"no Fedex Please"

[Nick Fiddes]

I've said it before, and I guess I have to say it again, even though I know it's putting my head above the parapet to be shot off for saying what many of you will dislike. You know, we DO listen, guys. But in the end we have to base our business on facts. We've heard loud and clear that there's a bias against Fedex on this board in particular, which I'm guessing reflects a widespread attitude in the US (?). But here are the facts, which anyone can (and presumably will) dispute if they choose.

1. If we're asked to specifically, of course we'll ship by surface mail. BUT (a) this will often take weeks; (b) it's untrackable, so we have to insist that delivery is at the customer's risk, as it over-rides our preference.

2. Air Mail is not an option. It's also untrackable. Also, they have a 2kg limit, which is less than many kilts weigh, let alone packages. An outfit would have to split up into multiple shipments, which both costs more in shipping charges, and in the considerable extra admin & packing time. It also carries more risk of one part of an outfit going astray, which significantly increases the risk of an unhappy customer when they tell us their wedding or other event has been ruined.

3. However often you tell us Fedex is worse than UPS, DHL, or your own personal favourite whom you happen to have had a good experience with, the facts just don't bear this out. We've done the research, intensively. They work to exactly the same rules (as the UPS and DHL etc. reps have confirmed to us when we've invited them in sales meetings to give us a reason they'd have an edge over Fedex!) and statistically their intervention & charging rates are identical.

4. No, we cannot mark packages as "Gift". This is a criminal offence. You may find some shady business willing to break the law to do this in hope of saving a few bucks. But as I've said before, if they'll lie and conduct illegal activity in this way, good luck to you in getting honest advice, or indeed getting what you think you've paid for rather than a cheapskate substitute at full authentic prices, which we know to be a practice that's rife amongst the unscrupulous operators.

5. If you have your own shipping account with a carrier you believe to be 'better', we're happy to deliver that way instead.

So if you think we should be changing our carrier, give us good sound facts why. The unfortunate truth is that the US government puts up barriers to imports. (Insert politically astute reason here). We do everything we can to mitigate these (such as describing items by their most preferential, but still legal, classification codes.) But we can't change the law.

Finally, let me just remind you (again!) that the average import duties charged in these cases is still considerably lower than the 17.% VAT that European customers pay, and American customers don't. So you're still ahead!

Nick

[James MacMillan]

There is another solution.

If you live in Canada - order from a Canadian firm.
If you live in Scotland - order from a Scottish firm.
If you live in the US - well you get the idea.

Every country seems to have good solutions for getting good products.

Why pay import duties if you don't have to?

[McClef]

VAT is 17.5% (not 17%) at least here in the UK!

From what I read of complaints though it is not simply a matter of the import duties themselves but the speed at which the carrier processes this and also the fees they charge for doing so. This is a separate issue to the legality realities.

And I think that James misses the point regarding where to buy. If I want a Newsome or a Tewkesbury because of the delighted responses and reviews I have read on X Marks (or seen being worn somewhere like Ferintosh!) I cannot follow that formula. Conversely the same applies when someone across "the pond" wishes to have a sample of Scottish craftmanship and/or wishes to avail themselves of the X Marks discount offered by Scotweb for example, then it isn't so easy. Many of us like to source kilts from different countries besides our own for varying reasons - how else would I have got my Maple Leaf for instance?

[Hamish]

VAT is 17.5% (not 17%) at least here in the UK!

Trefor, I suggest that is nothing more than a typo!

From what I read of complaints though it is not simply a matter of the import duties themselves but the speed at which the carrier processes this and also the fees they charge for doing so. This is a separate issue to the legality realities.

And I think that James misses the point regarding where to buy. If I want a Newsome or a Tewkesbury because of the delighted responses and reviews I have read on X Marks (or seen being worn somewhere like Ferintosh!) I cannot follow that formula. Conversely the same applies when someone across "the pond" wishes to have a sample of Scottish craftmanship and/or wishes to avail themselves of the X Marks discount offered by Scotweb for example, then it isn't so easy. Many of us like to source kilts from different countries besides our own for varying reasons - how else would I have got my Maple Leaf for instance?

I agree wholeheartedly with you here, with just one exception - my fine Maple Leaf 16oz 8 yarder was beautifully crafted for me by Geoffrey (Tailor) in Edinburgh. There was no need for me to go to Canada for it.

Take care,
Ham.

[Nick Fiddes]

There is another solution.

If you live in Canada - order from a Canadian firm.
If you live in Scotland - order from a Scottish firm.
If you live in the US - well you get the idea.

Every country seems to have good solutions for getting good products.

Why pay import duties if you don't have to?

The flaw in your plan is that the vast majority of quality tartans are woven in Scotland. And if I recall correctly, US customs (I don't know specifically about Canada, writing from home) charge a much higher still tariff on 'raw' woven fabric even than they do on goods like kilts. So since the fabric typically constitutes the largest part of the cost of a kilt, you could easily end up paying even more buying a domestically made kilt (all other things like labour costs being equal)!

You could of course restrict yourself to the tartans woven by a domestic producer, but your choice will be far smaller, and our experience is that most kilt buyers want a tartan which which they've a personal connection.

There aren't many kiltmakers around like us who will weave you a short length for a single kilt in any tartan. And even if you can find one locally, the higher costs of hand-woven custom lengths are likely to cancel out any import duty savings.

[McClef]

Trefor, I suggest that is nothing more than a typo!



I agree wholeheartedly with you here, with just one exception - my fine Maple Leaf 16oz 8 yarder was beautifully crafted for me by Geoffrey (Tailor) in Edinburgh. There was no need for me to go to Canada for it.

Take care,
Ham.

Well I know it was a typo Hamish or Nick would have been doing some serious miscalculations for the Vatman! But I thought it would help reinforce what Nick was saying even more in that VAT is not charged on goods supplied outside of the EC when it comes to the purposes of comparison.

I know you can get the Maple Leaf in Scotland too if course! But for me it meant more to have it made in Canada because it was a Canadian tartan just as I prefer to have my Scottish tartans made in Scotland. If Robin is able to source some of the the Dutch friendship that we both drool about I would not have it made in the Netherlands because he cannot recommend a good Dutch kiltmaker and would then feel free to make a choice of where to have it made up.

[Woodsheal]

My question is this: has anyone experienced any problems (no-shows, theft, mangling,etc.) with a kilt or other items sent free (but untracked and uninsured) via Royal Mail from KiltStore?

I realize it's a lot slower, but to avoid all of the FedEx hassle and customs fees, the extra time would be worth it....

[gilmore]

There are some politicians here in the US who want to do away with property tax and other forms of taxation and fund the national budget mostly with a national sales tax. (17.5% is lower that the usual estimates of how much it would have to be, but it seems that no one really knows.)They are generally thought to be kooks, but some are taken seriously on other grounds. Given the UK's experience with VAT, I would be interested in hearing what you on the eastern side of the Atlantic think. Would abolishing VAT be popular there? What kinds of taxation could replace it?

One of the arguments against a national sales tax is that it is unreliable, and the amount it brings in would vary quite a bit from year to year. Is this the case with VAT?

[Hamish]

Well I know it was a typo Hamish or Nick would have been doing some serious miscalculations for the Vatman! But I thought it would help reinforce what Nick was saying even more in that VAT is not charged on goods supplied outside of the EC when it comes to the purposes of comparison.

I know you can get the Maple Leaf in Scotland too if course! But for me it meant more to have it made in Canada because it was a Canadian tartan just as I prefer to have my Scottish tartans made in Scotland.

I take both your points, Trefor.........

If Robin is able to source some of the the Dutch friendship that we both drool about I would not have it made in the Netherlands because he cannot recommend a good Dutch kiltmaker and would then feel free to make a choice of where to have it made up.

......... and I am with you on that! I have already made up my mind who I will ask to make mine up - assuming our good friend can lay his hands on the tartan for us - and, Trefor, it is unlikely to be the kiltmaker you might expect me to use. More than that I am not saying!!

Take care,
Ham.

[turpin]

The flaw in your plan is that the vast majority of quality tartans are woven in Scotland. And if I recall correctly, US customs (I don't know specifically about Canada, writing from home) charge a much higher still tariff on 'raw' woven fabric even than they do on goods like kilts. So since the fabric typically constitutes the largest part of the cost of a kilt, you could easily end up paying even more buying a domestically made kilt (all other things like labour costs being equal)!

You could of course restrict yourself to the tartans woven by a domestic producer, but your choice will be far smaller, and our experience is that most kilt buyers want a tartan which which they've a personal connection.

There aren't many kiltmakers around like us who will weave you a short length for a single kilt in any tartan. And even if you can find one locally, the higher costs of hand-woven custom lengths are likely to cancel out any import duty savings.

Even so, Kiltmakers get a significant reduction in cost/meter; about 50% or less over what I can buy it for retail from Kiltstore not including duty. Yes, perhaps the duty is factored into the per-meter pirc, but it's still a huge price break. That being said, duty on a finished kilt is 12.5%, and on raw tartan it's 25%.