Importing tiles from europe

[Sean]

Has anybody any experience of importing tiles directly from europe? The prices in this country to me appear vary inflated. TIA Sean

[Anna Kettle]

This must be a post from USA. Being the only country in the world

Anna

~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England |""""| ~ Plaster conservation and lime plaster repair / ^^ \ // Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc |____|

01359 230642

[Andy Hall]

Where are you located, Sean?

Do you mean importing into the UK from mainland Europe or...?

I've imported numerous things, including tiles from other European countries into the UK.

There are four points to consider:

1) Look at how you will pay. Credit card companies typically don't give good exchange rates, and from a cost perspective you can generally get a better deal through a telegraphic transfer or other instrument through a bank. On the other hand, paying by credit card may give you some level of consumer protection. The law goes so far on this and mainly applies to UK purchases, but a card company may offer more protection on card purchases.

2) Consider that if you have problems with the product and a return or follow up with the supplier is necessary then it will be more difficult and expensive than purchasing in the UK. Consider whether it is worth finding a supplier in Belgium or France and driving there. Alternatively, if you are considering product from Spain or Italy (where there are real savings to be made on stone and ceramic, then perhaps a short break? I've driven to Rome comfortably in two days to give you a perspective.

3) Look at methods and costs of shipment. This will be significant if you choose anything that delivers quickly and may outweigh some or all of the cost saving.

4) Consider the VAT element. If you are a consumer and not VAT registered, then the supplier outside the UK but inside the EU will have to charge you their national rate of VAT. These rates vary between 15 and 25% depending on where and what. If you are a business and registered for VAT you provide the supplier with your number and they will invoice you net of VAT. Of course the product is then meant to be used in connection with the business.

.andy

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[usenet]

It varies, a Nationwide credit card gives a pretty good exchange rate and no 'commission' either.

[Anna Kettle]

Dunno what I was talking about here. Shortly afterwards I felt the need to go and like down. Must be the heat. Sorry

Anna ~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England |""""| ~ Plaster conservation and lime plaster repair / ^^ \ // Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc |____|

01359 230642

[Lurch]

On Wed, 19 May 2004 17:28:28 GMT, in uk.d-i-y [e-mail] (Anna Kettle) strung together this:

I was wondering!

I know the feeling.

[Sean]

Anna I made the assumption that by posting this to a "uk" newsgroup that others would assume that "this country" meant the uk. You'all have a nice day now!

[Sean]

I'm based in N Ireland Andy so yes I'm interested in Importing from mainland Europe.

Will have to look into this ...see what my credit card protection covers...thanks

I'm interested in porcelain floor tiles (200 sq metres) mainly at the moment. Which region would you recommend visiting. Being a bit green on it I'm not sure if there are different regions for different typres of tiles.

I've got at least 6 months before I'll need them on site. From a buying/shipping point of view does it make more sense to buy more than my requirement and sell the excess stock so as to lower the overall cost of shipping? Is there a rule of thumb amount of stock that you need to ship to make it cost effective?

I've got a friendly builder who hopefully will be able to look after things from a VAT perspective

Thanks for your reply Andy. Its been very helpful. Is there any chance you could recommend suppliers in Europe who I could deal with in English. It all seems a bit daunting, cold calling suppliers and not being understood.

Thanks Sean

[Andy Hall]

OK. This probably makes the idea of using Eurotunnel and making a car trip less practicable. Are there any ferries from Belfast to Spain perhaps?

It really depends on what you like. I've seen stores with good selections in SPain, Italy and France. I bought some from a store in northern France, but this was an on the spot purchase having seen exactly what we wanted and having a note of the area to be covered. I had the Land Rover and was able to bring them back myself on that occasion.

It depends on the method of shipping and how quickly you want them.

Generally you pay for weight and linear dimensions - i.e. the shipper adds the height, length and width - rather than volume.

For your situation, I would have thought that an overland trucking type service would be appropriate. The main issue will be the weight. I would talk to a few freight forwarders and see what they can do for you.

Sometimes you will find a supplier who is used to organising shipping and that will work fine, but I would check on who they use and satisfy yourself of how the steps work along the way.

For example, not long ago, I bought a dust extractor for use in woodworking from a supplier in the U.S. The supplier had done a few international shipments but it was not an everyday thing. This item came in about 12 boxes which were large in size and some heavy. They researched the options and so did I. We both came out with the most cost effective scheme being to do the first part of the shipment by Fedex overland to a U.S. sea port, then taking space in a container to Tilbury (IIRC) organised by Franz Maas (a large freighting company) and finally truck delivery to me. It sounds complicated, but actually ran very smoothly indeed.

For something like tiles, I would make sure that the supplier packs effectively and probably palletises the shipment and make sure that you have insurance cover included.

For a supplier that you are likely to find on the web, I would expect that if they have English pages, they will know how to ship to the UK. I expect that you will pay a bit of a premium for NI, but I guess that that is common.

For most shipping arrangements there is a dimensions and weight element and a transaction cost. You may gaing a bit by overbuying, but probably not a lot because this stuff is heavy. Of course you might get a volume discount from a supplier.

It shouldn't be a problem. You would normally just get an invoice from the supplier in whichever country and pay that rate.

I don't have any specific recommendations. I would suggest that you spend some time Google searching for the types of tile that you want.

Try using the Italian word for tile (matonelle) as a search word, and the Spanish (I believe it's azulejo) to identify sites and manufacturers. Then work from there. Find out who the UK distributors are and ask for catalogues and samples - they may point you to a local tile dealer.

Then you can compare prices and see whether the exercise is worth it. Don't be surprised if the shipping cost is substantial in comparison to the purchase price.

.andy

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