Anyone ever deal with Varuste.net in Finland

[cruisekingkris]

Has anyone in the the US ever dealt with Varuste.net. They seem to have low prices on scuba gear and will ship to the US. What am I missing? Will customs cause it to price out the same as if I bought it stateside?

From the depths to the summits | Varuste.net English

 

[Schwob]

I did not deal with them.
Am curious so if they indeed ship to the US, and if so, all they sell (minus ammo maybe) or not certain things, or?

Prices are given including 24%VAT. If you buy there and self export they should give you the paperwork to claim a refund on the VAT upon exit within30 days or so...

If they ship to the US I need, they should not charge you the VAT in the first place. You may need to pay import taxes in the US, if so, best declared.

Only time I did that (in person, arriving at a US airport the tax rate on scuba gear was 3%. (Those change so, pending what trade war games are being played...) and the VAT I got refunded was 20%,(that was the rate where bought). So, in conjunction with favorite pricing on my purchase, I thought that worked out...

 

[coldwaterdufus]

I'm curious about responses here as well, also wondering about Dir Direct.

 

[Subcooled]

Varuste.net is a known and reputable store in Finland. They sell things related to hiking, diving and other outdoor sports. They have a shop in Helsinki / capital region (I've been shopping there). I am sure that they try to answer your questions honestly. Some sales clerks are better than others, though. A friend of mine purchased a made-to-measure drysuit there and the sales clerk failed to measure correctly. Anyway, the order was properly refunded even if this was a costly mistake for the shop.

I do not know about U.S. taxes and tolls.

Email: info@varuste.net
Taxfree | Varuste.net English

"What am I missing?"
- the prices are in euro (add ~10% to convert to USD)
- shipping cost (you will know it before confirming your order, though)
- delay (coronavirus; cancelled flights)

 

[coldwaterdufus]

Thanks for the response sub cooled. Good to know

 

[FinnMom]

The store has been in operation for many years and offers reliable service both on-site and by mail. I have spent several thousand euros there over the last 10 yrs. Shipping and customs to the USA might get expensive. Prices are usually higher in Finland than in the USA though, makes me wonder what you found there that was cheaper than in the US.

In addition to varuste.net, in Finland Sukellusluola.com ( http://www.sukellusluola.com/myynti.html ) also has excellent prices and a price list in English. If interested in something they have for sale (they do custom sized Ursuit drysuits for example) you could send them an email and ask if they would ship to the USA and at what price.

 

[cruisekingkris]

Im looking for Apeks XTX50 2ng stages (I need two). Here is the price break down in USD$ from Varuste.net

Apeks XTX 50 2nd Stage Regulator | 2nd stages | Varuste.net English

Price Apeks XTX50 2nd stage
Your order $153.27
Delivery costs $16.29
Total price of the order $169.56

United States delivery (FEDEX)
We can deliver to United States. All orders delivered to USA are without Finnish value added tax. Addressee is responsible for all customs duties in the USA. We will provide necessary documents with the shipment (U.S. Customs and Border Protection Declaration Form + commercial invoices).




So $169.56 for a second stage seems pretty cheap to me. The only new Apeks 2nd stage I can find in the states for sale is the Apeks octo xtx50 and that's $289.00. After all is said and done, if it comes in under $290.00 I think I won.

I have two Apeks DST 1st stages I'm trying to sell/trade but I'm striking out.

For Sale - Apeks 1st stages for Apeks 2nd stage Trade or sell

 

[Subcooled]

In addition to varuste.net, in Finland Sukellusluola.com ( http://www.sukellusluola.com/myynti.html ) also has excellent prices and a price list in English.

Oh, yes. We love that shop as much as the shop loves us (or our money). Always got what I ordered and their advise is generally good, sometimes exceptionally good. It is a trustworthy shop worth visiting. Lots of stuff. Price lists as PDF.

I once bought an open ended SMB from Sukellusluola, because I wanted a cheap one, and the shop did not tell me strongly enough, that it was a bad idea. I hate that thing. I got what I asked for, though.

 

[FinnMom]

CruiseKingKris
please do post what customs duties end up costing. I wonder if you will have to pay any sort of taxes as well. This would be interesting to know.

Subcooled
After having to twice signal for pickup on our last Red sea trip, I bought us sealed SMBs for trips like that. It was a pain in the neck trying to keep and open-ended SMB inflated.
That said, I have found open-ended SMBs much handier for practising SMB deployment at depth and also significantly easier to deflate, re-roll and return to a pocket.

 

[Subcooled]

I have found open-ended SMBs much handier for practising SMB deployment at depth

I have no experience with closed ones. I thought they would be easier to inflate while wearing drygloves...