Buying Optics From America

Jim xyz

Well-Known Member
Hi All,

I am looking for a mid price scope and bino's, one of my thoughts was to get them from the States. I have a pal who is over here with the US military so I could get round the postage and tax issues.

Are optics substantially cheaper over there? and if so does anyone know of any good websites to use.

Cheers,Jim
 
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yes, much cheaper!!! just google them mate, brownells, cabelas, opticsplanet, etc.

the only thing he can't bring back are military reticles like mildots, etc. (if stopped;))
 
massive savings, i have bought 4 scopes and 1 pair of binos from US saved hundreds.
Tusker
 
Natchez are good people to deal with, you will almost certainly get hit with customs charges our end, although there are still good savings to make.
 
I saved over 400 pounds on one of my scopes so i would definately say go for it ,atb wayne
 
yes, much cheaper!!! just google them mate, brownells, cabelas, opticsplanet, etc.

the only thing he can't bring back are military reticles like mildots, etc. (if stopped;))

Mil-Dots are not "military", Mil-Dot reticle scopes can be brought out of the USA without any problem.

ITAR applies to scopes which are manufactured specifically for military use or those with image enhancement technology.

I bought a very nice Sightron SIII 8-32x56 about 15 months ago, saved over £300 on the UK price.
 
good to know mate, I honestly always thought it was the case, but am frequently proven wrong in life
Mil-Dots are not "military", Mil-Dot reticle scopes can be brought out of the USA without any problem.

ITAR applies to scopes which are manufactured specifically for military use or those with image enhancement technology.

I bought a very nice Sightron SIII 8-32x56 about 15 months ago, saved over £300 on the UK price.
 
Cheers for the replys guys,

As I said he's in the US military so would use their version of BFPO to get it sent here, hopefully avoiding the taxman.

Jim
 
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how about the warranty if anything goes wrong when you make a purchase in the state
 
for my scope sightron offer a lifetime warrantee just send it back to the address ,simples most scopes end up being sent abroad anyway if faulty , atb wayne
 
See when yous have bought your scopes from America have any of use been hit with import tax and roughly how much do you end up paying.
 
See when yous have bought your scopes from America have any of use been hit with import tax and roughly how much do you end up paying.

Stuart,

In my experience you should expect to pay the VAT at 20% plus duty at 3% (I think). If you get anything sent over as a gift then you will still have to pay the VAT but you will get away with the duty.

Kind regards,

Tim
 
Thanks for that Tim you see cracking deals from America but sometimes you are a bit wary just in case you get hit with duty. Could you recommend any site you've bought stuff from. Thanks
 
They are getting keener >

It appears some items are restricted for export by the U.S. Department of State Directorate of Defense Controls (DDTC) under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (22 CFR, Parts 120-130) or the Department of Commerce under the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) Export Administration Regulations, EAR (15 CFR, Parts 730-774). ITAR restricted defense articles always require a license or a license exemption prior to export. Items that are EAR restricted may or may not require a license depending on the end user and ultimate country of destination. The item type and specifications will determine which type of license is required. It is your responsibility to know the export classifications of your item (see export FAQ for help) and to comply with the regulatory licensing and documentation requirements. You must file a Shipper’s Export Declaration (SED) for all exports requiring a license. All export records must be retained for a minimum period of 5 years.
Exporting without a license or valid license exemption when one is required or selling to a domestic person with the knowledge that the person intends to export without a license is illegal. Please consult the DDTC’S website at U.S. State Department - Policy - Directorate of Defense Trade Controls and BIS’S website at BIS Redesign for more direction. Also, please refer to Military Items Policy for additional information.

 
Thanks for that Tim you see cracking deals from America but sometimes you are a bit wary just in case you get hit with duty. Could you recommend any site you've bought stuff from. Thanks

Stuart,

I had an American friend send over an NXS as a gift that I purchased from Bruno Shooters' Supply http://www.brunoshooters.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=BSS I got stung for the VAT which is how I know the gift option is not all it's commonly cracked up to be. Ultimately, allowing for postage and insurance, I ended up about £100 to the good. In going through the process, I opened up a good dialogue with Amy Bruno who advised that she could send anything except 'the exciting stuff' (actions and barrels etc.) to the UK without any problem. She sent me various e-mails detailing the restrictions. Basically, it isn't necessarily the product that is being sent out that is the problem but more the destination. There is a list of restricted countries and destinations - we're not on it so anything goes except 'the exciting stuff'.

I've also had a Meopta Artemis 6x42 from Euro Optics that my American friend brought over on a visit at the end of last year. I made a substantial saving on that. They only seem to have the zoom model available now though. http://www.eurooptic.com/ They also have a detailed explanation in the Customer Service section regarding export restictions that you might find useful.

Generally speaking, I believe the high end Europoean stuff is more expensive there than here. Each item has to be considered individually taking account of the your own circumstances and the exchange rate at the time and so on. As my NXS deal underlines, it's not always worth it.

Good luck,

Tim
 
ITAR applies to scopes which are manufactured specifically for military use or those with image enhancement technology.

Not strictly true.

ITAR actually covers any riflescope "manufactured to military specifications", not to scopes "manufactured specifically for military use". There is a subtle but important difference between the two.

ITAR covers riflescopes because such scopes appear on the US Munitions List under Section 121.1, Category I (Firearms), paragraph (f), as "Riflescopes manufactured to military specifications" - see http://pmddtc.state.gov/regulations_laws/documents/official_itar/ITAR_Part_121.pdf for the actual list. Note that ITAR doesn't mention anything about reticules, mil-dot or otherwise.

The problem is that "manufactured to military specification" is as detailed as it gets - there is no definition of what "military specification" might be, nor is there a list of which scopes (military or otherwise) fit into this definition. Naturally if an item has a NATO Stock Number that will show it is used by the military, but that in itself is still not definitive - items without an NSN can still be said to be "manufactured to military specification".

So what to you and me might be a hunting scope can just as easily be viewed as a scope "built to military specification", since it is all down to subjective interpretation.

Just be aware that if you are seen to be exporting a scope that is covered by ITAR you will be punished, and not in a small way. Whether that scope is new or secondhand, it makes no difference. Whether it is being sent direct by the manufacturer, a retailer, or your cousin Billy-Bob in Texas, it makes no difference.

willie_gunn
 
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