Shipping to Europe costs?

[MantasM]

Hey everyone. Decided to bite the bullet and order backpack, but then... 68Eur to Lithuania landed me back to dirt. Any chance shipping costs will get lower any time soon?

[WereCat]

Wait when you realize you have to pay the import and VAT as well  The shipping is the chepest part about buying from US or Canada.

[will0hlep]

Unfortuantly, the backpack just isn't purchasable for people in Europe. I'd love to order one but here in the UK there is $50 shipping and $50 tax, taking the full price to $349.98. Add on to that the pound ain't worth sh*t at the moment and the end cost is £291. I just can't justify spending that on a backpack.

Even worse, there is basically no chance of that ever decreasing unless LTT open a warehouse in europe but that would cost alot to run and organise and would drive up prices anyway.

[MantasM]

Ouch, forgot about import tax. Will have to find a friend in US willing to do a favor then. Thanks guys

[Monsterkater]

52 minutes ago, WereCat said:

Wait when you realize you have to pay the import and VAT as well  The shipping is the chepest part about buying from US or Canada.

In my experience, at least the VAT is usually handled by Creator Warehouse via OSS already. At least that's the case when buying from Germany.

 

That being said, sometimes customs is a d*** and will bill you for VAT again, though in that case you can contact CW support with a photo (or scan) of the customs bill and they will refund the VAT.

 

In any case, customs fees will apply and drive up prices nonetheless. 

[Dedayog]

2 hours ago, MantasM said:

Hey everyone. Decided to bite the bullet and order backpack, but then... 68Eur to Lithuania landed me back to dirt. Any chance shipping costs will get lower any time soon?

Uhm, no.  Shipping costs are from the shipper, and they don't fluctuate that much if ever.

 

What about the backpack is so amazing that you would contemplate that much money for it?  Curious, because I lack the ability to place value on pseudo celebrity stuff.   The features and build quality are not at a level to justify the full spend.

 

Honestly looking for an understanding. If it's just "cuz I love LTT and huge fanboy!!!111!111!!!" then I can get behind that I guess.

[Monsterkater]

1 hour ago, Dedayog said:

What about the backpack is so amazing that you would contemplate that much money for it?

For me it was a combination of reasons, really.

 

I was in the market for a nice quality tech backpack anyway, as I didn't own even a cheap notebook carrying bag and with return to office on the horizon didn't want to go on carrying my work laptop in some cotton shopping bag like before and didn't want to buy a new bag every few years. The LTT backpack has quite a few features I really enjoy, like the IMO well thought-out layout for example. I also dig the bottom taper of the different compartments, a dedicated place with a snug fit for my water bottle and screwdriver are a huge plus in my book as well. On top of that the color scheme makes it easy to locate stuff inside, even in dim lighting, which is something I didn't even think about beforehand, but I really wouldn't want to miss it now that I have experienced it. It's my only backpack and I'm carrying it pretty much everywhere I go, the wear comfort ist outstanding, though the Luggage strap can get uncomfortable in the passport compartment if it isn't folded exactly right. I'm confident it will last me a long time, which is a HUGE deal for me as I'm quite averse to buying shit-tier quality stuff just to replace it in the near future, that's just a waste of material and workforce IMHO.

Also, of course, supporting LTT and Creator Warehouse was a point in my decision as well.

 

Is it the best bang for your buck tech backpack? No, not by a long shot. But it's good enough to justify the spend under the right conditions.

[Holmes108]

And honestly, it's not really any different for me going the other way. It's exceedingly rare that it would ever make sense for me to order something from Europe, and have it sent here to Canada. It may be even worse the other way to you guys, but it's definitely non-trivial coming this way too. Shipping and exchange rates just often suck.

[vladdeSV]

Made a post about the cost of getting into the EU (Sweden) – prepare to pay about 180% of the price on store.

 

Really good backpack though. I do not regret buying it.

 

 

[ffffrozen]

Yesterday I was about pull the trigger and make a purchase: Tech Sack, Screwdriver and water bottle. The cart on its own was 159.97USD but once I hit the checkout, the total cost went up to 221.76USD - shipping (with taxes) to either Poland or Ireland. This way too much that I'm willing to spend on that kind of items.

[Razercake]

13 hours ago, ffffrozen said:

Yesterday I was about pull the trigger and make a purchase: Tech Sack, Screwdriver and water bottle. The cart on its own was 159.97USD but once I hit the checkout, the total cost went up to 221.76USD - shipping (with taxes) to either Poland or Ireland. This way too much that I'm willing to spend on that kind of items.

Understandable, but a good portion of that is VAT for the country. 

 

Here is the breakdown shipping to my country(Denmark) where VAT is 25% I'm just happy that IOSS works now. at least it did when I got my screwdriver, so I didn't have any problems with customs & extra fees from that. 

 

I got some other stuff I want from the store, my plan is to order in bulk. seems to be the ideal way to do it.

[Dracarris]

21 minutes ago, Razercake said:

where VAT is 25%

This is just absolute bananas and should not exist. It's a fucking quarter of every purchase made. Come on.

[Razercake]

47 minutes ago, Dracarris said:

This is just absolute bananas and should not exist. It's a fucking quarter of every purchase made. Come on.

I mean if it didn't exist, importing items would not contribute to the countries economy. there is a reason taxes are a thing, 25% might be high sure. but with free dental till ur 18(changed to 21 now), free HealthCare, aid for expensive medicine(couldn't afford this on my own), free education & a lot of other stuff. I ain't complaining about taxes.

 

I know it isn't "free" since its paid by taxes, but hopefully you know what I mean.

[Dracarris]

2 hours ago, Razercake said:

I mean if it didn't exist, importing items would not contribute to the countries economy. there is a reason taxes are a thing, 25% might be high sure. but with free dental till ur 18(changed to 21 now), free HealthCare, aid for expensive medicine(couldn't afford this on my own), free education & a lot of other stuff. I ain't complaining about taxes.

 

I know it isn't "free" since its paid by taxes, but hopefully you know what I mean.

I‘m not talking about imports being tax free but VAT rates in general, which are simply out of control in some European countries.

I also agreee that those public services should be paid by taxes, but IMHO there are better sources than adding a quarter to every purchase that everyone makes, and there are enough examples of countries that manage with less than 25%.

 

One example would be Germany with its 19% and a quite substantial spectrum of social and welfare services.

[Razercake]

1 hour ago, Dracarris said:

I‘m not talking about imports being tax free but VAT rates in general, which are simply out of control in some European countries.

I also agreee that those public services should be paid by taxes, but IMHO there are better sources than adding a quarter to every purchase that everyone makes, and there are enough examples of countries that manage with less than 25%.

 

One example would be Germany with its 19% and a quite substantial spectrum of social and welfare services.

I have friends in Germany & I can tell you it isn't as good as what we got here in terms of welfare services. a lot of items have a 25% tax on them so the same applies to items being imported. you could most likely find better ways to get that money, but overall I'm happy with what we got & 25% for all the perks is an easy pill to swallow (for me at least).

 

we are pretty inline with our Scandinavian bros & to be fair, with my ADHD & ASD. I've gotten a lot of use out of the welfare in this country & continue to do so, so I am really biased.

[ffffrozen]

10 hours ago, Razercake said:

I got some other stuff I want from the store, my plan is to order in bulk. seems to be the ideal way to do it.

The ideal way of doing it, would be LTT Store opening a branch within EU given the size of the its operations, or at least to partnering with some reputable shop or other company based in EU to cater for European shipping. As of now, I'm getting a Wera Kartform screwdriver.

[Razercake]

6 minutes ago, ffffrozen said:

The ideal way of doing it, would be LTT Store opening a branch within EU given the size of the its operations, or at least to partnering with some reputable shop or other company based in EU to cater for European shipping. As of now, I'm getting a Wera Kartform screwdriver.

I'm not talking about their ideal way of doing it, I'm talking about mine from the options I currently have available. of course it would be better, but I doubt it would decrease the shipping costs by much & the VAT would still be there. + increased costs of having a 2nd warehouse in the EU for stock, partnering with a reputable shop does sound like an interesting idea though.

[Alex T88]

9 hours ago, ffffrozen said:

The ideal way of doing it, would be LTT Store opening a branch within EU given the size of the its operations, or at least to partnering with some reputable shop or other company based in EU to cater for European shipping. As of now, I'm getting a Wera Kartform screwdriver.

I agree. To be honest, the shipping cost and taxes do not bother me, as much as the excruciatingly long shipping time and the inaccurate information provided by support. Inaccurate info, which got me really angry. Had I known it would take so much time from the get go or at least after support got back to me, I would have been at ease. I did get the screwdriver. I can tell you, it's the best ratcheting screwdriver I ever owned and used. It's a premium product, worth every penny as far as I consider, including the shipping cost and taxes. I live in Eastern Europe and I payed a total of $105 U.S. for the screwdriver, including shipping and taxes. I also own and use the Wera Kraftform Kompakt ratcheting screwdriver, which I bought from Germany for around 55 euro, including shipping. My main complaint is, that the shaft is extremely wiggly. In the locked position, it moves left right and it feels like a cheap product, not worth the price. For instance, I also have a Stanley ratcheting screwdriver, which I bought for like 10 euro and the shaft tolerances are much tighter compared to the Wera. Again, I have to reiterate, that no screwdriver I ever used comes even close to the quality and feel of the LTT screwdriver. Don't get me wrong, the Wera Kraftform is a good screwdriver. It's robust and comfortable to use. The shaft being hexagonal, allows you to use a small wrench, to apply more torque if need be. But again, for it's price (close to the LTT screwdriver price), I definitely expected better quality. The LTT screwdriver has been a pleasure to work with. It's the perfect compliment for my other tools/screwdrivers. For me, it is the best ratcheting screwdriver I ever owned and used. I highly recommend it to anyone, it's fit for both professional work (specific tasks) and diy stuff. I don't expect it to last a lifetime, because nothing really does in the end but for me, it already payed itself off. For more information I recommend Project Farm's and Jeff Geerling's screwdriver reviews. They both include the LTT and the Wera ratcheting screwdrivers.

[ffffrozen]

3 hours ago, Alex T88 said:

Don't get me wrong, the Wera Kraftform is a good screwdriver. It's robust and comfortable to use. The shaft being hexagonal, allows you to use a small wrench, to apply more torque if need be. But again, for it's price (close to the LTT screwdriver price), I definitely expected better quality. The LTT screwdriver has been a pleasure to work with.

I don't doubt the quality of the screwdriver given the opinion of folks who bought them. On the other hand, I got my Wera for 25EUR (down from  over 50).

[Alex T88]

30 minutes ago, ffffrozen said:

I don't doubt the quality of the screwdriver given the opinion of folks who bought them. On the other hand, I got my Wera for 25EUR (down from  over 50).

25 euro is a very good price for it! I would have also bought it on the spot, had I not already owned one. Use it in good health !

[manikyath]

international shipping is just expensive. i've seen backpack-sized boxes quoted up in the triple digits for shipping costs.

 

i've been eyeing a particular keycap set from a company in the US, but the shipping (on a keycap set that basicly fits in a padded envelope) is 85 bucks. and that's before the headache of international shipping.

 

so, as unfortunate as it is, buying LTTstore stuff isnt really viable for europeans. same way, theoretically setting up a distribution center in the EU would be as expensive (or likely more expensive) per item as the shipping.

 

i'd like an LTT backpack, but it's just not gonna happen. this is a fairly good 'name-brand' backpack though. i have the "horizontal laptop bag" version of it, and it's been my luggage for when i visit family over the weekend, replacing my old laptop bag and backpack. the only downside is that the laptop portion really isnt as padded as it should be.

https://www.thule.com/en-be/backpacks/laptop-backpacks/thule-crossover-2-backpack-30l-_-3203835

 

for fans of the screwdriver, while not a "feature-complete" alternative, both wera and PB swiss are (relatively, including shipping) much more affordable on this side of the pond. 

[helgehelge123]

I don't really get the uproar about the taxes?

Muricans are used to see net prices and europeans usually see gross prices. If this was on a German shelf it would have a sticker price of 299€ (250*1.19=298).

You have to decide if it's worth it to you, but don't complain about the taxes. Price tags work differently around the world.

 

(I know some people have to pay taxes twice, but they get them refunded from lttstore.com if this happens, that's not creator warehouses fault, tho)

[Razercake]

8 hours ago, helgehelge123 said:

I don't really get the uproar about the taxes?

Muricans are used to see net prices and europeans usually see gross prices. If this was on a German shelf it would have a sticker price of 299€ (250*1.19=298).

You have to decide if it's worth it to you, but don't complain about the taxes. Price tags work differently around the world.

 

(I know some people have to pay taxes twice, but they get them refunded from lttstore.com if this happens, that's not creator warehouses fault, tho)

A factor could also be when your used to seeing the total price in EU, seeing the extra tax dropped on top when ordering makes it seem excessive. might be more psychological like pricing things at 99.99. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ even though the difference might be minimal it still feels substantial.

 

pure speculation though, don't have any sources to back that up.

Edited March 27, 2023 by Razercake
added disclaimer

[Holmes108]

18 hours ago, helgehelge123 said:

I don't really get the uproar about the taxes?

Muricans are used to see net prices and europeans usually see gross prices. If this was on a German shelf it would have a sticker price of 299€ (250*1.19=298).

You have to decide if it's worth it to you, but don't complain about the taxes. Price tags work differently around the world.

 

(I know some people have to pay taxes twice, but they get them refunded from lttstore.com if this happens, that's not creator warehouses fault, tho)

 

I think anyone has the right to complain about a 25% surcharge of any type. It's massive. I'm not some anti tax guy, but that's a ludicrous amount to me. And I'm from Ontario, Canada where I've always been under the impression we're quite heavily taxed compared to much of North America, as I understand it.

[Erioch]

18 hours ago, helgehelge123 said:

I don't really get the uproar about the taxes?

Muricans are used to see net prices and europeans usually see gross prices. If this was on a German shelf it would have a sticker price of 299€ (250*1.19=298).

You have to decide if it's worth it to you, but don't complain about the taxes. Price tags work differently around the world.

 

(I know some people have to pay taxes twice, but they get them refunded from lttstore.com if this happens, that's not creator warehouses fault, tho)

Man, I miss the days when Amazon didn't charge sales tax.  It's only 6% here but still, it was nice.

 

And yes, I know I was supposed to report all of that on my taxes and I might have done that, allegedly.