Fencing.Net - Your Guide to Fencing & Fencing Equipment

carlos · 06-18-2002, 09:25 AM

I live in the US have seen some vendors in Europe with websites that offer good equipment at very good prices (example: fechsport-langenkamp).
Of course, there would be substantial shipping charges to the US. Does anyone know if there are any other charges, such as import duties or taxes?
If I buy from the US, I don't have to pay the EU 16% VAT, right?

KC · 06-18-2002, 09:31 AM

You do not have to pay the VAT and there are no other taxes as long as you are buying for your personal use. If you are retailing the items then you will be subject to other tarrifs.

neevel · 06-18-2002, 10:08 AM

You can find information by going to <a href="http://www.customs.gov" target="_blank">www.customs.gov</a> , selecting "Importing and Exporting" at the sidbar, and then scrolling down to the "Internet Purchases" link. The hard limit to be aware of is $2000, as anything more than that requires a formal entry process. If the value is under $200, it'll be passed right on through. For declared values of over $200, you may have duty assessed. Exactly what the tariff will be can be pretty involved to determine (you can make a career out of doing that), but it'll probably be in the range of 7-10%. If a duty is assessed, you'll either be billed by the courier for it, or have to go down to the Post Office to pay it and pick up the package.

-Dave

veeco · 06-18-2002, 11:12 AM

I recently ordered from fechtsport-langenkamp, I have not received anything yet.

I have ordered directly through the website, but I did not get any confirmation and my credit card has not been charged yet. Does anyone know how long it takes for them to respond to international orders usually?

[ 06-27-2002, 02:12 AM: Message edited by: veeco ]

Emfuser · 06-22-2002, 12:09 AM

Dave Neevel has it right.

Do your utmost to never exceed that $2000 mark. The mess of going through a formal customs entry SUCKS.

Link14 · 06-24-2002, 09:39 AM

Hi veeco,

They might be on "company vacation". I ordered a mask, coaching vest, and sabre mask protector from them about three months ago. I didn't have a problem with them responding and confirming the order....they just didn't have any of the equipment I wanted! It was all down at Junior Worlds! As soon as they got it back ( about 2 weeks) they sent my order and notified me via e-mail.

A word of caution....I used "standard ground" shipping and it took almost exactly a month to get from Germany to Colorado, USA. But hey, the equipment is excellent and when I tell people I got my Uhlmann FIE comfort+ mask for about $100 (shipping included) their look of amazement is worth it. And the vest, I couldn't find anywhere that you could get it here in the US.

I think Langenkamp is a great place to order from, if you have the time to wait.

veeco · 06-24-2002, 10:10 PM

Yeah I'll try to call them tonight. Hope they speak English (or French ;-).

I think that they should charge your card right away, I don't like having money on my account I know I can't touch because I have made a purchase but it has not been withdrawn... Usually I tend to spend it and then I get screwed ;-).

[ 06-27-2002, 02:23 AM: Message edited by: veeco ]

damianip · 06-25-2002, 12:56 PM

Veeco,

I don't know about French but they write in English very well. All e-mail correspondence i've had with them has been timely and clear.

Paolo

Inquartata · 06-26-2002, 08:23 PM

So, if you wanted to order, say $3000 worth of gear, how likely would Customs be to "see through" two orders for $1500 each?

Emfuser · 06-26-2002, 11:15 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Inquartata:
So, if you wanted to order, say $3000 worth of gear, how likely would Customs be to "see through" two orders for $1500 each?<hr /></blockquote>I would suggest ordering them at least a day or two apart (make sure the company you order from understands that they need to SHIP them a day or two apart). If you got 2 shipments of stuff from the same company on the same day that added up to $2000+, you'll have to file a formal entry.

Otherwise, if you can separate them, you'll just pay normal duties. Fair warning: Uniforms (textiles) are about the only items that draw a tariff and I've had problems where they thought an order of various stuff was ALL UNIFORMS and hit the whole order with that tariff. I would make sure that any textile items you get all be in the same shipment/order.

[ 06-27-2002, 02:16 AM: Message edited by: Emfuser ]

engardemisami · 06-27-2002, 02:12 PM

Would a shipment of blades (which will come in a long box) cost the same as a shipment of a mask and other stuff (that may come in a more compact square box) if both shipments weighed the same? I am afraid that shipment costs may get affected by the size or irregularity of the packaging. I think this is the case here in the US, isn't it? I don't know how they do it abroad.

Emfuser · 06-28-2002, 06:36 PM

Not in my experience they haven't. I've ordered 30-40+ blades at the same time and never endured any extra charges. As far as the shipping charges it seems to be solely based on weight.

mfp · 07-09-2002, 12:58 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Emfuser:

Otherwise, if you can separate them, you'll just pay normal duties. Fair warning: Uniforms (textiles) are about the only items that draw a tariff and I've had problems where they thought an order of various stuff was ALL UNIFORMS and hit the whole order with that tariff. I would make sure that any textile items you get all be in the same shipment/order.<hr /></blockquote>If you are importing a fair amount of equipment (even at less than $2000 at a time) into the US, it can pay to contact someone who specializes in the Harmonized Tariff system of the US.

The tariff system is quite complex and there really is no more such a thing as "normal duties" than there is "normal US federal taxes".

Consider fencing uniforms for example. Since the US has protectionist tariffs on various clothing and textiles items, a tariff specialist might be able to advise you to classify your shipment as something else (protective sporting equipment?) for a lower tariff rate. Or the specialist might know that your items made in country X qualify for special exemptions, etc.

Otherwise realize that if the inspecting customs officer considers your shipment of fencing uniforms to be a commercial textile shipment, delivery might be held up for formal entry paperwork even if its value is under $2000:

Formal Entries: If your goods are valued at more than $2000, or for commercial textile shipments (clothes/materials) regardless of value, you will be required to file a formal entry, which can require extensive paperwork and the filing of a Customs bond.

[ 07-09-2002, 04:28 PM: Message edited by: mfp ]

Emfuser · 07-09-2002, 07:40 PM

Actually, the "normal duties" I insinuate are according to the harmonized tariff schedule.

Sorry about the confusion, but you're preaching to the choir here.

R. Exnicios · 08-20-2002, 10:57 AM

I have ordered several times from fechtsport-langenkamp and have never had a problem. I do however keep the orders well below the $2,000 mark and space my order out by a couple of weeks. The quality and price are well worth the wait. I have tried to order from other sources in Europe and have had significant difficulties in getting it done.

Thank you fechtsport-langenkamp!

Puppet Master · 08-22-2002, 12:11 PM

On a free currency converter it showed the euro being worth more than the US dollar. Is this right??

veeco · 08-22-2002, 01:20 PM

Ooooh scary huh?! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

Yes, indeed, the Euro is worth more than the dollar right now.

The European economy is not as bad as North Americans would like to think it is... Especially when a bunch of US based people start buying fencing equipment overseas instead of priviledging US based vendors <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" /> .

Now, I don't feel guilty ordering from Fechtsport-Langenkamp, really.

[ 08-22-2002, 04:23 PM: Message edited by: veeco ]

veeco · 08-22-2002, 01:26 PM

Just checked: <a href="http://www.xe.com/ucc/convert.cgi" target="_blank">http://www.xe.com/ucc/convert.cgi</a>

And it says that 1 Euro is about 0.96 Dollars.

So it seems like the most up to date info says that Dollars are worth more than Euros.