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Ordering from the UK — Parallax Forums

Ordering from the UK

Tom ConnellTom Connell Posts: 6
edited 2006-07-24 20:21 in Propeller 1
How can I order the Propstick at the special offer price for delivery to the UK without paying the totally riculous $50 shipping charge??

Someone mentioned that you could specify USPS delivery, but that can only be used for US destinations!

The only dealer that Parallax has in the UK is a tin pot company that does not understand the products they are selling has no stock anyway and will only be stocking at some unspecified time in the future the DIP40 chip!

Come on Parallax! Everyone on this forum has been saying what a good company you are, but you cannot expect to retain that accolade while you continue to maintain that there is no life outside the USA!!!

Tom Connell
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Comments

  • ESPESP Posts: 25
    edited 2006-07-03 13:47
    If you are to get them from the States, perhaps we could split postage (I'm in London)

    Have You spoken to Milford? I have always found them helpful. I've just spoken to them, and they are soon to place another order with Parallax.

    Robin

    P.S. I would need it ready built, I cannot solder to save my life.....
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,387
    edited 2006-07-03 14:24
    Tom/ESP,

    Put your USPS shipping request in the remarks during the checkout process. The Parallax sales person will adjust the total when they enter the order, though your total will reflect UPS Worldwide Express (the only shipping method you can choose outside the USA).

    By the way, who is the tin-pot dealer of Parallax in the UK? Can't be Milford - they use and understand all of our products very well.

    Ken Gracey
    Parallax, Inc.
  • JavalinJavalin Posts: 892
    edited 2006-07-03 16:16
    Hi Ken/all

    Just to through my 5 pence worth in as another UK customer. I've ordered all my Propeller stuff direct as Milford seem not to sell the range of products or hold any level of stock of them. The website still shows the pre-launch propeller anouncment and says product will be available in May/June - seems a bit strange considering its now July.

    It can be frustraiting.....

    James
  • Tom ConnellTom Connell Posts: 6
    edited 2006-07-03 23:01
    Ken,

    There may be individuals at Milford who use your products, but the general sales staff have no idea about your product line or their own stocks! They were unable to tell me when they might have stocks of anything although they apparently told another poster they were about to place 'another' order which is interesting as the individual I spoke said that they might stock the chip at some time in the future implying that they had to yet to place any order.

    I would describe any company who in these days is unable to maintain a competant website as 'Tin pot'. Their website is a mess and you cannot even order on line! You have to telephone or write!

    These people claim to be a paralax dealer, but they stock the BS2, the Javelin, one of the dev boards and nothing else! Selling a few items from your range of products does not make then a 'dealer'!

    I cannot understand why you make it difficult to buy direct worldwide! I have dealt with a number of companies in the states who will post products using normal facilities without hassle or delays.

    You say I can add a comment to have the postage adjusted, but I am reluctant to commit my credit card without knowing the sum that will be charged! I am not prepared to click confirm on an order for $109 when I have no intention to spend that much! The law in the UK prevents companies from behaving in this way. The amount to be charged must be specified in advance or the transaction is invalid.

    I would really like to get my hands on a propeller to experiment with, but is seems I will have to turn to other micros which are more readily available for the next year or so until Milford get their act together or you sort out your own ordering hangup.

    Tom
  • ESPESP Posts: 25
    edited 2006-07-05 13:18
    Hi Tom/Javalin (and the rest of you...) If you guys are about to order anything propeller, count me in?

    Robin

    P.S.
    (I am amazed at how many times I have typed 'propeller' this year... and every time I hear the word 'spin'........)
  • PJAllenPJAllen Banned Posts: 5,065
    edited 2006-07-05 13:45
    · All of this·indignation is laughable.··The shock-horror stuff·wears thin.·

    · My ability to be sympathetic is inversely proportional to the number of exclamation marks used.

    · Maybe England should've·got with NAFTA instead of the EU.
  • ESPESP Posts: 25
    edited 2006-07-05 13:56
    Huh?

    Robin
  • PJAllenPJAllen Banned Posts: 5,065
    edited 2006-07-05 15:03
    · It's the Umbrage (...the D-T-I and Brussels shall surely hear of THIS...).

    · My goodness.
  • Tom ConnellTom Connell Posts: 6
    edited 2006-07-05 18:55
    Milford have just EMailed to say that they have Propsticks in stock at a price of 70 gbp + VAT + shipping which means it is still cheaper to order from Parallax direct AND pay the $50 shipping charge!
  • ESPESP Posts: 25
    edited 2006-07-07 13:22
    Hi Tom,

    Which way You are going then? I need the propstick assembling, and Milford have offered and so has a friend, but I am leaning towards the Demo Board. I want something this month really.

    Robin

    P.S. the Hydra looks cool too..
  • Tom ConnellTom Connell Posts: 6
    edited 2006-07-07 16:24
    Robin,

    I don't know for now! The sale offer from Parallax is finished now! Price wise it is going to make little difference so I may wait a while longer before plunging in! I like the idea of the propeller and would like to play, but have no project currently in mind.

    Tom
  • ciw1973ciw1973 Posts: 64
    edited 2006-07-07 22:26
    I've been speaking to Milford about the propeller, and whilst they seem like really nice people, I can easily see why Tom would consider them a "Tin Pot" company. Personally I suspect that they are more likely simply just a small "traditional" electronics company, with proper highly skilled traditional electronics engineers who want to speak to the people they are dealing with, and don't much care for modern nonsense like Internet ordering or maintaining a website for much more than basic contact details and giving people a hint of what they do. You can hardly blame them, but...

    Living in the UK and only being able to deal with them when trying to get my hands on some new Propeller kit is a real pain in the Smile. As has already been pointed out, whilst they now have stock of the PropStick and the DIP40 version of the chip, they want £70 + shipping + VAT for a PropStick, and that's way more than the cost of getting one from the US, even if I have to pay the quite frankly silly $50 quoted shipping and any customs charges. Assuming Milford are going to be charging £10 shipping, that'll be £94, which at current exchange rates is $174 for something I could have bought last week for $109. This really is taking the p*ss big time.

    What's more, they've only just got these in stock (they arrived the middle of this week) and they have no idea when they'll be getting stock of the Demo Board which is what I really want.

    Please, won't you guys consider shipping stuff to us poor Europeans via regular USPO parcel post so we can get reasonable shipping rates? I don't mind waiting a fortnight (I order from the US regularly, and that's the longest I've ever had to wait for anything sent via this method) as this will still be a lot quicker and quite a bit cheaper than sourcing the stuff here in the UK.
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2006-07-07 23:00
    Hey guys,

    Where some see adversity, others smell opportunity. Why not set up a buying cooperative? It would help to lower your costs. And the person who runs it could skim a little for the trouble. Consolidated shipping works for big companies. It could work for you, too.

    Just a thought...

    -Phil
  • ciw1973ciw1973 Posts: 64
    edited 2006-07-07 23:09
    Sod the skimming-off-the-top thing, I just want to get my hands on the kit, and saving money on the shipping alone would make it worthwhile.

    With that in mind, if anyone who wants kit ordering posts up here, I'll put together and cover the cost of the order myself, and we'll split the carriage down based on the value of your order.

    If you could also make contact via email ( chris@ciw42.net ) we can organise something properly once I've an idea how much stuff people want. I'd like to put the order in within the next fortnight though as I'm itching to start playing with the Propeller, and already have a couple of projects in mind.
  • ESPESP Posts: 25
    edited 2006-07-10 13:43
    ciw1973,

    Any idea what is available, and UK prices?

    How would one pay You? Where is everyone? I am next to Heathrow.

    Robin
  • Graham StablerGraham Stabler Posts: 2,507
    edited 2006-07-10 14:14
    Ah I just missed this, I made my order a few days ago. I requested USPS in the comments as Ken suggested, I'll let folks know the outcome.

    Also remember UPS will charge the duty guaranteed and will also charge about 15GBP brokerage.

    Graham
  • ESPESP Posts: 25
    edited 2006-07-10 14:18
    Graham,

    what You getting then? Any idea how long it will take?

    Robin
  • Graham StablerGraham Stabler Posts: 2,507
    edited 2006-07-10 15:58
    I'm getting the demo board and the accessories kit. I sent an email yesterday asking about order progress but have had no response.

    Airmail from the states is normally very fast though.

    Graham
  • ciw1973ciw1973 Posts: 64
    edited 2006-07-10 18:47
    Pity that, we could have shared the shipping and brokerage fees (the customs charge is based on the goods value) and both had more beer tokens left over as a result. Let me know how much shipping you end up paying and how long it takes via UPS. Cheers.
  • Graham StablerGraham Stabler Posts: 2,507
    edited 2006-07-10 22:15
    I'm getting via USPS not UPS, confusing aye.

    I got an email back, it was collected from them on the 7th and it is comming by EMS which is express mail. There is a chance that parcel force still hit me with tax etc but I'm hoping the postage hit will be a lower than the UPS one, as yet I don't know what it is, my credit card doesn't show anything yet.

    Graham
  • ciw1973ciw1973 Posts: 64
    edited 2006-07-13 21:40
    Any news on the shipping costs and times yet Graham?
  • Graham StablerGraham Stabler Posts: 2,507
    edited 2006-07-13 22:11
    Well my credit card has been charged however looking again at my confirmation the accessories kit is on back order and I don't think I have been charged for it yet. The total so far for the dev board and one of the retractable usb cables and shipping has come to 157 dollars which makes the shipping about $20. If I get stung for shipping on the items to follow I won't be pleased though, as it is I may now get taxed twice.

    No sign of the delivery as yet.

    Graham

    p.s. $157 worked out at £87.
  • ciw1973ciw1973 Posts: 64
    edited 2006-07-13 23:33
    As far as tax goes you should be OK, as the customs charge is just the VAT on the declared goods value, so the total should be the same no matter how many individual shipments make up your order. Also, there shouldn't be any additional fees if it's handled by Royal Mail once it makes it to these shores.

    I'd say there's a good chance that Parallax themselves will charge you for two lots of shipping though, as it is going to cost them for each package they send. I think I'll be putting a note with my order requesting that they wait until all of the items are in stock and then ship me a single package.

    This whole vague shipping costs thing is both annoying and very, very unprofessional though, especially these days. I mean, the wife orders rubber stamps, ink and craft materials from a little company in the US, and the boxes can be both big and heavy, but they still manage a fixed and very reasonable shipping charge of less than $10. They ship via the USPS and whilst the orders can take up to a fortnight to arrive, you don't really mind when you're paying such reasonable shipping rates. She looked at getting similar products from the mainland UK (we live on the Isle of Man) but the shipping was actually more expensive than getting the goods from the US. But that's another gripe for another day.
  • Graham StablerGraham Stabler Posts: 2,507
    edited 2006-07-14 08:30
    You pay VAT and duty which totals about 20% as a percentage that won't change with shipment number. However parcel force do charge a clearance fee but you sometimes slip through undetected, depends how big the box is. So you are correct about the tax but I may pay the £12 clearance twice.

    I seem to remember you had to select "seperate shipments" if you wanted them sending as they were available, I didn't select it.
  • Graham StablerGraham Stabler Posts: 2,507
    edited 2006-07-19 09:31
    Today I received my demoboard but not the retractabel usb cable which may be to follow or may have been forgotton (I have asked about this) my card was charged $156.05 and the postage marked on the package was $12.50. The demo board is $129.95 and the extention cable is $4.95.

    So at best I was charged $21.15 for postage and at worst $26 so I suppose that means $12.50 postage and $8.65/$13.5 packing

    The bottom line for UK buyers who request USPS (give or take a USB cable) is that you will pay

    £87.17 for the demoboard and postage

    AND

    £16.33 custom charges including £12.33 VAT and £4 clearance charge.

    The total to your door of: £103

    And that's the demoboard not the propstick!

    Graham
  • ESPESP Posts: 25
    edited 2006-07-19 11:43
    Hi Graham/All,

    I just had another look at the site.

    Did You order the version without the power-supply?

    Did You get the ordinary USB cable?

    Just had a look at the accessory kit, will probably get that as well.

    Now to find a friendly credit card...

    Robin
  • Graham StablerGraham Stabler Posts: 2,507
    edited 2006-07-19 12:22
    I can't realize there was a demoboard without a power supply until now, it is the same price though I suppose the postage might be less. It has US pins but will work on UK voltages, just needs a travel adapter.

    I got an ordinary USB cable as part of the demoboard set.

    I've also ordered the accessory kit but that is to follow as they were out of stock and apparently I either checked or didn't uncheck the "send partial order" button.

    Graham
  • Tom ConnellTom Connell Posts: 6
    edited 2006-07-19 15:37
    Using Graham's figures I would estimate that the propstick would cost around £83 with customs clearance & VAT!

    Milford are now selling the propstick for £65 + £6 postage + VAT a total of £83.33 and they are assembling the kit as well!

    So for the propstick at least there is no advantage in ordering from the states especially with the uncertainty that duty may be applied as well!

    Its a shame that they are not currently stocking the full range of propeller chips, boards & kits, but maybe in time they will!

    I take back my earlier remarks as it seems that they are responding to demand even though their online presence leaves something to be desired! Unfortunately these days the first contact with a mailorder firm is via the web and first impressions can put many people off!

    However even Parallax have their problems here as the propstick is now back to its original price, but the special offer banner which ran out on the 4th July is still being displayed??

    Tom Connell
  • ESPESP Posts: 25
    edited 2006-07-20 08:43
    Hi Tom/All,

    I saw the Milford website, but I really want the demo board or a Hydra. Milford did say they would assemble the Propstick for me free as I cannot solder. I did not say anything in-case I caused a stampede [noparse]:)[/noparse]

    Did Milford mention the demo board?

    Robin

    P.S. broken it yet? [noparse]:)[/noparse]
  • ESPESP Posts: 25
    edited 2006-07-21 13:00
    Hi All,

    oops... the P.S. was for Graham. Broken it yet? [noparse]:)[/noparse]

    I had a look at the accessory pack, can that screen do PAL?

    Robin
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