Who else got an email from Zach today, with deals launching next Wednesday? Must be for Black Friday…Mine states free worldwide shipping??? Does this sound right? Anyone else ever had this offer in previous years? I sent them an email to clarify, but wow, if it is for the large machine, that’s a bargain! Now to figure out if they will do the 0% deal for overseas customers…hahaha!
I don’t know about that, but the X-Carve Ive had in my cart for weeks is now almost $100 more…
Hopefully that means they are raising the price so they can afford a good discount?
You’re kidding right? I just paid over $300 int shipping. If what you say is true, I will be a very pissed off customer.
I’ve been holding off and holding off on getting one…now might be the time with free shipping. But I wonder about getting stung for duty. Has anyone in Australia had to pay excess? Just curious…
Nada for me…
Check it out! Free shipping and $100 off! Even international!
Check out the Holiday Promotion video:
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From my experience importing from the US into Mexico, this will give you and idea of what to expect to pay. It should be similar in most countries with trade agreements with the USA.
Shipping will probably be via Fedex/DHL.
Fedex takes care of customs, and they will charge you:
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An administrative fee. Small since they do this in bulk, and VERY small compared to what a customs broker will charge.
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Taxes, in Mexico the VAT (16% of the invoice)
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All applicable tariffs.
3.a) The tariff is based on trade agreements and as such, is country specific. The [HS international coding system] defines a number to classify and assign a %
3.b). Maybe someone from Inventables can confirm, I looked into it and it seems the XCarve falls in one of these two classifications:
846510 Machine-tools; which can carry out different types of machining operations without tool change between such operations, for working wood, cork, bone, hard rubber, hard plastics or similar
846520 Machine-tools; for working wood, cork, bone, hard rubber, hard plastics or similar hard materials; machining centres
3.c) Your country should have an online search tool where you can look for the code and it will tell you the applicable tariffs. In Mexico is called SIAVI, looking into it there is only the 846510 and is 0% (exempt), so no additional tariffs to pay.
A real life example: I regularly import a $480 USD equipment (tariff exempt) into Mexico with FEDEX and I pay arround 30 USD in administrative fees + $76.8 VAT (16%).
(For comparison, a broker in Mexico has to pay over $150 just for freight across borders!)
Last observation: again, in Mexico, may or may not be the same in your country. If you want to deduct your purchase for tax purposes, the Fedex paperwork won’t be enough. You have to: a) be an official importer and pay a customs broker to do the paperwork, or b) find someone that is, for a fee plus customs expenses he will import it and give you a full deductible invoice.
Hope this gives you an idea.
Oh yes this is going to be quite an expensive promotion for us.
Customers outside of the lower 48 states have been frustrated with us. Even the venerable Peter Parfitt of the New Brit workshop made a video about it because as an international customers it was a bit of a surprise.
Here is an idea @AngusMcleod :
Per Barbados Customs and Duty-Free Allowances
“United States Of America - Duty Free Allowances for Returning American Citizens
Each returning citizen whose stay is in excess of 48 hours may on his return, take back, free of duty, articles totaling up to US$400 (based on the retail value of the items in the country of purchase).
Duty on purchases in excess of the US$400 exemption is 10% on the next US$1000, and thereafter at the rate duty applicable.”
So
- You order the basic for the XCarve 500mm (I bought the 1000mm but the smaller one should work at least for starters). In my experience, buying just the basics will cost aprox $650 with the current discount, every thing else you can get there (router) or build it (wasteboard, clamps). Do order the waste board kit.
- Fly to the USA, and bring it back. Taxes to be paid would be $25 (10% of 650-400)
- You can always buy a larger rail kit later
Total cost: $275. Airplane fare (starting at 250 round trip)+ 25 in taxes. And you get a trip to the USA, hey maybe you can fly to Chicago and visit @Zach_Kaplan 
Even if you are not an American citizen, maybe someone you know that is won’t mind a free trip to visit relatives, Holidays are near. Who knows, they may already be on their way!
So you save, you get your XCarve and everything is legal.
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I just got this email now. I feel quite peeved off:frowning:
I could have saved a fortune.
Ah well. Whats that saying? “You snooze , you loose”. Lol
oh, shoot. I got my x carve (500mm) years ago, shipping to New Zealand is EXPENSIVE for anything, a friend was so impressed with my x -carve he recently got one (750mm) about a month ago, he will feel somewhat miffed I think.
Hey mate, from memory, my x-carve was caught up in cusoms. I had to download an import declaration, included in that is the category of import for calculating import duty. I believe the category I chose was duty free. But I had to pay GST of course, and a customs fee of $50 or something. They didn’t complain about the category I chose.
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In Guatemala we really do grow bananas, and they steal things just as fast (or faster) than anywhere in the world. My original x-carve order when they were first released got swallowed by customs at the post office, because it was addressed to Mike instead of Michael. Thankfully Inventables sorted it out, and I got one through eventually, but no idea if the original was ever returned to sender as Customs claimed they would do.
Nowadays we have third party shippers, that aren’t cheap, but they do get the gear through in a reasonable time and no surprise fees to pay once you’re over the shock of their original quote.