Tandy Pricing Structure Change

[fredk]

On 5/2/2019 at 12:56 PM, mikesc said:

Bear in mind that DHL may still ask you to pay VAT upon the final total showing on your Tandy account invoice , when they present you with your parcel on arrival at your door...Unless the Tandy invoice says that it is inclusive of VAT at 20% applied to the total of goods . . . 

I asked both Tandy and DHL about customs, taxes and VAT  and never got a real clear answer

However, after some palava and missed delivery dates by DHL and me chasing Tandy via emails I  finally got my order at approx 15.00 BST today.

No customs duties, taxes or VAT  had to be paid by me. The £440 I paid directly to Tandy was the full and total amount

Evidence from DHL says it went thru UK customs clearing

[mikesc]

Lucky man..( there is an expression re the luck of us Irish ) I hope UK customs continue to be nice to you in such a way*..
Now..go buy a scratch card or two ..whilst you are on a roll.. :)

edited to add..*that may mean that Tandy charged you inc VAT..did they give you a VAT number on the paper work that was included within the parcel that DHL delivered , ( or was stuck to the outside ) ..You'll need it ( if Tandy charged £440 inc VAT ) in order to reclaim the VAT, if you are registered for VAT...

Additional thought, Given the ( eventual ..some day, maybe ) "looming" Brexit, and the as yet unknown ways that may affect NI, worth keeping any and all paperwork relating to anything imported from anywhere and exported to anywhere, even other EU countries..you never know..

Edited May 9, 2019 by mikesc

[Matt S]

38 minutes ago, fredk said:

I asked both Tandy and DHL about customs, taxes and VAT  and never got a real clear answer

However, after some palava and missed delivery dates by DHL and me chasing Tandy via emails I  finally got my order at approx 15.00 BST today.

No customs duties, taxes or VAT  had to be paid by me. The £440 I paid directly to Tandy was the full and total amount

Evidence from DHL says it went thru UK customs clearing

Several couriers are offering an option to calculate and pay the various import charges before shipment -- something I've seen on eBay and Amazon. I wonder if this is how Tandy are doing it, and either working the average costs into the prices for each country or simply absorbing them from their profit margin.

[mikesc]

Several couriers are offering an option to calculate and pay the various import charges before shipment -- something I've seen on eBay and Amazon. I wonder if this is how Tandy are doing it, and either working the average costs into the prices for each country or simply absorbing them from their profit margin.

That is interesting, I hadn't heard of that ( I don't buy much on ebay or Amazon, as "imports" ) I think I'll phone some of the people that I do import from and ask them to see if their DHL or the shippers that they use for groupage ( so as to use DHL, but much cheaper ) offer this..If I pay the DHL rates at my end via an account in France , prior to incoming shipping, it can cost me as much as 4 times the price* that the exporters pay DHL in their countries to ship the same goods, in the same planes, on the same routes, to me ..So, I usually pay them the extra for "inc shipping via DHL" and let them pay DHL ( or whoever does the DHL groupage in their country) in advance at their end.

*DHL France have told me that I'm not supposed to know how much other people ( in France or other countries pay for shipments from anywhere to anywhere ) pay for DHL , this despite the "local" DHL rate cards being available on line in many countries via the DHL websites in those countries..

Edited May 9, 2019 by mikesc

[Matt S]

47 minutes ago, mikesc said:

 

That is interesting, I hadn't heard of that ( I don't buy much on ebay or Amazon, as "imports" ) I think I'll phone some of the people that I do import from and ask them to see if their DHL or the shippers that they use for groupage ( so as to use DHL, but much cheaper ) offer this..If I pay the DHL rates at my end via an account in France , prior to incoming shipping, it can cost me as much as 4 times the price* that the exporters pay DHL in their countries to ship the same goods, in the same planes, on the same routes, to me ..So, I usually pay them the extra for "inc shipping via DHL" and let them pay DHL ( or whoever does the DHL groupage in their country) in advance at their end.

*DHL France have told me that I'm not supposed to know how much other people ( in France or other countries pay for shipments from anywhere to anywhere ) pay for DHL , this despite the "local" DHL rate cards being available on line in many countries via the DHL websites in those countries..

 

EBuystuff calls it their Global Shipping Program, and the seller ships to their national distribution node (paying domestic shipping). eBay sorts out customs and international shipping (having calculated things at checkout and the customer having already paid all relevant charges). 

Amazon calls it Global Store I think:


Looks about the correct amount of largess going to the government, so HMRC is happy. No valuation delays at customs so they're happy. Courier doesn't have a bunch of packages hanging round or have to collect payment from the customer so they're happy. And the customer doesn't have their package delayed or have to pay a handling fee so they're happy.

Not sure if it'll help you in your situation Mike but there it is.

[fredk]

2 hours ago, mikesc said:

edited to add..*that may mean that Tandy charged you inc VAT..did they give you a VAT number on the paper work that was included within the parcel that DHL delivered , ( or was stuck to the outside ) ..You'll need it ( if Tandy charged £440 inc VAT ) in order to reclaim the VAT, if you are registered for VAT...

Additional thought, Given the ( eventual ..some day, maybe ) "looming" Brexit, and the as yet unknown ways that may affect NI, worth keeping any and all paperwork relating to anything imported from anywhere and exported to anywhere, even other EU countries..you never know..

a. Only paper work is the standard Tandy packing list. No VAT number, I didn't ask for one as I don't require it

b. I've found there is no need to keep any paperwork for any longer than 2 years or so,  then only for HMRC purposes and audited accounts. When I had Limited Companies the necessary papers went into the files at Company House.

1 hour ago, Matt S said:

Several couriers are offering an option to calculate and pay the various import charges before shipment -- something I've seen on eBay and Amazon. I wonder if this is how Tandy are doing it, and either working the average costs into the prices for each country or simply absorbing them from their profit margin.

I've bought from the US and the business sellers have paid the necessary duties/taxes at their end and the item just floated to me

Tandy keeps telling me when I order I'll be paying VAT just as I have always done. Whether this time is a one-off or the norm only time and more orders will tell us

Edited May 9, 2019 by fredk

[mikesc]

Thanks Matt S..useful to know if / when I order internationally from ebay or Amazon..( I'll test each of them to see if it is offered to customers based in France )

fredK

a. Only paper work is the standard Tandy packing list. No VAT number, I didn't ask for one as I don't require it

b. I've found there is no need to keep any paperwork for any longer than 2 years or so, then only for HMRC purposes and audited accounts. When I had Limited Companies the necessary papers went into the files at Company House.

re a.They should be giving you their VAT number automatically if they are charging it, whether or not you asked for it, it is the law..Plus, if the UK tax man ever asked you ( within the next two years ) what you did with the £88.00 ( that being 20% VAT part of the £440.00 that you paid Tandy ) even if you are not going to be claiming it back..you'd need their VAT number to prove that you didn't spend the £88.00 on Hookers, blow, and booze..or just waste it :)

HMRC etc would always ( if they decide to check your "books" ) rather make it your fault, if they wonder where your money went ( you are "to hand", than Tandy's fault , Tandy are "far away", and certainly HMRC never allow it to be their fault ) ..

re b. You are lucky..when I lived and ran businesses in the UK..I had to keep receipts etc for far longer..Last UK LTD I had , ( while living here in France ) I shut it down as soon as the Brexit result came in..Here paperwork has to be kept for an average of 6 years..some slightly shorter, some longer, much longer..Even when one is not in business..We've got 3 metres of shelves of box files..The guy with the villa across from ours has an entire room dedicated to his paperwork..and he was never in business ( veterinary inspector for French ministry of Agriculture..retired ) ..land of paper work we live in..

Back to subject...are you happy with what they sent you ?

[fredk]

I got what I ordered

[Sam I Am]

OK, so now that I got this whole "getting rid of the membership" stuff, my humble opinion on why Corp decided to do this is because there were other places to go with competitive pricing (like for instance i do know of one individual who was quite clever. He paid the money for whatever membership gave him the biggest discount, stocked up on inventory, sold it for more than he paid for it, but less than i would have - and we were both happy campers. Guess this puts a bit of a cramp on his Adventures In Capitalism career, but I gotta give him kudos. 

Anyway, I think that corp is looking at that, and as far as closing stores, you have to go to where the market and demand is. I had one shop in Allentown, interest petered out for whatever reason, now the one that's north of my job in Jersey is hopping by comparison. So, that worked out well...

[lws380]

They no longer offer products in but sizes either according to my store that I visited.  I wanted Chicago screws in 100 packs, but now the biggest in 10 packs.  Great way to drive away business.  I'm guessing some marketing moron is involved.