Shipping overseas

[Slaphead]

So I've finally made it to Switzerland. The problem (apart from having the "Y" and "Z" switched on my keyboard) is that all my kit and music is still in storage in the UK.

So, have any of you had any experience of shipping overseas, what are the costs likley to be, are there any pitfalls that I need to watch out for and can anybody recommend a good courier.

Thanks in advance for any advice

Cheers

Andy

 

[jayceem]

So I've finally made it to Switzerland. The problem (apart from having the "Y" and "Z" switched on my keyboard) is that all my kit and music is still in storage in the UK.

So, have any of you had any experience of shipping overseas, what are the costs likley to be, are there any pitfalls that I need to watch out for and can anybody recommend a good courier.

Thanks in advance for any advice

Cheers

Andy

I don't think Switzerland are in the EU (they're not in anything else) so likely will have to pay their import charges as well as shipping costs.

 

[ListeningEar]

In short 'yes', I moved to the USA where I lived for a little over four years then relocated back to the UK.

Do not confuse 'courier' with 'removal' companies as they are different. What you need to do is get three quotes from reputable removal companie's that specialise in relocating items overseas.

You need to do a little research on each company as many smaller firms (usually with the cheapest rates too), are only agents and use third party people to move your belongings, a system which gives very little peace of mind.

If your belongings are already packed and crated ready for shipping you may find that some companies will only give you minimal insurance cover unless you pay alot extra, as a proper removal firm will take total responsibility for all your possessions if you have them pack them from original point and unpack at destination. We did this in both our overseas relocations and it is bar far the best way.

I used to work within the logistics field myself and had many years experience but I've been away now due to ill health for so long I feel it would be unwise of me to advise much further.

Of course, you will need to identify all valuable items (such as your audio equipment) and read the small print interms of coverage and should there be any damage or loss, what the reimbursement would be.

In short, get quotes fro overseas specialist removal companies, get three quotes and read and compare their terms and conditions, especially the insurance cover.

 

[ListeningEar]

I don't think Switzerland are in the EU (they're not in anything else) so likely will have to pay their import charges as well as shipping costs.

...well not if all goods are classed as second-hand and over one -year old. That's what we had to do when we moved to the USA and back again. We had zero Duty and taxes to pay.

 

[jayceem]

...well not if all goods are classed as second-hand and over one -year old. That's what we had to do when we moved to the USA and back again. We had zero Duty and taxes to pay.

USA is different...for Switzerland personal effects owned for less than 6 months are chargeable.

 

[tones]

I don't think Switzerland are in the EU

Correct

(they're not in anything else)

Incorrect - Swizzieland has long been a member of all the non-political UN organisations, and since a few years ago, a member of the UN itself.

so likely will have to pay their import charges as well as shipping costs.

If they are pre-owned goods for someone relocating to Swizzieland, I don't think there are any import charges, but I came here 16 years ago and things could have changed. Mind you, the changes have generally been for the better - freer movement of people (especially since the bilateral EU-Swiss agreement of about 5 years ago).

Hey, Slaphead, since you're in Zürich, we must meet!

 

[ListeningEar]

...which is only an issue if you have items less than six-months old! Plus, how many people actually declare they have new items. Customs do not have the time or resource to be opening up and examining shipments and more to the point, trying to prove what items are new or not.

 

[tones]

...which is only an issue if you have items less than six-months old! Plus, how many people actually declare they have new items. Customs do not have the time or resource to be opening up and examining shipments and more to the point, trying to prove what items are new or not.

One has got to be careful of the zealous Swiss Zollbeamter/innen. Our stuff was in storage in a container for 6 months until we found permanent accommodation. Imagine then my surprise when I got a bill for a TV licence - for a TV that was in the container! I told them (nicely) to drop dead, and they obligingly did.

 

[ListeningEar]

Having spent many years 'negotiating' with Customs in the past I have an understanding of some of their technique's and I think in your case Tones they were trying to pull a fast one

I have run rings around Customs Officers in the past when they have tried to charge my previous employers Duty on items that should not be liable for such charges. I think they do play on the aspect of them thinking they know more than the guy on the street,...apparently,...hehehe

 

[Slaphead]

Thanks for the replies. I don't really have much to ship - just the hi-fi and record collection. I've already disposed of all my furniture, white goods etc, as I won't need it here. At most the shipping weight is going to be about 90 kilos - most of which is vinyl.

The financial worth of the hi-fi and records is negligable compared to most of the kit owned by people on this forum and is way over 6 moths old. As I have all of the original packing materials I thought a courier service such as Interlink would suffice (I've used them before for smaller items sent to Germany).

Tones, it would be good to meet up with you at some point. If I remember correctly you live near Basel but work in Zürich, so may be we could meet one lunchtime. I can meet at 13:00 or after. Currently my mornings are being taken up with 4 hours of intensive Deutsch. I'll PM you my handy number.

 

[Slaphead]

An update

An update, admittedly almost 7 years late, but an update nonetheless.

I remember when this forum started as an offshoot from, I believe, "What HIFI" when they decided to close the forum down over a Christmas period. Groove handle was then the name, which, to be honest, gave me a bit of a laugh, but then I was always one for innuendo. Very quickly it seemed the forum became Zero Gain, and it now appears that in my absence it's been renamed Audiosmile.

Anyway, I'm still in Switzerland, and very very happy with the move I made. However life priorities took over. Learning German, getting a job, and then subsequently getting into another very expensive hobby, photography, meant that HIFI took very much a back seat, well it didn't really have a seat at all. In fact I ended up selling all of my gear and CDs as the costs of getting the stuff shipped to here didn't really make economical sense compared to re-buying everything here - let's face it in every music collection there's only a small percentage of really important stuff. I still have my vinyl, which is good, but it's still in England at my brothers place.

So, I come skulking back after nearly 7 years to ask a bit of advice. A big cheeky I know, but that's what forums are for, right?

Straight to the point I want a really good headphone setup. From the reviews I've read the senny 800 is the one for me, but I need a suitable DAC and amp to make these sing and I'm at a loss really. Budget is around 3-4K English pound including headphones. A full speaker based system is out of the question as the noise levels will disturb the neighbours - pretty much everybody in cities live in flats here.

Any suggestions and help would be greatly appreciated.

By the way I never did meet tones, at least I don't think so, given that the English speaking expat community here is pretty tight there's a chance I did, but never realised

 

[Tenson]

For a headphone amp just look for anything that uses the TPA6120 chip. Search TPA6120 on eBay.

This is a chip specifically designed by Texas Instruments to drive headphones and exhibits the best performance you will find on any headphone amp. The best thing is, its ease of implementation mean amps using this are really cheap - around £40. Silly price I know, but presuming the amp implements the chip well, you'll get world class performance.


As for a DAC, there are many good options and again you needn't spend huge sums of money. Certianly in the last 5 years the performance of affordable DACs has sky-rocketed with things like the Azur DacMagic series from Cambridge Audio, rDac from Arcam and V-Dac from Musical Fidelity all under £500. Again these are not good for the money, they are near state of the art. You might spend an extra £1k, but you will only gain maybe a few dB lower noise and distortion. Say from 0.0003% to 0.0001% a pointless gain for a lot of money IMO.

Now headphones are another matter entirely, there is lots of choice and lots of differences between them I've always liked AKG top of the line 'cans and found sennheiser a little bland, but the HD800 do appeal. Audio Technica do some really good headphones but I found they are too big for my head! If they fitted me, I'd certianly look at their top of the range offerings.

 

[Slaphead]

Sorry about the late reply, I just don't have the time to hang around forums these days. Time poor is how I am at the moment. I looked at the TPA6120, but all I really found was a lot of info on DIY amps using this chip. I'm not adverse to a bit of DIY, but my ability at wielding a soldering iron is sorely lacking.

Anyway my search for my headphone rig took a surprise twist today - in a DJ specialists of all places. I'd met up with a friend of mine (who just happens to be DJ) to go for a coffee and a chat. On the way to the café he said he just needed to pop into the local DJ shop to pickup pickup some stuff he'd ordered. While he was doing the business I had a look around and came across a pair of AKG Q701's discounted by 25% and one of these little portable DAC/Amp combos, a FiiO E17. The total cost of which around 10% of my previously stated budget. OK I thought, I'll take a punt, and if the little amp doesn't drive the 701's I could use it for my portable setup". I also wanted to see if I would end up using the kit as it makes no sense to spend 3 or 4 grand and just have the kit sit there and do nothing.

Well here I am typing this, and hearing Beethovens symphony No 9 in more detail and depth than I've ever heard through headphones. I'm pretty sure that the little DAC/Amp thing is probably a weak point, but for the moment I'm totally enjoying the sound it's making through the 701s.

For £350 quid all in I'd call this a result.