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purchasing a concertina in the UK


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I am planning to visit England in the Fall, and I was wondering what the benefits and disadvantages might be if I should happen upon a concertina that I wished to buy. Specifically, what would be the case with respect to VAT and US import duties. Has anyone had experience with this situation?

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Well swindlers like me would just swear blind they took it out with them in the first place if challenged ('Look officer, would you like me to play something to prove it's mine?')

 

I've done quite a lot of international air travel always with a fancy duet or two and no one has ever asked whether I had just bought it, was importing it de dah, de dah de dah...The only people who ever show any interest at all are the bomb monitors who like to try and guess what it is in the X ray machine. (I don't think they're allowed to ask! No problems there either, before one of the paranoid picks up on this.) I am touching wood as I write this...

 

How would they know that THIS ONE was new to you? Just carry it in your hand luggage and don't talk about it. You won't even need to tell any fibs. Apart from anything else the customs men wouldn't have any idea how much it was worth, I suspect, and they'd only be looking for high value items. I presume you're talking about an antique too; again I think they'd be looking more for new goods.

 

Just do it.

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I am planning to visit England in the Fall, and I was wondering what the benefits and disadvantages might be if I should happen upon a concertina that I wished to buy. Specifically, what would be the case with respect to VAT and US import duties. Has anyone had experience with this situation?

My understanding of the system of whether you would pay any VAT on a concertina purchase depends on a number of factors. If you bought from a private individual or a non VAT registered person you would not pay VAT. If the instrument were second hand and VAT were charged, it should only be 20% of the difference between the seller's buying and net selling price. If the instrument were new, and VAT charged it would be 20% of the net selling price. If you paid VAT on your purchase and reclaimed it as suggested in a previous post, I don't know if this would trigger an alert to US customs!

 

Life was much simpler before the advent of VAT ie pre 1973!!!

 

If you see something you really want and can afford it buy it.

Edited by MichaelF
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My understanding of the system of whether you would pay any VAT on a concertina purchase depends on a number of factors. If you bought from a private individual or a non VAT registered person you would not pay VAT. If the instrument were second hand and VAT were charged, it should only be 20% of the difference between the seller's buying and net selling price. If the instrument were new, and VAT charged it would be 20% of the net selling price. If you paid VAT on your purchase and reclaimed it as suggested in a previous post, I don't know if this would trigger an alert to US customs!

 

Whether the instrument is new or second hand is not relevant. The key point as has been stated is whether or not you buy from a VAT-registered trader. If you do, VAT at 20% would be calculated on the selling price. What the seller paid for the instrument is also not relevant to the sale price. For example, a registered trader selling an instrument for £2,000 + VAT would charge a total of £2,400 (£2000+20%).

 

regards

 

John Wild

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I've never declared my concertina when I've gone to the UK and back. As Dirge said, the only real interst is from the bomb sniffers.

 

I think you and Dirge have just been lucky. I travelled from Canada to the States last year for the Button Box concertina workshop with 3 concertinas. On returning, we were asked where we had been, and on replying were asked if we had any musical instruments with us, and could we prove we hadn't bought them in the States? It was looking dicey, with the threat of confiscation. Fortunately, there was a commotion in line behind us, and we were waved through with an admonishment to register the boxes before making another trip into the States. I now carry an "Identification of Articles for Temporary Exportation" document whenever I cross the border.

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