Buying Gundam Kits

[thesolitarycyclist]

My youngest just got himself a Bandai Gundam kit through Amazon. This cost £40 plus the customs duty of £13 which he found out about when the postie tried to deliver. Does any one stock these in the U.K. ? it`s a bit pricey getting them from japan. Although he was very impressed with the free Hello Kitty flannel that came with the kit.

[Dizzyfugu]

The 'Forbidden Planet' comic shops (not certain if they still exist...) used to stock them, but that's the status of some years ago when I was the UK for holidays.

Concerning the duty fee: check your national import limit. Here in Germany you have to pay VAT on top of price and postage if this exceeds ~EUR 23,- (I assume you got a bigger 1:100 scale Gundam kit?). Not certain what UK regulations are, but I assume that something similar exists.

Ebay is another good source for Gundam and other mecha kits, you will certainly find domestic sellers as those kits are very common (there are SO many of them...). As a side note, I'd recommend "more modern" kits, not the vintage stuff, as these are designed to be action figures and MUCH easier and cleaner to build than the 1st or 2nd generation stuff. The 1:144 kits are already good, too, and you might avoid the customs duty hustle through the lower overall price tag.

[pyro-manic]

I would recommend getting them through Hobbylink Japan, 1999.co.jp etc. It's still cheaper to import them and pay the duty than it is to buy from a UK reseller. They're expensive, full stop. Keep an eye on the exchange rates, as they fluctuate a bit. You will probably find that you have to pay VAT, but the gits at Parcel Force will charge you an extra £8 "handling fee" on top of that.

Ebay is a good option, but availability is patchy, and you may find the prices high as well. And the duty can still be applied on top of that.

[PR19_Kit]

Actually that £13 isn't the Customs Duty, it seems you got away without paying that. The £13 is the princely sum levied by the Post Office for 'handling' your import, whether or not the UK Border Control people decide to charge duty on it as well. The £13 is the MIMIMUM charge too, no matter how much it cost to buy in the first place.

Do I hear the phrase 'Rip-Off Britain' echoing around?

[Dizzyfugu]

Now that's interesting. Poor Britain, though... 

BTW: HLJ.com is a very good source for model kits in general, too. They are very reliable (as ANYTHING that goes on in Japan), highly recommended.

[pyro-manic]

Actually that £13 isn't the Customs Duty, it seems you got away without paying that. The £13 is the princely sum levied by the Post Office for 'handling' your import, whether or not the UK Border Control people decide to charge duty on it as well. The £13 is the MIMIMUM charge too, no matter how much it cost to buy in the first place.

Do I hear the phrase 'Rip-Off Britain' echoing around?

The handling fee is only applied if Customs charge duty on the package. The Post Office pays the fee for you, then demands the handling fee on top of that before they will deliver. It's effectively a ransom, and is pretty disgusting IMO. HMRC should just send you an invoice.

If the package doesn't get looked at by Customs, then you won't get the handling charge from the post office. It's a gamble - more and more of my orders from Japan are getting hit by this, whereas those coming from HK or China don't seem to be affected...

[thesolitarycyclist]

Thanks to all for the feedback. He started at 12.45 this afternoon and he`s still at it even after encountering the carpet monster several times.

[jcf]

Britain, along with the EU as whole, the US, Japan, Australia etc., all use an agreed upon
universal schedule of tariffs under which plastic model construction kits are classified
as toys and as such exempt from tariffs and import duties.

So, what is the source for these magic duty charges you folks are required to pay?

[Father Ennis]

I'm curious about something. Why don't you order more from U.S. dealers ? I see you European modelers often buy kits from Japan but rarely from U.S. companies and it just seems odd to me. BTW, I can highly recommend buying sci/fi kits from Spaceship Modeler or Starship Modeler. I can never remember ... !!!   Anyway. This is an outstanding website and if the young one is into the sci/fi genera this is the place to go from info ,etc. as well as kits.  I might have a kit or two in my stash HMU if you want to do some trading.

[Sticky Fingers]

Most kits I buy are produced in Japan, and will be cheaper when I order them from the country where they're made. If I would order the same kit from the States I'd have to pay, one way or another, for the shipping from Japan to the seller in the States, which usually means that the kit has had a price hike, and the shipping from that seller to Europe, where I live.

Take this kit for example.

Costs about $42 in the USA (starshipmodeler.biz), but $31 when bought in Japan (1999.co.jp). (prices excl. shipping)

And, it could be me, but USPS seems 'darn' expensive.

[pyro-manic]

Britain, along with the EU as whole, the US, Japan, Australia etc., all use an agreed upon
universal schedule of tariffs under which plastic model construction kits are classified
as toys and as such exempt from tariffs and import duties.

So, what is the source for these magic duty charges you folks are required to pay?

VAT.

[Dizzyfugu]

If I want a current SF/anime thing, then I directly move to Japan. First of all, most of these things are only made for the domestic market, and IF they end up elsewhere the price tag seems to blow up miracolously... Postage from US is sometimes unfathomable, too, it literally eats up any potential price benefit. And there's the reliability thing: NOTHING gets lost in Japan.

In fact I have received kits even from ebay sellers that arrived quicker (W/o express or air service postage!) from half way around the world than even domestic sellers. And there's the sad fact that the only kits that ever got lost somehow (these were few so far, though) ALL came from US sellers. Not that I am against US sources, but if I have the option I tend to prefer Japan - even Hong Kong or South Korea, which also have some great hobby stores and surprisingly reliable and priceworthy services to offer.

[NARSES2]

If the package doesn't get looked at by Customs, then you won't get the handling charge from the post office. It's a gamble - more and more of my orders from Japan are getting hit by this, whereas those coming from HK or China don't seem to be affected...

Can vouch for that. Never been caught for an Anigrand kit, and I've bought loads. The resin can be smelt miles away, must drive the sniffer dogs mad 

[PR19_Kit]

Britain, along with the EU as whole, the US, Japan, Australia etc., all use an agreed upon
universal schedule of tariffs under which plastic model construction kits are classified
as toys and as such exempt from tariffs and import duties.

So, what is the source for these magic duty charges you folks are required to pay?

Greed, and total ignorance of any 'International Agreements' under which these kits are imported.

It took a letter to my MP to get a kit I'd imported out from under the grasping hands of the Post Office, The UK Border Agency and HM Revenue and Customs, all of whom seem to think they are God.

And the PO can and DO charge the £13 'Handling Charge' even if no duty has been levied. If the shipment is seen by HMRC and they don't charge any duty the PO will still levy the 'Handling Charge'.

[silverwindblade]

Does any one stock these in the U.K. ?

http://www.gundammad.co.uk/home.php

http://japan-cool.co.uk/

Also, Amazon have more than a few kits as well, and I've bought them from Ebay before too. Various anime merchandise retailers also carry them too.
I used to collect Gundam kits when I first started modelling, but the cost of them was what stopped me from continuing, plus the limited availability in the UK. That said, I wouldn't mind getting back into it at some point.