Taiwangun Shipping Disruption (Brexit Related Content)

[GothicGhost]

Thank you I have sent them an email asking what they put.

 

[GothicGhost]

Okay I got a reply from the shop  but I don't think it helps lol.

 

 

I guess just have to risk it and get hit with £20-£40 charges mayeb lol

Edited August 18, 2021 by GothicGhost

[Rogerborg]

Does it matter?  I infer that it's already on it's way, they put what they put, and you'll get mugged for what you get mugged for.  Expect the worst and you can only be pleasantly surprised.  

[GothicGhost]

Oh no sorry I have not ordered yet as I am not sure what I am buying at this point.

 

Working out how much each setup going cost me before I spend the money.

Edited August 18, 2021 by GothicGhost

[Rogerborg]

Hmm, then that is a pickle.  Sorry, this is why I've given up on importing anything now unless it's for sweetie money from Ali Express, who pay (or claim to pay) the VAT and duty at source.

[GothicGhost]

On 18/08/2021 at 16:26, Rogerborg said:

Hmm, then that is a pickle.  Sorry, this is why I've given up on importing anything now unless it's for sweetie money from Ali Express, who pay (or claim to pay) the VAT and duty at source.

Love Ali Express for cheap bits

[mightyjebus]

so after the inital order, stuck in customs, refunded by Taiwangun etc which was all done and dusted about 2 months ago....guess what turned up today.

 

Yes my order. no notification and since it was all refunded I was expecting any and actually bought a similar AEG from patrolbase.

[EDcase]

19 minutes ago, mightyjebus said:

so after the inital order, stuck in customs, refunded by Taiwangun etc which was all done and dusted about 2 months ago....guess what turned up today.

Yes my order. no notification and since it was all refunded I was expecting any and actually bought a similar AEG from patrolbase.

The honourable thing to do would be send the payment back to TG.

Its situations like this that convince them not to sell to UK anymore...

[Rogerborg]

Ouch, good for you, bad for TaiwanGun.  I do have a lot of sympathy for them, and can see why they've just sacked off the UK as a money sink.

 

What is your conscience saying?  I honestly have no idea what I'd do.  I mean, you have the goods, but now they're surplus and worth 2nd hand money to you. I wouldn't want to pay full price for them again, or pay to send them back.

[BigStew]

11 minutes ago, Rogerborg said:

Ouch, good for you, bad for TaiwanGun.  I do have a lot of sympathy for them, and can see why they've just sacked off the UK as a money sink.

 

What is your conscience saying?  I honestly have no idea what I'd do.  I mean, you have the goods, but now they're surplus and worth 2nd hand money to you. I wouldn't want to pay full price for them again, or pay to send them back.

Op has the goods do the right thing contact Taiwan gun. Worst case scenario you pay for a gun and Taiwan gun keep posting to UK. Best case Taiwan gun go thanks for letting us know we have already written it off we are all good. Either way morally clear.

[mightyjebus]

actually UPS paid compensation to TWG for the full sum so it's UPS that has lucked out.

[DerDer]

Just to play devil's advocate, keep it. Compensation for emotional distress and time spent checking updates, emails etc. 

[Rogerborg]

58 minutes ago, mightyjebus said:

actually UPS paid compensation to TWG for the full sum so it's UPS that has lucked out.

 

Oh, right, sod them then.  The sooner they go out of business, the better.  

[Lozart]

2 hours ago, mightyjebus said:

so after the inital order, stuck in customs, refunded by Taiwangun etc which was all done and dusted about 2 months ago....guess what turned up today.

 

Yes my order. no notification and since it was all refunded I was expecting any and actually bought a similar AEG from patrolbase.

 

Might be worth remembering that TWG may have had a delivery notification from UPS in which case they may say that they want payment or the goods returned.

[mightyjebus]

to be honest I'm not going to chase UPS, as I have a account with them for work. If they get around to sending an invoice then I'll pay but I don't think that will happen as the time spent by UPS sorting it all out will outway the actual amount.

I spoke to Pawel from TWG quite a bit during thr lost/delayed parcel saga and he is quite happy as he got a full refund.

 

Just to recap on the whole thing:

Taiwangun were really good

Parcel force were good but slow (staff shortages are pretty well documented in Parcel Force in the media currently)

UPS were terrible. UPS support wasn't very helpful and continued to promise updates that they never delivered.

 

Am I going to chase UPS just to give them money when I used up all my patience chasing them to sort out my delivery. well no is the simple answer.

[EvilMonkee]

UPS can rot in hell along with Maggie Thatcher....

[Rogerborg]

1 hour ago, EvilMonkee said:

UPS can rot in hell along with Maggie Thatcher....

 

Did she snatch your milk as well?

 

Mind you, UPS would never have delivered it in the first place.

[GothicGhost]

Just to update I got my plate carrier setup from Poland delivery by UPS and I was thinking about long delays and extra charges.

 

Only took over a week and no extra charges on 269 order,I already paid VAT from the shop though.

[Monkman]

37 minutes ago, GothicGhost said:

Just to update I got my plate carrier setup from Poland delivery by UPS and I was thinking about long delays and extra charges.

 

Only took over a week and no extra charges on 269 order,I already paid VAT from the shop though.

I'm wondering if it's RIF's that cause delays, as I waited almost 2 months for it to clear Border Force....  They were inside the box and resealed it and was covered in Border Force tape. (It only took 4 days to come from Poland to the UK, then sat with UPS, then BF.

Glad you got your items quick mate..

[Rogerborg]

9 hours ago, GothicGhost said:

Only took over a week and no extra charges on 269 order,I already paid VAT from the shop though.

 

Yup, there's no reason that EU sellers can't add UK VAT at the point of sale, on any value of order.  AliExpress can manage it.

 

If they don't think it's worth their while to get set up to do it, that's fair enough, but given that the alternative is £140 minimum orders and the clown show of Customs and Border Farce, I can see them losing most of their UK market once word gets out or people have been stung once.

[Fatboy40]

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 

 

Edit: https://www.patrolbase.co.uk/taiwangun-x-patrol-base-uk-next-day-delivery

Edited September 15, 2021 by Fatboy40

[Rogerborg]

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.

[GoopGoop]

17 hours ago, 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 

 

Edit: https://www.patrolbase.co.uk/taiwangun-x-patrol-base-uk-next-day-delivery

 

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.

Edited September 16, 2021 by GoopGoop

[Fatboy40]

@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).

Edited September 16, 2021 by Fatboy40

[Rogerborg]

2 hours ago, Fatboy40 said:

Handling charges from UPS of say maybe £30.

 

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.