Bargains

[Dave2002]

too good to miss so posted twice Il Giardino Armonico Collected Recordings £20 in mp3

And also in aac format via iTunes for those who prefer aac at the same price. Search in iTunes for Giardino Armonico and you should find https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/co...no/id405936874

[Mandryka]

Which would you go for?

EMI Wagner Box for £54 on Amazon or
DG Wagner Box for £58 on Amazon

I'm leaning towards the EMI because it offers me fewer duplications, but am not convinced by either of the Ring cycles offered up

I've ordered the DG set, partly because it involves less duplication than the EMI, but mainly because it really is THE COMPLETE OPERAS: I applaud Universal's enterprise in securing rights to use the BBC productions of Die Feen and Das Liebesverbot, neither of which I currently have recordings of.


The Sawallisch Ring on EMI is excellent, though: it features a less starry cast than the Levine but benefits from having a conductor at the helm who really knows what he's doing. It's all the better for being separated from the ghastly Gotz Friedrich (?) production that was screened by the BBC in 1990.

[amateur51]

It's available from Amazon marketplace for £33.50 plus £1.26 delivery!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-lis...&condition=new

Sorry, Curalach that's the price I was boggling at. It's on its way, I'm informed

[Curalach]

Sorry, Curalach that's the price I was boggling at. It's on its way, I'm informed

[Bryn]

I've been wondering where to post about this matter and decided this was the most apposite thread.

Back on August 23rd I ordered the following sets via the amazon.co.uk marketplace:

&

Today I received a pair of emails for me the vendor (based over the Pond) to say that both were delayed due to their being held by the British Customs Authorities. The prices of the two sets were £11.20 and £12.89, each including p&p. What are the British Customs Authorities playing at? Each is below the price level at which duty is normally payable. I suppose it is just possible that the vendor packaged the two separate orders together (in which case I will reject the package. They were separate orders, each with its own p&p charge). The vendor is providing the British Customs Authorities with commercial invoices in respect of each set in order to get them released. How much is this incompetent faffing about by Customs and Excise going to cost us tax payers?

[Thropplenoggin]

I've been wondering where to post about this matter and decided this was the most apposite thread.

Back on August 23rd I ordered the following sets via the amazon.co.uk marketplace:

&

Today I received a pair of emails for me the vendor (based over the Pond) to say that both were delayed due to their being held by the British Customs Authorities. The prices of the two sets were £11.20 and £12.89, each including p&p. What are the British Customs Authorities playing at? Each is below the price level at which duty is normally payable. I suppose it is just possible that the vendor packaged the two separate orders together (in which case I will reject the package. They were separate orders, each with its own p&p charge). The vendor is providing the British Customs Authorities with commercial invoices in respect of each set in order to get them released. How much is this incompetent faffing about by Customs and Excise going to cost us tax payers?

Perhaps the officers in question are fans of Sigi

[soileduk]

It used to be that a US$ purchase of up to (about) £17 including p&p would get through OK but when they tightened up the VAT loophole for Channel island based sellers this quietly went down to about £15. The real criminals in this is the Post Office or other carrier who will charge you a minimum £8 fee to do the collection on your behalf.

[soileduk]

If you have a fee demand from the Post Office, either at the door or on collection from them, I understand that you can refuse to pay the fee and ask for a formal bill to be sent to you. They cannot refuse this as it is illegal for the Post Office to hold up the mail or hold mail 'to ransome'. When the bill arrives just refuse to pay as,apparently, the charge is untenable.
There is more,and more accurate, information out there on teh interwebs about this.

[amateur51]

If you have a fee demand from the Post Office, either at the door or on collection from them, I understand that you can refuse to pay the fee and ask for a formal bill to be sent to you. They cannot refuse this as it is illegal for the Post Office to hold up the mail or hold mail 'to ransome'. When the bill arrives just refuse to pay as,apparently, the charge is untenable.
There is more,and more accurate, information out there on teh interwebs about this.

Sound advice I'm sure soileduk but as Sid Field used to a say "Whattaperformance!"

[soileduk]

Your not wrong there,Amateur51. I have not had to test this as yet hence my slightly round about language. Its main influence has been to limit my purchases to the value limit.

Frenchfrank, if this looks like it could run to a few posts perhapse it could have its own thread so as not to derail the Bargains.

Bryn, in my opinion, if the matter is in the hands of customs then something has alerted them and not the Post Office mafia. They do do spot checks and also in todays climate do go for odd looking packages.

[Dave2002]

I've been wondering where to post about this matter and decided this was the most apposite thread.

Back on August 23rd I ordered the following sets via the amazon.co.uk marketplace:

[images suppressed]

Today I received a pair of emails for me the vendor (based over the Pond) to say that both were delayed due to their being held by the British Customs Authorities. The prices of the two sets were £11.20 and £12.89, each including p&p. What are the British Customs Authorities playing at? Each is below the price level at which duty is normally payable. I suppose it is just possible that the vendor packaged the two separate orders together (in which case I will reject the package. They were separate orders, each with its own p&p charge). The vendor is providing the British Customs Authorities with commercial invoices in respect of each set in order to get them released. How much is this incompetent faffing about by Customs and Excise going to cost us tax payers?

Bryn

This and the ensuing discussion is perhaps relevant to the following item -

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B003UCPEJ2/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new

I have pointed this one out before, but since then the price in the UK has gone up considerably - now £163.50.
There is a supplier based in California who will send it for £88.96 plus 1.26p UK delivery.

In this case there would be no question that duty should be paid if HMRC queried it - and indeed if the box really is sent from CA, but the big question is "would this then still compare favourably with Amazon's current price for delivery from the UK or within the EU?"

Re your original post, HMRC can get this sorted out, though I can't say with what percentage of success at zero or low cost to you. I once had a pair of glasses sent from California. The cost to me had been $5 (possibly $10 - but either way rather small) I believe, as part of a medical plan, but I'd not been able to pick them up before I left. HMRC (actually then Customs and Excise) queried the items and tried to charge me ££s - because they thought - rightly - the value was over £100. When I explained that I'd only actually paid a few dollars and the only reason they were sent to the UK was because I had to leave the US before they were actually ready for me, they backed down. It didn't cost me much more than a phone call and a letter and there was a small delay of a few days.

They might not always be so reasonable.

[Dave2002]

For those who like English Choral Music, this is an excellent bargain, which includes the BaL recommendation for the Howells Requiem

http://www.mdt.co.uk/english-choral-...xos-10cds.html

The only slight snag is the extra £3 for first class postage which MDT seem to charge. Unlike Amazon there doesn't seem to be a "free" option for delivery.

As this particular set is marginal for me (would I really like that much choral music?), the extra £3 could be a deal breaker. I was thinking of getting it anyway, just to educate myself. [I can confirm that even with the £3 this is still cheaper than other online suppliers at the current time.]

I sometimes listen to Choral Evensong if I happen to be driving. I only rarely turn it off - though I wouldn't normally go out of my way to hear this kind of music (plus the extra bits ...). Perhaps the box set would at least avoid having the other aspects of a church service, and the music might "live by itself".

[PJPJ]

The only slight snag is the extra £3 for first class postage which MDT seem to charge. Unlike Amazon there doesn't seem to be a "free" option for delivery.

And unlike Amazon, MDT pays all of its taxes in the UK as it does not have offices, as hmv.com and amazon do, in the Channel Islands.

[cloughie]

The only slight snag is the extra £3 for first class postage which MDT seem to charge. Unlike Amazon there doesn't seem to be a "free" option for delivery.

As this particular set is marginal for me (would I really like that much choral music?), the extra £3 could be a deal breaker. I was thinking of getting it anyway, just to educate myself. [I can confirm that even with the £3 this is still cheaper than other online suppliers at the current time.]

I sometimes listen to Choral Evensong if I happen to be driving. I only rarely turn it off - though I wouldn't normally go out of my way to hear this kind of music (plus the extra bits ...). Perhaps the box set would at least avoid having the other aspects of a church service, and the music might "live by itself".

I see Sainsburys' price is £17-99 post-free ie same gross as MDT.

[cloughie]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Classical-Masterworks-Various/dp/B008BP1OEW/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1350121477&sr=1-1

Anybody know what's on this - is it a must have bargain or a waste of shelf-space - seems to be Arte Nova rather than straight Sony but what's on it?