doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Shipping from U.K.

Looking at a couple guns from Holts. Their transfer/shipping Agent is HGSS Shipping. I have never done this before. Can anyone fill me in on the process and what to expect. Once the gun arrives at a designated airport how do I take possession and what do I need on this side of the pond? Thanks!

Antiques or not? If it is you can clear them from Customs yourself. If not you need an importer. I bring in several shipments each year and I use HGSS.
Steve

I "routinely" do this to feed my addiction, but as we all know addicts do stupid things

I have used HGSS recently; their service is prompt and efficient although getting communications started can be a little hesitant.
HGSS requires a little less paperwork than other UK RFD exporters if have used - I don't know the reason. Maybe there is some sort of pre-clearance on their part? Anyway... not my problem. Others can be a little cheaper but you wait longer for papework to clear in the UK (including assurances you will not be using components to assembly nuclear weaponry ... damn - there goes my master plan : ) ).

Moving on.. Your challenge, if you decide to accept it, is twofold: BATFE and ICE/CuBE ("customs").

You will need to either.
1. Obtain a Form 6 Permit from BATFE for import under your Type03 (Curios and Relics) licence
2. Proove to "Customs" that they are antique and self import
3. Use an importer.

Note that getting the Form 6 requires proving age - usually possible for most UK guns using a reference like Brown's if the gun maker is not documented anywhere then that's a roll of the dice. Regardless you'll need to follow up with a 6a proving importation, and legally you'll have 2 weeks to mark the gun(s)with origin information as detailed in the 6a.

This process can be done as quickly as 2 months or as long as 6 or so. The Form 6 is valid for 2 years after issuance.

If you import yourself under a Type03/Form6 you will have another hurdle to clear with "Customs" - bonding. Law requires posting of a bond. You will need to work with a broker on this.
The added inconvenience is that over the last few years everything has become electronic (well, almost everything). The impact of this is that the clearance for bonding etc. is sent electronically; that more or less requires a broker/bonding agent since they are set up electronically in the system.

One final note that sound facetious but isn't. Everytime I do this I have a different experience at ICE/CuBE depending which officer is at the desk that day. There is a LOT of officer discretion on what they ask for or tell you to do. I've spent two days clearing a shipment going through the full hop skip and jump routine and I've spent 10 minutes.

The advantage of an importer/broker even if you're set up to do this yourself is that they handle all the pain. Of course they charge you for the pleasure but there you are. The unspoken reality is also that the ones who do only this for a living know whichi officers to interact with and which it avoid if possible.

As to costs, well HGSS or whoever can tell you. As a crude rule of thumb for low volume cheaper guns I guess at double the auction cost to get it to your door. Fees generally total a few hundred at ICE/CuBE and a few hundred in the UK.

Are you feeling lucky? Well, are you?

Jeremy

I solved this delima by not winning every Holts auction I bid on. Last gun I won must be four years ago. But I still hold out hope each auction, like Christmas, and fooling Santa Claus again. Antiques are simpler than "modern" guns but using an importer would be my first choice these days. Which means I can't import guns with very little real value because the cost of importing might double my investment.

Then you are either bidding on really low dollar guns or using the wrong importer. 550$ for single gun covers everything except shipping/insurance from me to your FFL and duty on your gun. Multiple guns receive a discount on the 550$ FEE. By bundling my shipments I can price things at what I feel is an affordable rate.

I've not used Steve so this isn't a plug or shill shout out, but in my experience that is a fair rate and in the ball park of what you should be budgeting regardless of how you do it. For a single gun you wouldn't save much below that that as an individual importer plus you have the hassle. I've personally reduced costs to about $150/gun BUT that was bundling several held in the UK over a couple of years into one shipment. It's certainly not realistic to think of anything cheaper than that unless you're planning on something like that anyway. So if you're bidding on one of those $150 to $300 boxlocks (that chances are is loose on face and has other issues) you're easily going to double your costs getting the gun over to this side of the moat..... nevermind the hassle of getting past the drawbridge guards

Jeremy

SKB I agree that it is not economical to buy and import low dollar guns. It seems that with Holts every gun I get a report on and bid on or just bid on goes for about two or three times the bid estimate. I set my bid limit and once it goes past that I am out. I don't figure the cost to import the gun into my bid as a rule but know I should. That would put me at much lower dollar figure but it evens out for in country bidders often have VAT which exceeded my import cost. At 550 your fees to import is very reasonable. I'd rather pay for the service than end up pulling out my hair trying to get people to use their brains and do their jobs.

All, thanks for the insights, very helpful. I was actually looking to bid on a Shotgun. The estimate to bring a single shotgun in was appx. �320 so in the ball park of the $550. I do not have a C&R and I don't think this particular gun would qualify anyways. To everyone's point it's coming down to the total cost, bid, VAT, premium, electronic auction fee (5%), etc. not sure that in the end that it's really a financially smart thing to do. Again, thanks!

I understand. I placed two bids in today's auction, both well over the top estimate and doubt highly I will win either. I do manage to find quite a few good buys in the UK though. Watch the leftovers at Holt's as well. I have picked up some amazing bargains that way.

You do not pay VAT living in the States.