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06-03-2004, 02:04 AM
| | formerly James Hetfield | | Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Melbourne, Australia. | | | Thinking about buying from Musicians Friend...help!
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Ive decided that all the bass gear i buy, if i cant get it from my mate who works at a music shop, ill get it via Musicians freind. By bass gear, i mean amps and basses and the like, not strings and petty little things.
Anyway my 2 questions are:
1) How much would postage for a bass be to Australia from Musicians Friend, wherever they are located? I know their free postage scheme doesnt work in oz unfornatuley. And, do they have to declare its value when it passes through customs?
2) If they DO have to declare it in customs and tell them how much its worth, what are my chances in getting them to declare LESS? If they dont, would it be smart to get my mate in the US to buy it for me, and send it over to me (he would declare a lesser value when it comes to customs) and I would simply re-imberse my mate in the states.
yes, this seems dodgy, but would it work? Also, the bass im considering is going to less than $550USD
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06-03-2004, 03:42 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Staffs, England | | I didn't think Musicians Friend shipped outside of the US 
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06-03-2004, 10:05 AM
|  | I Know Nothing | | Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Columbia River Gorge, WA. | | | If it were me, I wouldn't post your intentions on a public forum. Get your friend to play the bass for a while, then it'll be a used instrument. Lower declared value won't be a lie then, right? I used to work for FedEx, handled a lot of international shipping, and remember Oz as being especially tight with their regulation and enforcement of import duties. FedEx does an especially good job on the brokering/clearance end, but one pays for that.
I'd also suggest that you look at some other online dealers, as Musician's Friend certainly doesn't always offer the definitively best prices, or gear for that matter
Last edited by Passinwind : 06-03-2004 at 10:07 AM.
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06-03-2004, 05:46 PM
| | formerly James Hetfield | | Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Melbourne, Australia. | | | Thanks for that Passinwind. Thats a good idea. I wasnt necessarily going to do this, i was just curious as to weather or not it would work, but thanks!
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06-03-2004, 05:57 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: London UK | | | Kirby:
Postage to Australia is approximately $200US (give or take) and that would include insurance.
There is no duty on an electric bass brought into Australia, however you do have to declare it at Customs if the value is over $400Aus. (Therefore you need to get customs clearance done which will cost you about $100Aus through a registered agent). BTW Australian Customs are pretty good with the values of items (ie if you buy a sadowsky and declare it at $400, exepct to get a pretty big fine - they have a value book that is pretty up to date).
ANother point is that you must pay GST on the total cost + shipping into Australia. Look at it like this:
Bass $550
Ship $200
Total = $750US = $1030Aus
GST = 10% of $1030Aus = $103
Customs Clearance = $100Aus
Total to you = $1233
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Originally Posted by FL Knifemaker you're nothing but a **** stirring troll | Set your expectations accordingly.
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06-03-2004, 05:59 PM
| | formerly James Hetfield | | Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Melbourne, Australia. | | | Daym. There goes that idea.
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06-03-2004, 06:01 PM
|  | Endorsing Artist - See My Website | | Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Marana, AZ | | | Musicians Friend blows koalas. Their customer service is the worst. There are plenty of other outlets to try:
Bass Central
Bass Northwest
and more I could go on for days.
I bet they would hook you up on good shipping prices as well.
My 2 cents. |
06-03-2004, 06:03 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: London UK | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by kirbywrx Daym. There goes that idea. | It gets cheaper the more expensive the bass you buy (I know that sounds stupid), but there is basically a $400Aus premium on importing the bass (ie shipping + customs handling) and then 10% GST. The $400 premium is fixed so whether you buy a $99 Essex or a $3500 Sadowsky, you will still pay the $400.
The other option is team up with two or three others and all buy from the same US store and get it shipped as one package - cheaper that way because the cost is shared.
Finally, dont even think of bringing an amp or speaker cabinet in (unless its a Walter Woods) - the shipping costs will kill you 
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Pics of my gear. Quote: |
Originally Posted by FL Knifemaker you're nothing but a **** stirring troll | Set your expectations accordingly.
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06-03-2004, 06:06 PM
| | formerly James Hetfield | | Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Melbourne, Australia. | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by Mark Latimour Finally, dont even think of bringing an amp or speaker cabinet in (unless its a Walter Woods) - the shipping costs will kill you | Oh god no, dont worry about that. Thatnks heaps mark 
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06-03-2004, 07:08 PM
|  | Supporting Member | | Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Ohio | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by firkinahsoul Musicians Friend blows koalas. Their customer service is the worst. There are plenty of other outlets to try:
Bass Central
Bass Northwest
and more I could go on for days.
I bet they would hook you up on good shipping prices as well.
My 2 cents. | No truer words have ever been spoken. | | Thread Tools | Search this Thread | | | | 
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