For DR String users in the UK

[Ivan Kelsall]

I used to buy my DR strings from 2 UK stores. One of these stores seems to have ceased
selling strings completely & are now specialising in selling stage & ''road'' gear. The other store hasn't had any DR strings in since Dec. '15,due to DR changing their UK wholesalers.
After a pretty exhaustive on line search yesterday,i found ''Rock Gear'' whom i believe are based in Germany. They carry all 3 gauges of DR mandolin string MD10 / 11 & 12.
I ordered some sets via Amazon,but you can order direct. My strings were on their way within 6 hours of the order being placed.
DR's aren't commonly stocked in the UK,so to find a store that stocks them on a regular basis is a real 'find',
Ivan

[noah finn]

Hi Ivan,
Ive been using dr11's since reading one of your posts about them a while back. They are wonderful strings.

I started a thread a while back about dealers of these strings- http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...ockists-Europe

I used schneidermusick and they were excellent but it looks like stringsandbeyond also offer great rates to our part of the world.

[bbcee]

I've been using S & B with good success, shipping to Spain. Good rates, and their customer service is excellent.

[Ivan Kelsall]

''Rock Gear'' & ''Schneidermusik'' sell the MD11's for 11.20 Euros,so ''either / or''. By buying from Strings & Beyond,even 2 sets + postage are above the allowed UK VAT limit of £15.0. Therefor 20% VAT applies (it was 17.5% until Jan 2011), plus a UK Post Office handling fee of £8.0. With increased US postal charges added to the price of the string sets on which you pay VAT on the total,i quit buying from the US a long while ago. The total cost of my order from Rock Gear is £20.18. Less than i was buying them for from my last supplier,which would have been £23.8 = no big deal. However,a ''plus point'' for my last dealer - order one day,get the strings the next,
Ivan

[houseworker]

By buying from Strings & Beyond,even 2 sets + postage are above the allowed UK VAT limit of £15.0

Strings & Beyond currently list DR Mandolin Strings at $6.95 a set. Entitlement to LVCR (Low Value Consignment Relief) in the UK can currently be claimed on goods with an intrinsic value of £15.00 or less. Therefore you could currently import three sets of DR strings from S & B within our LVCR limit.

Where imported goods are subject to VAT, the tax is also applied to the shipping fees. However, when the goods qualify for LVCR relief, no VAT is due on the shipping costs either. Shipping costs play no part in determining whether or not LVCR can be claimed.

DR strings can be bought on Amazon US - currently listed at $8.99 a set. For sales to the UK, Amazon have an arrangement with HMRC to collect VAT (when it is due) at the point of sale, avoiding any possibility of being asked to pay £8 to the Royal Mail for 'handling'. Buying in bulk from Amazon US (but not marketplace sellers) may well represent the cheapest way to import these strings to the UK whilst paying VAT.

Amazon US is currently quoting me £16.57 to ship me two sets of DR strings VAT-free. Ten sets of strings would cost £82.28 inclusive of £13.72 VAT. Amazon's low shipping fees entirely offset the VAT element of the bulk order. Twenty sets come in at £160.26. Those prices are delivered to your door, with nothing more to pay.

It's worth knowing that the EU commission has now proposed the total abolition of LVCR, considering that it unfairly distorts the market.

[Ivan Kelsall]

The biggest difference is that when i used to buy my 'string's 'n things' from the US,it took far longer for them to reach me than buying from Europe. I always used to buy 6 sets of strings at a time to make it worth while. The main reason why i only bought 2 sets of DR strings from Rock Gear,is that i'd reverted to EJ74's on my Weber & Lebeda & still have 4 sets left. It was only after i found a spare set of MD11s that i decided to put them on my Lebeda to se (hear !) if they had sounded as good as i remembered,in fact they sounded far better than i remembered. I'll use the EJ74's on my Weber & when they're gone,i'll order MD11's for my Lebeda & Weber & EJ74's for my Ellis.
It's interesting to note that LVCR has been abolished for items imported from the Channel Isles,due to it having been 'exploited'.
Here's an article worth reading - The EU's proposal to close down LVCR published in Aug.2015 https://crowehorwath.net/uk/news/eu_...28lvcr%29.aspx Another little gift from Brussels !.

Quote from the article - " European Commission has proposed the withdrawal of the LVCR because it is perceived to provide an unfair advantage to non-EU importers over local providers. For the moment however, the relief continues to be available "
Ivan