Taiwangun Shipping Disruption (Brexit Related Content)

That makes a lot of sense, although I'd want to be sure about the all-in costs before committing to an order.  They seem a bit coy about VAT and shipping costs, plus their cut, and how regularly they get shipments.  Still, it's good to have the option.

 
Fatboy40 said:
Now this is interesting...

https://old.reddit.com/r/airsoft/comments/pou00b/taiwan_gun_ordering_to_uk/

... Patrol Base acting as an import agent for Taiwan Gun  :o

Edit: https://www.patrolbase.co.uk/taiwangun-x-patrol-base-uk-next-day-delivery
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This looks compelling at first glance, however, Patrol Base are slapping their classic extortionate mark up on the products.

For example, on their new TG x PB featured product page:

Double Eagle M904R via Taiwan Gun = £98

Double Eagle M904R  via Patrol Base = £170

PB is x1.75 more expensive in this example, a bunch of other products i cross referenced where the same if not worse.

Most of us order from TG over PB for 3 main reasons:

  1. TG is drastically cheaper
  2. PB never has items in stock
  3. TG has far greater selection

Of the 12 TG x PB featured products on their site (maybe even the only 12 items in this new offering, i dont see more?), only 1 is in stock.

So in all, this looked great at first glance, but sadly it means pretty much nothing for us.

 
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@GoopGoop I understand what you mean, however the DE M904R from Taiwan Gun if bought directly would be...

  • £98 for the rifle.
  • Approx £15 for the shipping.
  • Approx £20 for the VAT.
  • Handling charges from UPS of say maybe £30.

... so we'd be talking approx. £163 in total vs £170.

Now, if Patrol Base themselves don't slap on any outlandish charges of their own the difference is not that great, plus you get the comfort of knowing that the Home Office Border Force hopefully won't sit on the delivery for ever and UPS won't leave it in a warehouse for months.

I suppose until we hear from someone who's used the Patrol Base service we don't know for certain the outcome (and if by mid-October 2021 Patrol Base themselves don't get a re-stock of DE rifles I'll be asking them their exact costs for at least 2x DE M904E's).

 
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Fatboy40 said:
Handling charges from UPS of say maybe £30.
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That's the bit that really winds me up, that we get spit-roasted with the VAT (and duty) at the point of import, and for the fee to calculate and pay it.  If TG (and other retailers) charged the State mugging at the point of sale, then we could at least avoid UPS going in dry as well.

And the downside to Patrol Base being able to get stock in this way is that if they're the only UK retailer to be able to get stock, then they can charge pretty much whatever they want.  I'd prefer to see some competition - hopefully someone else will partner up with GunFire, or step up and start getting large enough orders direct from the Orient to start bringing their prices down towards TG/GF levels.

But now we're in the sunlit upland of dreams.

 
Rogerborg said:
That's the bit that really winds me up, that we get spit-roasted with the VAT (and duty) at the point of import, and for the fee to calculate and pay it.  If TG (and other retailers) charged the State mugging at the point of sale, then we could at least avoid UPS going in dry as well.
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The VAT registration threshold for EU business is £85,000. Below that and they don't have to register, once they do though, they'll have to do accounts for HMRC (as well as their own government) along with all the additional cost that entails. For someone like TG I can't see that the volume of sales is worth it. Gunfire will still ship to the UK because they know there's customers there but still insist on a minimum order of £135 because that's where the responsibility shifts from them to the customer. TG stopped shipping over to the UK because of UPS and the hassle that their utter clusterfuck of a service has caused them.  GF just started using a different courier instead (GLS).

 
Interestingly on the same subject I wanted to buy one of the new E&L ‘Essentials’ AKM’s, only place in the UK with stock was Daves Custom Airsoft 

When I got the Gun and opened the box it’s been tested and fired at Gunfire.pl  so Daves must have imported themselves?

 
Danno46 said:
Interestingly on the same subject I wanted to buy one of the new E&L ‘Essentials’ AKM’s, only place in the UK with stock was Daves Custom Airsoft 

When I got the Gun and opened the box it’s been tested and fired at Gunfire.pl  so Daves must have imported themselves?
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those any good?  whats been skimped out on for them to keep the price down?

 
Though at the price Dave Custom Airsoft is asking he can f*ck off.  £340 for a budget E&L that retails for £190 elsewhere (WGC Shop)...There is only so far you can take the piss even if you are UK based.  I would rather order from WGC and chance Border Control and added fees than pay £340.

 
EvilMonkee said:
Though at the price Dave Custom Airsoft is asking he can f*ck off.  £340 for a budget E&L that retails for £190 elsewhere (WGC Shop)...There is only so far you can take the piss even if you are UK based.  I would rather order from WGC and chance Border Control and added fees than pay £340.
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He’s asking £231 with P&P for my new Cyma XM177 , I paid £186 with P&P from bullseye country sports , asking £45 more ? Yea right jog pal ! 

 
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I know ,I was searching for one then google popped up Daves as having stock, according to his site they only had 2 in stock priced at £260, and the paperwork and box was marked as coming from gunfire. 

But looking at his site now it very much mirrors Gunfire’s site even down to some of the ‘GFC’ branded items,……..?

 
Danno46 said:
But looking at his site now it very much mirrors Gunfire’s site even down to some of the ‘GFC’ branded items,……..?
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Had noticed this my self as well , AND you’ve got Patrolbase in bed with TG so me thinks due to zero kit coming in to the country and from that zero getting to the market place and both TG and GF no longer exporting to the UK they saw it as a way to circumvent the clusterfuck that is import duties at the present time ? 

 
Druid799 said:
Had noticed this my self as well , AND you’ve got Patrolbase in bed with TG so me thinks due to zero kit coming in to the country and from that zero getting to the market place and both TG and GF no longer exporting to the UK they saw it as a way to circumvent the clusterfuck that is import duties at the present time ? 
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You might be right as a number of items are  marked as a 10~14 day lead time, Wouldn’t be surprised if TG and Gunfire have linked up with Daves and Patrolbase and once a week a van drives over from Poland, Rather than risk UPS, I work in logistics and that’s exactly what we do,it’s easier and safer to load one van to drive direct to the UK,then the driver picks up couple of loads enroute and touts around for something to take back to Poland.

 
I posted on this thread in may June 2021. Its Sept....No sign of TG order. TG also got a bit funny about refunding through Paypal and gave them a hard time i.e it wasnt easy getting a refund through Paypal. I have used the services of Patrolbase for one the same items on the original TG order. Their uplift is not bad to be fair once they have added something for themselves +VAT. My advice would be to not risk ordering anything RIF related from TG. Use Patrolbase and let them take the risk! 

 
Sorry to hear that, but I'm glad that you got your money back eventually.  I mean, I sympathise with TG, it's not their fault.  But it's even less your fault, it's the jobsworths at Border Farce and HMRC being awkward buggers for the sake of it. Trade happens despite governments, not because of them.

It's understandable why EU sellers have given up on individual orders now, and the ones that haven't will likely follow along soon enough once they've had a few chargebacks.

 
Rogerborg said:
Sorry to hear that, but I'm glad that you got your money back eventually.  I mean, I sympathise with TG, it's not their fault.  But it's even less your fault, it's the jobsworths at Border Farce and HMRC being awkward buggers for the sake of it. Trade happens despite governments, not because of them.

It's understandable why EU sellers have given up on individual orders now, and the ones that haven't will likely follow along soon enough once they've had a few chargebacks.
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It doesn't matter anyway as there are no HGV drivers to deliver our niche products so all good.....

 
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