non-uk stores that are happy to ship to uk?
- Thread starter smartecosse
- Start date
From what ive read i seriously wouldn't suggest it! If you were going to shop anywhere goto http://www.canadianpaintball.com/ for dirt cheap prices (Its all in CAD btw)!!
Ahem, have to disagree on that one. About 10 days after putting in an order and it still not appearing on their online tracking system, I emailed them. After 3 attempts, someone finally replied saying that since they could not verify the address on the card (not being a US card and all that) they would need a photo of both sides of the card and of my passport. Having done that, I waited another week, sent another 2 e-mails and finally cancelled my order in disgust.
A week after that I got a curt email saying that my order was showing up on their computer as having already been cancelled, with an air of bafflement at why I was causing a fuss.
Not to be recommended.
Two dealers I can recommend from experience are:
http://www.rjskateworks.com (mainly piranhas, but also evil products, barrels, accessories etc.)
http://www.pdpaintball.com (canadian site, wider range of guns etc. and a few of his own mods)
Both these dealers are one-man operations, who respond to email in under a day, dispatch immediately, are very nice people and accept PayPal. I've never had any luck with any of the larger online dealers in the US - your business is not important to them so they don't care.
Oh yeah, and if you order from either of the above, tell them I sent you
Presumably, when you order from these places and get it sent over, when it reaches UK customs they slap the UK duty/tax/extortion/protection money on it? Would that even up the price differences?
Sometimes I've been charged the duty (around 25% of the value, I never quite worked out how they calculate it), sometimes the parcel slips through the net and I don't have to pay. Yes, it closes the price gap somewhat, but it's still a good deal cheaper on most items. So it may not be the fantastic offer it first appears to be, but make sure to do the maths and work out how much it is likely to cost you and you can decide on that basis. A reasonable rule of thumb if you can't be bothered is to do a 1:1 translation from dollars to pounds, so if it costs $199 you should bargain on it costing you around 200 quid, including postage and customs duty. It may be less that this, it may be less by quite a chunk if you escape customs fees, but it gives you some idea for comparison.
Beware, however, of buying items illegal or unusable in the UK, including air bottles (DOT approved bottles cannot be filled or used in the UK, they must be HSE approved) and electronic markers/trigger frames (burst fire/full auto is illegal in the UK, and turbo is best avoided for the same reason.) Also think about support and parts - if necessary, order a full parts kit at the same time, it shouldn't add to the postage cost and could save you some headaches.
Beware, however, of buying items illegal or unusable in the UK, including air bottles (DOT approved bottles cannot be filled or used in the UK, they must be HSE approved) and electronic markers/trigger frames (burst fire/full auto is illegal in the UK, and turbo is best avoided for the same reason.) Also think about support and parts - if necessary, order a full parts kit at the same time, it shouldn't add to the postage cost and could save you some headaches.
Importing - Mmmmm, been there, done that - don't rrecommend it, take a look at the following thread...
http://www.p8ntballer-forums.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9760
http://www.p8ntballer-forums.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9760
I thoroughly recommend www.cepaintball.com
I've ordered twice off them, shipping is only about 5 bucks and it arrives within about 5 days. Never had a any problem, always received confirmation emails to let me know the thing has been billed and shipped. All in all excellent, i just wish they had a wider range.
I've ordered twice off them, shipping is only about 5 bucks and it arrives within about 5 days. Never had a any problem, always received confirmation emails to let me know the thing has been billed and shipped. All in all excellent, i just wish they had a wider range.
www.paintballkingdom.com
Jims the dood, if you buy anything from him say I sent you. Oh and Beaker sent me
There are also ways of getting around duty and VAT, thankfully with PBK it's pretty easy. PM or email me if you want anymore info
Jims the dood, if you buy anything from him say I sent you. Oh and Beaker sent me
There are also ways of getting around duty and VAT, thankfully with PBK it's pretty easy. PM or email me if you want anymore info