I'm importing a guitar from the USA, where do I even begin?!

$87.50 (Duty) + $200 (Shipping) + $2500 (Item value/cost) = $2878.50
20% VAT of the value $2878.50 = $575.50

For a guitar that is $2500, you are now looking at a final landed price into the UK of $3454. It's a hefty jump up isn't it? But a whole lot better if you have planned ahead, done your maths and expect to have that cost to pay. A $954 surprise extra bill is no fun at all, so be clued up and factoring this in when you're window shopping will help the surprise wallet ache at a later date.
With today's exchange rate (14th Sept 2017) it means this guitar is £2578.07 landed.

Courier Handling Fees and international payment charges
One detail that is worth noting, although these costs certainly aren't as high as the duty and VAT, is the courier handling fee for processing your parcel through customs and the bank or credit cards charges for international payments.
All couriers will charge a handling fee for processing your parcel through customs clearance, this is anything from around £8 to £20 or possibly more depending on the courier in question. So not a huge fee when you're talking about a £2500 guitar, but again, worth making sure you're expecting it to happen.
Also, if you're paying via bank transfer or credit card, most major banks and credit card companies will charge a processing fee for international payments. Again this can totally vary, so check your bank/card small print or speak with your bank/card supplier to find out what the fee may be. 

Item Restrictions

There are many importation restrictions, and when it comes to guitars, types of woods used in the instrument is very important. Although this may not necessarily affect your import costs, it is something definitely worth your attention. For example in January 2017, CITES changed their regulations on ALL types of Rosewood, meaning if a guitar is imported without it's relevant certification then it can be seized, destroyed and you can be fined. Not fun :( So be certain, and import something that you'll be able to play, not be crushed! I would recommend reading up on the CITES restrictions before considering importing a guitar. Having a hefty fine, and no guitar to show for it is truly horrible. The best thing here is to avoid banned woods like Rosewood most commonly used, and/or consult the guitar maker or dealer you're speaking with about the guitar you wish to buy. Chances are they will have experience on this matter as CITES is important in the guitar industry.



Customs Clearance
For some couriers/handlers, if an item is over a certain value, it can go through additional clearance. This isn't a procedure that will cost more in fees, it is just classed as high value and customs often like to take a closer look. For Parcelforce for example (who handle all of USPS shipped items a lot of USA based guitar makers and shops will use to ship your guitar) this value is $700 worth of goods. So if your guitar is $1000 for example there is a chance it gets pulled for additional 'high value goods' clearance. If this is the case, you will be asked for something called an EORI number. This is a number which border control use to help track goods coming into the country, anyone can apply for one of these numbers and you will need to speak with your clearing agent if this arises to see about doing so. It can take around 2 weeks to obtain one of these numbers though, so I would recommend applying for one in advance and that number assigned to you is yours forever and can be used on any goods you import in the future. Most of the time you won't get asked for this number, but I recommend obtaining one, then should an import require it you don't have to wait an extra few weeks to receive your guitar! Helps speed up the process. You may also be asked to complete a C160 & C88 form, to assist in clearing the item. In my experience, the handling courier has always been in touch if these are required and have posted them to me to complete on every occasion. But don't be surprised if you have to source these forms yourself to complete. The forms will ask for the expected information really, goods description, invoice value paid, commodity codes and the EORI number as above. These forms are often requested if you've purchased goods from a private seller overseas, as very rarely will they have completed the documentation sufficiently meaning customs are left with no info to clear, that's where you come in sadly!

All of this will either completely scare you off! Or it will help you be a little more clued up if importing a guitar is completely new to you. But I do really hope the info here helps in some way if it's something you've considered doing. There are an unbelievable amount of innovative, talented and skilled luthiers and other guitar related items across the USA, so it's understandable to be attracted to buy, and very often it's easy to get excited about seeing a $ price and quickly converting it to £, but there is a lot more involved. Going into it clued up about what costs are involved will really help you plan for your purchase and understand the costs involved in doing so. I get asked about it a lot and really hate to see buyers get stung by unexpected costs and fees, so hopefully this blog post will help those and future enquiries.

Again, please note these figures, percentages etc are correct as of today 14th Sept 2017, so ensure you look into the valid figures at the time of reading. This is just a rough guide.

Happy importing!
James 

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