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Barbapapa - Posted - 11/14/2009: 11:52:43
Hello!
I'm interested of buying a banjo ASAP, and I've decided Gold-Tone CC-100R.
I live in Sweden, Europe, and I want to buy my banjo from US, since it's a lot cheaper that way.
Does anyone know any stores which ship to Sweden?
So far, I've only heard about Zepp Music, which seems pretty good. Any reviews?
And what are the risks of shipping a banjo across the Atlantic??
AA
CG - Posted - 11/14/2009: 12:08:11
Hi
janetdavismusic.com stock this banjo. They are based in The U.S. and ship worldwide. This link will take you there. http://www.janetdavismusic.com/gt5open.html
Good luck.
=====
Clive
Stay nice!
Edited by - CG on 11/14/2009 12:13:36
Barbapapa - Posted - 11/14/2009: 13:19:31
quote:
Originally posted by CG
Hi
janetdavismusic.com stock this banjo. They are based in The U.S. and ship worldwide. This link will take you there. http://www.janetdavismusic.com/gt5open.html
Good luck.
=====
Clive
Stay nice!
Wow! Thanks a lot for the tip! I think I've heard about that company earlier, so I guess it's popular and reliable! Now.. The only thing I'm afraid of, is that it will disappear during the shipping process, or maybe it is in bits and pieces when I receive it :/ True or false? What risks? AA
kyblugrass - Posted - 11/14/2009: 13:33:32
I would pop of an email the Janet Davis and ask them about insurance for the shipping. I'm sure they could give you a cost to the door amount including insurance if you ask. I have ordered stuff from them and they are very good with customer service. I won't go wrong with them.
Scott
“You Can Hang a Sign on a Pig Saying It's a Horse...But It’s Still Just a Pig.”
banjoy - Posted - 11/15/2009: 01:43:28
quote:
Originally posted by Barbapapa
... The only thing I'm afraid of, is that it will disappear during the shipping process, or maybe it is in bits and pieces when I receive it :/
True or false? What risks?
If the banjo is packed properly you'll have no problems and it usually arrives within a week or so. I have shipped hundreds of packages to Europe. The items I shipped arrived intact so that was never an issue and I never once lost anything due to damage. There are other issue beyond damage to think about though: 1) Size. Each country has its own limits on the size and weight of something that can be imported to your country. I looked just now for Sweden and the limit for a box is 108 dimensional inches, which is a number arrived at by taking the longest dimension once and adding it to the shortest to dimensions twice (Length + ((width+height)*2)). Just so you know, a banjo in a box will be right at 108 inches so you are good there. Frequently I could not ship guitar or banjo cases to some countries because the limits were much lower, 79 inches for example. A banjo could never ship (affordably) to a country with that limit. 2) Cost of shipping. Not inexpensive, and the best method by far, based on my first hand experience, is the US Postal Service. It's the best price, about 1/4 to 1/10 of shipping by UPS or FedEx, and gets there very quickly. The only issue is USPS does not offer real time tracking. Again, I just looked, and US Postage for a box about that size to Sweden will be about $90-$100 shipping. 3) Other fees and taxes. It's your responsibility to pay taxes, import fees and duties on your end. Depending on your country, these fees and taxes can be a bargain, or pretty stiff. No matter what the charges and taxes are, you must pay them before the merchandise will be released to you, and this is on top of the purchase price and ship costs. 4) Notification, or lack thereof. Frequently items will arrive quickly in your country and sit at your postal service for weeks because, again, depending on your country, sometimes you are simply not notified on your end. You have to be expecting something and ask for it to be notified sometimes, so often when you fire off an email asking where is your merchandise, it's been gathering dust at your post office or customs/import office. Anyway, regarding your concern about damage, if the seller-exporter packs it properly you'll have no problems there, but do make sure it's insured for the full value, just in case. Good luck, good picking, and enjoy whatever banjo you buy, spread the joy over there in Sweden! Now how about shipping a sauna over here to meeeee!  --Frank
Edited by - banjoy on 11/15/2009 01:48:23
Barbapapa - Posted - 11/15/2009: 03:11:15
Wow, thanks a lot!
It's nice to hear that it shouldn't be much of a problem. How much will the taxes and extras cost, you think? Where can I get that information?
Sincerely,
AA
Banjowen - Posted - 11/15/2009: 03:16:48
Would it be any cheaper buying from the UK, I know Frailers of Runcorn sell new Gold Tones, whether they ship you'd have to shoot them an e-mail....
Owen.
http://www.banjohollow.ic24.net/index.htm
Definition of Cricket by Robin Williams, "Cricket is basically baseball on valium"
erstokke - Posted - 11/15/2009: 03:52:40
Hejsan!
I have bought several instruments from US stores and had them shipped to Norway. USPS in the least expensive option. It is also quite slow - in Norway it is usually 2 to 3 weeks including the very slow Norwegian Customs. Shipping for a banjo with a hard shell case is around $100 - depending on weight of course.
If you are in a hurry, you may consider buying the banjo in Sweden from this shop:
http://svarenmusik.se/
He is charging 5700 SEK for the CC-100R with a case. With the case, shipping and VAT there might not bee too much to save from buying from the US. Go visit him just outside Göteborg! He won’t be too happy if you spend an hour in his shop and then goes off importing the same banjo from the US, though.
You may also check out this European Gold Tone dealer:
http://www.banjostore.net/index.php...roducts_id=7
I guess there is no vat to be added inside the EU.
There are several good US dealers that are shipping internationally. Not all of them are shipping USPS. If they are shipping UPS, DHL or other courier services, you may end up paying $200 or more for shipping.
If you want to buy from the US, be sure to buy from a dealer with good reputaion. You DO NOT want to return the banjo because they have sent you a defective one or a blemish. I have returned one banjo to the US, and it was a lot of hazzle and expenses. So don’t just look for the very best price.
Here are some dealers that ship internationally:
The two big ones:
Janet Davis and Elderly
Zepp is a smaller dealer and more of an enthusiast. I would be very confident buing from them.
I also have an other recommendation. Buy from Ross Nickerson at http://www.banjoteacher.com/GoldTon...pleCreek.htm
Ross is mainly a banjo instructor and he has even done workshops in the Nordic countries. Great guy. He is shipping for free in the US. When shipping internationally, he usually deducts $35 before adding the cost of international shipping. This may turn out to be a very good deal when importing a banjo to Europe. He even throws in a book, a DVD and access to a lot of online learning videos in the deal.
Your next step is to find how much you have to pay from the different dealers. You probably have to include a hardshell case to protect the banjo in shipping. Send them an email asking for price of the banjo, case and shipping - if you are not able to figure it out on their web sites.
Good luck with buying the banjo! We need more banjo pickers in the Nordic countries.
My banjo is pre-war. Pre the next war
Jan Erik from Norway
banjoy - Posted - 11/15/2009: 06:19:36
quote:
Originally posted by Barbapapa
...How much will the taxes and extras cost, you think? Where can I get that information?
This will depend on the declared value of the goods sold. First convert from US dollars to your currency, here is a good place to do that: (Free currency converter) http://www.xe.com/Then, go to your postal service or customs-import office to get their help in estimating the taxes and whatever fees which are based on the declared value of the merchandise as set by the exporter on their paperwork. Any taxes, duties, fees, etc. are determined by the country of import and vary country-by-country, so there's no way the US exporter can provide you that information. Even then, the number you arrive at will be an estimate but pretty close. Usually, even with shipping and these added fees, it's probably still a good deal. But knowing these fees in advance can help you make your decision. Good luck! --F
Edited by - banjoy on 11/15/2009 06:23:55
erstokke - Posted - 11/15/2009: 07:19:25
Taxes...
There are no taxes exporting from USA, but there are taxes to be paid importing into Sweden. You will have to pay this when the goods arrive, the seller is not involved in this.
In Norway, there is a transaction fee of NOK 200 and 25% VAT to be paid. VAT is calculated from the value of the shipment plus shipping. Aside from VAT, there are no customs on banjos. Might be slightly different in Sweden which is EU.
My banjo is pre-war. Pre the next war
Jan Erik from Norway
goldtopia - Posted - 11/15/2009: 07:20:33
It would be cheaper to buy within the EEC. The import duty from USA is horrendous. It adds about 20% to to the cost. I would suggest you get in touch with Andy Banjo in Kent, England. Tell him what you are looking for and he will comply.
Bill.O
www.bluegrassminstrels.co.uk
Barbapapa - Posted - 11/15/2009: 09:48:45
quote:
Originally posted by goldtopia
It would be cheaper to buy within the EEC. The import duty from USA is horrendous. It adds about 20% to to the cost. I would suggest you get in touch with Andy Banjo in Kent, England. Tell him what you are looking for and he will comply.
Bill.O
www.bluegrassminstrels.co.uk
Thanks everyone! I checked his site, and the price for CC-100R there is 345£ (570$) including 15% VAT. I think that might get slightly cheaper, but I just realized I was wrong when I wrote this. Well, I checked out how much it would cost from US. VAT in Sweden is 25%, so if the shipping and all would cost 450$, the total price would then be around 560$. I'm not sure if that's too much.. I'm thinking if I would start over and ask: "Any cheaper resonator banjo?" :( AA
erstokke - Posted - 11/15/2009: 11:03:47
First, I would recommend getting a real estimate from Ross Nickerson.
Next, if you still can’t afford it, I recommend saving up more rather that buy a really cheap banjo. Shipping is more or less the same (expensive) no matter what banjo you buy. So when you buy for a lower price, you pay just as much for shipping, but will get much lower quality banjo.
My banjo is pre-war. Pre the next war
Jan Erik from Norway
Barbapapa - Posted - 11/16/2009: 08:19:05
Hello!
Got some awesome news. Found a used CC-100R+ for 500$ on a site like eBay! I mailed him and got an answer translated to English:
Hey Adam
Good choice! You're right, it is expensive with shipping, tax etc if you buy
from the U.S.. No flaws are there but the first (5?) frets at the
treble side is slightly worn out as it plays most here. This
does not affect playability or sound. If the frets in the future will be too
worn out, you have to get them polished to get them smooth. You have time to safely
play several years before it's time.
Caseta is a really good TKL case, which protects the banjo well.
The sound of this banjo is amazing, much better than
cheap-banjos sold on "blocket" (eBay). Compared with Deerings
corresponding model, this sounds better to me.
You are welcome to try the banjo, if you want
Sincerely
/ Torvald
I guess I could make it 430$, but I'm concerned about the frets. I read a review by 1four5 where he said that his frets on the CC-100R were wearing out, and at last buzzes began to appear. I'm afraid that will happen to me.. What do you think?
AA
erstokke - Posted - 11/16/2009: 13:02:28
It doesn’t look like its much wear:
And it is a "plus" - a little upgraded model. Go for it!
My banjo is pre-war. Pre the next war
Jan Erik from Norway
opotable - Posted - 11/18/2009: 15:13:06
i hope this all works out for you, i know what it's like to live in a country where banjos are few and far between and new ones are twice the price they are in the USA.
a music store in lausanne is offering me a used epiphone (model unspecified but i doubt it'll be a mb 250) for $300.
it's probably an MB 100 which costs here $413 , at musicians friend it's $179.
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