European customers beware! AKA: Why is nobody talking about this?

[ukshaun]

Originally Posted by Eviler

Regarding a mail I recently got from Sideshow:



This means that for us European customers, all statue automatically become 21% more expensive!
The mail says Belgium, but if one customs office decides, then all other customs offices in Europe have to follow this too, since it's Europeanly decided.

Current situation:
€100 statue + shipping => €106 (0% IR + 6% VAT).
Now, €100 statue + shipping => €128,26 (6% IR + 21% VAT).

and let's face it, the times for €100 statues is long behind us ...

20% for UK customers has been the norm for years. Yes, it is a complete rip-off.

[Eviler]

Because the commodity changed, they went back in time and reviewed every shipment from Sideshow with the old code.

3 statues last year -> €600 extra import duties to pay ... (on top of the €270 I've already paid)

[Gekon]

Originally Posted by Eviler

Because the commodity changed, they went back in time and reviewed every shipment from Sideshow with the old code.

3 statues last year -> €600 extra import duties to pay ... (on top of the €270 I've already paid)

They can do it backward?

[I and I]

Originally Posted by Gekon

They can do it backward?

They can do anything they want. Including not refunding import fees after destruction of a faulty piece for which no replacements are available. You can't believe how much money we've lost and got nothing to show for with SSC... You even have to fight them toot and nail to get them to drop the extra handling fee because SSC didn't use the correct code and they 'had to' make a correction several months later...

[Eviler]

Extra handling fee: three times €17,5

THEY use a wrong code, WE need to pay 20% extra

[Python]

It's already 20% in the UK anyway. It sucks so much....


Regarding SSC helping with shipping costs. Is this still the case? We used to receive really good rates from them. My huge Predator 2 maquette was $40 shipping. This was very much appreciated at the time and definitely helped with some of the added costs we face. But that all changed a year or so ago. I paid $185 shipping for a similar sized box last week. Sadly it's all adding up to the hobby not being financially possible long term as base prices rise at very fast rates.

[RadAsGhoul]

The statues are not becoming 21% more expensive, this has been set in placw forever. You pay taxes on everything. It sucks, sure. The other code was making the custom charges slightly less expensive for some. It's not Sideshow's fault, just our governments. They tax our wages, then after you get it, they tax all the products you spend your monies on. So yeah, it sucks...

[Eviler]

The code Sideshow (incorrectly) used was for museum statues. Like the David by Michelangelo, not collectibles. It's not that the difference is in the small letters or interpretation.

Still, it's a big difference if you can tell your customers they only need to pay 6% as opposed to 6% + 21% ...
and if you need to pay more, they can hide behind customs 'suddenly' changing it

[RadAsGhoul]

Originally Posted by Eviler

The code Sideshow (incorrectly) used was for museum statues. Like the David by Michelangelo, not collectibles. It's not that the difference is in the small letters or interpretation.

Still, it's a big difference if you can tell your customers they only need to pay 6% as opposed to 6% + 21% ...
and if you need to pay more, they can hide behind customs 'suddenly' changing it

Whichever code they have used - Irish customs agree with it (so far) which is a great help, I won't complain about it.

[I and I]

The increased customs, justified or not, combined with the increasing prices and shipping has effectively removed us from buying from SSC. I'd love to order the Campbell line as he's one of my favourite artists and hubby wants the new X-23 and Wolverine but I don't want to order anything from them anymore until they open the EU warehouse again... As I never see that happening, I won't buy their products anymore