Hobbyking International shipping to UK

[Peter_B]

Hey all,

I'm looking to order something from Hobbyking, but they only have it in their global warehouse. The difference in postage between the 14-39 day services and a 3-10 day service like DHL or FedEx is only a few pounds so I'd probably rather go for one of the quicker options where it's probably less likely to get lost in transit.

I've not ordered from the global warehouse before, and would like to try and avoid having an extra £50 or so, in taxes and fees, slapped on top when it arrives here.

Has anybody ordered from the global warehouse recently? Is there a "best" carrier to use? Or one to avoid?

[max69vk]

It's pretty much hit or miss when it comes to Customs, although they do seem to seek out the bigger packages over the smaller ones (more chance of it being valuable), having said that I've just been hit for customs on an order that shipped in a carton 1/3 the size of a shoe box - Nearly doubled the cost of the items inside 🙁

[TWINSET]

Most courier companies (DHL, FedEx, Parcel Force) charge £13-£15 as their fees for clearing through customs.
VAT and import duty are set percentages (20% VAT, duty's usually 3-5% if applicable), so you won't pay more through one courier over another if charges apply - any small variance will be in their clearing fee rates.
FedEx charge my company £12 per parcel cleared, but we have a trade account with them, so we may get it a little cheaper.

Selecting the faster option usually means the parcel will go by courier as opposed to Royal Mail, so there's more likelihood of a 'fast' parcel attracting charges.

On a parcel with a correctly priced declaration it's luck whether you get stung or not although I get hit a good 70% of the time now, if the true value is declared.
Some sellers make under-valued declarations on the export docs, these usually sail thru without charges.

 

 

It's what's written on this label that starts the ball rolling;

 

Other stuff relative; https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/notice-143-a-guide-for-international-post-users/notice-143-a-guide-for-international-post-users#postal-packages-imported-arriving-from-countries-outside-the-eu

 

 

[Prescient]

FedEx and DHL have their own customs channel at their inbound/outbound airside hubs. They pre clear it and add charges plus admin fee. 

Means it does go through quickly but it's all automated on account starting with the sellers declaration (they won't under declare) so the chance of avoiding charges is slim. You get your items quickly though and the invoice for duty follows.

I would always avoid Hobbyking international shipped items including in case there are any issues with the item especially on electronics.

What is it you were after that isn't in UK/EU warehouse or available from UK sellers/UK eBay?

[Peter_B]

25 minutes ago, Prescient said:

FedEx and DHL have their own customs channel at their inbound/outbound airside hubs. They pre clear it and add charges plus admin fee. 

Means it does go through quickly but it's all automated on account starting with the sellers declaration (they won't under declare) so the chance of avoiding charges is slim. You get your items quickly though and the invoice for duty follows.

I would always avoid Hobbyking international shipped items including in case there are any issues with the item especially on electronics.

What is it you were after that isn't in UK/EU warehouse or available from UK sellers/UK eBay?

It's a Futaba 4PLS radio set, with 2 receivers.

It's an older model that's been replaced by the 4PV, but was about £100 cheaper for practically the same features.

They had 1 in the EU warehouse the other day, but when I looked again it's now only in the global warehouse.

I can't find one more locally, and certainly not at that price point.

[Prescient]

1 hour ago, Peter_B said:

It's a Futaba 4PLS radio set, with 2 receivers.

It's an older model that's been replaced by the 4PV, but was about £100 cheaper for practically the same features.

They had 1 in the EU warehouse the other day, but when I looked again it's now only in the global warehouse.

I can't find one more locally, and certainly not at that price point.

Got you, it's the one at $200? Don't forget Hobbyking always charge in $ even if they show GBP so you always lose a bit on the exchange rate/PayPal conversion.

You will pay VAT and fees on the total Inc shipping cost and again lose out slightly on the exchange rate conversion with charges compared to headline rates.

Based on $230 shipped, I would imagine total actual cost all in will be £220-£230 once you account for charges etc. This is based on current exchange rates and something I imported by FedEx from Japan recently non RC related but virtually the same total cost.

Reasonable price for one of these but I don't know if you will get UK support if it goes wrong.

[Peter_B]

7 minutes ago, Prescient said:

Got you, it's the one at $200? Don't forget Hobbyking always charge in $ even if they show GBP so you always lose a bit on the exchange rate/PayPal conversion.

You will pay VAT and fees on the total Inc shipping cost and again lose out slightly on the exchange rate conversion with charges compared to headline rates.

Based on $230 shipped, I would imagine total actual cost all in will be £220-£230 once you account for charges etc. This is based on current exchange rates and something I imported by FedEx from Japan recently non RC related but virtually the same total cost.

Reasonable price for one of these but I don't know if you will get UK support if it goes wrong.

Yeah that's the one.

The numbers didn't add up for me, and I was also concerned by possible support issues.

So I abandoned that plan.

I've ended up negotiating a deal for a slightly used Spektrum DX4S instead.

[Matt888]

A friend of mine ordered a Turnigy Trooper from Hobbykings HK Warehouse and got sung with  £30 tax and charges. Hobbyking don't put a lower value on the label.