Ordering from B&H and international taxes.....

[Joytek]

Hello,

I am about to order some stuff from B&H and am wondering if I am going to have to pay any taxes or tariffs when the stuff gets shipped to Korea (where I live).

This is a question for anyone who lives outside the US and has ordered stuff from B&H.

Thanks for any pertinant info.

w.

[aam1234]

As long as your address is outside New York, you won't have to pay any US taxes. As for tariffs, that's a country specific thing.

[spearce6]

I have ordered several times from B&H for delivery to Germany with no problems. The only thing to be aware of when first ordering is that you will have to be verified. This involves proving you are actually the owner of the credit card you are using. I sent a scan of my card to their verifications department and had no problems - it means a delay of a day or two to your first order.

The second thing to bear in mind when your mouth is watering at those US prices is that these are without any tax. The package sent from B&H will be all correctly marked for European (or I guess worldwide) customs to be able to calculate the VAT at 17.5% (UK/Germany) and this will be calculated on the object value AND the postage cost. You will also be then charged an additional 7.5% import duty for photographic equipment on top. I think it's 7.5%, but you will have to check on a customs website to be sure.

It can STILL work out cheaper, but is obviously not so attractive as it first appears.

Also, be careful with warranty and make sure that the object you order is with a full worldwide warranty.

The last point to bear in mind that shipments from the States with the card verification, hold up in customs etc. can mean you wait for 2 weeks or so at least for the package. B&H will give you a shipping number and you can at least see where the package is during it's journey. You should not worry at all about B&H themselves. Big company, highly reputable and smooth operation. I have been to the store in New York and it was like being a kid in a toyshop - it's very impressive!

Steve

[MarkH]

Here in New Zealand I have ordered several times from B&H, goods are sent from there with just the purchase price + freight paid.

When my Speedlite 550EX arrived here customs decided that it was worth their while making me pay GST (Goods and Services Tax - 12.5%) as the item was valued at over $400 NZ. For orders worth less money the GST would be under $50NZ and it would cost more money to collect the money than it is worth. I still saved about a third of the local cost though.

If there is no-one on this forum in Korea that can advise on how they charge there, then you may want to give a call to customs and ask them.

Every country is different so you will need advise specific to your country.

[Joytek]

Thanks for the info...

since I am about to order about 5000$ worth of stuff, I have a feeling that the customs office will eat me for breakfast.....I guess I will have to try to find out before I do it.

w.

[Jesper]

I bought the EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens from B&H and had it shipped here (the Netherlands) and I had to pay tax to the UPS guy who came to deliver it. Even with the shipping and tax it was still cheaper than buying it at a local store. I don't know anything about how it works in Korea.