A New Bare Bulb Flash Arrives

mmmfotografie wrote in post #16921875
As said you can't compare the prices in the USA with us of the subsidizing and also stated excluding taxes. Our prices have to be stated including VAT, when they are for end users.

I thought VAT was added at every step?

sigma pi wrote in post #16923061
I thought VAT was added at every step?

It's added at every step, then claimed back at the next step, then added on to the new price, then claimed back by the next registered merchant and so on and so forth right through to the poor mug at the end of the chain.

It wouldn't be quite so bad if this even generated jobs for tax collectors. But it doesn't, each registered merchant generously donates their time doing all the paperwork and collecting the taxes and we are graciously allowed to do it for nothing. So, registered sellers act as unpaid tax collectors and unregistered buyers get to pay 19-25% (depending on country) tax. Convoluted doesn't even start to describe it. And we get to do this every three months - deep joy (not).

My very favourite bit is when they apply import duty on something and then put VAT on the duty. Taxing a tax is just plain sneaky. The cherry on that particular cake is that we are charged to have the tax on duty and the duty itself collected.

Aren't you sorry you asked?

Hold on to pants, in 2020 the EU is planning to have their own VAT tax on sales.....we are so screwed with the EU.

Trailboy wrote in post #16922673
Eff me, I give up.

All I did was pass on a deal alert for UK people. The post made it clear this was a deal for UK people in the UK.

Why bother even responding and quoting me if you're not interested in the UK deal for UK people or have anything relevant to say whatsoever about the deal?

You can buy your lights off a camel trader with a free carpet and a t shirt for all I care.

Some people....

Please don't get frustrated and your deal alert is certainly appreciated. As you above can read it was Scott, that misread my posting resulting in a misunderstanding.

I am glad that the misunderstanding is cleared now and that we can get on with the rest of the thread about a great flash set. It makes no difference which seller sells it as long you are in the clear about the real specifications of the flash and you are know what after service one can expect. This information is obtained by help of other posters so learn and be nice.

Marcel

One of my favorite things to do after two weeks in Europe was filling out the VAT refund document at the airport while waiting for the plan home. I discovered I could look at something in Chicago, then compare the price in Paris, London, Madrid, Amsterdam, or whichever cities I was traveling to on that trip and if I found it for the same price, considering currency conversion, I would get a 20% or so discount on the tax. And, not have to pay sales tax here.

I've offered before, and I will now too. I'll order enough stuff here to satisfy your fondest desires, then bring it with me as used photo gear and you can pick it up, at my hotel. PayPal to secure the gear, and hotel accommodations and airfare for the service.

Any takers? Its been awhile and I want to come visit.

dmward wrote in post #16923311
One of my favorite things to do after two weeks in Europe was filling out the VAT refund document at the airport while waiting for the plan home. I discovered I could look at something in Chicago, then compare the price in Paris, London, Madrid, Amsterdam, or whichever cities I was traveling to on that trip and if I found it for the same price, considering currency conversion, I would get a 20% or so discount on the tax. And, not have to pay sales tax here.

I've offered before, and I will now too. I'll order enough stuff here to satisfy your fondest desires, then bring it with me as used photo gear and you can pick it up, at my hotel. PayPal to secure the gear, and hotel accommodations and airfare for the service.

Any takers? Its been awhile and I want to come visit.

Too darn expensive nowadays for people from abroad and for people living in Europe.

A time ago I was interested in a Canon 1Ds and for the price difference I could buy plane ticket to New York, throw party spending $ 1000 and then even come back with some change....of-course if I could get the camera through customs without taxation. That is why I wrote we subsidize prices in the USA.

mmmfotografie wrote in post #16923376
Too darn expensive nowadays for people from abroad and for people living in Europe.

A time ago I was interested in a Canon 1Ds and for the price difference I could buy plane ticket to New York, throw party spending $ 1000 and then even come back with some change....of-course if I could get the camera through customs without taxation. That is why I wrote we subsidize prices in the USA.

When I was commuting to and from Europe it was a reality that the US was about 60% of the market for technology and Europe was about 30%. That did a lot to drive prices, distribution etc. My responsibility was to grow our European market. I love Europe, but it is still the second market. Now, with China becoming a consumer economy, its likely that US will become 2nd and Europe 3rd.

I am still amazed that all the really great lenses, cameras, and now speedlites come from China and Japan. Lieca and Hasselblad being the only really exceptions. Well maybe Elinchrom, Bowens, Profoto and a couple of other lighting companies.

dmward wrote in post #16923828
When I was commuting to and from Europe it was a reality that the US was about 60% of the market for technology and Europe was about 30%. That did a lot to drive prices, distribution etc. My responsibility was to grow our European market. I love Europe, but it is still the second market. Now, with China becoming a consumer economy, its likely that US will become 2nd and Europe 3rd.

I am still amazed that all the really great lenses, cameras, and now speedlites come from China and Japan. Lieca and Hasselblad being the only really exceptions. Well maybe Elinchrom, Bowens, Profoto and a couple of other lighting companies.

Now China is becoming a consumer economie companies are returning to the Netherland because of the increased cost for labour. It is sad that China made that step by poisoning their environment that is shortening now their life expectancy.

The people in Japan have a work addiction even till they drop death on the job. Quality is very important so 'Made in Japan' has a great name.

UK Customs and Excise are clamping down on Chinese sourced technology imports nowadays.

I used to import thousands of £s worth of camera stuff and never once got stung by UK customs and Excise.

Just imported from Korea a 2560 27" monitor and got stung £40 import duty by FedEx! I think this is standard now, and you are lucky if you get it through free. Maybe C&E are forcefully demanding Couriers collect the tax?

abbadon31 wrote in post #16923022
The camel trader or the flash?

Good point. I mean the camel trader, but he's a lovely one so it's OK. For Europeans all the cheetah praise doesn't mind anyways.

Trailboy wrote in post #16924085
UK Customs and Excise are clamping down on Chinese sourced technology imports nowadays.

I used to import thousands of £s worth of camera stuff and never once got stung by UK customs and Excise.

Just imported from Korea a 2560 27" monitor and got stung £40 import duty by FedEx! I think this is standard now, and you are lucky if you get it through free. Maybe C&E are forcefully demanding Couriers collect the tax?

There's no doubt that HMRC started being a little more efficient (aka officious) about 7 months ago. I was talking to a Royal Mail sorting office person a few weeks ago who told me that their 'Duty Payable' deliveries had gone up from 3-4 a month to about 15 per week since October last year (this was just one delivery office, not the whole of Royal Snail!)

Careful analysis of my own imports suggests that anything which flags as 'special' (ie higher value) because of the transport method - eg 'Signed For', Special Delivery or via a courier such as DHL or Fedex gets additional scrutiny and the duty is applied. Anything in the ordinary mail just doesn't get looked at because of sheer volume & therefore slips through unnoticed. Once something has been flagged as Duty Payable, the carrier is obliged to collect the fee or they become liable for it themselves by default. Pretty darned sure they will collect the duty that way.

It's not just stuff from China either - I get thumped on stuff from USA. In fact, I was charged duty on a Gift (and it truly was a gift, I had absolutely no idea what was in the parcel) because USPS automatically charged the sender insurance and there is duty payable on the carriage and the insurance as well as the goods/gift. This despite the fact that I hadn't paid for the insurance or carriage either. Grrr.

IF, and I definitely will NOT be testing this theory personally, anyone is brave enough to order a high value package but have it sent by ordinary mail, my theory is that it will arrive without duty charged. If it arrives at all, that is. But this will remain a theory - the only things which don't disappear in the post are junk and bills.

I am in the US but my experience is if it arrives by Fedex then there will be a duty fee.

And we can add Interfit to the long list of seller of the flash:

http://www.interfitpho​tographic.com/sections​/pro-flash.html

I believe the "Flashpoint" badged version is on sale at Adorama right now at a hefty savings from their regular pricing. Just saying.

Though times for Edward now the other shops are that low in price.