Buying from DigitalRev

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big soft moose said:
I thought he explained it last year

I think the short version was that he pays VAT on the cameras he imports , but he isn't eligible to be VAT registered because he's an American company.
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He can't be an American company if he is situated in Scotland. If he is situated in Scotland he is obliged to register for VAT if he exceeds the threshold.

There is actually no way around that.
 
he isn't situated in Scotland - he's based in the states and pays taxes there.

Bottom line is he says he's checked it with HMRC and is 100% legal - so either he's lying (which would be fundamentally stupid as it would invite someone reporting him to them) or he's telling the truth in which case he's not one of the bad guys

Personally i'm more concerned about a well known grey retailer (not kerso) who is still claiming that prices on their website include VAT , even though they aren't Vat registered .. that is fraud !
 
StewartR said:
I sometimes think everyone on this forum, except you and me and ukaskew, must be Daily Fail readers.
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Excuse me!

Add me to that list please bud.
 
big soft moose said:
I think the short version was that he pays VAT on the cameras he imports , but he isn't eligible to be VAT registered because he's an American company .... it would be advantageous to his business to be able to charge Vat, but he's clarified it with HMRC and he can't
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big soft moose said:
Bottom line is he says he's checked it with HMRC and is 100% legal - so either he's lying (which would be fundamentally stupid as it would invite someone reporting him to them) or he's telling the truth in which case he's not one of the bad guys
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Hmm. It seems rather odd that HMRC would give him advice which is 100% contrary to their own published VAT Guide.

If you are a non-established taxable person (NETP), you must register for VAT in the UK and start to charge VAT if you make any taxable supplies here.
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Ref: VAT Guide - link - section 6.1.2.

So either:
[a] he's lying and is fundamentally stupid; or
the HMRC advisor he consulted got it 100% wrong.
 
I just bit the bullet and ordered from WEX, £70 more expensive than Chinese imports but it's guaranteed next day delivery, has a manufacturer warranty, and no chance of customs fees. If the savings were greater I may be tempted to buy an import in the future..
 
anthonys said:
I just bit the bullet and ordered from WEX, £70 more expensive than Chinese imports but it's guaranteed next day delivery, has a manufacturer warranty, and no chance of customs fees. If the savings were greater I may be tempted to buy an import in the future..
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Probably for the best, did you consider HDEW? They seem to be reasonably legit, they will supply a vat receipt if you request one after purchase and are in the UK so no legalities of you being the importer.

Only possible problem is no warranty from Canon UK.
 
Dave1 said:
Probably for the best, did you consider HDEW? They seem to be reasonably legit, they will supply a vat receipt if you request one after purchase and are in the UK so no legalities of you being the importer.

Only possible problem is no warranty from Canon UK.
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I'm buying micro four thirds gear from Panasonic and they don't seem to stock that..
 
anthonys said:
I'm buying micro four thirds gear from Panasonic and they don't seem to stock that..
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Ok, but even then, for the small amount extra the peace of mind of a UK item is definitely worth it.
 
Dave1 said:
Ok, but even then, for the small amount extra the peace of mind of a UK item is definitely worth it.
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Just emailed me their receipt and though it says 20% VAT interestingly the VAT amount says £0.. Would have thought this should be 20% of the total cost if they are charging it too?
 
anthonys said:
Just emailed me their receipt and though it says 20% VAT interestingly the VAT amount says £0.. Would have thought this should be 20% of the total cost if they are charging it too?
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If you have bought from WEX you will have paid the correct amount of VAT.
 
anthonys said:
Just emailed me their receipt and though it says 20% VAT interestingly the VAT amount says £0.. Would have thought this should be 20% of the total cost if they are charging it too?
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You could query them, but there is no chance of a legit UK business with a B&M presence not charging VAT.
 
Indeed, got another receipt with a break down.

Lens cost £439
VAT amount £73.17

I guess VAT is not 20% of the total cost then, and means WEX get £365.83. DigitalRev were charging £370 while procamerashop were charing £360 for the same lens. At the end the supplier seems to get about the same amount then..
 
vat ought to be 20% of the ex vat amount , 16.6% of the total paid
 
anthonys said:
Indeed, got another receipt with a break down.

Lens cost £439
VAT amount £73.17

I guess VAT is not 20% of the total cost then, and means WEX get £365.83. DigitalRev were charging £370 while procamerashop were charing £360 for the same lens. At the end the supplier seems to get about the same amount then..
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VAT is 20% of the excl VAT price, not 20% of the incl price.
 
As others have said..

Tax-free price = £365.83
VAT @ 20% = £73.17 (365.83 x 0.2)
Total = £439
 
Gary Kinghorn said:
Order a 24-105 Tuesday afternoon and it arrived in what appears to be perfect condition at lunchtime today. Now that's fast service.

I would use these guys again in a heartbeat.
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And I said exactly the same. Honk Kong to Spain in super fast time. But when things went wrong......

I will NEVER use them again.
 
Been shooting a wedding today and just got back in, camera has cleared customs according to the tracking on DHL. Looks like it'll be delivered on Monday. Sods law the first weekday after all the weddings I wanted it for!

More info when I have it.
 
Horney said:
Been shooting a wedding today and just got back in, camera has cleared customs according to the tracking on DHL. Looks like it'll be delivered on Monday. Sods law the first weekday after all the weddings I wanted it for!

More info when I have it.
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Isn't that just typical! At least it's landed and in the UK proper now.

Hope you are lucky with the duty assessment.
 
This just gets better.

It didn't arrive today and still shows as having cleared customs but nothing else on DHL tracker. I called DHL and it's being sent back to Hong Kong at the request of the shipper.

Brilliant!
 
Horney said:
This just gets better.

It didn't arrive today and still shows as having cleared customs but nothing else on DHL tracker. I called DHL and it's being sent back to Hong Kong at the request of the shipper.

Brilliant!
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You have a Paypal dispute open haven't you? You should be escalating to a claim immediately, DigitalRev are playing games with you.

Add the details from DHL about the item being returned to HK and ask for an immediate refund.
 
I probably will but I only discovered this after they have closed due to the time difference so I have sent a mail and will see what the response is in the morning. I will then go the claim route if not happy.

To make matters worse Hdew seem to no longer stock 60Ds so if I don't get this one then it looks like my only option within budget will be a used one from MPB.
 
whats the budget ? - Clifton (legit british stock) will do one for £539 inc cash back, which is only 60 or so quid more than the MPB second users

alternately kerso will do them for 479 (about the same as an MPB second user) - and wherever you stand on his VAT legitimacy , he is definitely supplying from a uk base so there should be no issues with customs/import
 
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big soft moose said:
alternately kerso will do them for 479 (about the same as an MPB second user) - and wherever you stand on his VAT legitimacy , he is definitely supplying from a uk base so there should be no issues with customs/import
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That's true, whatever his way of business is, it has no impact on the buyer. They can buy with the security of the item being in the UK and they would have no tax/duty obligations.

It's a bit of a no-brainer when comparing to Hong Kong retailers.
 
Unbelievable.

I have now been told until I close my dispute they will not instruct DHL to send me the parcel I ordered and paid for a month ago.

I have given them until 10am to provide written proof DHL will deliver my parcel or a full refund into my paypal. If not I submit a claim.
 
Unbelievable that you didn't escalate the claim last week.

DO IT NOW!

They are still stalling you, they will not give you written proof and even if they did it is worthless.You are not going to get what you paid for from them. Is it really worth risking losing your money when they fail again?

Get your money back and start again.
 
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Well I'm giving them one last chance. I have until the 19th to escalate to a claim but I will be doing it by the close of play today unless I can see on the DHL tracker my parcel being out for delivery.
 
I think you need to uncross your fingers and escalate now. Having 'written proof' isn't 'proof' of anything. The only time you'll know that you've got what you paid for is when you have it in your hands and that doesn't seem to be happening.

Give up on this transaction and buy from elsewhere. You'll have your order in your hands within the week!

Meanwhile, do what Ricardodaforce has done and post details of what's happened on DR's section of the forum so that others can be aware?
 
Well it seems they have given up as well and have sent me a form to sign and return which states that I will get my refund and that if the parcel ever turns up I must refuse it. It won't turn up because DHL have already told me it's on a crate waiting to go back to HK.

It beggars belief that the parcel has made it this far and they are unwilling to deliver it. I guess they feel that I might still make a claim even if I get ti but they have included the trackign info in the paypal dispute so Paypal would see it as delivered even if I was to try and pull that trick (which I won't, I just wanted what I'd paid for).

They've lost money on shipping it. We've both invested time in trying to resolve the issue and yet with the parcel only 30 miles from where I am sat they can't fulfill. Crazy.


Ah well, you live and learn. I shall certainly nto be purchasing anything from them again and willr ecommend people steer clear unless they are prepared for the chance of a lot of hassle and potentially never recieveing what they ordered.

It does seem they have switched to TNT recently, I wonder if that's to try and out fox HM customs?
 
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