Getting a retailer to import for you?

[Lollingsgrad]

I want to pick up a GBBR that I can't get in the UK from KYAirsoft. I really hate the laws around importing and the horror stories of dealing with clueless customs even with UKARA. I figure retailers have to deal with this all the time so I wonder if I could just link them and ask them to pick it up so I can buy it off them for a mark-up or something like that. Anyone ever tried anything like that and cares to share a retailer that's amenable to it?

[heroshark]

Is only the EU base retailers that it's currently been more issue to import from. Never had an issue ordering from any of the well established Asia based places including KY.

[EDcase]

Yeah, I've ordered a few times from KY including parts and RiFs and got them without issue.  (Of course its always possible for things to go wrong)

You do have to be prepared to wait as it can take up to a month to get to your door.

[Druid799]

To be honest just on past personal experience even if I could find a seller willing to do it I’d have less faith in most British retailers to NOT cock the order up than I would in an Asian retailer getting it wrong . I am genuinely sad to say this but after 20+ yrs of playing it’s how I feel .

[SBoardley]

1 hour ago, Lollingsgrad said:

I want to pick up a GBBR that I can't get in the UK from KYAirsoft. I really hate the laws around importing and the horror stories of dealing with clueless customs even with UKARA. I figure retailers have to deal with this all the time so I wonder if I could just link them and ask them to pick it up so I can buy it off them for a mark-up or something like that. Anyone ever tried anything like that and cares to share a retailer that's amenable to it?

*cough* zero one *cough* used to do this….

[Lollingsgrad]

I appreciate the advice of just doing it, I agree it'll probably be fine; I'm still not comfortable doing it. I might try Zero One but knowing their prices I wouldn't be surprised if they wanted to double the price.

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, Lollingsgrad said:

I appreciate the advice of just doing it, I agree it'll probably be fine; I'm still not comfortable doing it. I might try Zero One but knowing their prices I wouldn't be surprised if they wanted to double the price.

Pretty much any retailer is going to double the price, otherwise it’s just not worth their while

[hitmanNo2]

Pretty much all of my RIFs have come from HK or Japan.  If you have a defence, just import yourself.  Just know how much you're likely to pay in fees and the rest is just like ordering from a UK retailer 99% of the time. 

[Sneaky]

I have imported RIFs over the years. Especially now it is either hit or miss, but good luck!

[Tactical Pith Helmet]

Do you mind me asking what it is that you're after?  

 

There is physical stock that may not be listed online.  Someone may have a lead on what you want here in the UK already.

[Lollingsgrad]

3 hours ago, EDcase said:

Yeah, I've ordered a few times from KY including parts and RiFs and got them without issue.  (Of course its always possible for things to go wrong)

You do have to be prepared to wait as it can take up to a month to get to your door.

 

I suppose one thing that would particularly scare me is if it arrived shooting too hot. Do you know if KY are bad for that?

 

34 minutes ago, Tactical Pith Helmet said:

Do you mind me asking what it is that you're after?  

 

There is physical stock that may not be listed online.  Someone may have a lead on what you want here in the UK already.

 

I'm after a WE R5C GBBR; their little PDW stocked honey badger-ish thing. The 5.56 one not their new PCC thing.

[EDcase]

I can't remember which retailer it came from but I did receive a hot RiF once.

Came without a problem and I just moded it as soon as it arrived.

[SBoardley]

58 minutes ago, Lollingsgrad said:

 

I suppose one thing that would particularly scare me is if it arrived shooting too hot. Do you know if KY are bad for that?

 

 

I'm after a WE R5C GBBR; their little PDW stocked honey badger-ish thing. The 5.56 one not their new PCC thing.

All WE rifles are hot bro. Hence all the npas/  nozzle mods and fls disc shenanigans.  Also 1 joule nozzles are available from milspec etc. 

[Tommikka]

There ideal is that a UK retailer would import via their normal distributor / supplier channels

That way goods would come in at trade prices.

 

Failing that and you may get lucky with retailer to retailer importation, that may also involve some form of trade pricing between them.

 

 

 

The ideal for retail is to markup by doubling the price, anything below that is likely to fail to cover business overheads and industries that can’t manage that within a market are full

of struggling businesses at the best of times

 

 

[Rogerborg]

On 11/12/2021 at 22:07, Tommikka said:

The ideal for retail is to markup by doubling the price, anything below that is likely to fail to cover business overheads

 

Warranty being the big one, they'll have to eat any returns. If I were a retailer I wouldn't touch individual importation.

[BigStew]

14 minutes ago, Rogerborg said:

 

Warranty being the big one, they'll have to eat any returns. If I were a retailer I wouldn't touch individual importation.

You also got volume issues retailers won't get a decent price break on one offs most wholesalers will have pricing tiers they would most likely have to order dozens of a particular Rif to make it even possible to have a reasonable mark up.

[ak2m4]

Just order it from KY, as long as you've got the relevant defence shouldn't have anything to worry about.  This is how lot of us import RIF's from abroad. 

[BigStew]

Oh if you are going to order from KY get confirmation they have it in stock before you pay I am at month 4 waiting on parts from them.

[EDcase]

39 minutes ago, BigStew said:

Oh if you are going to order from KY get confirmation they have it in stock before you pay I am at month 4 waiting on parts from them.

Yeah, they mark items as 'in stock' when they aren't

[Lollingsgrad]

Thanks for the education, all! I guess the idea is a non-starter. Airsoft World said they'd try to get one on the next order for me, I'm not in a rush because it'd be useless over winter anyway!