Needle
Sports are a United
Kingdom of Great Britain (UK) based retailer. We
are happy to ship goods overseas, however we would like to point
out some of the problems that may occur. Here are some general
notes which answer the most commonly made enquiries regarding
sending goods to countries outside of the UK. Please read our
notes for
UK Customers before reading this page, as they explain
more about how buying climbing gear on our website works.
All our prices
are in UK pounds sterling (£ - this symbol may not show
up on your computer or may show up as a question mark (?)). A
very approximate price is also given in US Dollars ($). To check
the approximate exchange rate click here http://www.xe.com.
Goods are charged at the rate that applies at the moment our bank
processes the order, not at the moment you place it.
For shipping to countries within the European Union (EU) the prices are as shown, plus you will have to pay postage (see below). Current (as of May 2004) member countries of the EU are:
For all non-EU Countries, (ie any not on the list above): as a non-EU citizen, you will not have to pay UK Value Added Tax (VAT). This tax is included in the price shown and is currently 15%. It applies to all items except children's clothing, books and maps. Often this will more or less equal the cost of shipping. NB: You must state on your order that you are a "non-EU citizen". Be aware however that you may have to pay import duty &/or VAT when importing goods into your own country. Also your credit card company may charge you a fee for foreign currency transactions. Needle Sports cannot be held responsible for any such charges. To combat fraud, we check all overseas orders with our bank to make sure that customer credit card details and addresses match up. The Channel Islands: The Bailwicks of Jersey and Guernsey are not part of the EU (or indeed of the UK) and do not have to pay VAT. Please select either Jersey or Guernsey from the list of countries available when placing your order.
BFPO:
British Forces
Post Office may not have to pay VAT if they are stationed
outside the EEC. We have contacted the tax authorities (again, 2009) and their latest explanation of the rules (it's always different!) is as follows: So, if you are in the armed forces posted overseas, or serving in the British diplomatic service abroad, please place your order and email us at the same time a scan of your "Certificate of Entitlement" and we will do the rest. We apologise for this rigmarole, which seems ridiculous to us, but it is not of our making.
Postage (shipping)
is not included in the price for overseas orders. To see the estimated
cost of shipping please follow the order procedure through two stages
until it appears. At this point you can cancel the order if you wish.
Please note that this is only an estimated cost, and, if anything,
it is likely to be an overestimate.
Heavy goods (typically over 1Kg) are shipped via Parcel Force International Standard which generally gives shipping times of a week to two weeks, but this varies greatly from country to country. Also your parcel may get delayed in customs, and/or via internal mail once it actually reaches your country. These are the estimated costs that are displayed when you checkout. However, lighter goods (typically under 1Kg) are shipped via Royal Mail Airmail or Packet Post (a cheaper service that only applies to packets whose length, width and depth combined is no more than 900mm, and whose greatest single dimension is no more than 600mm). Both these websites can be consulted for an indication of costs. Unfortunately our website software cannot cope with these varied methods of posting and so you will find light parcels will generally show a much higher postal cost than you will actually be charged. Also the shipping cost includes an insurance fee of £10 which will only be applied to parcels whose trade value is over £150. Rest assured, you will only be charged the actual cost, not the estimated cost, and if shipping is likely to cost more than shown we will contact you prior to despatch. BFPO: British Forces Post Office will not need to pay a postage charge if the goods are posted to a UK BFPO address. However, there is a weight limit on this service of 2Kg, so heavier items are best shipped to a standard UK address. NB When ordering, if your parcel should go to a BFPO address in the UK, do not then select your country as Afghanistan, Iraq etc or your goods will be posted to those countries and take ages to reach you (if ever), plus you will get charged for postage overseas!
All our boot sizes
are in UK (7, 7.5, 8 etc) or European Sizes (41, 42, 43 etc). These
are different from USA sizes. Boot sizes vary from manufacturer to
manufacturer and even between different models from the same manufacturer.
Click for a Size
Conversion Chart. Clothing sizes where given are often in
inches (eg 24"). One inch = aproximately 2.5cm. The clothing
sizes S, M, L etc vary enormously in actual size from one manufacturer
to another. The best rule is if in doubt do not order!
Finally, there
is the problem of what to do with items that do not fit. You can of
course return them unused complete with their packaging for a refund
but this will not cover any of your postage or import costs. In general
we would urge overseas buyers to buy items (especially boots and clothing)
in their own country if possible and only buy from us things that
they are unable to obtain locally. Please read our Returns section to see about returning faulty items.
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