The Great Zymol Rip Off

carlmthompson · Dec 24, 2004

Can anybody tell me why Zymol in the US is the same price in Dollars as Zymol in the UK is in Pounds?

I realise that the US site doesn't include VAT, but look at it like this:-

Zymol Starter kit US - $99 + VAT = $116.00 in the US, at todays tourist rate, £66 (Obviously sales tax in the US will be more like 8% than 17.5%[

][

]

Zymol Starter Kit UK- £99

That's not just a small difference - that's alot!!

Also Zymol US won't ship to any country that has an authorised distributor (and of course the UK does!!)

Does anybody know if Spain has a distributor? If not, I'll get some shipped there.

Guest · Dec 24, 2004

ORIGINAL: carlmthompson

Can anybody tell me why Zymol in the US is the same price in Dollars as Zymol in the UK is in Pounds?

I realise that the US site doesn't include VAT, but look at it like this:-

Zymol Starter kit US - $99 + VAT = $116.00 in the US, at todays tourist rate, £66 (Obviously sales tax in the US will be more like 8% than 17.5%[][]

Zymol Starter Kit UK- £99

That's not just a small difference - that's alot!!

Also Zymol US won't ship to any country that has an authorised distributor (and of course the UK does!!)

Does anybody know if Spain has a distributor? If not, I'll get some shipped there.

Yes but there are other places in the US that you can get zymol. I got titanium for £32 including p&p + free micro towel, unfortunately i cant remember what site it was....doh!!

Diver944 · Dec 24, 2004

Welcome to ripoff Britain, and it's not jst Zymol [8|]

If customs do spot this coming through then as well as 17.5% VAT they will also add 10% import tax and the courier may add their own 'handling charge'. The VAT and Import will also be based on the postage charge as well as the item itself, so I think it will be pretty close to the £99

However, if it's a small package then it may go through with nothing added at all [

] so $99 plus postage

Luck of the draw I'm afraid [

]

carlmthompson · Dec 24, 2004

Have received plenty of packages from the US, and have never heard of Import Tax before?

I've only ever been charged VAT, plus a £2.00 handling fee by Royal Mail.

By the way, did you ever sell your Cab - there's one here on e-bay at the mo (similar, but not exact!!)

Slim - if you can remember where you got it that would be reaaaaaaally nice! Would save me hours of searching the web!!

944Turbo · Dec 24, 2004

That cab is just up the road from me if anyone wants me to have a quick look,
Tony

Guest · Dec 25, 2004

hi

i have had several parts shipped from the USA and never paid import tax i always ask them to declare it as warranty replacement parts price paid nil

ok so this might not work for ever but up until now i have not had a problem

uktrucks · Dec 25, 2004

Whilst you may be paying more for a starter kit here it may not just be a case of "Rip off Britain"

1] Do we know the facts on how much discount an importing agent gets from the manufacturer ? 0% 10% 20% ??
2] A shipping agent in USA will charge to collect, manifest etc for bona-fide exporter.
3] A clearing agent in UK will charge a bona-fide importer here for clearing goods, duties, vat, delivery etc.
4] Everyone needs to pay in advance for their stock, premises, advertising, insurance etc
5] We all need to make a reasonable living

So whilst a direct comparison seems like we are being ripped off, we may not actually be.

Think about your own business/employer do they charge your time or expertise out at what it costs them ? Computer boffins want c£55-60 ph to do web design, Car repaireres are £60ph

I am in no way connected with Zymol or it's importers or retailers, I buy the stuff just like you but I do get a little heated when people assume that every retailer is ripping them off because they can carry out individual no overhead mail order transactions for less.

Rant over

Enjoy Xmas [now there is a commercialised p*ss take]

Allan

Yoda · Dec 25, 2004

I think that as with a lot of things it pays to shop around and build a good relationship with a retailer who will look after you in the long run - cheapest is not always best. While you wouldn't expect to have problems with Zymol products, there would be no after sales care or advice etc buying overseas.

I bought quite a few (too many!!) Zymol products a little while ago and after we talked about the cost, he offered me a good price on a bundle of products that I bought with a couple of friends and threw in a few things for free. Add the help he provided and I think the difference was marginal.

You pays your money and takes your choice.

eastendr · Dec 26, 2004

I buy lots of things from the USA (and Hong Kong, mainland Europe etc..). I would say that 3 out of 4 packages from abroad have attracted no import taxes.

This has included some very expensive items (multi $000 Canon professional series lenses, Military spec telescopic sights) and large items (large boxes from Lindsey Racing in Oklahoma, Summit Racing etc.)

With the dollar the way it is, now is the time to buy from the USA. Even when I have had to pay the duty, it has still come out MUCH cheaper than buying the equivalent in the UK.

Example. Here's one I got this week from Hong Kong. Canon 10-22mm EFS lens. UK price £649.90 from Jessops. Hong Kong purchase £485.00. Customs duty =£0.00, Customs VAT = £26.25, Clearance Fee = £13.50. Total cost = £524.75. Saving £125.15 / 20%

Another from USA. Canon 24-70L EF lens. UK price £1,139.90 from Jessops. USA purchase £709.99. No customs duty. No customs VAT. No clearance fee. Nothing. Saving £429.91 / 38%.

If you deal with reputable companies at the other end, you will get the goods extremely quickly (Lindesey Racing typically deliver to door within 48 hours of order !!!). The record so far is a New York software dealer delivering in under 36 hours - no duty either.

At the end of the day the options are all there. The world is a much smaller place now. International trade for consumers has become much more readily available.

e-mail and on-line shopping have moved the whole game forward. The likes of Link Electronics (NZ), Summit racing, Dave Lindsey and even Danno (Guru Racing) are all available on the telephone for pre and post sales support.

Hong Kong and European's are set up with english speaking representatives. If you ring a so called UK based company's call centre, the chances are that you will be talking to someone in Delhi (ring around for insurance quotes...)

I've also found that many international sellers will also offer a very good deal if you haggle. I very rarely buy just one item at a time now, but combining a number of items will nearly always get a better deal and combined postage / shipping.

On the one occasion I had a faulty item (ATN telescopic site), they replaced it by return, even paying for the shipping. That's better service than I've had from Canon UK with UK purchased equipment. Don't even start on the quality of service some UK customers have had from PUK over the RMS saga ....

A agree with Alan. UK importers may not be ripping you off (I have been the divisional manager of the UK subsiduary of a Japanese manufacturer in the past, with responsibility of advanced ordering production six months ahead and arranging / pricing international shipping through Rotterdam etc) so I know how it works even when ordering £00,000's per month).

My point , through long experience, is that I've had no problems with the over £30,000 worth of imports I've done this year alone. With average savings working out nearly 40%, that's a lot of savings from both a personal and business point of view.

carlmthompson · Dec 27, 2004

I agree.

My other point is that Zymol won't deliver to a country that has an authorised dealer. Point being that in the US it is against the law to hold a cartel on goods and services (it's why you can buy any car at any dealership or supermarket that wants to sell them, and also get them serviced anywhere you like to manufacturers spec and not void your warranty - try that in the UK and make a warranty claim!!)

Just saying that in good ol' UK, price fixing is the norm - but I guess if people keep on paying the money, they will keep charging high prices! The high prices cannot be totally down to import costs, as I doubt very much wether a UK importer of a product like Zymol will pay anywhere near the retail price listed in the US.

Guest · Dec 28, 2004

ORIGINAL: sweetea

Hi All,

As a wholesale importer, I can understand why it costs more in the UK. This is essentially due to the following: [1] shipping costs, [2] customs clearance fees, [3] import duty & [4] VAT. The other aspect is the economy. To get products available in the UK may involve higher labour charges and other costs which are much lower in the USA (for example). In the USA pretty much everything is cheaper - why? To be price competitive in a market far larger than the UK.

Also, manufacturers have to support their distributors. Hence, a recognised UK distributor for Zymol won't want to lose sales to the USA. Even if a $99 item can be purchased for what costs less than an equivalent £99 in the UK - it is likely to offer little saving. Buying in quantity can help (as Rick has suggested). But, what if you then need support? What about the cost of international phone calls and the 2.35% currency conversion charge levied by most credit card companies for non GBP transactions?

Also there are over 300 million people in the USA and enough car nuts to suggest that Zymol will be able to sell a lot more product (at a lower price) and still be profitable - they are also competing against other domestic manufacturers. In the UK, the market is much smaller (not just because of the smaller population) so the product pricing has to reflect that.

So, I would agree with Allan, it's not a case of rip off Britain. It's more a case of the economies of scale and country specific costs.

Hope everybody had a fine Christmas and a Happy New Year to all.

Regards,
Andrew

This is all true Andrew but the bottom line is you can buy it cheaper in the US and thats including VAT etc paid. (much cheaper if it sneaks in without)

We now live in a very small world when it comes to retail products and margines will be cut to the bone (along with overheads via the internet)

In a product like zymol there is really no issue with purchasing from the US without any aftersales (it only wax!!)

But on the other hand there is no doubt i would buy locally with more technical products. ANd also try and support local businesses where ever possible. Unfortunatly there is always a point (usually an amout saved) where people will always buy abroad. Example for me woudl be the Tial wastegate i bought. I saved about £100 over buying a wastegate from the UK, thats just too much to pass up..

Hope you had a good one yourself.

Cheers