ordering parts from sls-hh.de

[Hath]

I need some parts for my 280SL that I have only been able to find on sls-hh.de.  I see there is a 19% value added tax and am wondering if there are any additional duties or charges (other than shipping) to get the parts.  Has anyone ordered from them that could share the experience?

Thanks

[waqas]

I assume you're located in the US.  You might consider calling up Cheryl at K&K (www.kkmfg.com). They can order the parts directly from SLS for you. It may take a while.

Have you checked with all the stateside sources? I've never come across a part that none of the US vendors (MB classic center included) could locate and eventually ship to me (even if they have to order it directly from MB in Germany).

[Naj ✝︎]

If you order from outside the EEC, you will not be charged the 19% VAT.

naj

[al_lieffring]

My experience with ordering directly from SLS for shipment to the USA was not a good one.
The service from SLS was excelent, the order was packaged and delivered to the shipper in Frankfurt within 48 hours, but that was where the problems started. I had paid for the package to be shipped by air to Philledelphia then to Atlanta for pickup. 30 days later no word on where my package was, It was still in Phillie locked up in US Customs. I finally got in touch with a surly shipping agent and was told it would cost me an additional $366.00 to post the customs bond, pay the duties an get the package delivered to Georgia. The actual tarrif due was about 15.00 plus another 12.00 customs fee. where the rest went I don't know.

Even if ordering through K&K doubles the price from the SLS online catalog it is well worth it.

My order WAS charged the 19%VAT. even though it was sold for export out of the EEU.

After I recieved the order, I found out here on this forum that the reproduction sheet metal in my order had originated in the USA, and didn't need to be oredred from overseas. it was still less than OME tin from Daimler Chrystler parts. but not nearly worth the hassle.

[Mike Hughes]

My experience with ordering directly from SLS for shipment to the USA was not a good one.
The service from SLS was excelent, the order was packaged and delivered to the shipper in Frankfurt within 48 hours, but that was where the problems started. I had paid for the package to be shipped by air to Philledelphia then to Atlanta for pickup. 30 days later no word on where my package was, It was still in Phillie locked up in US Customs. I finally got in touch with a surly shipping agent and was told it would cost me an additional $366.00 to post the customs bond, pay the duties an get the package delivered to Georgia. The actual tarrif due was about 15.00 plus another 12.00 customs fee. where the rest went I don't know.

This is similar to a current topic on a British car site I frequent.  The customs problem seems to be directly related to how the parts are shipped from overseas.  The consensus of opinion is that one should avoid having one's parts shipped via UPS at all costs as UPS always adds unexplained and unitemized customs fees which they claim they must collect C.O.D. - even if the shipping cost included in your order was prepaid by the vendor!  They will hold up your shipment "in Customs" until the unexplained and unitemized fees are paid.  One contributor, who ordered a pre-war M.G. water manifold from a U.K. supplier, claimed that UPS charged him "personal agency fees" and customs duties for 276 water manifolds, even though the bill of lading clearly showed the shipment contained only one water manifold!  No amount of argument got UPS to back down from charging "customs duties" for 276 water manifolds.

The recommendation for parts shipped from the U.K. is to have the vendor ship by Royal Mail - no one replying to the topic who has had parts shipped via Royal Mail has reported encountering any customs duties and the transit time is reasonable.  

This same problem applies to parts shipped via UPS from Canada - again shipping by parcel post from Canada seems to be the preferred solution.  Another contributor wrote, "Gents.. an additional word of caution when using UPS for International shipments.  I recently purchased parts from Canada, for shipment to the U.S.. When they arrived, (parts value $800), I was told first there was a shipping COD charge of  $52+ before the package would be released. When I squawked big time that I knew the shipping was prepaid by your truly... the story changed to a "Broker's fee".  I refused the package.  Later, when trying to get an explanation as to just what was in the "Broker's Fee" a UPS International Shipments Expert explained it was roughly $20 in US Taxes which they (UPS) had pre-paid in my behalf. The remaining $30+ were additional UPS charges for "Being my personal agent" to get things through Customs. I believe this is what the kids call a "Rip off".  My suggestion is... when ever possible, avoid UPS International like the plague. I will try to avoid them on all my future shipments."

Perhaps having orders from Germany shipped via BundesPost may also prove to be a reasonable alternative?

[hauser]

In my personal experience buying from Europe have been great and shocking.  If it is shipped by regular mail it's fine but using another source as Mike mentioned could turn out to be a nightmare.  Any item that came Royal Post has been the best so far.

On a different note.  I have found that items shipped from Germany often come in substandard packaging.

[J. Huber]

Well this is timely (and scary) because I recently ordered from SLS for the first time -- and am waiting for the order to arrive.

I do know that they responded quickly to my initial online order, and after I supplied a credit card number via an email, the order was shipped in one week. An email told me this and said to expect package end of this week or start of next...

However, I only received a confirmation of the cost of the parts in Euros -- nothing in the way of what shipping would be. The credit card charge has already shown on my statement -- and if I did the math right -- the shipping was quite high (or they hit me with the VAT). I am chalking it up to a learning experience, although they were the only place that had what I was looking for in this specific case. I'll report back when it arrives.

[JamesL]

FWIW, the same can be said of pretty much any shipment coming TO the UK (and I assume Europe)

I have always advised any shipper - and my in laws are in Texas - to use USPS as FedEx/DHL/UPS always sting us for anything they can handling/duty wise. Indeed, I left a pair of shoes there once and father-in-law shipped them to me UPS and I paid duty on my own shoes.

That said, Dan Caron sent me a new fuel gauge by regular (Canadian) post that took ages to come. I was in no hurry for it, but it took so long I had to ask if he had indeed sent it. Sometimes the post is quick, other times....

And then the Mail this end. They are losing cash, and soon to be sold/privatised (ggrr). As such, some bloody accountant (sorry Cees) has put them on to the fact that they too can raise revenue by investigating / charging/pre-paying duty. I have had a couple of things of late (including the fuel gauge) that I was charged on at this end. It looks like that little loophole is being closed

But yes, the 19% TVU (or 15% VAT in the UK) should NOT be charged if the goods are leaving the EU. Just so you know, I really object to paying state sales tax for similar reasons (albeit the % is lower)

[Hath]

Thanks everyone.  Sounds like more bad experiences than good.  I'm going to search a little harder to find what I need in the U.S.

[merrill]

make sure you HAVE to order the part from SLS.

I have ordered parts from SLS thru Cheryl at K&K. 
Like Waqas said it takes a while but it is worth letting K&K manage the order for you. 
No I did not get hit with any additional fees when ordering thru K&K.

Also, you can send a photo of what you are looking for to the classic center or even a stateside supplier.  you may find what you need in stock. 

[KevinC]

I have ordered from SLS (Sunvisors to differential parts) four separate times. I was never in a rush so shipping took about 3 - 4 weeks. Each time, I emailed them with the order, they confirmed, I submitted my credit card info and then received shipment confirmation. If a part might be tough to come across in the US, I would order from them again.

[JamesL]

I use them quite a bit and they are always 100%

Shipping - and duties - are not in their hands.

Let's be careful about "dissing" a good supplier for things they cannot control. As mentioned above, I paid duty and waited weeks for an item from our very own Dan Caron. Not his fault and I would very happily recommend him to anyone.

[waqas]

James,
I don't think anyone was trying to diss any supplier. I think the general idea here is that cross-Atlantic shipping can be expensive and time-consuming (both directions); hence the advice: unless there is a compelling reason, local sources should be exhausted before trying to obtain it from across the pond. Of course, to each his own.

And I agree, I've always found both SLS and Dan Caron (Dr. Benz) to be great sources of parts and very helpful information.

[J. Huber]

Well, in my case, the process is still underway -- but I think SLS was more or less on top of things thus far. I should have asked about shipping costs before giving the go ahead. But we will see how the delivery red-tape plays out.

For the record, once I ordered from Dan and all was good until I got hit with a UPS customs charge (after the fact). Dan graciously credited me this charge -- even though it was not really on his end. Good business.

[jameshoward]

Interesting reads. With only rare exceptions I have always used SLS for all my parts and find them to be superb. Many or the problems that people here have run into relate to what I consider to be sharp practice by customs and postal couriers within their own country, eg problems in the US are caused by US agencies. The UK is no different and the Royal Mail are always quick to levy additional import charges.

My advice to anyone dealing with SLS is to call them to discuss the order. If you try and do it all over the next, don't be surprised by shipping costs and the fact that they forgot to remove 19% for tax.

They have a load of very good English speakers, who are most helpful.

Pick up the phone a day or so after you're put in your enquiry.

JH

[Ulf]

The 19% VAT only apply to items sold within Germany or the other EU countries, I think that the price without VAT is also stated somewhere...

[egggplant]

My suggestion is... when ever possible, avoid UPS International like the plague. I will try to avoid them on all my future shipments."

Perhaps having orders from Germany shipped via BundesPost may also prove to be a reasonable alternative?

I would like to add an additional point that in my opinion UPS should be avoided at all costs for international and domestic shipments.  I used to have a web business and every aspect of dealing with them was a nightmare.  If you asked three people at UPS the same question you got three different answers.

Furthermore once you went through the laborious process of actually getting the right answer, UPS had no facility to inform an employee that they were providing incorrect information even if you knew the employee's name.  The moment FedEx started providing ground service, I switched immediately.  No problems with FedEx.

I had an order shipped from SLS via BundesPost.  It arrived in about two weeks in good condition, no VAT or customs problems.

[franjo_66]

Just reiterating that I have never had problems with duties or customs when I have bought parts from SLS (for delivery to Australia). DHL was the delivery service, and I normally got the parts within 2 weeks.

In my experience they have provided great service and are very reputable sellers

[Cees Klumper]

If you asked three people at UPS the same question you got three different answers.
I had an order shipped from SLS via BundesPost.  It arrived in about two weeks in good condition, no VAT or customs problems.

Only three different answers? A common joke here is that if you ask three people, you will end up with at least four different answers.

Kidding aside, my own (somewhat limited I should add) experience with specialized shippers like DHL and UPS is that they are relatively expensive and not better or that much faster than the more traditional postal services. So if I buy something from abroad (any country) I always ask for local postal service, e.g. USPS or Bundespost. When I need to send something, I always use the Dutch post office. Relatively cheap, never any problems and very few customs issues ever.

I have bought a camshaft from SLS a few years ago. When it arrived, it had some flash rust on it that concerned me (probably unnecessarily, reading some recent posts here about that issue) and called them about it. They asked me to send it back and then sent me another one, totally clean, no charge. I have also bought a trickle charger and some other items from them in another purchase, and it went through just fine. Of course, I am in the European Union as they are, so customs were not relevant.

[J. Huber]

Ok. so now I can give a full answer to this: I recently ordered a few items from SLS for the first time (I'm in California). I did it via the computer and received an order review a day later. It had the price in Euros plus shipping "to be determined." I went for it with a credit card. Within a week, my credit card was charged and I received an invoice in the mail. The package was to be shipped witin the week. Well, low and behold, it arrived today! so from purchase to delivery was about 14 days. Not bad at all. Items were exactly as promised. It looks like the shipping went from Bundespost to DHL to my home. The box was a bit smushed and it was noted by DHL that it came that way... Nothing damageable, however so no big deal.

The only negative: the shipping was quite expensive. about 45 US dollars for a 1.1 kilogram box. Ouch. The items were only 70 -- so it kind of stung. But I am over it...

[66andBlue]

The only negative: the shipping was quite expensive. about 45 US dollars for a 1.1 kilogram box. Ouch. .....

James,
I would take this up with SLS since what they charged you appears to be inflated unless they add a lot for "handling".
The German Mail (or Bundespost) uses its subsidiary DHL for shipping all packages (small and large).
According to the DHL web site your parcel should qualify as a "small package" or "Päckchen" since it was less than 2 kg. The price for such a small package shipped worldwide is Euro 13.90 (or $18.22).
See: http://www.dhl.de/dhl?tab=1&skin=hi&check=yes&lang=de_EN&xmlFile=3001058

Most likely they shipped it as a normal package ("Paket") up to 5 kg which costs Euro 34 (=$45): http://www.dhl.de/dhl?tab=1&skin=hi&check=yes&lang=de_EN&xmlFile=3001057
Since DHL is soon going out of business here in the USA it will be even more important to check shipping costs before finalizing an order.

[J. Huber]

Interesting Alfred. They definitely charged me the Paket rate (34Euros)... Looking at the DHL page, I wonder if they looked more at the size of the box...

And frankly, the box they used fit the items worse than a cheap suit! Here is the "inside scoop": One repro battery top holddown (actually a very nice replica for 35 Euros).... One Mann oil filter, a pair of nylon linkage bushings the size of nickels, a rubber firewal plug the size of a dime, and a set of 127 points. And the box was about 14 X 16 X 7 inches... (I just checked)... no wonder it was thoroughly smushed -- there was a lot of air in it!

* so I just read the fine print -- DHL charges the 34Euro price for boxes with dimensions more than "max. L + W + H = 90 cm" -- and my box reads 34 X 40 X 17.5 = 91.5cm ! I still feel they could have found a smaller box? The battery tray is, what, 6 x 11 inches? Do I make a stink? or chalk it up to experience?

[psmith]

My zwei pfennigs would be to chalk it up to experience, but next time you order, and you think it is less then 2kg, ask them to make sure to pack in a box small enough to get the packchen rate, and give them the dimension if needed.  As I'm sure you know, information is king!

[J. Huber]

Good advice Pete. I now have a better idea of the shipping details. I would use SLS again if necessary -- but I agree that trying the US vendors first is a good idea given the exchange rate and the quirky S & H potentials.

[Hath]

All,

I went for it and bought a wood set for my '69 280sl.  With the USD strengthening against the EUR I ended up paying $625 all in for a new set compared to $575 for a refininished set from Heritage Woodworks (which I've heard is very good).

$50 difference for a new set made sense to me.  The package was shpped DHL and arrived within a week. 

I have to give SLS-hh.de a big thumbs up.

Lee