Importing Ariat boots from USA?

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Cinder

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Hello, has anyone had any experiences of buying Ariat boots from America? They appear to be a lot cheaper in dollars but I am aware that I have to take into account shipping and import charges. Is it worth the hassle or do you end up paying a fortune in shipping costs?
Thanks
 
I've done it three times for yard boots(fat baby) which I couldn't get here. They worked out about £50.00, including shipping, which was worth it to me : )
 
I haven't bought boots from the US but I bought some Levis. The postage was reasonable but I was stung with import duty. I may have saved a little but not really enough for it to be worth while.
 
I once bought hoof boots from the US (back in the day, when they weren't available here!) and the import duty more than cancelled out any saving, based on what they cost when they were later available, so be careful. You could once get around it by marking the package as a gift, but I would think they're onto that, now.
 
Shop around for the shipping costs - if the boots are under £150 and you don't need to pay duty ( I think, but it will tell you exactly on the HMRC website - search importing goods) you'll still need to pay VAT at this end at 20 per cent on the value of the goods AND the shipping (plus £8 Parcelforce handling fee). Some ebay sellers offer a package with import costs included, but this seems pricey to me. I would say it's only worth it on something heavy like boots if you can't get that particular style in the UK. I buy quite a lot of jeans from the USA, but tend to go for 'last season's' styles to keep the prices down.
 
If I want Ariat boots here that are sold here, I buy them here. Buying my OH jeans to ride in proved complicated. I found some brands which have a licensed distributor in the UK or Europe will not permit US stockists to supply their brand by post to Europe.
The other snag is not just EU customs duty but extra charges put on by Royal Mail for collecting any duty.
I twice bought my grand daughters a doll from America. The first time all was well and no duty was required. The second more recent time, EU regulations had changed. Duty was higher and (as far as I can remember) was on any item worth more than £30. The pound had dropped against the dollar. We had to pay duty, US postage and a considerable collection charge this end too and I ended up paying about £120 - twice the price of the doll.
 
I bought my Fatbabys here after contacting the head office of Ariat UK because I couldn't find the boots I wanted. They sourced a pair within hours, I ordered them and they arrived 24 hrs later. Customer service second to none!
 
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