what photography related item did you buy this week?

[Erich_H]

Not photo related but my last (and I mean last as in never again) buy from the UK was a book I ordered as a Christmas gift from Blackwells.
(Nevil Shute's On the beach if anyone is interested.)
I ordered it about a week before Christmas and expected it to arrive before New year, it arrived last week!
And that was only after I had payed as much in tax and handling fee as the books price! If it had been delivered before Christmas I would not have had to pay the tax and handling.
Never again!

You just gotta love PostNord! Just when you think they can't get any worse, they prove you wrong!
So the UK has joined China on the black list...

 

[Brodhall]

You just gotta love PostNord! Just when you think they can't get any worse, they prove you wrong!
So the UK has joined China on the black list...

It certainly seems so :-(

 

[RichardC]

It certainly seems so :-(

Am I correct in thinking An Post are charging EUR 10.00 flat rate handling fee plus the VAT?

I sent two tracked Airmail UK-Dublin/Cork on Monday and both were delivered Thursday morning.

DPD seems to be a week door to door which is an improvement, but still not the two day service printed on the label!

 

[BosseBe]

It's a good book

What did you have to pay Bo?

It should have been 6% on the cost of the goods (VAT), no duty, and a handling fee charged by the Post Office for collecting the VAT.

Were you penalised because it did not require a customs declaration (when posted) and it was therefore missing?

I really like Nevil Shute's books.

Well, I just checked the letter I got and the handling was 75 SEK and they wanted 9 SEK for taxes, the book itself cost about 120 SEK, so the price was a good bit higher in the end.
And it delayed the delivery here in Sweden by 2 weeks I think.
They do mention a missing customs declaration and actually what I called a handling fee is something like a declaration fee.

So that was the last time, no more buying stuff from the UK, unless I can have it smuggled in. ?
I think that UEB (Uppsala English Bookshop) will get my business from now on, there I will know what the price is from start.

 

[Brodhall]

I really like Nevil Shute's books.

Well, I just checked the letter I got and the handling was 75 SEK and they wanted 9 SEK for taxes, the book itself cost about 120 SEK, so the price was a good bit higher in the end.
And it delayed the delivery here in Sweden by 2 weeks I think.
They do mention a missing customs declaration and actually what I called a handling fee is something like a declaration fee.

So that was the last time, no more buying stuff from the UK, unless I can have it smuggled in. ?
I think that UEB (Uppsala English Bookshop) will get my business from now on, there I will know what the price is from start.

The problem is that most English language books are way overpriced in Sweden, maybe we just have to order more than one book at a time .....

 

[Erich_H]

It certainly seems so :-(

If you can get the sender to declare it as a gift, it will be tax free (after some mail correspondence back and forth....). This works from the UK, and from the Ukraine. From China, not so much...

 

[Brodhall]

If you can get the sender to declare it as a gift, it will be tax free (after some mail correspondence back and forth....). This works from the UK, and from the Ukraine. From China, not so much...

Tried this, still waiting to see if it works ...... watch this space

 

[Erich_H]

I really like Nevil Shute's books.

Well, I just checked the letter I got and the handling was 75 SEK and they wanted 9 SEK for taxes, the book itself cost about 120 SEK, so the price was a good bit higher in the end.
And it delayed the delivery here in Sweden by 2 weeks I think.
They do mention a missing customs declaration and actually what I called a handling fee is something like a declaration fee.

So that was the last time, no more buying stuff from the UK, unless I can have it smuggled in. ?
I think that UEB (Uppsala English Bookshop) will get my business from now on, there I will know what the price is from start.

I'm particularly fond of the drowning in port wine scene! The most constructive way of dealing with the situation at hand... ?

 

[BosseBe]

I'm particularly fond of the drowning in port wine scene! The most constructive way of dealing with the situation at hand... ?

It is many years since I last read that book, so I don't remember particular scenes.
The book was a Christmas present for my youngest nephew (16 years old).

I actually bought a used bound set of Nevil Shute books from the UK a couple of years ago so now I have everything both in pocketbooks (really falling apart after maybe 30 to 40 years) and bound books. The only trouble with the bound books is that the binding is drying out and is getting brittle.

 

[Brodhall]

I'm particularly fond of the drowning in port wine scene! The most constructive way of dealing with the situation at hand... ?

It is many years since I last read that book, so I don't remember particular scenes.
The book was a Christmas present for my youngest nephew (16 years old).

I actually bought a used bound set of Nevil Shute books from the UK a couple of years ago so now I have everything both in pocketbooks (really falling apart after maybe 30 to 40 years) and bound books. The only trouble with the bound books is that the binding is drying out and is getting brittle.

Only one word - Kindle

 

[Erich_H]

Only one word - Kindle

No no no! I'm fond of the no battery, paper kind!

 

[RichardC]

I really like Nevil Shute's books.

Well, I just checked the letter I got and the handling was 75 SEK and they wanted 9 SEK for taxes, the book itself cost about 120 SEK, so the price was a good bit higher in the end.
And it delayed the delivery here in Sweden by 2 weeks I think.
They do mention a missing customs declaration and actually what I called a handling fee is something like a declaration fee.

So that was the last time, no more buying stuff from the UK, unless I can have it smuggled in. ?
I think that UEB (Uppsala English Bookshop) will get my business from now on, there I will know what the price is from start.

Makes sense

The 75 SEK will apply to everything coming in by post. different rates may apply to couriers. I am told that some are not charging a handling fee.

If you buy new goods from the UK, the UK VAT (20%) should be removed from the price (16.66% of the ticket price), so £100.00 incl delivery becomes £83.33 - it is then added back by Swedish customs, plus the 75 SEK. You will end up paying £105.00 total plus handling.

Books and most secondhand items will be a problem though. There is no VAT on books in the UK.
No VAT to be removed for most secondhand goods, even if bought from a shop (different VAT scheme for many).

Be especially careful with new items bought off ebay. Poor ebay haven't got round to deducting the VAT from export prices. (Surely this couldn't be because they get paid according to the total price?).

My money would be on Amazon to seize an advantage from the current situation and make it work first.

 

[Brodhall]

No no no! I'm fond of the no battery, paper kind!

An easy wind-up :-D :-D :-D (although I have it on my phone )

 

[RichardC]

If you can get the sender to declare it as a gift, it will be tax free (after some mail correspondence back and forth....). This works from the UK, and from the Ukraine. From China, not so much...

Bad strategy. The customs sticker is the seller's responsibility, but the numbers written on it are the IMPORTER's responsibility. So if it goes wrong, it's the receiver that is on the hook.

 

[Erich_H]

Makes sense

The 75 SEK will apply to everything coming in by post. different rates may apply to couriers. I am told that some are not charging a handling fee.

If the value of the goods are over £~25, the fee will be SEK125...

 

[RichardC]

If the value of the goods are over £~25, the fee will be SEK125...

That is useful to know. Thank you.

 

[Erich_H]

Bad strategy. The customs sticker is the seller's responsibility, but the numbers written on it are the IMPORTER's responsibility. So if it goes wrong, it's the receiver that is on the hook.

It's always the receiver on the hook.
I got a parcel from China, ripped open, one quarter of the contents stolen. Parcel then clumsily closed up with PostNord stickers.

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

Complaining to PostNord about it. Answer: it's the sender that got to complain! (translated: Up yours...).
Simultaneously complaining to the Chinese. Got money back before I got the answer from PostNord.

EDIT: to be clear. It was not valuable (to me) goods.
Just some face masks with active carbon filter, intended for resale to the Covid-19 fans. I'll get my money back in multiples when I push the remainder of the shipment anyway. Funny, though. It's the first time this kind of thing has happened... Never happened to the photography stuff or the cell phones I normally order. Obviously desperation is spreading.

 

[Holoholo55]

You can get help...
My wife is the same with little puppies.

I think we all need help. LOL.

 

[RichardC]

I got an Amazon voucher for Christmas.

Having read the product reviews, this week I bought one of these

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07VMKZ1K1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've tested it, it is now on the way back.

The clamp system is highly likely to damage my Godox TT685 because of the hump above the pull out wide diffuser
The honeycomb grid is pretty much useless because it's only 5mm deep and sits too close to the flash tube
The round diffuser is, well, round, but is otherwise no more effective than the rectangular Stofen inspired Godox diffuser supplied with the flash

I am highly skeptical of the great reviews that are prominently featured with this product. It has nice magnets, but that's about it.

 

[Mike Wingate]

I got an Amazon voucher for Christmas.

Having read the product reviews, this week I bought one of these

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07VMKZ1K1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've tested it, it is now on the way back.

The clamp system is highly likely to damage my Godox TT685 because of the hump above the pull out wide diffuser
The honeycomb grid is pretty much useless because it's only 5mm deep and sits too close to the flash tube
The round diffuser is, well, round, but is otherwise no more effective than the rectangular Stofen inspired Godox diffuser supplied with the flash

I am highly skeptical of the great reviews that are prominently featured with this product. It has nice magnets, but that's about it.

I have recently ordered this ABS plastic Snoot and grid. i shall use it with my Godox flash guns, and in the S2 clamp/head.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/164126425041
I paid £12.02. Inc P&P.