doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Holt's auction experiences

I was interested in bidding on a couple of accessories (no guns) in the upcoming sealed bid auction by Holt's and wanted to hear some feedback from others who have bought through them, specifically from American bidders. Is there anything special I need to know before doing so, how difficult is it to have your items shipped to the US, or anything else that I might need to know? Any guidance would be most appreciated.

Be aware that the price you bid on an item will be the price you pay if it is the highest bid they receive. it is not a true auction.

Terry,
that only holds true for the sealed bid portion of the sale. The main sale is a true auction.

Be advised that buying from Holts is very expensive.

Let's say you buy a gun case for 300 GBP.

The hammer premium is 20% more

The VAT you must pay (even if American) is 22.5% of the hammer premium.

The freight is high, say $75 for the example above.

Customs is 3%.

You have a freight service charge of $10 on this end.

Your credit card will charge you a 3% foreign transaction fee on all of this.

Many CC firms give you a fake exchange rate that earns them an additional 3.75% vig!

So that 300 GBP gun case is now a $600 USD gun case, maybe more.

I have always had good results with Holt's. Be sure to factor shippng into your costs - it can be substantial.

Rook. Not quite right.

Hammer = price + 22.5%
VAT ONLY on items marked as +VAT. (not usually that many items). If it is VAT on top then that's the extra 20%.

Other than that looks right to me.

VAT should not be charged on an item going overseas.

Both incorrect based on my experience.

Hammer is 20%, then you pay 22.5% vat on that hammer premium.

All pay VAT. Then, when you receive the item in the USA, you can scan and send lots of paperwork back to Holts and get a VAT refund. Your VAT refund will be less than the cost of the inbound wire transfer fee to receive the money, so call it all lost.

I've done all of this many times.

Thanks guys, that gives me a little better idea of what I'm looking at.

As far as shipping, does Holt's package and ship items overseas themselves, or would I have to contact a separate shipping company to pick up the item from Holt's and have it delivered to me.

Whether or not there is VAT on the item, there is VAT on the buyer's premium. That is not refundable even if the item is exported.

Regardless of what you bid on, you should have someone look it over for you beforehand and not ever trust the auction description. Many dealers will do this for you for a small fee. It also helps to have someone do the bidding for you - it insures that the price doesn't get run up.