Why are dive computers so much cheaper in the UK?

[divinh]

If you decide to have it shipped to your daughter and take it home to the US with you, you’re obliged to declare it at Customs and pay some amount of duty. I did that with a couple of drysuits. You get the VAT refunded at the departure airport. All totaled, it was far less expensive than had I bought them in the US.

US citizens get $800 duty free and anything over, is at the discretion of the customs officer. Now, some States have Use Tax, which you're supposed to pay with State Income Tax, but what if you only use the gear abroad, i.e. vacation diver?

 

[Graeme Fraser]

@bshort4 If you had a problem you could always use your best English or German accent and go to an authorized dealer and be like "L-O chap I'm on holiday ear in the states and my camputer has gone tits up! Can you get it in tip top again?

Since when did Dick Van Dyke take up diving?

 

[KenGordon]

this combo cannot be sold outside the EU and we're out of the transmitters so you're double screwed. WTF? are the EU police going to raid Simply Scubas shop for shipping to me or Aqua Lung bust in and take away everyone's birthday

Aqualung will have distribution agreements in place which promise to prevent selling to territories belonging to other distributors. The EU is not involved with that.

They are cheaper partly because the USD/GBP has collapsed due to Brexit and the big volume distributors are swallowing that. Shearwater’s does not and the price moves with the exchange rate.

Personally I don’t thing gaming prices between the US and EU is worth the risk of complete hassle returning stuff. Who knows what consumer rights apply, as well as the shipping and possible customs complications.

 

[Justin Bove]

Since when did Dick Van Dyke take up diving?

That's so freaking good!

“There’s the whole world at your feet. And who gets to see it but the birds, the stars, and the chimney sweeps.”

 

[Steelyeyes]

Bogus argument. Start with greed and end with tariffs. Liability argument is boolsheet.

This was before the recent tariff implementation by a good ways.

Product Liability: You’re More Exposed Than You Think

 

[JackD342]

On to Plan B. I can buy the computer on line from the US and have it shipped free to a UK address---but I would have to eat the VAT tax--still comes out much cheaper and no shipping costs. So happens my daughter lives in the UK and I will be visiting her in August this year. So I can have it shipped to her and pick it up and bring it home and thumb my nose at the EU as I leave with my computer. But you know the "boys and their toys" problem--we want it in our hands now! So decided to check other dive shops in the UK and found the Aqua Lung computer for even less--516 pounds (no VAT included I think) but no combo price--transmitter 129 pounds--so it came out to 645 pounds or $819 US dollars--getting better all the time. Their website also said certain products were restricted and couldn't be shipped out of the EU---grrrr- so add the item to the cart and we will let you know using your address if we can ship it to you. Registered an account with my US address--logged in---added the computer and transmitter to the cart and wait what's this? No warning, no nothing---just the price and a box showing my shipping charges of 22 pounds---hmmmm I'm a bit befuddled here. So before I pull the trigger I shot them a email this morning to double check if they for certain will ship the computer to me in the US. Waiting for a reply before buying and I can pay for it with PayPal since its going to the same address as billing. So I'll wait and see and Plan B is always there for me if I need to go that route--wish me luck!

Just in case you are not aware - it is fairly common, but probably not universally true, that the manufacturer warranty in the US applies only to product bought in the US from authorized dealers. If the savings is not worth that risk for you, then you have one more item to research.

 

[Lorenzoid]

You could always rip the tags off and use it overseas and not declare it........Just joking!........kinda

Apparently, many people do not fill out the Customs form honestly, and omit things they bought abroad. I got this impression because the Customs officer thanked me “for doing the right thing.” I try.

 

[RonR]

From having sold products in both markets, I’d observe that the costs due to the EU’s extensive consumer protection laws (and occasional abuse of same) exceed what we have had to pay in product liability insurance for the US. In the overall scheme of things, product liability is not a huge cost factor.

When it comes to pricing disparities the first place to look is to the distribution agreements. The flatter the distribution chain is in any given market or for any given product, the fewer entities there are taking markups along the way. Markups have big impact on pricing...

Tariffs on components and raw materials do add costs for US manufacturers of electronic products, and make us less competitive with companies outside the US- who are not subject to these taxes. But that doesn’t relate to the issue the OP describes, since he is not referring to US manufactured products.

 

[bshort4]

Well it seems my little "drama" will continue. It seems every dealer in the UK is out of stock of the Aqua Lung transmitter so both plans are now on hold. Though I did find a dealer through email that agreed to ship me both when he receives the transmitters back in stock which he hopes will be by the first of August--hopefully. As I'm retired and have the time to keep researching I'll do just that. But as I have more time than money right now (ouch!) I'll see what I can find between now and my trip to the UK in August and then on to the Red Sea for a week of diving. I'll still have my Geo 2 to dive with and it will do just fine----it's like me trying to "buy" a golf game every year with the latest and greatest golf clubs--until I saw a quote from Lee Trevino--Sometimes it's the Indian and not the arrow--do I need a new computer to dive better? Nope. Do I want a new computer--yep. Boys and their toys.

 

[Jelle - The dutch diver]

Well, for ebay you need to pay. For example in my country, you do not have to put a 'listing' at marktplaats.nl (dutch ebay) so people just sell their junk and dont try to make a profit.