doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Buying guns from England?

What expenses one should expect besides the cost of the gun?
Taxes, Fees, shipping?

graft, corruption, profiteering....and all the other international gun dealers self benefiting rationals...

Off setting the cost of shipping guns from the U.K. is the current favourable U.S.A. exchange rate against the pound.
Since 2005 the U.K. pound has lost approx 22% of its value in comparison to the U.S.A. dollar. For example, a gun costing 2000 pounds stirling in 2005 would have cost a purchasor in the U.S.A. $3846.00. Based on todays exchange rate, the same gun would cost $3030.00 or [$816.00] less.
Here in Canada the exchange differential is even greater, with the pound having lost 33%of its value over the past five years.
This could well be the right time to purchase agun from the U.K.

Frank: I have had many good dealings with John Farugia, owner of Cheshire Gun Room, Stockport in the U.K. He has been most fair in his pricing for services. If you buy from an auction house you should expect to pay for the cartage (picking the gun up) packaging & shipping plus the export fees. If you want to know more about John just e-mail me at palmettotreasure@aol.com.

Best Regards, George

Sliver, you will have to pay for air freighting the gun to the US. I beleive that's going for around $250. If the seller does not provide the service you may have to pay someone to box it up for the trip.

I can help you on this end Serban, and I may be able to combine shipping with some other guns to reduce cost in that area.

Thanks, guys.
What's the deal with the VAT? I should probably ask the seller...
Steve, I am thinking you could help if I get the transaction solved.

It sounds like George can answer your questions. Another source would be Hugh Lomas at H.G. Lomas Gunmakers. Hugh imports guns from the U.K with some frequency. I believe he told me you need to triple the Auction price to get them to your door, but that is an old memory.

Use to be a lot easier when you could use the mail system. Those days are gone. At first I thought three times the hammer price was too high but it is as good a estimate as any other I have heard. So many hands are needed to get the gun from there to here and they all need to be paid for their services. On top of that if any taxes are due they must be paid. Then insurance, packing, freight to and from the airport and to your dealer.

It is best the first time to have someone on both ends handle things for you. If this is just a one time thing their fees will be well worth the cost. Doing one or two a year should be no big deal once you find out who to deal with on both ends of once you find out what you need to deal with on this end. To me it is not worth doing all of it myself. I can work three or four extra hours and pay someone else to deal with all the headaches. Money well spent in my books.

I have not imported any guns from England lately. But I import from Spain ongoing.


I try to never bring in less thatn 5 guns at a time.

Here is what the break down is about. "This is with out duty"

Freight $750.

Brokerage on that end $175.

On this end $125.

Mis junk fees $100.00

Insurance $125.

Unless its an expensive gun, i would not try to bring just one in. Try to conbine it with another shipment.

Generally the base costs are about the same. When you can spread it over sevral guns you come out better


John Boyd