Antman
Hi All,
I have a very particular GAS - I really like the simplicity of the re-issue Gibson Melody Maker, I know there are dozens of better and cheaper alternatives - it still doesn't stop me wanting one! ?
Gibson's official response to me was to buy one in a country where they operate - really helpful....
Has anyone bought a guitar of a site on the net and brought it into SA? Doable? Or avoid at all costs?
Sadly it's the only way I will get one here...
Cheers,
Ant
guidothepimmp
yeah dude, I did...
got to look it through properly though because customs duties coming in to RSA are quite steep. On the plus side, the guitars are half the price of what they are here.
in the end, i bought it anyways and got it shipped to my mate that lives in the uk, then his sister brought it through so i scored on the customs duties ?
Antman
Hmmm... maybe not such a bad idea - I think the average retail of the melody maker is $350, chuck in a case and it may not be too bad....
Bob-Dubery
I think it's generally a dodgy proposition - you are buying a guitar you haven't seen, let alone touched.
It CAN work if you know and trust the seller. I still have occasional thoughts of buying a Lowden and having that couriered in, but I have had some dealings with a specific Lowden dealer in the UK and would trust them to do right by me.
msch997
Firstly there are no duties on guitars. The costs you have to face are the shipping and the VAT on the value of the guitar when you clear customs. The shipping could be more than the price of your guitar. If you can get the guitar shipped to a business rather than a residential address that will help the costs a bit.
I have brought in two guitars but both from reputable dealers <well researched up front>
guidothepimmp
msch997 wrote:
Firstly there are no duties on guitars. The costs you have to face are the shipping and the VAT on the value of the guitar when you clear customs. The shipping could be more than the price of your guitar. If you can get the guitar shipped to a business rather than a residential address that will help the costs a bit.
I have brought in two guitars but both from reputable dealers <well researched up front>
Sorry if my terminology was wrong, but that bit about the VAT on the value of the guitar when clearing customs is what I was referring to... :-[
i also used a reputable dealer... one of the stores on Denmark Str. Very helpful too
Antman
Anyone used Wantitall ? There prices don't seem too bad when you factor in shipping and vat, seems like much of what they bring in comes from Amazon....
AlanRatcliffe
Take2 at lest take all the worry out of having a guitar shipped, but you still have the issue of buying something sight unseen, which I don't recommend for a guitar.
I bought a guitar from someone I know and trust in the US for $1,000. Courier costs were almost $350. Ultimately I didn't bond with the guitar even though it sounded great and sold it on.
I would however, rather look at an LP Special or Junior rather than a MM. I've seen quite a few MMs and never been impressed. Same mahogany slab construction, but thicker and P90 goodness which is the perfect match for an all-mahogany guitar (IMO). ?
Ray
Gotto agree that buying a guitar blind is risky but I have been smitten as Antman has been. In my case I read a review of a Godin 5th Avenue in Guitarist and been lurking on the Godin site and Take2 for some time with a hovering finger. And a cherry Casino. And a Wildkat. I cant find them anywhere here and it is just a matter of time I think.
Antman
Agree Alan, after a bit more thought, I think the Les Paul Studio special will make a better guitar.....
singemonkey
Take2 are so expensive (South African retail prices), that I'd rather take the risk. You've got to make sure to get the guitar with a hard case.
But ultimately, they're so much cheaper, you have so much more choice in used instruments, that if you can't find what you want here, I think it's well worth taking those risks. I certainly have read a great many happy outcomes on forums, and not too many bad ones (the no-hard case thing has ended in the tragedy of broken necks more than once in my reading).
Luckily I can get what I'm after here now at a good price. But I often indulge in trawling through used guitar posts from a couple of Japanese sites that are highly praised for great customer service and return policies. The choice is un-be-f$%&ing-lievable. From vintage Gibsons, to Japan-only guitars. Shipping is apparently around $270 for a Les Paul weight guitar. So it doesn't really make sense to buy a cheapy beginner's guitar. But for a Melody Maker for example, it makes perfect sense.
I've done the same thing a lot with camera stuff. The prices are so much lower, that you can afford to totally lose the item and everything you paid for it, buy it a second time, and you're still coming in under SA retail prices. (not that I've ever lost an item) Insane but true.
singemonkey
+1 on a LP Special or Junior. This guy's going for about R7,500:
This for less:
And, as usual, I'll mention that Tokai SA on this forum is the distributor of high-end Gibson clones made by Tokai - the company famous for it. I'm getting one of his imports so I don't need to order from Japan as I was going to. You can private message him and ask him about bringing in a Tokai LP special in his next order - or even get a P-90 Tokai copy of a Les Paul Standard:
It's just another option.
baseline
Antman wrote:
Hi All,
I have a very particular GAS - I really like the simplicity of the re-issue Gibson Melody Maker, I know there are dozens of better and cheaper alternatives - it still doesn't stop me wanting one! ?
Gibson's official response to me was to buy one in a country where they operate - really helpful....
Has anyone bought a guitar of a site on the net and brought it into SA? Doable? Or avoid at all costs?
Sadly it's the only way I will get one here...
Cheers,
I bought a Gibson Les Paul Studio from Amazon, to save on costs "oh so i thought" i shipped to my daughter in Philly, no cost for shipping in the states, and when she returned home she brought it back with her, the cost was R10070.00 for the guitar and the cost at the airport another $300 so at 7.8 to 1 an additional R2500.00 , it came with a hard case made in Canada so it's good quality. at first i was a little dissapointed with the guitar maybe i expected more , but the more you play it you see it's money well spent. but coming back to your little problem, make friends with an Airhostess. They can get stuff through if they say its there’s.
Ant
BMU
I bought a Schecter through Take2, it happened to be without a hard case; no hassles. I posted about it previously if you want to search.
What I like about that option is I picked it up from Take2's premises and opened it right there. If the neck was broken I would have walked away, no hassles corresponding with a music shop overseas etc. Maybe it's more expensive, maybe not. Check around. But the shipping and VAT is already priced in, no surprises.
giggsy
Just wanted to check - I know if you buy a guitar online and get it delivered here you gotta pay the VAT, but... if I bought it online and had shipped to my brother, who stays overseas, and he then posted it to me as a 'gift', would there be any charges? Shipping would probably also work out cheaper that way.
Conrad
OK I don't have an answer as I am asking exactly the same question at the moment.
Which guitar are you getting?
IceCreamMan
I just bought a guitar online direct from the manufacturer who kept me the loop of the manufacturing process. Being left handed i dont have too many choices in ZA and plumbed for a guitar unseen or unplayed BUT i did a lot of research (harmonycentral etc) and contacted the company.
It arrived today ... i paid no import duties and did not even pay VAT on it (might be an oversight on the courier company though)
it was a great experience and guitar arrived unscathed after a journey halfway round the world.
i would do it again and will do it again in the future ..just deal with reputable guys and be very cautious on sites like flea bay
Rob-dos
Guitar companies that are run off ebay are usually a good bet.. they have to try keep a 100% good record on ebay because with
one bad comment people wont buy because there are others with 100% good service responses so they generally want to keep
you happy and make sure everything arrives as it should be..
VAT will be 14% of whatever the declared value is, if the guitar you buy is declared at being R2000 you only paying around R200 bucks which is nothing
there are no extra charges, S.A. is cool we have 0% import taxes on musical instruments so thats fine
I recently bought a Gibson off a guy in texas who runs one of these companies, was here in around 2 weeks.. wait sorry it was in S.A. in two days, it
took more than a week to clear customs.. i also bought the guitar unseen unplayed, and a wierd choice at that, but if u getting a good quality instrument
which you probs will be then it should be cool.. and if not u can just sort it out a lil with the cash saved ?
giggsy
Conrad wrote:
Which guitar are you getting?
The question should be, Which guitar are you NOT getting?
If things work out in my favour (which there is a slight chance of), then I'll get a hollowbody, an SG type and an Explorer type.
