US orders from Thomman

[aricard]

Anyone ever try ordering from Thomman in the US? I just found a new guitar retailing for $2000 that retails in the US for $2700. Shipping is only $75 via UPS and tbh I’m a little shocked. It feels way too good to be true but it is. Looks like Thomman has a lot of stuff far lower priced than US and shipping is reasonable. Is there something I’m missing ordering from overseas? Can I expect some sort of surprise fee or what?

Also anyone who has ordered, how have setups been? Thanks!

[robroy]

I live in France and use them all the time. Quality operation.

[gr81dorn]

Originally Posted by aricard

Anyone ever try ordering from Thomman in the US? I just found a new guitar retailing for $2000 that retails in the US for $2700. Shipping is only $75 via UPS and tbh I’m a little shocked. It feels way too good to be true but it is. Looks like Thomman has a lot of stuff far lower priced than US and shipping is reasonable. Is there something I’m missing ordering from overseas? Can I expect some sort of surprise fee or what?

Also anyone who has ordered, how have setups been? Thanks!

Two things of note.

Thomann is basically Sweetwater in Germany - great, legit, trustworthy and fabulous selection. Some things are cheaper in the UK and Eurpoe for various reasons related to where they are made, trade agreements, etc. There are definitely better deals on some things...especially inexpensive things.

I am not sure of the current threshold for Musical Instruments from Germany to the US, but there are duties you'll have to pay to get more expensive items through customs. It typically ends up being similar to the amount you'd pay in state tax in most states, so it won't bury you.

I just bought a guitar from England a couple months ago and it was about $1000USD and the duty I owed at US Customs was $77, which is basically exactly my state tax rate, so I had no problem. I didn't realize I would be paying that, however, because I have bought dozens of times from that same store and this was the first time I had duties due because I was over the limit of $1000. I understand that product categories and each country's rate vary, so I don't know what it will be from Germany, but they probably do so you could ask and get a good idea if you're concerned.

Overally - it's risky cuz you're kinda stuck once it arrives, but it may be a lot cheaper than another option and worth the risk. I've bought tons of pedals and electronic stuff, but rarely guitars for that concern, but this last one was a winner and I am glad I went through with it.

[aricard]

Originally Posted by gr81dorn

Two things of note.

Thomann is basically Sweetwater in Germany - great, legit, trustworthy and fabulous selection. Some things are cheaper in the UK and Eurpoe for various reasons related to where they are made, trade agreements, etc. There are definitely better deals on some things...especially inexpensive things.

I am not sure of the current threshold for Musical Instruments from Germany to the US, but there are duties you'll have to pay to get more expensive items through customs. It typically ends up being similar to the amount you'd pay in state tax in most states, so it won't bury you.

I just bought a guitar from England a couple months ago and it was about $1000USD and the duty I owed at US Customs was $77, which is basically exactly my state tax rate, so I had no problem. I didn't realize I would be paying that, however, because I have bought dozens of times from that same store and this was the first time I had duties due because I was over the limit of $1000. I understand that product categories and each country's rate vary, so I don't know what it will be from Germany, but they probably do so you could ask and get a good idea if you're concerned.

Overally - it's risky cuz you're kinda stuck once it arrives, but it may be a lot cheaper than another option and worth the risk. I've bought tons of pedals and electronic stuff, but rarely guitars for that concern, but this last one was a winner and I am glad I went through with it.

if it says 75 shipping from UPS, does that mean UPS will not actually deliver it until a customs bill is paid? or is there a secondary invoice or something?

[gr81dorn]

Originally Posted by aricard

if it says 75 shipping from UPS, does that mean UPS will not actually deliver it until a customs bill is paid? or is there a secondary invoice or something?

correct. Shipping charges on the order at THomann are the shipping cost, duties are the tax/tarrif to get it through customs and that is billed from the shipper. My recent item came DHL and I was contacted by DHL when it arrived on US soil to pay the duties to get it en route to my house.

[B. Adams]

I've bought a bunch of stuff from Thomann over the years. Mostly microphones, but a few other things. I usually buy from them if the price is significantly better than US pricing, which it typically is for things made in the EU. They also have some stuff that's impossible or very difficult to buy from US vendors, which can be nice. Also, sometimes it's much faster for Thomann to ship directly to me from Germany than it is for me to order something from a dealer or distributor, have it shipped to the importer, then the distributor, then to me. Sometimes literally months faster.

I believe the threshold for customs duties is $800, so anything above that will probably have fees involved, and anything less probably won't. Everything I've bought from Thomann has been delivered by UPS, and a few days after delivery I'll get an invoice from UPS for the customs and brokerage fees. It's always been a pretty insignificant amount. They ask you to pay by check, and there's not a website to pay those fees, but you can call UPS and pay with a card.

My last order with Thomann was in February of this year for $5,618.55 with shipping, and the UPS invoice for customs was $43.67. I'm certainly not going to complain about less than 1%.

In any case, yes, you might have to pay a bit more than the listed price for something from Thomann, but don't let that deter you. You'll still come out ahead in the end.

That said, I can't imagine buying a guitar, especially an acoustic, without playing it first. But that's just me.

[Aspiring]

I have bought a guitar from Thomann (Furch Little Jane). The shipping was a bit slower than I had hoped but other than that top notch experience.

Customs is very hit and miss. One customs office I spoke to said 3000 is the cutoff for duty on guitars made in Europe.

My 1250$ Little Jane did not have a duty charge but may have had a brokerage fee of like $50.

They also have a great rep for dealing with returns / warranty however you will be out a guitar for a number of weeks waiting for shipping in that case.

[Mobilemike]

I’ve bought a bunch of microphones and accessories from them, all good experiences. Was not charged any duties on those.

https://www.thomannmusic.com/
Is their US site.

[warfrat73]

I've ordered a number of things from Thomann to the US (mostly basses) and it's always been fine, and surprisingly fast. Nothing that high dollar, though, so the tax/duty issues might be different.

The bass forum is full of similar stories.

[67goat]

Also, be aware that some of their good deals are not available to us. There are a number of brands they will not ship to the US due to distribution agreements. Fender, Marshall, Gibson, and a whole bunch of others.

But there are some really good deals to be had (especially when item and shipping are under $800 - no import fees). The biggest issue is if you don't like it, returns are not easy.

But I've ordered a number of guitars, speaker cabinets, synthesizers, and a bunch of other things there.

[Seb_274]

I live in Spain and buy stuff from the US (not necessarily guitar related), and I tend to pay customs on everything that comes (almost regardless of value). I guess it works the same way the other way round. Even so, it will probably be a better deal. The shipping cost seems to be really competitive. I would go for it

[Ryan51]

Thomann lists a lot of items at tempting prices in US Dollars but when you go to place an order you may find the item cannot be sold in the US. This is especially true of items that have wide distribution domestically. If you could get it from Thomann the warranty may not be honored except by shipping it back to Thomann.

[Ralph124C41]

There is also a U.S. warehouse for a few items. It's listed on Reverb.

I bought an electric from Thomann in Germany. It arrived quickly with no problem. It was in a HUGE cardboard box. I mean it was a big, big box.

[Guitars44me]

I recently ordered some straps from these folks. Their website said they had them in stock. Three or four days later I got an email saying that delivery would be delayed until August, as they were awaiting delivery themselves from the strap company.

Then a couple days later I got another email saying they were shipped. So apparently one department doesn’t know what the others doing?

Anyway, I’m glad I didn’t freak out and cancel the order.

Just a weird glitch in the system I guess…

Hope it goes smooth for you

Cheers.

Paul