Buying CDs from the EU?

[Dave2002]

The most recent thread about Roger Norrington reminded me that I had bought several sets including some of his work a few years ago, from jpc.de.

That was before the B***** word! I've not bought anything online from the EU since but I think that jpc probably still have good offers, and they did have stock of quite a lot of Gielen and Norrington's work - to mention a couple of interesting examples.

Has anyone here bought from the EU in recent years, and if so were there any problems, or were things not so different from before the ... er .... trading disaster?

[jayne lee wilson]

I had a coupla rare CDs via Amazon Marketplace (Arnold & Gubaidulina) from Momox (Berlin) and recordcorner (Hamburg) recently, both good value without unusual P&P (around the typical 1.26)...
Delivery was quick, with no hidden charges, before or after..... but always check the delivery costs before you go ahead of course. I've seen some non-musical items looking pretty steep.

[gurnemanz]

I like jpc and have ordered quite a lot over the years but have only ordered twice in the last year or so. No problems or delays. They do have some very good offers but generally their prices are not competitive especially with post- Brexit exchange rate and 4 euro postage. Anyway, I have now almost stopped buying CDs and they don't do downloads so I may not ever use them again.

[Dave2002]

I like jpc and have ordered quite a lot over the years but have only ordered twice in the last year or so. No problems or delays. They do have some very good offers but generally their prices are not competitive especially with post- Brexit exchange rate and 4 euro postage. Anyway, I have now almost stopped buying CDs and they don't do downloads so I may not ever use them again.

It's interesting that JPC is perhaps no longer competitive. Jayne's point about checking the delivery charges makes some sort of sense - but it seems to me that whereas before this fiasco kicked in it was reasonably easy to find out charges in advance there is now sufficient uncertainty to make alternative suppliers with guaranteed delivery rates (probably from within the UK) more attractive.

I don't even know what happens with orders from Amazon now - even the variants in France, Germany, Spain, Italy - though I suspect that the deliveries might often still actually come from just north of the Forth Bridge whichever "country" handles the billing.
I haven't even attempted to order from non UK suppliers now - apart from digital downloads from the USA which seem to work - though with some form of UK sales tax added on - I'm guessing at 15%. We did have a delivery of wine from France about a year ago, but that was before the last round of trading uncertainty started to be enforced - if indeed it has been.

[BBMmk2]

I have bought from Momox too, no problems Others too. The only one I don’t like, and I order, if I only really have too, is Dodox. They’re really slow.

[Cockney Sparrow]

When Brexit set in, Jan 2021, IIRC the rules required foreign sellers to register for UK VAT and Am and Ebay for example acted as the accounter for any VAT charges. When the goods come into the UK, the next question is Customs Charges - each product class can be found in a huge directory of Categories. (I used to work adjacent to the Import Admin Dept of a German company - they were for ever looking up customs codes and the head of the section could reel off the codes for many of the products from memory - 3 people at least, in a medium sized operation).

The £15 exemption for VAT was swept away on 1 Jan, hence the end of very cheap imports of items from China direct - prices went up by a margin overnight - I imagine because Ebay takes the VAT & accounts for it. So, also, the Jersey based sellers, who previously didn't pay the same VAT rate, lost their price advantage (or had lost it a bit earlier). If jpc.de delivers direct to the UK, I imagine they have sorted these aspects to ensure goods get delivered, no complaints.

I wonder if there has been a bit of realism set in. I had about 8 CDs imported from the Jussi Bjorling Society of the US and they were packaged like a birthday present - its not a big operation. No problem. I had 3 DVDs from Musica Russica arrive a few days ago - they are a commercial side of an outfit promoting - well Russian performing scores, CDs, DVDs etc - but not, probably, into UK import rules. Neither of these were snagged by the P Office agency for HMRC and were just delivered. If the rules have been "clarified" or relaxed, or changed, I don't feel like looking it up again, so comments here are welcome as to what is actually happening. (Could just be that one way or another, there is no customs import duty charge on this class, or value of goods. I've lost my contacts with the import dept so I can't ask them - I imagine they are out of retirement and working at a premium.....)

In theory, there has been no change on imports from the US, in any case. Brexit just made the EU subject to the same rules as the rest of the World.

A final thought, maybe in time operations will relocate to N Ireland, as I think they are in a very unique situation with a status in the single market the rest of UK doesn't have.........

[Dave2002]

Not CDs as such, but today I enquired about buying some musical instruments from Thomann - based in Germany. I was informed that if the total order was over £149, that postage and packing to the UK would be free. I also asked if there would be any extra charges, and the response was that all taxes and charges would be paid before dispatch.

However, I'm still reluctant to try this, as it may well be that the company is passing on information in good faith, but has no real idea as to what will happen when the goods arrive in the UK. I had some dealings with Thomann a few years ago, and their service was really good, and they even paid for a return of an instrument which wasn't up to scratch. That, however, was before the B**** word became operative.

Does anyone else have experiences where there really is certainty that additional fees are taken care of by the sender in EU countries, or is it still a guessing game - subject to the vagaries of our import and local delivery systems?

[Joseph K]

Not CDs as such, but today I enquired about buying some musical instruments from Thomann - based in Germany. I was informed that if the total order was over £149, that postage and packing to the UK would be free. I also asked if there would be any extra charges, and the response was that all taxes and charges would be paid before dispatch.

However, I'm still reluctant to try this, as it may well be that the company is passing on information in good faith, but has no real idea as to what will happen when the goods arrive in the UK. I had some dealings with Thomann a few years ago, and their service was really good, and they even paid for a return of an instrument which wasn't up to scratch. That, however, was before the B**** word became operative.

Does anyone else have experiences where there really is certainty that additional fees are taken care of by the sender in EU countries, or is it still a guessing game - subject to the vagaries of our import and local delivery systems?

If you recall, I had to cough up a fair amount extra for the recently released Boulez boxed set... I'm not sure how one can 'experience' certainty ... you either have to cough up some or you don't...

[Dave2002]

If you recall, I had to cough up a fair amount extra for the recently released Boulez boxed set... I'm not sure how one can 'experience' certainty ... you either have to cough up some or you don't...

Yes - I do remember. I have been at least hoping that a sufficiently large number of people would have tried by now that some form of consensus would emerge.

As it is, for some of us the B***** word is turning out just as bad as it was predicted to be. I don't suppose the vendors in the EU are happy with it either. It's enough to make me seriously think of taking a trip round Europe, and actually going to stores to pick up items of interest - though maybe things will change before I have to resort to that.

Given that B***** has happened - I can accept that - but the shere ***** incompetence and lack of transparency which the UK has managed to create in dealings with EU countries beggars belief.

However I just found this page from Thomann, when I tried to find out where I'd have to go to to find a store - which seems more confidently assertive - https://www.thomann.de/gb/helpdesk_shipping.html

"Duty We take care of the custom declaration and you don't have any custom fees to pay."

If that is correct, then that is a good thing - but who knows exactly what surprises will emerge following this chaos.

[oddoneout]

Not CDs as such, but today I enquired about buying some musical instruments from Thomann - based in Germany. I was informed that if the total order was over £149, that postage and packing to the UK would be free. I also asked if there would be any extra charges, and the response was that all taxes and charges would be paid before dispatch.

However, I'm still reluctant to try this, as it may well be that the company is passing on information in good faith, but has no real idea as to what will happen when the goods arrive in the UK. I had some dealings with Thomann a few years ago, and their service was really good, and they even paid for a return of an instrument which wasn't up to scratch. That, however, was before the B**** word became operative.

Does anyone else have experiences where there really is certainty that additional fees are taken care of by the sender in EU countries, or is it still a guessing game - subject to the vagaries of our import and local delivery systems?

That would be my concern, as I assume that delivery from Thomann isn't "right through" from firm to customer, and it seems that different parts in the delivery chain don't always work to the same version/interpretation of the rules.
It was another factor in my decision not to go ahead with buying a recorder from them. Stumping up for the instrument was enough of a commitment for me (I don't mean that their prices were unreasonable, they weren't, but the instrument I wanted wasn't a school recorder level model) without risking charges and hassle on top. I couldn't find what I wanted at a sensible price in the UK so put it on hold but circumstances later changed so I couldn't go ahead anyway.

[mahlerfan]

Not CDs as such, but today I enquired about buying some musical instruments from Thomann - based in Germany. I was informed that if the total order was over £149, that postage and packing to the UK would be free. I also asked if there would be any extra charges, and the response was that all taxes and charges would be paid before dispatch.

However, I'm still reluctant to try this, as it may well be that the company is passing on information in good faith, but has no real idea as to what will happen when the goods arrive in the UK. I had some dealings with Thomann a few years ago, and their service was really good, and they even paid for a return of an instrument which wasn't up to scratch. That, however, was before the B**** word became operative.

Does anyone else have experiences where there really is certainty that additional fees are taken care of by the sender in EU countries, or is it still a guessing game - subject to the vagaries of our import and local delivery systems?

Just 3 months ago, I bought equipment to the tune of £350 from Thomann in Germany. In line with current procedure (most large companies), VAT and other charges were paid before dispatch and I received the items with no extra charges. I have also had similar transactions with European vendors in the last 3 months that were also unproblematic.

[Dave2002]

Just 3 months ago, I bought equipment to the tune of £350 from Thomann in Germany. In line with current procedure (most large companies), VAT and other charges were paid before dispatch and I received the items with no extra charges. I have also had similar transactions with European vendors in the last 3 months that were also unproblematic.

That's really good to hear - thanks. I may go back to Thomann - who assured me that there would be no extra charge. I can probably find things to buy from them!

Does the same now apply to JPC - a firm which had really good offers and/or interesting and unusual CDs before the B***** thing took hold?

Perhaps the various Amazon.EU sites may also now be worth checking for occasional bargains - even if delivery may be from the north side of the Forth Bridge.

I take JK's point that one doesn't actually know "for sure" until a delivery has taken place, with a local carrier trying to charge additional fees, but if several people are now reporting that imports are taking place without such extra inconvenience - and cost - then confidence that it's worth buying from the EU might now increase.

[mahlerfan]

That's really good to hear - thanks. I may go back to Thomann - who assured me that there would be no extra charge. I can probably find things to buy from them!

Does the same apply to JPC?

Perhaps the various Amazon.EU sites may also now be worth checking for occasional bargains - even if delivery may be from the north side of the Forth Bridge.

I take JK's point that one doesn't actually know "for sure" until a delivery has taken place, with a local carrier trying to charge additional fees, but if several people are now reporting that imports are taking place without such extra inconvenience - and cost - then confidence that it's worth buying from the EU might now increase.

I have made and received a number of purchases from JPC this year (one pending) and all went without hitch. My understanding is that the bigger companies take care of everything prior to dispatch.