Has anyone bought from SWIT airsoft?

[Alexdima579]

Hi

 

Has anyone bought from SWIT airsoft? (Link: https://www.switairsoft.com/home)

 

Does anyone know if these guys are any good? also where are they based? (example: Taiwan, Hong Kong, etc)

 

Cheers in advance

[leadly]

From watching Kicking Mustangs videos I believe they're from the states.

 

They seem to send him some decent stuff every now and then.

Edited December 25, 2022 by leadly

[Enid_Puceflange]

I had assumed they were in Germany

Seem to be a big sponsor of Airsoft Mikes channel

[EDcase]

SWIT Airsoft Co,LTD

No. 1, Ln. 34, An 1st Rd.,
Jhongshan Dist., Keeling City, 20312,

Taiwan (Republic Of China)

 

I think they are good but be prepared for extra taxes and fees.

 

 

Edited December 25, 2022 by EDcase

[C-Diddy]

I used them a few years ago, buying a KWA Ronin TK45c when they'd just been released. From what I remember the service from Taiwan was decent (a couple of weeks) but, despite the price of the gun seeming to be a bargain, the £96 customs charge meant I could've bought from a UK seller quicker and cheaper. 

[Alexdima579]

On 30/12/2022 at 20:42, C-Diddy said:

I used them a few years ago, buying a KWA Ronin TK45c when they'd just been released. From what I remember the service from Taiwan was decent (a couple of weeks) but, despite the price of the gun seeming to be a bargain, the £96 customs charge meant I could've bought from a UK seller quicker and cheaper. 

Is there a way to calculate how much the tariffs/customs charge will be or if there's are rates or something?

[C-Diddy]

48 minutes ago, Alexdima579 said:

Is there a way to calculate how much the tariffs/customs charge will be or if there's are rates or something?

Somebody more enlightened than me may have more information, but I think it's based on the VAT value of whatever you're bringing into the country, and a handling fee.

 

 

[Tommikka]

2 hours ago, Alexdima579 said:

Is there a way to calculate how much the tariffs/customs charge will be or if there's are rates or something?

 

2 hours ago, C-Diddy said:

Somebody more enlightened than me may have more information, but I think it's based on the VAT value of whatever you're bringing into the country, and a handling fee.

 

 

Under new regulations if an overseas seller registers with HMRC they can charge UK VAT, and it just becomes a slower delivery across borders 

(They declare appropriate references on the customs documents and pay HMRC)

If not then they charge you their sale price and overseas postage, it arrives at the border via a carriers handling centre, the carrier check the declarations and send you as importer an import VAT bill of 20% of the item valuation (which may be the invoice amount or may be revalued for the UK) plus the carrier add their handling fee (which could be a fixed fee or could be a percentage)

 

There is also likely to be VCRA validation of your defence to import a RIF

 

Customs/Border Force may inspect, but most items just get handled by authorised carriers 

[C-Diddy]

As if by magic, here's the breakdown on a delivery I've just received from Platatac. 

 

Despite this being a third or fourth order from them, it's the only time I've paid a Custom's charge.

 

[Alexdima579]

On 04/01/2023 at 13:08, C-Diddy said:

As if by magic, here's the breakdown on a delivery I've just received from Platatac. 

 

Despite this being a third or fourth order from them, it's the only time I've paid a Custom's charge.

 

 

On 04/01/2023 at 00:02, Tommikka said:

 

Under new regulations if an overseas seller registers with HMRC they can charge UK VAT, and it just becomes a slower delivery across borders 

(They declare appropriate references on the customs documents and pay HMRC)

If not then they charge you their sale price and overseas postage, it arrives at the border via a carriers handling centre, the carrier check the declarations and send you as importer an import VAT bill of 20% of the item valuation (which may be the invoice amount or may be revalued for the UK) plus the carrier add their handling fee (which could be a fixed fee or could be a percentage)

 

There is also likely to be VCRA validation of your defence to import a RIF

 

Customs/Border Force may inspect, but most items just get handled by authorised carriers 

Cheers guy! To be honest I think I'm gonna skip on buying airsoft kit from abroad (other than mags utility stuff and clothing, it sounds like way more trouble than it's worth

[C-Diddy]

I get the temptation, especially given the supply problems we've had over the last 12 months or so, but yeah, for guns I try to stick to UK retailers. 

 

Gear on the other hand 👀

[JinxDuh]

SWIT are rather... Variable.

 

I've known people that bought from them with absolutely no issues multiple times, however my only experience with them was purchasing a Kar98K.

 

I paid the cheapest shipping, like they said to do then got an email to confirm payment etc. A week on, no information on the shipping, sent them an email and waited about a week for a response telling me I needed to pay nearly half of the shipping (Which was about another £50 iirc) I'd already paid to have the rifle dispatched. I asked them to cancel the order and refund at this point, which then never happened. I had to go through Paypal to get my money back, and refuse to use them after that which is a shame as they have some nice stuff.

 

As for location, they're in Taiwan.

[Armo1000]

Update for 2024. Not recommended at all.

 

Ordered one of the new VFC XM16E1 GBB rifles off them about 3 months ago, and only just received what is the wrong gun today.....

 

The XM model was not available in the UK so i thought id give SWIT a try. Was massively cheaper than on UK sites (Yes i know imports would come) and they were running a discount sale on orders over a certain price, so i figured even with postage and potential imports it would be less than bought here, and might not even have a fee if lucky. I also ordered a handful of mags and was pleasantly surprised at the checkout to find that the sale was taking off 40 dollars from every single item in my basket, making each mag almost free. Great i thought, what could go wrong? 

 

Few days later, i get an email from them saying this was a website error and i was only entitled to a single 40 dollars off. Considering i had already paid, i asked if they would honor the price presented to me, but they only responded to that with an invoice for the rest, and that they would only send the gun, no mags if i didn't pay it. Annoying, but fair enough i thought, worth asking anyway. 

 

After this i had no update from them for about a month, when i emailed with no replay, so had to resort to messaging on FB, where they let me know, the gun was ready but they were still waiting on the mags to arrive. Few days after that i get the email that the gun is now shipped. Arrives in the UK a few days after that, but now has to go through customs.... Customs send me an invoice for a whopping £170 extra, then hear nothing from them for 2 months, apart from very unreliable UPS updates, and phone calls which went nowhere.

 

Gun finally arrives today after all that hassle and time (Very beat up and ripped box, presumably by customs, but also no protection on it from Swit apart from the paper wrapping), only to open it and see that I've been sent the M16A1 not XM16E1, which i ordered..... Weirdly, the packaging clearly has "XM16E1" written on it in bold marker pen, so idk how they screwed that up, but I'm sure as heck not gonna send it back after the struggle it was to get here. You could say i won a little here as the M16 was about 50 dollars more then the XM, but i still would of preferred the XM. Fortunately i do have an AEG XM so its not the end of the world, but that's besides the point of their mess up. 

 

Will see what they have to say, but now I've tried it, i never want to order from outside the UK again. Its just not worth the potential problems, wait times, lack of proper communication and support, inability to easily send an item back, and in the end, I've paid more or less the same as i would for this from a UK site.....

 

Lesson learned, and i would suggest the same for anyone considering it. Maybe i was really unlucky, but i still wouldn't risk it now. 
 

XM model clearly written on the packaging, while the M16 clearly inside. 

Edited May 29 by Armo1000

[Rogerborg]

Sad: you didn't get what you ordered.

 

Glad: it didn't just get destroyed followed by a knock on the door for importing a Section 5.

 

[heroshark]

If you paid with PayPal you might be able to get something back.

[Rogerborg]

I mean, the no-prisoners position is that you've got a free[*] gift, but are still waiting on what you ordered.

 

[*] Less all the fees that you've been stung with.

[Armo1000]

6 hours ago, heroshark said:

If you paid with PayPal you might be able to get something back.

I did indeed. Good shout, thanks. 
 

If I don’t hear back from SWIT in the next few days, I’ll go through PayPal. 

[JinxDuh]

2 hours ago, Armo1000 said:

I did indeed. Good shout, thanks. 
 

If I don’t hear back from SWIT in the next few days, I’ll go through PayPal. 

 

Start a dispute anyway, and keep it open until it's resolved fully. It'll more likely get them to sort themselves out - It's what I had to do when I had issues with them!

[Cannonfodder]

As above. I'd be surprised if they give a toss about customers who are the other side of the world and they're relying on people thinking it's too much hassle to chase them for refunds. The only way they'll take notice is if they get hit financially 

[Armo1000]

Put in the dispute through PayPal. Got a personal email response from SWIT today, offering a 60 dollar refund, or a return (which I'm definitely not going to do). 

 

Not sure if i should accept the partial refund or just ignore them and see what PayPal does. 

[Rogerborg]

Tough one. The refund won't cover the fees you paid, and it'll have to be delivered to them, so you don't want any hiccups at the Taiwan end either.

 

And I believe that if you've opened a "wrong item" dispute with PayPal then they'll also make the unreasonable demand that you send the "free gift" back, at your expense, before they'll refund you.

 

If that's the case, and you do go that route, then it would definitely be wrong - although no more unscrupulous than what SWIT did - to send them a box of grit and feathers, labelled "XM16E1".

 

I'd just bear in mind that you only get one chance with PayPal, so taking the $60 and cursing their ancestors might be the least bad option.

[Cannonfodder]

10 hours ago, Armo1000 said:

Put in the dispute through PayPal. Got a personal email response from SWIT today, offering a 60 dollar refund, or a return (which I'm definitely not going to do). 

 

Not sure if i should accept the partial refund or just ignore them and see what PayPal does. 

My response would be to tell them where they can stick that offer as it's taking the piss, I doubt that would even cover postage. I wouldn't accept anything less than a 100% refund.

 

This bunch of clowns are definitely going on my avoid list

[Armo1000]

Paypals intervention is issuing a full refund, post a safe return of the gun to SWIT. Something which I’m not going to do, so I’ll probably just accept SWITs 60 dollar partial refund, and cut my losses on this. 
 

Could be allot worse, and lesson learned never to use them again, or order from outside the UK again. 

Edited June 2 by Armo1000

[heroshark]

Explain on the PayPal dispute what they have offered. And say it's not enough. You will at least get back what they have offered if not more. 

[heroshark]

The other issue you have even if you did want to send it back. No courier will take it as Joe public customer out of the UK afaik, so you pretty much can't send it back.