Shipping from USA to UK

[EddieC]

If the deals in the USA are so good (e.g. close to spot and no VAT etc) then does that mean the shipping costs are excessive to compensate etc?

Is it worth it for small orders (less than 4 coins/oz)?

[KitboyE17]

Do the math my friend.

4 us coins + shipping + wire transfer fee x currency exchange / 4 uk coins (+VAT) + postage

whichever one is cheaper go for it 😎

It’s very important to take currency exchange into consideration and wire transfer fees can be costly if you are paying from a standard UK bank account.

Also - depending on who does the shipping, you could land yourself costly and unexpected import charges. 

[Serendipity]

In a way I envy Americans because an American bullion dealer such as APMEX stocks every imaginable coin that a stacker/collector could hope for. The UK market is much smaller which is why I’m heavily dependent on multiple UK bullion dealers. I’ve given up ordering stuff from America with the exception of air-tites because of the hefty customs and shipping charges. It’s definitely a deal killer. I now just get whatever’s available from UK bullion dealers.

[EddieC]

I've got friends in USA who I was thinking could get the stuff shipped to them and they ship on to me. I can pay them friends and family etc.

Would this keep cost down?

[AppleZippoandMetronome]

1 hour ago, EddieC said:

I've got friends in USA who I was thinking could get the stuff shipped to them and they ship on to me. I can pay them friends and family etc.

Would this keep cost down?

You're still likely to get done for VAT and handling charges on import. Your friends could try to hide it or undervalue it but that may or may not work. The threshold for goods coming from outside the EU that are subject to VAT is very low.

[daca]

Just buy from a free VAT country like Estonia, or second hand from Germany.

The legal problems that  both  you and your friend will have if caught are not worth the effort

[EddieC]

Cheers for the input guys. Only going to be able to but 2 coins a month due to other outgoings so just wanting to maximise £/Oz (especially when factoring in tax, shipping etc).

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1 hour ago, daca said:

Just buy from a free VAT country like Estonia, or second hand from Germany.

The legal problems that  both  you and your friend will have if caught are not worth the effort

With my budget in mind any recommended sites?

[daca]

28 minutes ago, EddieC said:

Cheers for the input guys. Only going to be able to but 2 coins a month due to other outgoings so just wanting to maximise £/Oz (especially when factoring in tax, shipping etc).

With my budget in mind any recommended sites?

https://thesilverforum.com/forum/13-uk-europe/  (this guys have tones of item, best place in my opinion)

 

https://www.europeanmint.com/

https://www.gold-silber-muenzen-shop.de

https://goldsilver.be/en/

Some of this dealers offer free storage for up to 6 months, so you will pay shipping  just once not for every purchase.

It is up to you to decide. Good luck

[sovereignsteve]

5 hours ago, EddieC said:

I've got friends in USA who I was thinking could get the stuff shipped to them and they ship on to me. I can pay them friends and family etc.

Would this keep cost down?

yes

[KitboyE17]

1 hour ago, EddieC said:

Only going to be able to but 2 coins a month due to other outgoings so just wanting to maximise £/Oz

Then buy in europe while you can ... 

[TonyS]

An idea I’ve gone through with a friend who spends 50% of his time in the US for a UK electronics firm and can send components to his head office without customs intervention.

We’ve yet to try the idea out practically.

[KitboyE17]

Modern day smugglers 🙂 

[DarkChameleon]

On 06/10/2019 at 15:09, TonyS said:

An idea I’ve gone through with a friend who spends 50% of his time in the US for a UK electronics firm and can send components to his head office without customs intervention.

We’ve yet to try the idea out practically.

If he gets caught your going to have to say sorry a lot when he's fired and unemployable with convictions for smuggling....oh and banned from entering the US for at least a decade

[DarkChameleon]

Let's say I was to buy myself a Cuban necklace at say 300 grams of 18k, and then flew to see family in the UK and sort of forgot it on the way back...then kept replacing and losing it every time I flew over, that would not be illegal if I had proof I paid my taxes in the US....now could the same happen if I had a gold necklace that held a half dozen coins like a charm bracelet, that's not illegal if you paid local taxes and could prove it like a receipt from the jeweler...now say you were to fly back to the US and those coins were now cheap knock offs, with the cost of gold eagles being 1500 each and having men's bracelets that can hold 6 at a time...that's $9000 of coins each trip and you can find plenty of cheap assed fake eagles to replace on that bracelet for the return trip...would pay for a trip easily and your friend who keeps finding these coins you lose would have the receipts for taxes paid with them....so have legal ownership of them.