software

Would I have to pay extra to get a custom shop pickup here in the UK, in addition to the already higher cost compared to the production models? A lot of the time when you import stuff from the US into the UK you have to pay customs duties and other costs (brokerage fees? ? ?). Would the custom shop be able to ship the pickup with no charge to ARIA U.K which is their distributor over here and then I could purchase it from them, or is the added cost unavoidable?

lt;bumpgt;

A lot of the UK guys act like the duties are unavoidable. Keep your eyes on the post till some UK guys comment.

Luke

No idea about the Aria thing, but if you get them to ship the pickup directly to you, there are several ways to get around customs:

1. Declare a low value for the item (under $70 seems to work, at least for me)

2. Make them tick the box that says 'gift'

Unfortunately, the first option is illegal, and as SD is a respected company, it is unlikely they'd be willing to do this for you.

If you buy the pickups from a UK dealer there shouldn't be any extra charges AFAIK, but I brought all of my pickups from the US, either via Ebay or the Trading Post here, and out of about 15 parcels only about 3 have been charged for customs duties, plus buying from the US the exchange rate is your favour, $70 is like £35 or near enough, so even with the customs you are better off, IMO.

I would avoid going through Aria UK - they're just an extra middle man taking their cut.

When I've bought regular SD pickups from Black Rose it works out cheaper than buying from a UK retailer, even after paying the shipping and customs charges. Sometimes a parcel gets through without having to pay the customs charges, but that seems to be getting rarer and you can't count on it.

If I wanted a custom shop pickup my first step would be to e-mail the custom shop and ask whether they ship to the UK and, if so, what would be the shipping cost.

Thanks Ill do that when ordering the custom shop pickup

Thanks Ill do that when ordering the custom shop pickup


Originally Posted by Simon_FI would avoid going through Aria UK - they're just an extra middle man taking their cut.

When I've bought regular SD pickups from Black Rose it works out cheaper than buying from a UK retailer, even after paying the shipping and customs charges. Sometimes a parcel gets through without having to pay the customs charges, but that seems to be getting rarer and you can't count on it.

If I wanted a custom shop pickup my first step would be to e-mail the custom shop and ask whether they ship to the UK and, if so, what would be the shipping cost.

1 to everything Simon said!

I live in Canada, and I usually have to import things from the States when i buy them. I have people tick the quot;giftquot; box and declare the value low and it keeps me from paying lots of GST/PST taxes. You risk not being able to get your money back if it gets lost in the mail or something. I trade gear mostly, so technically I am paying nothing for the item anyway, so I shouldn't have to pay sales taxes on it.

If SD wouldn't put it as a gift, would one of the dealers on this forum be able to obtain one and then do that for me? They seem like really cool guys

...any ideas?