27th September 2007 : Importing Sticks
Cost
The article chronicles my experiences importing percussion mallets from the USA. I wanted to buy some Malletech mallets, but they were quite expensive in the UK. Looking around the web I found that the mallets were much cheaper on Malletech's own web site http://www.mostlymarimba.com, and that in most cases the dollar price was less than the pound price. Given that at the moment there are about two dollars to the pound, this meant that the sticks would be less than half the price than if they were bought here in the UK.
I was also interested in getting a copy of "Method of Movement" by Leigh Howard Stevens, which is reputed to be an excellent method book for four mallet marimba. I could not find this book from a supplier in the UK, but it was available from the Malletech web site. I took the plunge and ordered directly from their site.
The order was as follows:
| Item | Dollar Price | Pound Price |
|---|---|---|
| 2 pairs LS10 Marimba Mallets | $65.98 | £71.00 |
| 1 pair OR45R Mallets | $23.99 | £27.50 |
| 1 pair EF41R Mallets | $23.99 | £22.50 |
| 1 pair NR36R Mallets | $21.99 | £26.00 |
| Replacement Bands for BB32 Mallets | $5.00 | Unavailable |
| Method of Movement Book | $25.00 | Unavailable |
The postage and packing charge was $27.00 giving a grand total of $192.95. At current exchange rates (I strongly suggest you check the current rates before purchasing!) this came through on my credit card as £99.60 including £2.90 commission on the currency exchange.
Customs charge VAT on the parcel when it arrives, so there was an additional charge of £16.84. Also, Parcelforce added an £8 "Parcelforce Clearance Fee" for dealing with customs.
Total cost was therefore £124.44, still a significant saving on the UK prices.
Shipping
Don't expect to have your sticks very soon using this method! It takes time to get the package shipped through to you. The timeline for me was as follows - most of this information was taken from the United States Postal Service online tracking:
| 12th September 2007 | Order Placed |
| 19th September 2007 | Payment Charged to my Credit Card |
| 22nd September 2007 | Package left the USA, apparently on a plane |
| 28th September 2007 | Package arrived in the UK. Perhaps it was a very slow plane. |
| 2nd October 2007 | Package cleared UK Customs |
| 3rd October 2007 | Online tracking system said they'd attempted to deliver to me at 4.17am |
| 4rd October 2007 | Got letter from Parcelforce outlining the customs charge and saying they would release the parcel when I paid |