Importing machinery from the EU - customs clearance

[jack.in.the.woods]

Has anyone got any recent experience of importing any woodworking machinery from the EU? Did you use an agent for the custom clearance forms etc or manage to sort it yourself? Is it worth the hassle?!

I'm tempted by a lathe coming from Austria. Even with extra shipping it's going to be £400 cheaper than buying it here so is probably worth thinking about if it's a straight forward procedure (probably isn't )

Thanks

 

[Sideways]

I can't help, but playing devil's advocate, what costs and risks are you opening yourself up to should it turn out to be a lemon and you want to send it back to the seller for repair or refund ?
Assume you have a 1 in 5 chance that it will be substandard.
As an individual, the cost to you of arranging international shipping will probably be more than the cost you will pay the seller to ship to you. I no longer buy from the USA for exactly that reason. It costs a fortune to ship things back in case of a dispute. The savings aren't enough to offset the risks.

 

[Bingy man]

I’ve ordered anything like a machine or extremely large or heavy item but I have ordered several tools from the USA and the shipping costs are high, the other issue is usually import taxes and other potential charges are not included with the purchase. You could easily end up with further charges you had not expected. Then as @Sideways has said if it’s faulty or worse ( a Frankenstein creation ) then your £400 + down and facing additional costs to return it. Another point is why is it £400 cheaper?? Buyer beware

 

[Ross Buchanan]

Not sure how expensive a machine you are talking about, but if you get hit with a 20% vat bill, how will that affect your calculation?
Customs tend to charge 20% of stated shipping value, rather than purchase cost. If you buy a £1000 machine for £50 at auction, but put its replacement value on the form, your vat bill will be 200, not a tenner

 

[jack.in.the.woods]

Thanks for the comments. I should have put a bit more info in the post perhaps

The lathe (statos) is new and is direct from the manufacturer/supplier. It has a 5 yr warranty and I've confirmed that if anything goes wrong with it in shipping or after then it's covered for damage and/or parts

Regarding the vat. You don't pay any at purchase from the eu, vat is only due on import to the UK (it would need to be paid for before customs release the machine)

It's the customs clearance that I would like some info on if anyone has done similar in the past. The forms, fees and if id need an agent to facilitate the purchase. Just wondering if it's really worth the hassle I guess. Thanks

 

[Ross Buchanan]

Is it worth the hassle? I suspect probably not .
In your position, I'd go and talk to the UK distributor and say "I can buy this from Jakob Pichler GmbH for £1100 plus £100 shipping and £220 vat, so £1420. Do you want the sale at that price?"
They might say yes.
They might tell you to go to hell.
They might say "we can't. Lowest we could go is £1550

Got to be worth a go

 

[Sideways]

Stratos - so presumably a KSD wood lathe ?
As far as I know, Simon Hope who distributes these in the UK is a decent guy and he's a reputable, skilled woodturner not just some import/export merchant moving boxes.
The machines are advertised as designed in Europe and built in Taiwan if I remember right.
Decision is entirely down to your views on what risks and hassle Simon takes off your shoulders and how much more you'll pay for that benefit.
Incoterms, CIF, FOB, DDP ? All the correct paperwork needed to clear customs smoothly, inbound or outbound. International freight has it's own language. A competent agent makes all the difference but how do you choose one ?