So, this is a something that's grating me no end right now. It's half a rant and half a request for the collective wisdom of Bit-Tech to try to point me in a direction that may be helpful in my case. Rant part: So a mate and myself are looking to buy new musical gear. What exactly we're looking at changes a bit from time to time. One day it's studio gear (Microphones, shock mounts, small mixing desks, MIDI controllers), the next it's guitars (as the case is right now). For this entire week, we have been asking just about every supplier in Southern Africa (everyone in Namibia first, obviously) if they could get certain instruments for us (particulary, a pair of LTD TE-407 SWS or EPS E-II TE-7). The answers we got from Namibia (copy-paste from the one mail, the other one said basically the same): "Hi. Our supplier have never heard of those instruments. They assure us that they cannot get them. They told us that they can get E-II series guitars, but only the Viper series (~38.000 NAD) and the Horizon series (~60.000 NAD)" From South Africa (which is where EVERY guitar seems to come from in Namibia), our answer (from the ESP-listed distributor) was: "We cannot provide you with LTD instruments, since demand is too small - sorry". To put things into perspective a bit more: 1) There IS NO ESP E-II Viper that I can find. Meaning the supplier doesn't have the feintest clue. 2) An ESP E-II Horizon should be about 2K USD, or about 24K NAD. Nowhere NEAR the 60K they are talking about, even if the price doubles. I am tired of being raped price-wise, I am tired of bad supply chains being run by morons that have an import/export business but nothing else. Request part I have spoken to Thomann in Germany, Andertons in the UK, Sweetwater in the US. They cannot ship to Namibia at all. Even if I organise my own shipping. This is apparently due to their shipping companies not wanting to ship to Africa due to theft, insurance issues, etc. I constantly want to tell them that Apartheid is over for a few years now, but I resist urges so far. Ergo: I can get a 600GBP Guitar anywhere in europe, but I can't get it here affordably (FedEx wants 580 Euros per guitar, not to mention the issues if something is broken in transit, me having to ship it back, etc - NOT TO MENTION that FedEx on this side of the globe only insures up to 1000 NAD (50 pounds or so)). SO: Does anyone have any suggestions? Anything that's cheaper than physically flying over to Europe, picking up a pair of guitars and flying them back my damned self?
I'm not sure how Apartheid had anything to do with theft in the postal system. Theft is a serious concern even with FedEx and UPS. I lost a few things here and there. Fly to Dubai and fly them back. I'm not sure if there even is a price difference from Windhoek, but that is the other closest major hub that would have instruments and electronics.
errr...a quick look on their website says Thomann.de do ship to South Africa...for 50€ ~700NAD. You'd have to relay it from there to Namibia, maybe you know someone down there? That said, the esp_eii_te7 is "only" 1300€ ~18.000NAD so you save on buying to splash on shipping.
I know, I know. The point is that the people do treat Africa like the "place of doom where things go to disappear and line some Nigerian's pockets"... Or so it seems sometimes. It's an exaggeration (hence it being in the Rant bit). The way it looks now, I may as well fly to Europe the moment I buy more than one guitar. Thanks for that... i somehow missed that. Thoman is good for ordering, but SUCKS at responding to emails. I am still waiting for responses to some emails from early this week. I might have found a third option: a company that helps the trophy hunters get their trophies from Namibia into Germany... I am in touch with them now to see what their rates are like. Thanks for the help so far, guys. Will keep everyone posted.
I`ve posted items tracked by royal mail to SA , and the tacking shows *sometimes* it never leaves customs... same in the UK - bought a video card from ebay a while back , never arrived - even with it sent RMSD....
Look - postal service here is non existant... I am still waiting for 3 crowdfunding rewards from late last year. Courier services, however SHOULD ship here, even if it's not super cheap... Edit, to clarify: Shipping for courier companies, as I understand, is as simple as "FedEx employee fills out paper work, checkes everything, hands it to the airport people. They put it on a plane, FedEx people handle it on the other end" There's no unreliable postal sorting there, there's no milion-man-maze there
Ok here is the situation in South Africa. The postal service may as well not exist. I could post something to my neighbour and it might take 3 months to arrive, if at all. The postal service was striking for almost six months, but even if they weren't they are all a bunch of thieves. ANYTHING going to or from South Africa MUST be couriered or delivered yourself.
Considering the value of the items - I think you're best booking some flights and buying the items in a store - in either Dubai or somewhere in Europe. Make a short break / holiday out of it - sounds like there's a lot of risk involved in letting someone else do it!
Absolutely. It looks like I am coming right with Trophy-sending-services though... both, in the US and in the EU. Not reliant on the postal system, not as expensive as the Courier services, and the risk is with the airline.
And if you are coming this way, you can bring me something from there and I'll pay from here. Need something for my car which you guys can get there but not here.
Wow... that happens? that said - there's no realistic way I am doing Europe anytime soon. First travel destination on my books right now is Vietnam
That stuff aint cheap to ship because it's bulky, most often. I'd suggest finding out if there are similar services to those trophy-shippers in SA (there are bound to be). They know their way around customs and all that jazz.
