# Taking advantage of the weak Dollar



## Good Surname or what ? (11 Mar 2005)

I'm angling for a birthday present from the better half and I can't help but feel that it would be cheaper to buy Lie Nielsen tools from the website and pay for shipping than to buy from Axminster. 

A rough calculation for a 5 1/2......

Lie Nielsen Web price $325 (assuming you can get $1.85 to £1) = £176
Axminster price £244.12 inc VAT and shipping

Can it really cost £68.12 to get it sent from Maine :? ? Anyone got any experience ?


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## Midnight (11 Mar 2005)

Phill...

it all depends on how Customs are feeling on they day your package goes through them.. if it catches their attention, you'll have duty and VAT to stump up for... if they miss it... candy land...

even with the C&E hit, my last order from there worked pretty close to what I woulda been charged by Axminster..


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## Philly (11 Mar 2005)

I got caught for approx a third of the cost of the order-so maybe a re-think is involved. Although I hear that if you get it sent "really slow takes week" mail you might not get caught at all 8) 
I took the 7 day option-bang, thank you Royal mail :evil: 
Cheers
Philly


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## Derek Cohen (Perth Oz) (12 Mar 2005)

Phil

I just gotta ask - is this a present for the better half? Great idea. I think my wife could do with that Spiers shoulder plane I've been hankering after for so long. :lol: 

Regards from Perth

Derek


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## Philly (12 Mar 2005)

ROTFL Derek! :lol: 
Philly :lol:


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## Travis Byrne (12 Mar 2005)

I say" send your money over because we need it"

But then 
again I may be a little biased.  

Travis


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## Chris Knight (12 Mar 2005)

Travis,

I reckon Axminster sent it over for us! (I presume LN doesn't supply them for free?) Now if you want new money, then I suggest we persuade whatsisname (sorry - Phil) to buy something Axminster don't stock - like a set of Barr Chisels..


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## Midnight (12 Mar 2005)

> like a set of Barr Chisels..



yikes... they make L-N's look disposable.....


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## Good Surname or what ? (12 Mar 2005)

Derek Cohen (Perth said:


> Phil
> 
> I just gotta ask - is this a present for the better half? Great idea. I think my wife could do with that Spiers shoulder plane I've been hankering after for so long. :lol:
> 
> ...



Derek,

Her birthday is next week and I've suggested that. I believe the rules of this forum preclude a direct quote :!: 

Phil


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## Anonymous (13 Mar 2005)

Phil

I have bought direct from LN and Veritas and been stung for duty each time. Still a bit cheaper than buying in Britain

HOWEVER, I ordered from LN a few weeks ago and the USPS _*say*_ that they tried to deliver on 3rd March. I don't have my order AND do not know where the parcel is at present. Certainly did NOT arrive on 3rd March!!!!!!

Lie Neilsen's take on this? Well, we sent it and nowit is your problem!!

They advise me to try and find out where it is. Not impressed one bit and will probably only order from Axminster in the future if LN don't start helping me

Ohh,by the way, the credit card was charged at time of order


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## Noel (13 Mar 2005)

If it was sent with USPS then it should be with Royal Mail or Parcelforce. 
Check with USPS at http://www.usps.com/shipping/trackandco ... andconfirm
If no tracking number USPS should still have a handling record (think it's called that).
But I assume if you were told that there was an attempted delivery then there's a record somewhere.


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## Anonymous (13 Mar 2005)

Hi Noel

I now have a tracking number - 8 days after they alleged that they attempted to deliver. The tracking number simply tells me that they attempted delivery on 3rd and nothing else! :twisted: 

I tried to email USPS to find out more BUT their system requires a US address and zip code entry before you can submit the email. I faked a US zip code but included my tracking number and address and so now I am awaiting a respones. 
Also emailed LN explaining that it is THEIR responsibility to deliver goods to ME, not my responsibility to _find _them!!!!!


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## Chris Knight (13 Mar 2005)

Tony,

If you used a credit card, I expect you could stop the payment (ie it will be refunded) and then LN will have to sort it out.


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## Aragorn (13 Mar 2005)

It's really disappointing to hear this about Lie Nielsen  
I've never heard a bad thing about them before, but this is one of those situations that makes you want to buy through Axminster or the like.


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## Rob Lee (13 Mar 2005)

Aragorn":37bd8cet said:


> It's really disappointing to hear this about Lie Nielsen
> I've never heard a bad thing about them before, but this is one of those situations that makes you want to buy through Axminster or the like.



Hi - 

I have to jump in say that this is atypical for LN... I'll copy this thread to Tom LN - and he'll be able to get this sorted out.

All of us make mistakes, and once in a while, someone has a bad day - and gives out a less than stellar reply... happens to us too...

What's important to recognise as well is that for every "problem" posted in a group - there are hundreds, or even thousands , of unposted kudos... 

Certainly it's easy to understand the disappointment when you're on the receiving end, but I'd give them another chance to make it right. The story isn't finished yet... !

Cheers - 

Rob


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## Alf (13 Mar 2005)

Cripes, Rob. I know you pride yourselves on customer service but I didn't know you meant _everybody's_! :shock: That takes your all-round marvellousness to new heights and all possible expressions of kudos are even more deserved than usual - time for you to get yourself a bigger hat. :wink:

Oh, and I agree; I was extremely to surprised to read this about LN. Certainly not the service that I gather from various fora is the norm. Annoying though, very annoying. 

Cheers, Alf


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## Aragorn (13 Mar 2005)

Nice one Rob! That's service for you... I'm sure Tony will be pleased to get you onboard - probably a bit more effective than hassling USPS.

And there's no shortage of posted LN kudos in this forum, as I'm sure you have seen. I suppose that's what makes it all the more surprising when we hear a story like Tony's. But as you say, it happens to us all.


<reaching for the BriMarc catalogue for another look at the Veritas stuff... :wink: >


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## Chris Knight (13 Mar 2005)

As one with all the LN stuff he will ever need (Good Grief! - did I just write that??) I am also surprised by the problem Tony has experienced which is not the sort of experience I have ever had with LN.

I am however, unsurprised by Rob's thoughtful intervention. He has shown time and again here and elsewhere that he and his company are several cuts above the rest when it comes to customer service - long may they prosper!


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## Alf (13 Mar 2005)

waterhead37":3k6r2iea said:


> As one with all the LN stuff he will ever need (Good Grief! - did I just write that??)


Nurse! The screens! This inmate's delusional :shock: :lol:


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## AndrewP (15 Mar 2005)

Where can I get hold of a Brimarc catalogue, they seem able to defy the attention of Google :shock: 
Andrew


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## CHJ (15 Mar 2005)

AndrewP":3pkpgt1u said:


> Where can I get hold of a Brimarc catalogue, they seem able to defy the attention of Google :shock:
> Andrew



http://www.brimarc.com/home.php3

Was top item in my Google for Brimarc??


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## Martin Brown (16 Mar 2005)

Er....thats a little surprising! We rely on google quite a lot, ahem.

Have checked google.co.uk and .com and we are top both times.

Please let me know what you did? I do need to know if we have a problem.

Martin


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## Anonymous (16 Mar 2005)

Update on the LN order.

A very nice lady at LN responded to my email. She said she could not help but that I should keep them informed of my progress. She did not tell me what would happen if the parcel was lost. From my chasing, it is clear that the culprit here is Parcelforce i nEngland, and not LN or the USPS.

I contacted parcelforce and finally found out where my parcel was located. I have now collected it and am chuffed to bits with the contents, if not the import duty at £30  

I received the parcel 10 days after parcelforce claimed they attempted to deliver it but have not received any notification from parcelforce to tell me that they had it in thier depot.

Overall, I saved about £12 on an order of £150+ and had a load of hassle. My tools took over 3 1/2 weeks to arrive and in the end I had to fetch it from a depot 20 miles away which meant taking time off from work.

LN are my favourite tools but when parcelforce is involved??????

Should have ordere from Axminster :wink:


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## Aragorn (16 Mar 2005)

Glad you're pleased with your LN order. (What was it?  or have you mentioned it already)
Good thing Parcel force don't screw up _all _the time, but we're bound to get caught once in a while.


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## Anonymous (16 Mar 2005)

Aragorn":11nw1hv7 said:


> Glad you're pleased with your LN order. (What was it?  or have you mentioned it already)
> 
> .



No, I hadn't mentioned it. Just a couple of small items. An independance saw and York pitch frog for my 4 1/2


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## Philly (16 Mar 2005)

Aw, Tony-you're just SOOOOoo gloat-shy! :wink: :lol: 
Cheers
No New Purchases


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## Martin Brown (16 Mar 2005)

We are considering a gloat rental service. Sjoebergs 2400 (complete), Oneway 2436, or a complete set of Veritas planes (the new Rob Lee signature/custom ones). Philly was our first test customer (ps can we have the planes back now?). Anyone think it might work?


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## Philly (16 Mar 2005)

Sure Martin! Oh, and when did you say you were sending Rob round my workshop? :lol: 
Cheers
Philly :wink:


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## Alf (16 Mar 2005)

Martin Brown":1oajurpe said:


> We are considering a gloat rental service. Sjoebergs 2400 (complete), Oneway 2436, or a complete set of Veritas planes (the new Rob Lee signature/custom ones). Philly was our first test customer (ps can we have the planes back now?). Anyone think it might work?


Only if you don't mind sending round "da boys" in order to pry them from the fingers of the chronic gloaters when you want them back again. :lol: Actually, probably just _threatening_ to come round wearing Utilikilts should be enough... :wink: 

Cheers, Alf


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## Martin Brown (16 Mar 2005)

The Utilikilts could be on the list for 'specialist' customers. I will read all the PMs later.


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## Gill (16 Mar 2005)

Paskins in Kidderminster stocks LV. They keep the planes in a reinforced glass display case under the sales counter so that customers can drool over them whilst writing cheques for other purchases! :lol:

Gill


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## Woodythepecker (16 Mar 2005)

> Tony wrote;
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Philly (16 Mar 2005)

Woody
I feel for Tony, and agree with you too, but I imagone that L-N sent the package out by UPS or some US service.When they "delivered" it to Parcel Force on this side of the water I assume that they considered it "delivered". It is a pain, but Parcel Farce need a good kicking.
This is one of the dangers of shopping worldwide. Personally I have bought stuff from Australia, Canada and the US. No problems at all.
Now, stuff delivered form UK suppliers, that can be a different matter. So maybe it is our back yard that the problem lays?
Only my thoughts
Philly


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## Woodythepecker (16 Mar 2005)

Philly i see what you mean but i still think that if you buy from abroad the seller should hold the responsibility until it has been delivered to the customer, either that or they should make it clear on their web site order form that their responsibility is over when it is delivered to a UK shipping agent.
I just wonder how easy or hard it would be for the customer to claim for a lost parcel from a US shipping agent. Take USPS for instance, as Tony found out ,you cannot even email them from outside the US unless you forge a Zip Code.

Regards

Woody


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## Anonymous (16 Mar 2005)

In my view, Parcel force were completely reponsible BUT LN should have traced the parcel for me - they had my money.

In the end, I saved £12 and waited for 3.5 weeks. I should have spent the extra £12 with Axminster and played with my new toys the next day!


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## Good Surname or what ? (16 Mar 2005)

The pressure to gloat is getting too great......

... I recently had a trip to the US and got L-N to ship some goodies to my hotel. No US sales tax and no VAT or Duty, as it was inside our allowance. Just $18 for shipping UPS 2 day.

.... and all @ $1.86 to the £.  

I did have the worry about Gatwick baggage handlers on my return though.

 Now I'm embarrassed at my gloating. Good job my mum doesn't read this forum.


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## Midnight (16 Mar 2005)

> Now I'm embarrassed at my gloating. Good job my mum doesn't read this forum.



Phil, buddy... this ya call a gloat..???? c'mon son... you got better in you...

*Philly... *front n centre... give the guy some lessons whydontchya...


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## Frank D. (16 Mar 2005)

Phil, I learned from Philly that you should know no shame as long as you put the words "GLOAT ALERT" in your post. I've almost finished the inventory of Philly's workshop, and I've only been posting here a few months . :wink: Now I just have to hire some movers that work quickly... :lol: 
Frank


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## Philly (17 Mar 2005)

Frank
I'm on to you,Sir! :lol: Too late, I put the bulldog in there (Hope the Missus doesn't touch anything........ :twisted: )
Phil
There's nothing to be afraid of-gloating is a natural, woodworking reflex and should be encouraged. As you learn the "Way of the Gloat", young Jedi, you will feel your powers grow and your gloatage will become more sophisticated! :wink: 
Lordy.... :lol: 
Cheers
Darth Philly 8)


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## Good Surname or what ? (30 Mar 2005)

Well, it's time I put my money where my mouth is. Thought I'd test the theory as inexpensivley as possible, so.......

I've just ordered the 3 David Charlesworth DVD set from the L-N website for $70. If I get $1.8/£1 that's only £39. Not sure what postage etc will come to.

Prepare to be gloated at if my total costs come in at less than £47.75 (20% saving over buying in UK)


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## Philly (30 Mar 2005)

Nice one Phil!
That L-N newsletter definitely gets the wallets flapping! :lol: 
Cheers
Philly


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## Good Surname or what ? (14 Apr 2005)

I recently had a shipment from L-N with a customs label showing a value of $90 but I was not charged any duty - so maybe there's a threshold below which it's not charged/worth collecting. I'd be keen to establish what that threshold is (nice if it was $326.... $1 more than a 5 1/2 !). 

I'm sure there are big savings available to the clever purchaser ....

I wrote ....


> Well, it's time I put my money where my mouth is. Thought I'd test the theory as inexpensivley as possible, so.......
> 
> I've just ordered the 3 David Charlesworth DVD set from the L-N website for $70. If I get $1.8/£1 that's only £39. Not sure what postage etc will come to.
> 
> Prepare to be gloated at if my total costs come in at less than £47.75 (20% saving over buying in UK)



Actually, I added the Rob Cosman Hand Cut Dovetail DVD ($20) to my order.... total including shipping ($15) was $105. I was billed £57.45 by my credit card. ($1.827 = £1).

So I CAN gloat  because my costs would have been only £46.52 for the 3 DVD set.

I'm sure there are *even bigger* savings available to the clever purchaser .... especially when the dollar slides to $2.1/£1 later this year. ...:ho2 ccasion5:

.... we just need to establish that duty threshold !


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## Alf (14 Apr 2005)

Good Surname or what ?":1fgkkx40 said:


> I recently had a shipment from L-N with a customs label showing a value of $90 but I was not charged any duty - so maybe there's a threshold below which it's not charged/worth collecting.


Must be $100 then, 'cos I had a parcel from LV that was bang on $100 and it got knobbled for £22 odd.  But thinking about it, that was via UPS and I think they get you every time regardless - the <bleeps> :evil: 

Cheers, Alf


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## Rob Lee (14 Apr 2005)

Alf":1pcl3ntj said:


> Good Surname or what ?":1pcl3ntj said:
> 
> 
> > I recently had a shipment from L-N with a customs label showing a value of $90 but I was not charged any duty - so maybe there's a threshold below which it's not charged/worth collecting.
> ...



Ouch!

That must have a hefty brokerage fee in it...

Rob


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## Alf (14 Apr 2005)

Rob Lee":2mvuemns said:


> Ouch!
> 
> That must have a hefty brokerage fee in it...


Hang on, I've got the invoice here somewhere... Yep, you're right. £11.57 import VAT and *£11* brokerage surcharges. :shock: Those boys in brown like a nice hefty cut, don't they? :evil: :roll: 

Cheers, Alf


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## Chris Knight (14 Apr 2005)

In my experience, when shipping with USPS and staying below $100, I never get stung for duty. However, the other carriers, notably UPS(100% of the time) but also FedEx (about 75% of the time) hit me whatever the total value.


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## Noel (14 Apr 2005)

Yes, stick to the US Postal Service and generally it's ok. Fedex, UPS, DHL etc use the brokerage fee as an extra revenue earner so it's in their interests to make sure there's a tax element.

Noel


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## Good Surname or what ? (14 Apr 2005)

This is what the taxman has to say about international e-commerce

http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/taxagenda/ecom7.htm

Customs duties 

7.3 E-commerce raises only one issue for customs duties. This results from the anticipated increase in small packages brought about by customers using the Internet to buy from abroad. 

7.4 Goods imported into the UK from outside the EU may be subject to customs duty and import VAT with the rates being determined by the nature of the goods in question. 

7.5 There are two exceptions to this general rule: 

if the value of a consignment does not exceed £18 it qualifies for a ‘de minimis limit' relief and is admitted free of customs duty and VAT. If the value exceeds £18, customs duty and import VAT are payable on the entire value; or

if a consignment is sent as a gift from a private individual to a private individual and its value does not exceed £36 then it is not liable to customs duty or import VAT. Again, if the value exceeds £36, the customs duty and import VAT are payable on the full value.


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## Anonymous (14 Apr 2005)

My apologies if this has been discussed before but have any of you orderd LN tools from Clarence Blanchard at Fine Tool Journal? He sells LN stuff at a bit of a discount and the shipping is free here in the states and at cost elsewhere.
Now if you want a special LN like, say.. a #1 1/2, even us 'Muricans have to pay shipping.


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## Chris Knight (14 Apr 2005)

Roger,

Is this a suggestion for something we might do or a question in regard to something you might do?

Clarence has an excellent reputation AFAIK so I can't imagine there would be a problem and it might even mean we can import a LN more cheaply vis a vis duty etc?


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## Anonymous (14 Apr 2005)

I was just wondering if anyone across the pond had tried ordering from FTJ. My LN loving friends over here always buy from Clarence because they claim the discount and free shipping is the best deal but I, personally, wouldn't know :lol: . I will have to admit I was tempted to buy a #1 1/2 just to store away.


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