deebee wrote: Does anybody have any recommendations as to who to buy used amps from in the US, UK, or Germany, as no one seems to ship out here, and if they do, the costs are waaaay high. UK and Germany are 220 hence their inclusion. Thankx in advance for any forthcoming info.

+1 I would love to bring over an amp Kit and two Celestions.

There are some great amp kits out there! And with a few mods you can make em even better! And it beats prying open a genuine fender blackface or Marshall 100W head ?

Just query the price, most sites are setup for local Suggested Retail Price, which will include VAT,GST or sales TAX,

I have noticed that a few sites that quote the local SRP + international shipping, when it should be SRP - VAT, GST etc + international shipping ... so they score in some cases up 18%.

and don't forget to as for a discount !!!!!

You can find any used or new amp you want on eBay.

But, be prepared for very expensive shipping, a combo amp is heavy, there is no cheap way to ship it.
Best bet is to buy a head, that will cost a lot less to ship.

Tokai SA wrote: You can find any used or new amp you want on eBay.

But, be prepared for very expensive shipping, a combo amp is heavy, there is no cheap way to ship it.
Best bet is to buy a head, that will cost a lot less to ship.

+1

I paid R12000 to get my two Swarts here, total shipping costs etc and vat.
Sooo unless you getting something pretty awesome... Dont bother ?

Ebay. Use a 'recommended' or 'top seller'. Check their ratings.
If they're hip they will ship it to you via USPS (the cheapest) and mark it as a low value, 2nd hand amp (thereby avoiding customs duty).
2nd option, have the seller ship to a friend in the USA who then ships it on for you.

All my gear I've purchased this way.

xdoomx wrote: Ebay. Use a 'recommended' or 'top seller'. Check their ratings.
If they're hip they will ship it to you via USPS (the cheapest) and mark it as a low value, 2nd hand amp (thereby avoiding customs duty).
2nd option, have the seller ship to a friend in the USA who then ships it on for you.

All my gear I've purchased this way.

Hey Xdoomx

I have someone in the states. how and what do they specify is being shipped ? does the recipient still get charged VAT/import TAX ?

Apologies , i have never done this but very keen to in future.

Never assume SARS are blind to these "workarounds". They do check values and they do fine and confiscate goods. Tax evasion is a serious offense...

RJN they will get charges for VAT but if you put it as a 2ndhand amp it's duty free. But yeah Alan is right... If they look into it and find a new amp you're in for it.

Still you could get your guy to play it for about a month before its sent down

Technically its the same as a friend buying an amp, and then deciding they don't want it, selling it for say $50 and posting it to you.
Doesn't matter if it 'looks' brand new. I normally ask them to repack the item into a different box just to be safe.
It is a form of tax evasion, but there is no law that covers this scenario.
When the item arrives at customs they may open it, check its condition, its value, where its from (if its from an individual its more likely to be 2nd hand) and ask you to pay a duty on it. This duty will be levied on A. the declared value (which will probably be close to the real value because you probably would have been accurate for insurance purposes). B. A value that someone in customs decides upon somehow.
But again, the law only states that duty is paid on NEW items. You're stealing business from a local supplier though, and this is the reason for these strict import control/duties. The government wants to control the amount of imports and get money from them for some reason..
I only do this for high end items I can't buy locally, and when store service levels/knowledge on the item are so bad that I can't help but go elsewhere.

xdoomx wrote: Technically its the same as a friend buying an amp, and then deciding they don't want it, selling it for say $50 and posting it to you.
Doesn't matter if it 'looks' brand new. I normally ask them to repack the item into a different box just to be safe.
It is a form of tax evasion, but there is no law that covers this scenario.
When the item arrives at customs they may open it, check its condition, its value, where its from (if its from an individual its more likely to be 2nd hand) and ask you to pay a duty on it. This duty will be levied on A. the declared value (which will probably be close to the real value because you probably would have been accurate for insurance purposes). B. A value that someone in customs decides upon somehow.
But again, the law only states that duty is paid on NEW items. You're stealing business from a local supplier though, and this is the reason for these strict import control/duties. The government wants to control the amount of imports and get money from them for some reason..
I only do this for high end items I can't buy locally, and when store service levels/knowledge on the item are so bad that I can't help but go elsewhere.

Nope , its the govt that wants its cut ...govt dont care about local business....and it aint stealing from local business either...

i import stuff when it is cost effective to do so and local stores cannot match the pricing or item is not obtainable..... which indicates a fault somewhere in the business model....

if i can pay street price in the usa and pay shipping via air freight and still come in at around 60% of local cost then something aint right with he local business.... also sometimes local business quotes 3 months for de;livery which i can get in 3 days at a much better cost.

no duty on guitars by the way or amps...only VAT and an excise charge(which is minimal)

I've brought in a few pick ups, trap pieces, and bass bridges recently. I had to take my e-bay invoices with me to the SARS collection depot to prove what i had paid for the items. I then paid VAT and a minimal clearance fee and that was it. I've mailed my nephew in Canada to see if he can [and will] find me something and if it's worthwhile, mail it to me. Soooooooooooooo - - - time will tell

you always pay VAT. At the very least. Even on second hand imports.
If you have been lucky and NOT paid, then thats all you were, lucky. ?

deebee wrote: Does anybody have any recommendations as to who to buy used amps from in the US, UK, or Germany, as no one seems to ship out here, and if they do, the costs are waaaay high. UK and Germany are 220 hence their inclusion. Thankx in advance for any forthcoming info.

First see if you can't get the amp (new or used) locally .....best bet IMHO

deebee wrote: I've brought in a few pick ups, trap pieces, and bass bridges recently. I had to take my e-bay invoices with me to the SARS collection depot to prove what i had paid for the items. I then paid VAT and a minimal clearance fee and that was it. I've mailed my nephew in Canada to see if he can [and will] find me something and if it's worthwhile, mail it to me. Soooooooooooooo - - - time will tell

hey Please let me know.

im just thinking , I would love to ship some Pedals from USA every now and then should i not find a distributor .

I would love to ship some Celestions drivers at most.

Warren, my nephew has replied, and he no longer uses e-bay. His account got hacked into and he got no support or interest from e-bay whatsoever. He also said about the very high shipping charges 'cos of the weight issue. If u want to bring in pedals, that should be no prob, as they are light and shipping would be minimal. He also said that Amazon apparently no longer post to this country 'cos of postal theft, soooooo, it's something else to think about. A few things that i ordered took two and a half months to get here, and e-bay did not reply to one of my mails inquiring as to the delay, nor did the company's selling the items reply to my mails.

Look, normally when taking the cheapest shipping, you dont get a tracking number. In that case, you cant do anything but wait unfortunately.
When possible, USPS Priority international mail is the minimum shipping type you should use, if you can, rather use the express option.

When i shipped m warmoth body, i used UPS. Sure, it was around $160, but it was here in 3 days, in one piece.

As far as duties go - I bring stuff in frequently. 0% on musical instruments, but if you're not sure, check here http://www.dutycalculator.com/popular-import-items/import-duty-and-taxes-for-music-compact-discs/

That's for cd's but just punch in what you're bringing in, price, etc. and you'll get a pretty accurate assessment of your duties. I've always found it to be spot on. Don't forget the VAT where applicable.