Rotel shipment, smart idea?

[weijst]

Hi all,

I guess I'm not the only one who has noticed the difference in price for Rotel products worldwide. More than once have I read that importing Rotel gear from the US to for example Australia still didn't cost as much as buying it directly at a local dealer.

Well, I'm facing a simular situation right now. I'm considering buying a RB-1080. In the Netherlands the RB-1080 still costs a whopping EUR1500 (maybe 1350 when lucky), which equals roughly $1900! :x

Is is true that the RB-1080 retails for $1000 in the US? If so, I can't imagine that shipping it to the EU and adding the import taxes (haven't figured out what that will cost exactly) will cost me $900...

1 + 1 = 2 (sometimes 3 actually, but that's another story ) => I'm considering buying the RB-1080 in the states:

- Does anyone have experience with buying Rotel gear in the US and shipping it to Europe?

- Can someone give me a link to a reliable US (web)retailer that ships Rotel gear around the globe?

- Will I be facing a problem with the different power requirements (toroidal transformer, power supplies, rectifiers, voltage regulators, capacitor etc.) (115 Volts, 60Hz <=> 230, 50Hz) or will an adaptor (400watts) be sufficient?

Thanx in advance,

Greetings!

[Andrew Pratt]

Getting the power differences fixed is going to be a far bigger problem then the importing of the actual amp. I'd suggest looking on the used market locally (incl England etc.) before importing one from over here.

[aarsoe]

Not a 100% cetain, but you should be able to have your 1080 converted to 230V at a dealer (they need to change the primary inouts on the torro and change the fuse)
The tax is normally 2% for electronics into EU + vat. However the catch is that the vat is on the total+shipping+tax.

On top of this there is the issue of warrenty, as the Rotel warrenty is not world wide.

So my recommendation would be that if you decide to do it, then do it on a used model, where the savings will be so big, that in case something goes wrong you can have it repaired (beside the conversion) and still save a bundle..

[aarsoe]

Taken from the RB1080 manual....


Note: Should you move your RB-1080
amplifier to another country, it is possible
to reconfigure your amplifier for use on a
different line voltage. Do not attempt to
perform this conversion yourself. Opening
the enclosure of the RB-1080 exposes you
to dangerous voltages. Consult a qualified
service person or the Rotel factory service
department for information.

[DrBoom]

If I were you I'd think twice before importing it from the states.
While it's true that it's much cheaper there, it's going to cost you quite a lot to get it here.
Let's say it costs $1000 in the states, first of all you have to get it here, so you have to pay shipping and handling costs.
I don't know how much that's going to cost exactly, but let's assume $200 (seems reasonable).
Then when it gets here, customs is going to charge 19% sales tax, and then add the import taxes as well.
So I think you'll still end up around $1500, it's still a bit cheaper than over here but a lot more hassle and I don't know if it's worth that.
Btw, they sell the RB1080 in the UK for £799 as well wich is €1143, and you won't have to change the voltage and it won't have to travel so far which means less shipping costs

[Eiffel]

Now, another solution is to buy your amp in the UK and bring it back yourself...

If you know someone there, and have access to someone who crosses the pond, the conversion cost in the US is something like $60, plus S&H (total will be around $100)... given that Rotel products can often be bought at a 10-15% discount, you could get your unit for less than $1000 after conversion

It's up to you to then decide how you want to handle customs (the legal way, the low cost way, or the very high cost way... which ain't too bad),

The other alternative (which is how I got my 1080 in the UK), is to buy a store demo... this is not as low cost, but it's still decent

[Taito]

Hi, I bought an RB-1080 new in Aus (I live here) for $1400AU. Last time I checked, that was approximately 700 Euro. The Austrailian power grid is 240V, 50Hz -the same deal you have in europe, I believe. I seriously double shipping + tax would take up all of the savings.

I guess we're pretty lucky here -the prices have been helped by strength against the US dollar ($1 Aus buys a little over 70c US). I picked up an RB-1080, RC-1070 and RCD-1072 for the Australian equivalent of 1500 Euro.

Whichever way you go, goodluck. The 1080 is a fantastic amp.

-Ben

[hired goon]

G'day,

Hi, I bought an RB-1080 new in Aus (I live here) for $1400AU.

I've been quoted around AUD$1100 - AUD$1200 for the RB-1080 lately. At that price I may ditch my RMB-1095 and pick up 3 x RB-1080 instead.

-- Geoff

[Taito]

That is a good price! I got mine in March and love it!

-Ben