing the best part of £340 with no guarentee of getting it back!! 😮

18 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

So in summary:

We have 20% extra VAT on used goods from the EU

We have the risk of not recovering the 20% VAT (or red tape / hassle) on new goods if we are likely to want to return them from EU retailers.

For me that means:

- looking to buy used goods from UK musos and stores; 

- using Andertons, PMT, Gear4Music etc. (rather than Thomann) for new goods.

 

Sadly, that's the way i'm starting to feel about it 😟

3 minutes ago, Steve Browning said:

HMRC say this (in guidance updated on 31/12/20) - love the way the form still has a Customs & Excise number!!

There are links to further information from the form link. Nice and easy eh?

Claims for rejected imports

You can claim repayment or remission on goods imported from outside the UK when:

• you’ve rejected the goods because at the time of declaring them to a customs procedure they’re:
  • defective
  • damaged before being cleared by customs
  • not compliant with the terms of the contract you imported them under
• they’re the same goods from the original customs declaration
• you’ve not used any goods, other than the minimum necessary to establish they were defective or did not comply with the contract
• you’ve not sold the goods after finding them to be defective, damaged or not compliant with the contract
• you’ll re-export or destroy the goods

You cannot make a claim if you already knew the goods were damaged or defective when the contract for sale was made.

You must submit form C&E1179 at least 48 hours before the goods are packed for re-export or destruction.

Thanks @Steve Browning

More red tape & form filling....what a suprise!! 😂

1 minute ago, binky_bass said:

I'm left handed and I started playing bass way back when left handed, then about 3 months in I made the choice to go right handed as there were far far FAR more righties out there than lefties. Definitely glad I made that decision!! 

Wise move 👍

7 minutes ago, pineweasel said:

As a fellow lefty, if I was after a Sterling I'd grab it. It will be hard to find another one anywhere, and you're only looking at a slight increase in cost and some delay in delivery compared to pre Brexit. It sounds like Thomann's post sales service is still good if there are problems.

I know, as a lefty you usually have to snap basses up when you see them. It's usually a case you snooze, you lose.

I really am on the horns of a dilemma!! 😂😭

Well i've spoken to someone at Thomann, who has informed me that there have unfortunately been delays with goods being sent to the United Kingdom, he didn't elaborate. Despite wanting the bass i was looking at, i don't need it......it's only GAS, & i'm beginning to think there maybe too many unknowns at the moment to part with a huge wad of cash.

He did inform me that Thomann are looking at some sort of clearing service for UK customers to deal with fees etc, & they hoped in a few weeks to be able to show on their website the actual price including VAT, fees & any other add ons.

It may come too late for me if the left handed model i'm after sells out, but they clearly realise they are losing out on UK sales.

A shame really, in a pre-Brexit world the order would have already been placed 😞

PS If anyone does have any real life experience of buying an instrument from Thomann's post Brexit feel free to contribute, i'm easily swayed 👍

29 minutes ago, FDC484950 said:

Thomann seems to have a good stock of Music Man basses - 4 and 5 H and HH and USA Sterling. It’s one of the reasons I originally went with them as I couldn’t find any dealer in the UK with more than a few, and they were all single humbucker models. Personally I much prefer the Sterling (5 string) look with the original scratch plate and surface mounted controls - but you almost never see them for sale here.

That's the reason i was was drawn to Thomann's. I've made enquiries regarding stock coming into the UK this year, with some Musicman distributors & drawn a blank, add into the mix that i'm looking for a left handed model & it gets even harder!!!

25 minutes ago, Aidan63 said:

UPS are having their own issues, I've been trying to get my invoice from them (and pay it) for the duty on a shipment of parts from America for my business for over a month, usually the invoice is raised before the goods are even on the plane from the US and I give the driver a cheque when he delivers the package. In this case I have the goods and no idea of when I'll get the bill or what I'll have to pay. They have another package for me from the same US supplier that has been sat at Stansted now for a week (hopefully not in bonded storage with daily charges), it should have been delivered on Monday, no idea when it will arrive. Their customer service team have no more information than I have from the online tracking. The last time I actually got an itemised bill  from UPS over 12 months ago the charge for collecting the tax/duty was £17.95, since early last year the bills have just been a total owing with no breakdown of tax, duty and collection charge. I think the US operation has over time done a phased 've of the work onto the UK team who have become overwhelmed by working from home, illness, staffing issues, probably system changes and now the changes due to Brexit.

The depots and drivers are still doing their best. The visible online tracking now only gives a brief overview/latest status whereas before you could see exactly what was happening, including the customs clearance and raising of paperwork all the way through the system.

😟😟 That doesn't fill me with confidence.

I suppose in the first case at least you received the goods, but as you say you don't know what the final bill will be, or when it'll suddenly land on your doormat... which isn't good. I suppose as a private buyer if you've got your goods you just sit tight & wait. Rubbish for businesses though with cashflow etc to consider!!

The second case is to me my worst case scenario, you buy the bass & it ends up stuck in warehouse with no idea when it's going to be delivered.

Anyone got any good news stories?? 😂

Thanks for the replies.

I'm going to sleep on it, but then will more than likely go ahead.....unless it sells out before then!!

If i knew someone in the UK was going to get them in i would wait, but from what distributor has said they don't expect any to hit our shores anytime soon. They rarely come up in the secondhand market for us lefties either, so purchasing new seems to be my only option.

I think the only issue i can see with returning an item to them now is, i would assume, you would get the purchase price back but not the VAT as you would have paid that to a courier, along with your handling fee. I'm not sure how easy it would be claiming the VAT back if you did return it!!

I bought from Thomann before without issue, & as a band we purchased a new mixing desk at the back end of 2019 with no problem. I suppose it's just the whole Brexit thing / jumping into the unknown that's putting me off. 

Interesting thread as i'm having to weigh up whether to order from Thomann's or not.

I've been looking for a left handed Musicman Sterling since the back end of last year. I've tried an number of UK stockists with no success, even the Musicman distributor for the UK says there's no stock in the country, & nothing due in, in 2021.

I even bought a Spector bass just before Xmas, as i'd given up my search, although i sent it back as it just wasn't for me in end.

I've now noticed that the sterling in vintage blue is back in stock at Thomann's, after months of it not being available. I wished it had been in stock prior to Brexit, but that's sod law ( along with being a lefty ).

As was asked before, has anyone had any real life experience of dealing with Thomann since Brexit?

All a bit annoying as i would have already ordered it if we were still in the EU, but i'm slightly waring now in case it ends up in a cold warehouse for days on end before it's finally delivered!! 😭

Bought a Smoothhound belt adapter, along with some other bits & pieces for the Smoothhound. Great communication & fast postage. A pleasure to deal with. Thanks 

2 hours ago, Eldon Tyrell said:

A black Spector. Cool stuff. I have one on order too. Had to get one after I saw Mike Starr playing one in this video. 

Let's see if you will also jump around like him on stage (see e.g. 1:21 in the video) 😎

 

I think my jumping around days are well behind me!!! 😂😂

Cheers @Paulhauser👍

Well this bass landed on my doorstep on Christmas Eve, & fair to say i haven't put it down since.

I'm predominately a Fender player, apart from a spell where i played a Stingray which ended up, quite literaly, being a pain in the shoulder if the gig went on too long!!

I've always fancied a Spector, & liked the look of the Euro's, but being left handed the only ones that seemed to come up were the cheaper Legends. Then last week i noticed this Spector Euro 4 Classic come up on the Bass Direct website, so i decided i'd take the plunge. 

So pleased i did, just plugged in around the house it's amazing, can't wait to try it out at gig levels. Such a shame as any normal year it would have already been out to play at a Boxing day gig.

Added bonus it only weighs 3.5kg ( 7lbs 10oz ) due to weight-relieved North American Maple body wings 😊

This early Christmas present landed on my doorstep on Christmas Eve....a Spector Euro4 Classic ( lefty ).

I'm usually a Fender guy, but loving the Spector, i haven't put it down since it arrived. Think it could become my new main gigging bass when we're allowed to get back out there 👍

If you change your mind on shipping within the UK PM me 👍

Mine arrived today. Looking good. Cheers @ped 👍

3 hours ago, rasher80 said:

Wow that was quick!!

Yeah i know, even took me by surprise.

The bass in question is currently on it's way to it's new owner 😊

Now sold 👍

Hi,

I have decided to move on my Fender Player Precision, as i currently own another Precision & a Jazz bass, making this one surplus to requirements.

I bought the bass new around April 2019 ( serial number indicates that it was manufactured in 2018 ). The bass is in a good condition, although it has been gigged in the past, so has suffered a couple of small dings which i've tried to show in the photos. One small ding to the upper half of the body, a slight indentation on the headstock, plus there's a slight scuff mark on the neck plate. None of these affect the playability of the bass in any way.

The bass comes with a padded Fender gig bag, & the tools it came with. It is currently fitted with Dunlop strap locks which i'll keep on, & i'll supply the locking mechanism to go onto the strap, so you're ready to go. The original Fender strap pins that came with the bass will also be included in case you want to swap back.

Happy to courier in the UK only at buyers expense / risk, although cash on collection is always king.

Thanks for looking