Getting a mount from the states

Hi All,

I've been toying with the idea for a while and have mentioned it before on this site about getting a new mount for my 10" sct. I got some advise here and another site and the 'Orion Atlas' seems good value. However how the heck ,does anybody know ,do I get something that big from the states without being stung (too much) for the duty on it? And would the cost of sending something that over be much? Any experience anybody?


Mark

Mark,
I've had many a telescope part brought over, probabily the biggest was the metal dew shield, but never anything over 10kgs.
Shipping it is quite easy, let the shop/shipper put it into a big enough padded box and it'll get here.
As for duty, the value that customs use is usually written on the box by the sender. There is also an insurance value written next to it, go figure :lol:

Ok Thanks Dave, I'll go shopping on line and see what prices they through at me.


Marj

Mark - the shipping costs aren't too bad. I think I had the AP1200 shipped over, fully insured, for about 600 dollars. And that was in 7 boxes for a total weight of just over 100Kg. The vendor will be able to give you shipping costs.

As regards Duty and VAT, Duty is 4.3% of the value of the goods. VAT is 21% of the total cost (iuncluding shipping, the goods, the Duty and insurance). Its the VAT that's the killer. Duty isn't so bad.

As a rule of thumb, take the dollar price (goods and shipping etc), add 20% and that's the price you'll pay in Euro. So, if all in the goods are $5000, you'll pay around €6000 (give or take).

HTH

Dave

Mark - the shipping costs aren't too bad. I think I had the AP1200 shipped over, fully insured, for about 600 dollars. And that was in 7 boxes for a total weight of just over 100Kg. The vendor will be able to give you shipping costs.

Hi Dave,

I was wondering if this amount ($600) included the counterweights and, if so, how many pounds did you pick up (ie. counterweights)?

Also, can I assume the equatorial head comes in two packages (one for each axis)? If so, where do the other five boxes fit in?

Finally, which service (courier, USPS) did you use?

I am about six weeks away from having my mount ready for shipment and I would be very curious about your experience. I am very tempted to fly to the US for pick up so as to bring it back with me as luggage. Your expenses would certainly cover a good portion of the ticket.

Thanks!

Anthony.

I have heard of people who have asked to get "Warranty Repair" stamped on the box. I've tried this for small items and it's worked fine. Don't know how it works for expensive items. Might be worth a shot.