Brexit = Weak British Pound = You Can Buy $3000 drysuits etc. for Almost Half Price Right Now

[Johanan]

Any other suggestions to price compare?

http://www.narkedat90.com/default.asp

 

[grf88]

how much in USD and where can you get an Apeks regulator set from a reputable UK online site? Apeks XTX50/DST?

I don't think you will find an Apeks dealer in the UK that will ship to the USA as they would be risking their dealership if they did. The same goes for other European countries. Example: DiveInn will not even show their Apeks line on their website unless you are in a country that Apeks does allow them to sell to.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Yes, the pound is down against many currencies, but Americans reading this shouldn't forget that for the past year or two, the dollar has been strong against the euro, too.

As far as buying something as individually tailored as a drysuit overseas, though, from my own experience attempting that, I have to say that buying from a local dealer can avoid headaches. Yes, when the dollar hit a high against the euro, my Santi was half the price in Europe as in the US. It took over a year from the time of placing the order, to receiving the suit, and then months of trying to persuade one or more of the foreign dealer, foreign distributor, and Santi to take responsibility for the errors in the order, and finally getting the problems corrected, before I had a properly equipped suit. Although it would have cost twice as much, I could have gone into the dealer's shop, been measured, seen an example of what I was ordering, and been assured they would take full responsibility for any errors. In retrospect, it's hard to say which route would have been better. All I can say is caveat emptor.

 

[guruboy]

Good point, but worth the risk to me for $1000.

 

[tep]

I read a few parts of the US import regs (I know, weird) and it looks like most of our usual gear should be duty free.

9506.21
Water skis, surf boards, sailboards and other water- sport equipment; parts and accessories thereof:

See Harmonized Tariff Schedule PDFs

And don't forget the exemption for travelers: For instance, if you are returning from countries other than the Caribbean countries or U.S. insular possession you are entitled to an $800 duty-free exemption and the next $1,000 worth of the goods you purchased is subject to a flat rate of 3%. If the value exceeds $1,800, the remaining duty will be determined based on duty rates in the harmonized tariff schedule, which are generally between 0-10% (except for clothing and textiles, which can be much higher, up to 25%).

 

[Marie13]

I read a few parts of the US import regs (I know, weird) and it looks like most of our usual gear should be duty free.

9506.21
Water skis, surf boards, sailboards and other water- sport equipment; parts and accessories thereof:

See Harmonized Tariff Schedule PDFs

And don't forget the exemption for travelers: For instance, if you are returning from countries other than the Caribbean countries or U.S. insular possession you are entitled to an $800 duty-free exemption and the next $1,000 worth of the goods you purchased is subject to a flat rate of 3%. If the value exceeds $1,800, the remaining duty will be determined based on duty rates in the harmonized tariff schedule, which are generally between 0-10% (except for clothing and textiles, which can be much higher, up to 25%).

I'm not arguing the duty rate, but the classification of the actual goods.

I'm a licensed customs broker (I don't work for customs, but I'm licensed by CBP to act as a 3rd party for importers to clear their goods through Customs). You need to look at CROSS (Customs Rulings Online Search System) for clarification. I do this daily for customs asking about how to classify their items.

Chapter 95 is not valid for dry suits.

This ruling is from 1997, but it's still valid: Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) Document Preview

Dry suits would fall under Chapter 62. Note: if an item doesn't specific which gender it's for, it is classified as women/girls.

A more recent ruling (2014) is for an odd diving garment, but it's still in an apparel chapter, not sporting goods.
Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) Document Preview

 

[Chris_D]

I didn't have such a good experience with this store. Purchased Apeks RK3 fins, filled all fields, sent a payment and only later received an email from them that they didn't ship these to Europe. I guess, they streatch the BREXIT a tad too far. They said, they will reimburse my payment, but it never arrived.

That's unfortunate. I was part of a group buy that someone else arranged, so I can't comment on their service. But the regs I ordered arrived on time and as described.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Good point, but worth the risk to me for $1000.

I think if a customer knows exactly what he wants and knows the right questions to ask and information to obtain in placing the order, the risk of buying a drysuit overseas is minimal. This was my first drysuit purchase, and I didn't know what to ask. I sent in my measurements, answered a few questions about options by email, and between the dealer, distributor and Santi, one or more of them--I will never know for sure--promptly screwed up the order, and none wanted to take the lead in getting it all sorted out, each apparently blaming the other.

 

[Rusty Roo]

not sure if they ship to america but I vouch for
Diving Shop, Diving Courses and Dive Centre in Plymouth - Aquanauts
Scuba Diving Equipment – DiveLife
DirDirect Worldwide

they all are really efficient and good on price.

 

[guruboy]

Thanks

Divelife has a good selection.

DIRDirect seems like a good choice too.