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Hello people,
I have a little situation.
I just bought a second hand guitar in the US through Ebay. It's a quite expensive model, and now I have to ship it to the EU. This implies I will have to pay a lot (I'm affraid) of import taxes on it.
Isn't there a workaround?
Any German based US military personnel on the board or so?
I don't know if this thread is even appropriate on the board, I appologize in advance if so...
I just had to have this guitar :o
I usually ask seller to put a lower value on the shipping label. It does however compromise your claim in case an insured parcel gets lost, which never happened to me. I have sent about 100 parcels across the globe in the last 3 years.
I have never paid more than 10 euro in import tax.
This 10 euro is the default tax value, which I have named the 'I can't be rsed to calculate the real tax' tax.
So the 10 euro means they looked at the package, and said 'meh'
But this has always been for stones and razors. Calculating the import tax would perhaps require reading some rarely used rules / guidelines, and this is probably too much effort.
Guitars might be different.
I have paid much more in the past. Seems Belgian Internal Revenue is a pleasant organization compared to the Dutch Belastingdienst.
That's why so many Dutch tax refugees live in Belgium!
when the package reaches Belgian customs, they will add 21% VAT adn about 4% clearance costs on top of that... :gaah:
on a 1500$ guitar... you do the math :mad:
How do they collect the tax? Do they make you pay before they will give you your package? Kind of like a ransom? What happens if you don't pay? Do they hold an auction or something?
Quote:
Originally Posted by chief
Chief, I hope you love this guitar.What kind was it anyway.
You have to pay for delivery. Don't know what they do if you refuse.Quote:
Originally Posted by crazycliff200843
Guitars, PDAs, laptops etc are common things that they deal with a lot, and the prices are high enough so they make an effort.
For stones and razors, I think they can't be bothered to look up the rules and just slap the 10 euro default on it.
this is the subject:
http://www.espguitars.com/images/guitars/Stef_B-7.jpg
I have a friend in the US that comes to Belgium every now and then. Maybe she can get it past customs if she says it's hers. That she took it to the US when she moved there, and now she's taking it back home to her parents in Belgium again.
Better yet, your friend can get a certificate from US customs before she leaves that says it's hers and that she's taking it back to the US when she returns. This is what you do when you don't want to be charged customs when you return but it would also work for you.Quote:
Originally Posted by chief
Chimensch: but she is returning to the US, she's just visiting her parents here.
As much as I know, I will be charged the tax because the EU didn't collect any taxes on it yet.
When buying used goods within the EU, you won't be charged the taxes, that's true.
Let me try and explain this better... Your friend arrives in the EU and, when she goes to customs, they say, you are importing this guitar and you need to pay duty on it and she says, "No, I'm not importing this guitar, I'm bringing it to use while I'm here but then I'm taking it back with me. Here's a certificate to prove it." Of course, then she doesn't take it back when she leaves.Quote:
Originally Posted by chief
I know that's what you meant, but I fear the customs maybe will ask what happened to the guitar when she returns.
That sounds like my most viable option though... thanks!
Bruno, I was told it is actually the Belgian Postal Service, that adds the 10€ for offering the package to customs. They seem only to add it when customs doesn't collect further taxes.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruno
They are not going to bother with wondering what she originally brought with her. After all, the guitar could be lost or stolen after a gig.Quote:
Originally Posted by chief
Of course none of this is legal.
Considering the risks vs. benefits, what are the consequences of getting caught?
Thinking of the wise old saying, "Give unto Caesar that which is Caesar's." Or, in other words - don't F with the King's money.
Scott
The problem is that, these days, "Caesar" fûcks pretty hard with our money, instead of we with his...;)Quote:
Originally Posted by honedright
Yeah, well, in the words of another great wise man, "It's good to be King..."Quote:
Originally Posted by Bart
Scott
Ha-ha! If he wanted to know what was legal, he wouldn't have asked us!Quote:
Originally Posted by Bart
Not here: we pay VAT on the price of the item regardless of age. If you can prove it is antique (over 100 years old) it attracts a lower rate but you still pay VAT! The EU is just a greedy SOB, member states contribute a certain percentage of VAT revenues to sponser the politicians in Brussels and Strasburg.Quote:
Originally Posted by OLD_SCHOOL
In my experience of both British (very serious guys & leeches) & European (only slightly less so), if it is being shipped & they can work out,or even suspect, how much it is worth, they will have their pound of your flesh. An American friend sent a baby's rattle, skillfully hand-carved by his good self recently. Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs want £30/€35/$44 for it, meaning they think it is worth what...? It is a present to an as yet unborn child for goodness sake. I really dislike my so called government at the moment.
IMHO Having your friend bring it over as described sounds like the best bet. Guitar smuggling is so low down the list of priorities that it is not worth worrying about.
What I usualy do when I buy stuff in the US is ask the seller if he/she can send it as a "gift". That way no taxes can be collected... :D
Many drug traffickers think the same, a guitar can easily contain a few hundred grams of coke. That's why guitars are very HIGH on their lists!Quote:
Originally Posted by Spike J
There's a difference between the narcotics brigade and customs.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kees
While they may check the guitars and/or rectums of any traveler, that doesn't mean they are going to collect taxes on the items being searched. As long as there are no drugs stuffed in the guitar, no musician ever ran into trouble for bringing his instrument on a travel.
When traveling to the states, I know you must be careful with stating that the instrument is used for a gig, because they might ask for a green card. But I don't think that's an issue coming to Europe. A friend of mine, who's a recording studio owner, regularly buys expensive gear in the US. If it's worth the money, he buys a low cost ticket, and collects the goods himself, bringing it back in his luggage. It's still cheaper that way, than order it shipped and paying heavy import taxes. If customs go through his luggage and they don't accept his explanation, he has to pay the taxes + an additional fine, but so far no one ever asked a single question.