Purchasing from the US of A

[Troll]

I want to buy an item from the USA for $4700 and have it shipped here

The seller assures me it is a genuine item but there are forgeries for this model and without a full appraisal until I get it to the UK I cannot be 100% certain

The seller is a smallish shop whose address checks out on google street view

I could fly out there & check myself but work pressures and lost invoicing time really doesn't make this viable

Ideally would like to pay on Visa for its purchase protection- but seller has suggested international wire transfer which would mean potentially he has my money + goods = not a happy place for me

Anyone done anything similar before or can recommenced the best way of progressing with the purchase with safeguards for goods turning out to be fake or goods not arriving (can get it FedEx over for $75)

[Pondlife]

Numpty question, you don't know anyone in the vicinity or due to travel there?

I would insist on Visa/Mastercard otherwise.

[stek]

Purchasing from the US of A

Is it a guitar? There'll be duty and vat to pay won't there?

[vetran]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

+1

offer to split the fees on the card transaction if that is what is bothering them.

or offer to send them a cheque, then ask why they won't accept that.

pay by Paypal?

[d000hg]

Could you use some sort of ESCROW system here, it seems an expensive enough transaction?

Finding someone local to go and inspect it on your behalf sounds sensible, is it the kind of item you could find an online community, or something you could look up an expert in 'yellow pages'?

[Bunk]

Is it a guitar? There'll be duty and vat to pay won't there?

WHS

Anything that expensive is likely to get held up in customs and not released until you've coughed up a load of tax on it. I was looking into ordering a guitar from the US a few years ago but this made it an unviable option. I'd be better off taking a weekend trip to New York, buying it there and taking it back myself to bypass customs.

[vetran]

WHS

Anything that expensive is likely to get held up in customs and not released until you've coughed up a load of tax on it. I was looking into ordering a guitar from the US a few years ago but this made it an unviable option. I'd be better off taking a weekend trip to New York, buying it there and taking it back myself to bypass customs.

filthy tax evader!!!!!

string em up!

[Bunk]

filthy tax evader!!!!!

string em up!

And proud of it



I didn't actually get around to buying it

[VectraMan]

I bought £800 worth of German suspension for my Japanese car from the US, and yes I did have to pay the duty + VAT (plus duty + VAT on the shipping cost, which seems a bit unfair). Was still half the price than in the UK, of course those were the days of £1 = $2.

[NickFitz]

I want to buy an item from the USA for $4700 and have it shipped here

That is a lot of Viagra!