Tandy Manchester closing in June only online remaining

[chrisash]

Just read on Leatherworkwer uk that guy has received a email from Tandy to say they are closing the shop in June and will only operate online sales after that

[bikermutt07]

Well that timing couldn't be worse....

Our local manager told me awhile back that the new CEO was about to make some big changes in the pricing. She said they were going to get rid of the the membership levels and cut pricing across the board to start being competitive.

At least in Canada and the states. Sorry for your loss.

[Discus49]

They closed the Australian branch in March (just after I renewed my Elite membership!).  There were a few bargains to get rid of stock.  Now we have to go through Texas and pay freight from the US  The prices have gone up (so much for being "Competitive").  I've moved my buying to Birdsall in Sydney and Leffler.  Much better prices and cheap postage.

 

Tandy has always had tickets on itself.  I hope they lose all overseas business.

[fredk]

ach, bummer.

I do get regular emails from them, I've not received an email about it yet tho. 

[zuludog]

That's a shame, but come to think of it I haven't had any marketing info from them for a while, either by email or post

I am only an hour's bus ride from them, and it was convenient to call in and buy things in person; I have always found their staff to be pleasant and helpful

It would not affect me so much as I have by now acquired just about all the tools that I need, but I'll stock up with things like dyes, leather, and other consumables soon

It is also a blow for Manchester. I was brought up in that area, around Beswick, Gorton, and Openshaw. It was a major engineering district, with companies like Dresser, Churchill, Massey, and countless others. It was a bit scruffy, but active, and lived up to the saying 'where there's muck there's brass'. Now like many towns and cities all those traditional industries have closed, and it has become  very run down. The Tandy shop was part of an attempt to bring new life to the area

[zuludog]

Right, I've made a couple of phone calls -

Tandy will be closing all their European stores soon, apart from one in Spain. Any orders for Europe will be supplied from that store. The Manchester store will close sometime at the end of May or early June. They will be having a closing down sale

At the moment Tandy M/cr store has an informal drop in workshop session on Wednesday afternoons. That will also close, but it is hoped that the tutor for that session will try to form a leatherworking club in the near future. I will post more information about that as I get it

There is another supplier of Tandy products in Britain. They are an agent for Tandy, and will be unaffected by the closure of Tandy M/cr; they also have their own products. They can supply Online, or by calling in person at their shop in the Peak District - 

www.identityleathercraft.com          tel 01629 - 581403 

[fredk]

I sent an email to Tandy, Manchester and just got a reply saying the store closes at the beginning of June.
I'm waiting now for a confirmation answer of where items will come from as I was just about to place a very big order. I don't want to end up paying customs charges.

[fredk]

I received this from Tandy, Manchester a short time ago

quote

Hi Fred,

Unfortunately, we do not have any control over the online orders. 
However if any unforeseen charges are incurred, we will do our utmost on behalf of our customers in the UK to rectify these immediately.

All orders are being shipped from our main warehouse in the US. Orders were originally to be shipped from Spain, but would incur a 6 day transit time. We have been doing our best to negotiate as little impact as possible and put forward the opinions that this wait would be unacceptable to our UK customers. Tandy Leather have made the decision to transfer all online orders to the USA whilst doing their best to retain the online service and standard set up by us here in the UK. 

Regards,
Pipa. 

end quote

A; if the orders are shipped out of the US I cannot see how that is quicker than from Spain 

B: if an order comes from the US, how will into-UK customs charges be dealt with

C: Thinking an order would come from Spain I placed and order,  [before getting the above message] value just shy of £500. It better not attract customs charges!

[mikesc]

A; if the orders are shipped out of the US I cannot see how that is quicker than from Spain...etc

I'm guessing that they are thinking when Brexit happens,anything coming from Spain will take at least 7 days transport by road including the time to get through UK customs ..I import stuff from the UK ( Wales and the Manchester area and Cornwall and the South East ) currently takes 4 to 7 days by road, I'm anticipating 7 to 10 days after Brexit, and the queues are going to be longer for goods incoming to UK than for those leaving...There will be customs duties ( imposed by UK ) to pay for leather from Spain as the UK has tanneries..Likewise there will be Customs duties on leather ( imposed by UK ) incoming from USA for the same reasons..plus you'll pay VAT on the leather+ the customs duty+ the transport and handling costs..


Just a thought, but depending on what the border situation is "post Brexit", it might be better for you, if you have friends or family in Eire, and if Eire would be being supplied by Spain,to use an Eire delivery address when ordering from Spain? Might get you the goods faster ( there are direct shipping lines between the EU and Eire that do not go through the UK ), and you could drive across and pick up your stuff and avoid Customs duties.?

Edited April 25, 2019 by mikesc

[penguineer]

They might be wondering "if" and "what" and "when" Brexit happens.

Arrangements for shipping from the USA to UK are less likely to change regardless of what happens with Brexit.  (even if you aren't doing it now you can at least figure out what the arrangements are)

Shipping from Spain to UK after Brexit will be ??? 

I guess if you're a business you would be looking for a bit of certainty.......

Cheers!

[mikesc]

^^^ Love the Tux :-)

[fredk]

latest info I have is that Tandy USA will send out orders via DHL Express. Customs will be pre-paid. DHL will deliver in 2 to 3 days after the order leaves the warehouse.

Last Spring DHL couldn't even deliver boxes of chicken to KFC outlets in the UK, causing 2/3 of them to close and the other 1/3 to limit what they sold. What you didn't hear was that only improved a bit over the year. KFC have dropped DHL and went back to their previous deliverer in March this year.

No matter how quick the order gets to Britain I've found that DHL can take 30 to 60 days to deliver that order to my area. example; I bought a Caddy part out of Alaska. It arrived at DHL in England in 48 hours but took 6 weeks to get from there to me. I've also found that DHL seem to ignore any prepaid customs and puts the consignment thru HMRC, eg the Caddy part. [and many, many other examples]

I am not confident

oops, a PS. Tandy says they'll be charging UK customers a flat rate of £10 per order for delivery. Currently I pay [paid] £8.50

 

Edited April 25, 2019 by fredk

[zuludog]

Just a thought - Presumably orders from Tandy USA would attract customs duty, shipping and handling charges somewhere along the line, wherever they were paid; in which case it would be worth looking at Goods Japan

About a year ago I purchased some stitching chisels and edge bevellers from Goods Japan. The costs were - price of the items + VAT/import duty applied by HMRC @ 20%  + international transaction charge by Royal Mail of £8. Delivery time of about 3 weeks from Japan. I think the stated costs on Goods Japan website includes shipping

But you might consider that items by Kyoshin Elle, Craft Sha, and Seiwa are better than Tandy

[mikesc]

Yep..DHL..not the most efficient knives in the box..I heard all about the Kentucky debacle over on a pro IT forum..

I second a vote for goodsjapan..good quality stuff, very efficient people, good prices..re VAT ( if you are registered you'll be getting it back ? ) is 20% from anywhere ( USA or Japan, or even EU )..outside of UK , if UK customs see the goods go past their beady little eyes, or if they are imported by a customs agent shipper such as DHL, UPS, Fedex , TNT etc..

Difference is that once outside of the EU ( post Brexit ) there will be other assorted customs rates applied on goods from the EU before the VAT is charged..

Which could make some things a lot more expensive to bring into the UK from the EU..actual percentage rates won't be known until after Brexit ( some have been leaked, but by no means all )..leather for different uses may have differing rates applied , as may tools, rates depend on use, or dual ( or more ) use..

"international transaction charge by Royal Mail of £8" that is basically like a flat rate customs clearing agent charge for "customs handling" that Royal Mail apply..

DHL ( and others ) quoted rates usually are inclusive of customs handling, but not inclusive of customs duty and VAT..

Each class of items is technically "one point"..so cowhide veg tan is "one point" , "cowhide analine" is "one point", horse is "one point" etc etc..head knives are "one point", ( or may be classed as "leatherworker's tools" , ) stamps may be "one point" ( or may be classed as "leatherworker's tools"..etc etc..

A Customs broker charges for handling each "point"..Import and customs clearance of one veg tan cowhide could be "one point" charged at $100.00 plus duty + VAT..import of 1000 veg tan cowhides would also be £100.00 plus duty+VAT..if there was one lambskin in the 1000 veg tan cowhides, that would be an additional "one pint and be charged at an additional
£100.00 +duty +VAT..and so on ..and so forth..Which is why ( unless you are shipping 20' or 40' boxes or stuff ) most people use the mail or DHL, UPS, TNT etc..who have a flat charge per package included in their rates and who do not charge per "point"..There may not actually be a classification of "leatherworker's tools"..and without looking it up in my Douane ( Customs ) tables I couldn't say for sure.but the principle holds good, each thing is in a classification , each classification counts as "one point" each classification has a rate of import duty applied to it, if things are dual use, you get to negotiate with the Douane ( Customs ) or your importing "customs clearing agent" does so for you..if they can be bothered, DHL etc usually cannot be..

Whatever you do..never call it a gift , nor allow your supplier to do so..that way can lie jail and or heavy fines..and your customs people ( HMRC..or in my case la Douane, les Douanes ) are usually empowered to do things that the police are not..

Edited April 25, 2019 by mikesc
typos

[bermudahwin]

Mike has it covered well,

I am disappointed at the closure, but based on the recent centralising to US that they have exhibited, it is not surprising.

Based on the $1 to £1 conversion rate we have seen from Tandy over the years, and split orders sent at full postage per split, I calculated on a £500 (UK) there would be a probable increase on about 2% (which could easily be lost or increased in currency fluctuations) This takes a random (highish) post and pack cost, Duty, VAT and Handling charge into account. And was Importing a product classified with HS Code 8206.00.0000 to GB from US, which was hand tools.

I think that the biggest loss is one of competition in a small marketplace. I feel for the always helpful staff, and time, as I will have to source from many places instead of one, which was the main reason to shop there.

H

[chrisash]

Seems a pity they dont let the management buy stock from the States at real trade prices and just sell maybe online or and trade counter as a franchise with maybe cut down product lists

[mikesc]

Seems a pity they dont let the management buy stock from the States at real trade prices
With whose money would they be paying for what they were buying ?

What are "real trade prices"?
Selling online requires a secure website, with a back end to a bank account, the site would have to be run by a team, with experience, who would pay them ?
Trade counter ? who would be allowed to buy ? Only businesses, which is what "trade counters" sell to..they do not sell to the "public" or "hobbyists".
Franchises ( which are a very specific type of legal trading entity ) cost money to "buy into"..eg most ( if not all ) MickeyD's ( and other Fast food etc ) are franchises..

We looked into buying one ( McDo) here ( they are the run under the same "franchise system" in the UK ) would have cost us at the time ( early 90's ) around 2 million euros to buy in, plus a franchisee then gives a high percentage of their gross each month to the "Home office" in return for being a franchisee..
We decided to pass , put the money into something else..mainly because in France we would have had to have employees, and already we had learned that to have employees in France is like shooting yourself in the foot, but the trigger gets pulled at random.

I don't know if Tandy have a franchise system ? I think the store managers are all salaried staff paid by the head office..if they do have franchises, they won't be giving them away..But, you could ask them if you could "buy in" to keep them open in the UK, but based in Norfolk. :)

Prices to "buy in" are no doubt even higher now..There is a supermarket chain ( each shop run by franchisees in France) called SuperU , one about 1km from me was just sold..the new owners had to "buy in" as well as pay the previous owner for the deal..the "buy in" ( what they have to pay to the "home office" ) is north of 50 million Euros for around 9000 sq feet of retail space branded SuperU, plus parking ( about 200 cars )plus a petrol ( gas ) ) station , my sources say that they paid nearly as much again to the owner, whose father gave it to him around 5 years ago..But..they bought a money machine..

Edited April 25, 2019 by mikesc
forgot "from me"

[fredk]

I got an email from Tandy this morning.

quote

Dear Valued Customer,

There's no easy way to say this but, Tandy is closing its beloved Manchester store Friday 7th June 2019.  We greatly appreciate your business over the years and will miss helping customers face-to-face.

Even without a local Tandy store, we hope you continue to cultivate your passion for crafting leather.  We have all of the materials and tools you need online at www.tandyleather.eu. 

To persuade our valued customers across the pond to stick with us, we revamped our shipping program. Now, 2-day shipping is standard for only £10 and Tandy is paying all import taxes and duties. To sweeten the deal, even more, we’re offering FREE shipping on orders over £150.

Your business is important to us here at Tandy Leather. We appreciate your understanding and welcome any questions. Please feel free to contact tlfhelp@tandyleather.com with questions.

Even though the store is closing, we hope to continue servicing you as though we were still neighbors.

Sincerely,

Tandy Leather Team

 

end quote

[chrisash]

Mikesc

In the u,k it looks like it's different rules for trade counters, I ran a e-commerce site from a industrial unit for many years untill 18 months ago

The trade counter was open to all customers and paid no shop rates; and consisted of a fair size area, where we displayed goods, a large number of industrial units in the UK have trade counters open to the public as well as trade, although i guess it would not be acceptable to sell something that is not remotly connected with a trade, like a sweet shop I guess, but dont really know 

Selling workwear from Nurses dresses to mens overalls etc we brought in from major companies at a trade price which was between 45-60 percent below their selling prices, which helped them sell on lkarge quantities and improvemthere buying power a win win situation

[fredk]

aye, the 'rules' and why-fors are different here for 'trade counters'. Usually the business will give better discount and allow credit to registered trades, others have to pay immediately and get the basic cheaper price.

If I want some car supplies from the trade outlet my son deals with I cannot pay cash if I want a low price; I have to put it on #1's account, then pay him for the item. The cash price is about 10% dearer than the account price, but even that higher price is lower than retail outlets 

[mikesc]

Back when I last lived in the UK..over 30 years ago now..Trade counters would only sell to registered businesses in the same trade..Like a restaurant owner could not buy paint from a trade paint supplier's "trade" counter..Although my local "cash and carry" was quite happy to sell me food and , alcohol etc, at wholesale prices ( every business I knew had a "cash and carry card" ) even though I had ( completely non food businesses at that time ) a craft shop and a printing business. You could only get access to the "trade" counter of any business, and to the "cash and carry" if you could prove that you were a registered business..

UK must have changed even more in many respects than those I see from outside..Here "trade" price or "trade" counter requires proof of being a business ( business registration number, headed note paper ( which has to have your business registration number on it ) , and frequently a recently issued ( less than 3 months old ) from the relevant govt dept business registration document ) ..non food related businesses cannot purchase from food "cash and carry" type outlets "food section"..tobacco products are only available through specific shops anyway..

"Trade" is usually between 50% and 30% lower than retail ( retail being the public price, minus the VAT element ) ..Many of the tanneries will not deal at all with anyone who is not a registered business, you can be registered as more than one type of business or service supplier at once..I am..But you have to pay more taxes etc that way.. "Paperwork" here for businesses is a nightmare..I'm in the middle of calculating and submitting my taxes for 2018-2019 ( year ending April 2019 ) at the moment..Have until 15th may to get the paperwork in to the tax authorities..

Salaried people just moved onto PAYE type tax system this year..yes..this year!! They still ( for this year at least ) have to submit tax forms as well or they can "do it online"..similar to how it works I think in the USA..long time since I was in the USA , so it may have changed there.

Edited April 30, 2019 by mikesc

[fredk]

There are still a few places which will only deal with trade. Near Belfast is an outlet called Makro. It only sells to business people and you need to register - and they check. They sell business / office goods and food and more. I used to be registered but let it lapse as I could buy everything they sold at prices far less in Tesco or ASDA

Edited April 30, 2019 by fredk

[jcuk]

You might want to check returns policy who pays that.

 

Hope this helps

JCUK