Fed Ex and VAT

[george]

just ask them to move flexs or nrds to other orders, they did that for me

 

[Spawn_de]

We are still discounting ALL our international shipments by an average of 40-50%

But the system is quite intransparent, since the shipping costs for bigger items are much cheaper then those of smaller items. For example Cap A Bucky PF = 37$ // Daredevil Comiquette = 49$ ...

and we are still sending gift codes directly to your promotional wallets (if you do not receive them, please let us know)

Afaik is every customer receiving a gift code. So this is no additional promotion for EU customers.

and we are still offering 5% cash back with our Reward Points Program.

See above. The Reward Points Program is for every customer so no additional promotion for EU customers. So in my opinion it's not fair to argument here with promotional programs which a) are for every customer and b) were still existend before the harmonized code was changed.

 

[Collectorcol]

Seems to be a standard reply from sideshow, I got the same one. I was pleased with the $25 discount coupon until I realised it was only valid agains a small selection of, hard to shift, products. One bucky and one ex Bucky = £100 fedex bill. No more direct ordered for me!

 

[sazzle15]

I find sideshow shipping costs to be great $37 for Bucky when most us suppliers are asking $140 via courier and also it's still alot cheaper for some say from fp or play.com the only way I found cheaper say for the Bowen Thor is from the lcs, as mine gives me 25% off so for modern or action Thor it's £183which is good.

There only doing what customs has asked all along! The 5% was a loop hole in which customs have now cocked into, if you use say us postal the uk postal service still adds on 20% + handling charge at time of delivery when fed ex gives you a little leeway after the goods are received. When I buying direct I'm budgeting for the 20% in my price

Anyway that's my opinion

 

[microdragon]

Seems to be a standard reply from sideshow, I got the same one. I was pleased with the $25 discount coupon until I realised it was only valid agains a small selection of, hard to shift, products. One bucky and one ex Bucky = £100 fedex bill. No more direct ordered for me!

£20 quids for Fedex, that's a shame.

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

Just got off the phone with my bank as my Cyborg Darth Maul PF appeared as £231 instead of how it converts as £227 so the figures matched in terms of currency conversion and my standard bank charge of £1.25 was seperate and after a few minutes of waiting it turns out that Visa charges for international payments.

I dont know how i missed this befroe, i'm thinking its for payments over a certain amount if not then i'll have to add £7.44 to everything i get from SSC on top of the import duties.

 

[bloodgear]

'Disembursements out of the scope of EU Vat'

Can anyone tell me what this means? I'm trying to work out who they calculated this invoice.

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

Just got off the phone with my bank as my Cyborg Darth Maul PF appeared as £231 instead of how it converts as £227 so the figures matched in terms of currency conversion and my standard bank charge of £1.25 was seperate and after a few minutes of waiting it turns out that Visa charges for international payments.

I dont know how i missed this befroe, i'm thinking its for payments over a certain amount if not then i'll have to add £7.44 to everything i get from SSC on top of the import duties.

I spoke with visa europe and they said there were no such charges, i then rang my bank and they couldnt account for the excess amount, so they refunded it as an error.

 

[microdragon]

I spoke with visa europe and they said there were no such charges, i then rang my bank and they couldnt account for the excess amount, so they refunded it as an error.

my barclays card shows £231.89 as well but no any other charges. These banks always do this kind of things that charge your card without any notices.

 

[microdragon]

'Disembursements out of the scope of EU Vat'

Can anyone tell me what this means? I'm trying to work out who they calculated this invoice.

This means you need to pay 20% VAT on the amount you paid to sideshow. Custom make the invoice and Fedex pay it for you, then Fedex ask you to pay back to them with another £10 handling fee.

 

[Python]

This means you need to pay 20% VAT on the amount you paid to sideshow. Custom make the invoice and Fedex pay it for you, then Fedex ask you to pay back to them with another £10 handling fee.

You pay VAT on everything including shipping and customs charges etc so always plan for that, I asked an official why this is, he said its just the way it is and always has been so wont change any time soon...

 

[zimbo]

FedEx are wanting just over £50 for delivering my Gollum last week, I just sent them and email asking how come the prices have more than doubled since my delivery of Spiderman in January!!! (which was just over £21) WTF is going on. Now have to wait and see what the outcome of my query will be!!

...just found this thread now and if I have read correctly, we are getting charged (billed by fedex) by a different code now or something and thats why its more expensive, is that correct? If thats the case then my only other order currently with Sideshow (Lara Croft) will then be my last...

 

[bloodgear]

This means you need to pay 20% VAT on the amount you paid to sideshow. Custom make the invoice and Fedex pay it for you, then Fedex ask you to pay back to them with another £10 handling fee.

Thanks. They won't reply to their e-mails. They're still overcharging me, taking a lot more than 20% minus the handling fee.

Does the new code apply to 1/6 figures as well or is it just statues. If they're doing this across the board I think I'm gonna have to bow out ordering from SS Direct as well. No exclusive is worth that price.

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

SSC need to make it more feasible for its international customers, otherwise many will look elsewhere.

After the closure of its EU warehouse many have suffered the wrath of customs and fedex.

They offer free domestic shipping for its US customers, so the same should apply, if you take away the delivery costs then half on most and the full amount on others of these excess charges will be more managable.

We know that its not SSC responsibility officially, yet IT IS as these charges werent around before the EU warehouse shut down.

Side note: the customs SHOULD be for the items value not including shipping and handling.

I got my darth maul today $25 delivery, but i bet i'll be hit with about £35-£50 charges on top of that, where as the US have none of that.

There should be discounts at a rate strictly for international customers, the US customers already have a ton of other discounts, and when i say discounts for international customers, i'm not talking something that will eventually line SSC pockets like the gift cards, it should be something to help the international customers manage the cost ontop of ordering the products. Such as the RRP of a statue being reduced by a certain percentage for non-US customers, because when all the other charges are paid it will equal to about the same cost as the US pays.

It's called customer service, giving customers incentive to stay with SSC, cos at the moment i see myself (and others) leaving SSC as its too much cost overall.

Someone should start a poll for international customers asking if they are staying or leaving SSC based on the amount of excess charages facing us, since the EU warehouse closure

 

[Adoptedscot]

I wish all companies would make it more feasible for international customers, having said that it's not their fault we get charged those darn customs charges.

I recently got 2 items delivered from another US company.
The pieces themselves totalled $498, shipping was $95, the Customs charge bill I got with the new 20% VAT was £117 (roughly $189)

I hate customs charges and that combined with our lousy exchange rate they have caused me to virtually stop collecting, I just can't afford it.
I have two things still left on order but I'm even thinking on cancelling those and just not buying anymore.
x

 

[microdragon]

Today got my darth maul, so happy. But after thinking the custom will charge me about £60 (nearly half value of this statue) for the VAT+fedex fee, no happy any more. Fortunatly I am VAT registed, so no worry to claim back it. But still feel it's really too much.

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

All companies should make it more feasible for international customers, having said that it's not their fault we get charged those darn customs charges.

Technically it is as they closed theIr warehouse that bypassed all of these charges.

I'm going to E-Mail this to SSC, see if i get a decent response...

"Since the closure of the EU warehouse many loyal customers like myself and many others are being hit with Large customs, import duty, VAT and fedex charges that can almost make up a third or more of the items price, this is turning us away, there are numerous items that have free domestic delivery and although that would be difficult for international customers it does seem a better option than losing those customers because of these large excess charges. I understand that you have no control over these customs charges, however this wasnt a problem until you closed that warehouse. We need incentives to stick with SSC, something that will help us manage the overall cost of ordering through Sideshow, perhaps lowering the RRP of items for international customers, offering free delivery or some other means of making it financially feasible for us to stay"

 

[Adoptedscot]

Technically it is as they closed theIr warehouse that bypassed all of these charges.

Nah, that is just trying to argue semantics.
They are a US based company, the EU warehouse that was great for us which I appreciated and it was a bonus of buying from them in my eyes. I'm sure it was not an easy decision for them to close it but it was not financially sound for them, so they closed it.
We were lucky for a long time to have a collectables company that had an EU warehouse, most other companies I have bought from don't even have that so buying from SS was usually a treat as I didn't have to incur those additional charges that I would when buying from other companies

It's unfortunate the EU warehouse was not worthwhile for them because it was certainly benefitial to us but you cannot blame a company for cutting out something that is not working or too expensive to keep. That's just good business sense and at the end of the day they are a company and will do what's best for them to stay in business.

As for the charges, they are thrown on us by our government, not SS so I certainly don't blame them.

There's also other threads in this section that you may find help in.

The original EU Warehouse closing thread:
https://www.sideshowcollectors.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67934

A couple more about the subject:
https://www.sideshowcollectors.com/forums/showthread.php?t=71044
https://www.sideshowcollectors.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78674


Chicky actually replied in this thread you started which has the same sentiment as the email you are sending:
Please Create a Rewards Scheme for International Customers
https://www.sideshowcollectors.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88546

Our international shipping rates have been generously discounted for over a year now. The rate to send an item to Australia and into Europe is almost at 40% of what it originally was and close to comparable to shipping from coast to coast stateside.

Unfortunately, you voted your politicians in so the import fees you'll have to deal with. We ant help you there!

I hate the charges too but at the end of the day collecting is a luxury and is not a necessity in life so I have just reduced buying (if I buy anything at all).
I can certainly understand your opinion as I am affected too but all SS are guilty of is selling their products to whomever, whever they can.
It is our government who add these charges, not them.

x

 

[Adoptedscot]

We know that its not SSC responsibility officially, yet IT IS as these charges werent around before the EU warehouse shut down.

Side note: the customs SHOULD be for the items value not including shipping and handling.

I just noticed this section in your earlier post.

A) The charges have always been around, we were just lucky that SS had an EU warehouse to help us avoid getting hit by them.

B) The Customs charges are introduced/ governed and calculated by UK Customs, they choose that the cost should include the shipping and then the courier charge is added.
https://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channel...HMCE_CL_000014&propertyType=document#P17_1516
I agree though that it should be based on the item only but that's neither Sidehows nor my call. Again, it's our stupid goverment's call .

x

 

[microdragon]

I just noticed this section in your earlier post.

A) The charges have always been around, we were just lucky that SS had an EU warehouse to help us avoid getting hit by them.

B) The Customs charges are introduced/ governed and calculated by UK Customs, they choose that the cost should include the shipping and then the courier charge is added.
https://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channel...HMCE_CL_000014&propertyType=document#P17_1516
I agree though that it should be based on the item only but that's neither Sidehows nor my call. Again, it's our stupid goverment's call .

x