Import to UK ?

[El Tel]

Hello Everyone

This is my first visit to the forum and as such I'd like to say a big hello from the UK.
Eileen from Bottlehead suggested that you maybe able to help me with regards to the costs involved in having a Moreplay PraAmp sent to me in the UK ?

If anyone can help I'd really appreciate it.

Many Thanks

Terry

[Chris H]

Afternoon Terry,

I have bought 4 kits so far, the most recent delivered last week.
None of them a Moreplay and I am not exactly sure of how the fees are worked out. (I am hoping this gets more helpful, but it's not a promising start is it!)

Excise Duty is nil but there is Customs Duty and Import VAT to pay plus a £12 Clearance Fee.
This is all handled by ParcelForce, the item being held at your local delivery depot until you pay them online after they send you an invoice.

To give an idea of cost, I paid a total of £63.30, including the £12 fee, on a Kaiju which is over 4 times the cost.
It appears that Customs Duty was around 2% as it was about one tenth the VAT (at 20%).
However, neither the customs duty or the VAT appear to have been based on the purchase price or I would have been paying considerably more.
From what I can work out it was based on the 'value' put in the customs declaration form.
Assuming this reflects cost of components rather than sale price, I would not expect the MorePlay to be a quarter the import cost but something comparable.

I am unable to reproduce the invoiced amounts exactly but get pretty close using 20% and 2% of the 'value' in the declaration form filled out by Eileen (her signature is on the form) and adding £12.

Hope this helps and I cannot be more certain other than to say that other kits faced similar import costs.

Kits have arrived on average a couple of weeks after ordering, 4 days getting to UK then another 10 days in the UK, incuding waiting for invoice, making payment, processing payment etc

[El Tel]

WOW !!!! Thank you so much Chris, that is so very kind of you.
It doesn't sound too bad then. I'm really looking forward to having a go at this, this will be the first attempt at anything like this, so I need to get practicing on some soldering.
What kits have you done and do you have any tips for a complete beginner?
Thank you once again.
Terry

[Chris H]

You're very welcome Terry.

I started with the Crack before moving onto the Eros phono stage and then SEX.
About six months between each one.
Now onto my 4th kit, a Kaiju (starting imminently), with plans for BeePre2 next.
I will no doubt get a mainline at some point but need to go through the motions of debating whether to or not (outcome of debate is inevitable though).
A combination of being hooked on the sound and the DIY process is irresistable.

I had zero experience before the Crack.  Watched plenty of videos online for soldering tips beforehand as I was a complete beginner.
Important to get a good pair of needle nose pliers (I didn't have for the Crack).
Having a good stable mechanical connection before soldering makes things easier and this can be fiddly without the right tools.
Sidecutters to trim leads after.

Helpful to have a magnifier of some kind (depending how good your eyes are).
Iron nice and hot and look for the solder to flow.  It isn't just an expression.  Solder starts to melt then literally flows into the joint.  You'll know it when you see it.
Most important is to take your time.

The manual will provide all you need to complete the build (including the above tips and more) and this forum is invaluable if things go awry or if you just want to check something out.
I knew nothing about circuits at the start but the manual has a photo and instructions for every single step.
Have since learned a little about tube circuits and follow the provided circuit diagram but this is not necessary.

If you plan on applying a finish to the aluminium chassis or transformer bell (cover), need to do this before building.

I was nervous at the start but there really wasn't any need in the end and you will have a couple of weeks after ordering to read the manual before your kit arrives.
Best of luck with it and don't hesitate to ask questions on this forum if in doubt.

Regards
Chris
 

[El Tel]

Hi Chris

Going to order the Pre Amp now, excited !!
I'd be interested in listening to your 300B set-up (Kaiju and the BeePre2) when you get it all done. I'm in Devon, anywhere near you ?
I've got the Icon Audio 300B amp and love it.
This quote of yours made me laugh as I know exactly what you mean !!!! (outcome of debate is inevitable though)
Thanks very much for the tips, very much appreciated.

All the best

Terry

[Chris H]

Hampshire (Basingstoke).
A straight run up the A303 and A30 (past Stonehenge) but still a good few hours drive.

It would be nice to hear before buying but limited opportunity in the UK.
I tried the S.E.X. before making the decision to invest in the bigger amps.

The Icon is a nice looking piece of kit.  Gets good reviews.
Hope to get both pre and power 300B built before the end of the year and will provide updates along the way.

[El Tel]

I look forward to your build updates Chris.
I'm really surprised that Bottlehead don't supply product dimensions in their descriptions (unless I missed it), I have no idea what the dimensions are on the Moreplay that I have just ordered.

[Chris H]

The size of the aluminium chassis is usually provided but I couldn't find it.
It looks similar size to the S.E.X which is 10" x 8".

Wood base is 3.5" high (90mm) and 20mm thick.
Allowing for rebate in which the chassis sits add about 15mm both ends and sides for full footprint.

There's about 1/4" under the wood base for the feet.

As you can tell, I jump freely between Imperial and Metric depending on what is convenient (not always helpful for others)

multiply or divide by 25.4 to convert between inches and mm.