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buying from China
FalkeEins
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England - South East, United Kingdom
Joined: March 07, 2005
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Posted: Monday, July 23, 2007 - 09:58 PM UTC

.. with the UK pound now buying over $2 there seem to be some great deals via China-based Ebay sellers - 48th Dragon Ju 188 caught my eye at $29 ..thats about half the retail price in the UK....what are the pitfalls of buying privately from China . .VAT to pay on delivery or something else I haven't thought of ...??
SGTJKJ
#041
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Kobenhavn, Denmark
Joined: July 20, 2006
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Posted: Tuesday, July 24, 2007 - 12:07 AM UTC
I think you would have to pay customs and VAT, but I am a little unsure since you are (probably) buying from a private person and not a business.

However, whether you will actually get caught is another matter.....
gaborka
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Borsod-Abauj-Zemblen, Hungary
Joined: October 09, 2005
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Posted: Wednesday, July 25, 2007 - 01:13 AM UTC
Hello,

yes you must (theoretically) pay VAT and customs, but only a little customs fee not customs duty (since China is a WTO country, and model kits are in product group 9, the customs duty is 0%). Normally the courier service who delivers the model will do all clearance for either you, or for the seller if he takes the responsibility of shipping, and it will be included in the shipping invoice (paid either by you or the seller, as above). This process is fairly smooth nowadays.

The main concern is how you pay and if you have any security that you will not be cheated, and also if the shipping costs are worth the stuff.

Hope it helps.
FalkeEins
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England - South East, United Kingdom
Joined: March 07, 2005
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Posted: Sunday, August 05, 2007 - 10:45 PM UTC


thanks for your replies...

well my Dragon Ju 188 arrived safe & sound from Shanghai..total costs, less than half the UK retail price ...

now I'm feeling guilty ..if we all do this, heaven knows how many model shops and small businesses would go under..
drabslab
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European Union
Joined: September 28, 2004
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Posted: Tuesday, August 07, 2007 - 10:08 PM UTC

Quoted Text


....what are the pitfalls of buying privately from China . .VAT to pay on delivery or something else I haven't thought of ...??


There is one reason to buy from China, it is very cheap.

There are many reasons NOT to buy from China, which have nothing to do with modelling but I find important anyway:

- like child labour
- not respecting human rights
- disregarding international trade agreements
- large scale production of fake goods
- a totalitary regime
- complete disregard of environmental issues
- random enprisonment of journalists
- ...

It might seem heavy handed but I am not prepared to support the economy of this country to gain a few euros myself.


drabslab
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European Union
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Posted: Tuesday, August 07, 2007 - 10:14 PM UTC

Quoted Text



now I'm feeling guilty ..if we all do this, heaven knows how many model shops and small businesses would go under..


yep, here you have another reson NOT to buy from China.

By buying cheap stuff which is only cheap because it is handled in a country without social security, or decent health care ...

we are undermining our own economy. If local shops go broke becaasue of this guess who will pay the unemployment allowance for these people, certainly not the chinese.
gaborka
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Borsod-Abauj-Zemblen, Hungary
Joined: October 09, 2005
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Posted: Tuesday, August 07, 2007 - 10:19 PM UTC
You must be very lucky that you can afford being so moral and pay extra profits.
sweaver
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Kentucky, United States
Joined: April 19, 2007
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Posted: Tuesday, August 07, 2007 - 10:35 PM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text



now I'm feeling guilty ..if we all do this, heaven knows how many model shops and small businesses would go under..


yep, here you have another reson NOT to buy from China.

By buying cheap stuff which is only cheap because it is handled in a country without social security, or decent health care ...

we are undermining our own economy. If local shops go broke becaasue of this guess who will pay the unemployment allowance for these people, certainly not the chinese.


The stuff in China is cheap because it is a Communist regime that can impose whatever laws they want on the people. These laws are usually passed for the monetary benefit of those in power and completely disregard the lower classes and what effect it will have on them. They also have a massive population so labor is cheap.

Still, it might be a good idea not to buy from them. You are in some small way helping their economy and government, which is currently building up its nuclear capabiltiy to alarming levels, and otherwise bolstering their military to a level that is not needed in peace. They seem to be planning something. They also repeatedly compromise our national security by stealing classified documents. Our govenment certaintly doesn't help things, though. Whenever an ambassador comes over, we basically show him our military, inside and out, in an effort to calm rising tensions! Of course I'm writing this as an American; other nations might not have these same issues with China.

Let's not turn this into a political battle, though. I'm glad you found a good deal. Remember to post pics. Sounds like an interesting build.
gaborka
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Borsod-Abauj-Zemblen, Hungary
Joined: October 09, 2005
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Posted: Monday, August 20, 2007 - 07:17 AM UTC
Aha, now you Ammies are jealous that somebody else has the same toys as you do. The only nation ever having used a nuclear weapon is not China, incidentally.
Besides this, your reasoning is somewhat faulty, because Chinese workers get the same 100 USD wage per month regardless where you buy your Dragon, Trumpeter, Hobby Boss, Hasegawa (and AMT, Monogram or whatever) kit.
Nevertheless,C[ ]
sweaver
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Kentucky, United States
Joined: April 19, 2007
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Posted: Monday, August 20, 2007 - 10:30 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Aha, now you Ammies are jealous that somebody else has the same toys as you do.


Not true. The Chinese military has been building up their military to alarming levels, AND has taken a threatening posture toward we "Ammies", as well as Taiwan and other South Asian countries. In fact, the US, in an effort to retain diplomatic ties, has been helping their nuclear development by sending them reactors for their factories. And no, we are not jealous, just suspicious, and rightly so. Nuclear weapons are a powerful weapon, and, in the hands of such leaders, can be used to devastate the lives of innocent people. We don't want another nuclear Cold War, or a not so cold one.


Quoted Text

only nation ever having used a nuclear weapon is not China, incidentally.


What does that have to do with it?

Now don't take me wrong. I do not like the effects of nuclear war, nor do I advocate its use at all times, but, the fact that the major world superpowers (US, China, Russia, etc) all have these weapons has kept us wary of entering into large scale wars, therefore the wars fought now are usually between smaller powers backed up by opposing superpowers.

Make sense? If you want to debate this, BTW, you might want to take it to another forum since this is the "General aircraft" forum.
gaborka
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Borsod-Abauj-Zemblen, Hungary
Joined: October 09, 2005
KitMaker: 626 posts
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Posted: Tuesday, August 21, 2007 - 05:10 AM UTC
OK. leave the nuke alone. However, as long as RMB is bound to the US Dollar, and the US is the biggest market of China, she is the biggest ally of the USA. Just think about it.

Otherwise, I still maintain that not buying a made-in-China product from a Chinese or a Hong-Kong webshop but doing the same from an American company with the built in dealer margins, only because you do not support China, is somewhat hypocritical.

FalkeEins
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England - South East, United Kingdom
Joined: March 07, 2005
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Posted: Friday, August 24, 2007 - 06:36 AM UTC

Quoted Text

By buying cheap stuff which is only cheap because it is handled in a country without social security, or decent health care ...

we are undermining our own economy. If local shops go broke becaasue of this guess who will pay the unemployment allowance for these people, certainly not the chinese.


..well ...thanks for your responses... I must admit I did briefly reflect on the ethics of purchasing directly from China ..but figured that taking a stand as an individual was like cutting off my nose to spite my face (or whatever the expression is) ..after all, most Western economies (UK & US of course) are major buyers of Chinese goods...and lets not not forget what Trumpeter & Dragon among others have done for the hobby .....I'm given to believe that a Chinese manufacturer is even sponsoring this very forum ..!
Lucky13
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Scotland, United Kingdom
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Posted: Friday, August 24, 2007 - 08:17 AM UTC
Sorry for jumping in like this folks. But, if buying from China is such a bad thing, then we shouldn't buy from many manufacturers that have their models made in China, what about them? The last ime that I saw a Dragon Junkers Ju 188 it was at $90+.... It's more a no win situation.
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