Joined: 04/05/2015(UTC) Posts: 777 Location: England, London
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Does Marklin not like the Brits and not really want to do business with them? OK things have got worse post Brexit but there was an “attitude” even before. I became a Marklin Man thirty or more years ago by accident through a gift. On holiday twenty years ago, the family visited Goppingen factory/shop/ museum -a very nice day out. I deal with several dealers in Germany who are very good and most have dealt with post Brexit very well and are excellent dealing with warranty issues. But Marklin will not ship to the UK would only deal with warranty through a dealer yet their map shows there are no dealers apparently in the UK. Most German manufacturers have addressed the Brexit issue. If my Mercedes car was up for renewal, I understand the situation is totally painless and nobody even mentions the B word throughout the transaction. So towards the end of June we have great proclamation about the Message wagon by Keith Haring to be released in limited numbers only through the Marklin shop with no model number. My daughter who is into these things ordered and paid for one immediately and the order was confirmed and shipping was to be charged a very reasonable 9.95 Euros through DPD/DHL. They sold out within the first day and were on Ebay the next day. On the 18th July my daughter received a message from M – we haven’t yet worked out how to ship to the UK but don’t worry its still in the warehouse. And here we are nearly half way through August no further progress or news. Am I a lonely voice or does anyone else feel the same way?
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 1 user liked this useful post by Rwill
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Joined: 18/03/2007(UTC) Posts: 6,763 Location: Brisbane, Australia
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Hello Rwill I just hope the collectible value of Mr Harings car is worth the return trip to Goppingen to pick it up. Anyway they will have it sorted by November to please all those buyers of the flood-aid VT92.5 which they promised to ship at that time …. I apologise for my cynicism which is meant in jest. Kimball |
HO Scale - Märklin (ep II-III and VI, C Track, digital) - 2 rail HO (Queensland Australia, UK, USA) - 3 rail OO (English Hornby Dublo) - old clockwork O gauge - Live Steam 90mm (3.1/2 inch) gauge. |
 2 users liked this useful post by kimballthurlow
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Joined: 23/05/2021(UTC) Posts: 252 Location: England, Guildford
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Over the years we in England have had different Märklin importers and in the 1990s and 2000s we had Gaugemaster who I think were reasonably successful as a link to the company in Göppingen, then Märklin did the dirty on them transferring their business to the existing LGB importer. The less said about the success of that importer the better. I believe Märklin did the same in the US. Now Gaugemaster seem able to import directly if not wholeheartedly and I am told that their enquiries of the factory are generally ignored. When GM were the importers before, during a Continental weekend at Ford a Märklin rep was overheard to say ‘the British deserved Gaugemaster’ in answer to someone’s query about late or non delivery. So there may still be some truth in Märklin’s antipathy to us Brits since we are not well served by them now, items appearing on German eBay in the case of the Z Kittle railbus years before GM got their allocation. I certainly appreciated the two Märklin seminars that GM set up and ran at Arundel a few years ago on digital matters with Dieter Lorenz who did a marvellous job delivering his first seminar in English. He certainly was helpful and friendly towards us. ChrisG
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 2 users liked this useful post by Mman
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Joined: 11/02/2006(UTC) Posts: 696 Location: Cheshire, UK
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Originally Posted by: Rwill  They sold out within the first day and were on Ebay the next day. On the 18th July my daughter received a message from M – we haven’t yet worked out how to ship to the UK but don’t worry its still in the warehouse. And here we are nearly half way through August no further progress or news. Am I a lonely voice or does anyone else feel the same way? I’m still waiting for the Keith Haring wagons too. I haven’t been able to go to any train events in Germany since the beginning of 2020 (due to Covid, not Brexit), otherwise I would have asked Florian Sieber about supply to the UK. He is personally very friendly towards us Brits (and to me in particular), so I’m not sure quite what the difficulty is. It could be the ludicrous bureaucracy, but that’s probably not much more difficult for Germans than dealing with Switzerland or Norway. I ordered the flood charity loco as well, so I’m hoping that Märklin will work out a solution soon! Nigel |
Märklin collector since age 5. H0 Collection from 1935 to today. |
 2 users liked this useful post by Nigel Packer
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Joined: 11/02/2006(UTC) Posts: 696 Location: Cheshire, UK
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Originally Posted by: Mman  Over the years we in England have had different Märklin importers and in the 1990s and 2000s we had Gaugemaster who I think were reasonably successful as a link to the company in Göppingen, then Märklin did the dirty on them transferring their business to the existing LGB importer. The less said about the success of that importer the better. I believe Märklin did the same in the US. Now Gaugemaster seem able to import directly if not wholeheartedly and I am told that their enquiries of the factory are generally ignored. When GM were the importers before, during a Continental weekend at Ford a Märklin rep was overheard to say ‘the British deserved Gaugemaster’ in answer to someone’s query about late or non delivery. So there may still be some truth in Märklin’s antipathy to us Brits since we are not well served by them now, items appearing on German eBay in the case of the Z Kittle railbus years before GM got their allocation. I certainly appreciated the two Märklin seminars that GM set up and ran at Arundel a few years ago on digital matters with Dieter Lorenz who did a marvellous job delivering his first seminar in English. He certainly was helpful and friendly towards us. ChrisG I am fortunate in having a fabulous Märklin dealer in Germany (28 years now and counting), so he supplies almost everything to me. But I do use Gaugemaster occasionally for odd things and emergencies, and I must say that I have found their service excellent. They are worth trying if they have what you need. I too used to go to their Märklin seminars, and became friends with Dieter Lorenz (he’s retired now). I used to meet him at all the German shows (Nürnberg, Köln, Munich, Göppingen, etc) and had many conversations with him on a wide range of topics. He was a one-off, though, amongst the Märklin front-line staff, who are now mostly of a much younger generation. Nigel |
Märklin collector since age 5. H0 Collection from 1935 to today. |
 1 user liked this useful post by Nigel Packer
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Joined: 23/07/2014(UTC) Posts: 8,467 Location: ENGLAND, Didcot
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Originally Posted by: Mman  I certainly appreciated the two Märklin seminars that GM set up and ran at Arundel a few years ago on digital matters with Dieter Lorenz who did a marvellous job delivering his first seminar in English. He certainly was helpful and friendly towards us. ChrisG I seem to recall going to more than two seminars with Dieter, I think there were two with the cs1, and then at least one more with the cs2. Originally Posted by: Nigel Packer  I am fortunate in having a fabulous Märklin dealer in Germany (28 years now and counting), so he supplies almost everything to me. But I do use Gaugemaster occasionally for odd things and emergencies, and I must say that I have found their service excellent. They are worth trying if they have what you need.
I too used to go to their Märklin seminars, and became friends with Dieter Lorenz (he’s retired now). I used to meet him at all the German shows (Nürnberg, Köln, Munich, Göppingen, etc) and had many conversations with him on a wide range of topics. He was a one-off, though, amongst the Märklin front-line staff, who are now mostly of a much younger generation.
Nigel
I saw Dieter at the IMA in 2019. Jaques and I were sitting having lunch and saw Dieter at another table, so went over and talked with him. I'm not sure what year he retired, but I think it was a couple of years before that. I have also talked with other reps from Marklin who go out and do the Infotage shows at shops. The gentleman in the video on the new turntable certainly speaks and understands English, although possibly not to the level that Dieter does.
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 1 user liked this useful post by kiwiAlan
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Joined: 20/01/2006(UTC) Posts: 570 Location: Kirkcaldy, Fife
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Looking at things on E-Bay I get the impression that postal charges to the UK are now much higher in general than the used to be. Anybody else finding that?
Bob M.
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Joined: 11/02/2006(UTC) Posts: 696 Location: Cheshire, UK
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Originally Posted by: rmsailor  Looking at things on E-Bay I get the impression that postal charges to the UK are now much higher in general than the used to be. Anybody else finding that?
Bob M. I believe that DHL charges have gone up quite a lot for postage to the UK, presumably because of the extra bureaucracy. This must reflect in eBay and other prices for sending here. Also, a lot of eBay listings in Germany have 20% added to both the price and the postage charge if the buyer is in the UK. It’s killing the trade . . . Nigel |
Märklin collector since age 5. H0 Collection from 1935 to today. |
 1 user liked this useful post by Nigel Packer
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Joined: 10/02/2021(UTC) Posts: 3,886 Location: Michigan, Troy
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Might this have anything regarding Brexit?
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Joined: 23/05/2021(UTC) Posts: 252 Location: England, Guildford
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Brexit has certainly made buying from EU countries both more expensive and difficult. On a par with buying from the US. Buying direct from Japan and China doesn’t seem to have any added costs strangely. It works the other way it would seem, one of my sons moved to France this year for a one year contract and had to pay tax/duty on his personal effects. I also think that the Europeans are being bloody minded because GB has escaped from the EU and they want to punish us. ChrisG
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 1 user liked this useful post by Mman
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Joined: 20/01/2006(UTC) Posts: 570 Location: Kirkcaldy, Fife
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Originally Posted by: Mman  Brexit has certainly made buying from EU countries both more expensive and difficult. On a par with buying from the US. Buying direct from Japan and China doesn’t seem to have any added costs strangely. It works the other way it would seem, one of my sons moved to France this year for a one year contract and had to pay tax/duty on his personal effects. I also think that the Europeans are being bloody minded because GB has escaped from the EU and they want to punish us. ChrisG It is not a case that the EU wishes to punish the UK. Rather the Westminster government chose to to leave in the worst possible way and is now simply treated likeany other non-EU country. The troubles the Uk are suffering are self inflicted and to suggest potherwise is simply self deception.
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 5 users liked this useful post by rmsailor
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Joined: 23/05/2021(UTC) Posts: 252 Location: England, Guildford
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That is good to know, that we are being treated the same as Switzerland, USA, Australasia, ZA and the Far East. As long as we can enjoy our trains what should it matter? I will persist in buying more regardless. I’ve always found that things that were more difficult to obtain gave the most satisfaction. ChrisG
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Joined: 01/02/2004(UTC) Posts: 7,452 Location: Scotland
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Gaugemaster are useless when it comes to Marklin and hold almost nothing in stock. If any dealer wants to represent Marklin in the UK they they need to purchase huge amount of stock and have a good knowledge of the product. Wont happen as we are quite happy buying from Germany. Roco however do quite well in the UK and have reasonable support from dealers. I will just keep buying from MSL. |
Take care I like Marklin and will defend the worlds greatest model rail manufacturer. |
 2 users liked this useful post by David Dewar
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Joined: 18/10/2012(UTC) Posts: 1,404
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Hi, eBay is definitely more expensive!! Now. But if you want what makes you tick, you will have to pay. I’ve looked at other U.K. makes and quite a lot of there stuff has also got very pricey. A new tooling Hornby coach sets you back £30, the same price as the 24cm coaches from Marklin I’m currently indulging in  the only trouble is it’s £15 post ☹️ Still mustn’t grumble 🙂 it’s all swings and roundabouts. As Nigel said, why bother with a U.K. supplier when there are good customer service providers from Germany, and soon we will be able to travel there again 👍 |
Marklin and Piko era 4 SNCB , Marklin wagons Wiking model car Fan Faller fan including car system Instagram: marklin1978 Wiking fan
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Joined: 08/05/2015(UTC) Posts: 567 Location: Tunbridge Wells, Kent, United Kingdom
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Regarding Märklin sending to the UK. I had an item to be repaired under warranty which Märklin had before Brexit. They informed me that the replacement part needed would take some time to arrive in their workshop. Fair enough I thought then I started fretting about would they send my item back as they had stopped shipping to the UK. Anyway I sent a chaser email offering to have the item sent to a friend in Germany instead. In not unusual Märklin fashion no response but a few days later the repaired item appeared having been sent through Deutsche Post and Royal Mail.
About General postage yes since we left we are no longer treated as a European country and so we get the next band of postage rates. My friend in Germany investigated and the “standard parcel “ rate is about €26. However looking at EBay their are many variations in postal cost to the UK. I was looking at an item the other day. The cost was reasonable but postage was €40
I think the whole VAT issue is a mess, so I make sure that where possible I buy from dealers who will sell net of German VAT.
However I continue to enjoy my Märklin trains so I will live with the inconvenience of the current situation and enjoy my hobby.
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 1 user liked this useful post by twmarklinfan
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Joined: 05/03/2016(UTC) Posts: 368 Location: England, Bedford
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There's a box to tick on the HM Customs Import Declaration form for repairs and it should be tax free. German / European ebay is a pain - send it to a friend in Germany. Big orders - shops like Huenerbein will remove the German MSTW and add the British VAT and pay it so you have no hassle with DHL and Royal Mail when it arrives here in the UK. It's the same EU tax system as they have been using for export to Switzerland for decades.
IanC
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Joined: 20/01/2006(UTC) Posts: 570 Location: Kirkcaldy, Fife
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Originally Posted by: IanC  There's a box to tick on the HM Customs Import Declaration form for repairs and it should be tax free. German / European ebay is a pain - send it to a friend in Germany. Big orders - shops like Huenerbein will remove the German MSTW and add the British VAT and pay it so you have no hassle with DHL and Royal Mail when it arrives here in the UK. It's the same EU tax system as they have been using for export to Switzerland for decades.
IanC That is good to know as I was intending to place an order with them later this year. Bob M.
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Joined: 04/05/2015(UTC) Posts: 777 Location: England, London
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So the Marklin Dealers have mastered it, The Car Manufacturers have got there, the Kitchen Equipment guys seem to be there. The international couriers DHL, DPD have got it mastered. Now I do know of a number of little craft shops that sold things like slippers for between thirty and fifty quid around the threshold for different tax treatment who supply EU countries. When we left it became too hard so they stopped sending to the UK - - I understand perfectly, don't worry we will buy the from the UK, they are better anyway.
But Mother Marklin find it all too hard and cant be bothered. I don't suppose its a matter for the monthly Board meeting as we are too small and insignificant a customer and they don't like us anyway. Never mind shan't be buying the grandkids the latest M start up sets, there is no shortage of Lego from Denmark.
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 1 user liked this useful post by Rwill
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Joined: 18/03/2007(UTC) Posts: 6,763 Location: Brisbane, Australia
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Originally Posted by: danmarklinman  Hi, eBay is definitely more expensive!! Now..... Ebay in Germany (ebay.de) has become a no-no for my purchases to Australia because dealers will: 1. NOT remove VAT 2. Charge as much as a normal retailer (even when 2nd hand) 3. charge postage the same as a retailer In regards to No.3, at a normal retailer I can usually find other stuff to add to a shipment, which amortises postal costs. An ebay seller does not usually have the choice of additional suitable items. Kimball |
HO Scale - Märklin (ep II-III and VI, C Track, digital) - 2 rail HO (Queensland Australia, UK, USA) - 3 rail OO (English Hornby Dublo) - old clockwork O gauge - Live Steam 90mm (3.1/2 inch) gauge. |
 1 user liked this useful post by kimballthurlow
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Joined: 22/01/2009(UTC) Posts: 14,874 Location: On 1965 Märklin Boulevard just around from Roco Square
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Originally Posted by: kimballthurlow  Originally Posted by: danmarklinman  Hi, eBay is definitely more expensive!! Now..... Ebay in Germany (ebay.de) has become a no-no for my purchases to Australia because dealers will: 1. NOT remove VAT 2. Charge as much as a normal retailer (even when 2nd hand) 3. charge postage the same as a retailer In regards to No.3, at a normal retailer I can usually find other stuff to add to a shipment, which amortises postal costs. An ebay seller does not usually have the choice of additional suitable items. Kimball Kimball, some dealers have a fixed overseas postal rate but when you contact them and tell them the item you've bought they reduce the postage accordingly, going to bigger outlets like Lippe they automatically take the GST, VAT, MWST) off. John |
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 2 users liked this useful post by river6109
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Joined: 04/05/2015(UTC) Posts: 777 Location: England, London
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So being a boring old fart who wont let go I think I met my match today. Went up to see my eldest son and the grandkids, Noticed in the drive a four day old replacement BMW X5 with all the knobs and dials. So naturally at some point I led the conversation to how has your new car been affected by the B word. He replied quite simply; Not at all even after all the "dealings" they even agreed another 4 grand off to stop him buying a Land Rover Discovery. Anyway he said the B word doesn't come into it - I deal with BMW UK and the car was made in Mexico!
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Joined: 16/02/2004(UTC) Posts: 15,443 Location: DE-NW
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Originally Posted by: rmsailor  It is not a case that the EU wishes to punish the UK. Rather the Westminster government chose to to leave in the worst possible way and is now simply treated likeany other non-EU country. The troubles the Uk are suffering are self inflicted and to suggest potherwise is simply self deception. We had several threads about this topic. AIUI UK requires dealers to register with HMRC or other authorities when they send items to the UK. Some dealers decide this registration is not worth the effort and so they no longer sell to the UK. The big mail-order shops have enough customers in the UK and choose the registration. I think the UK do not get "punished", but their own new way brings new red tape for dealers in the EU and that will stop some dealers while others add the extra work to their prices. |
Regards Tom --- "In all of the gauges, we particularly emphasize a high level of quality, the best possible fidelity to the prototype, and absolute precision. You will see that in all of our products." (from Märklin New Items Brochure 2015, page 1) ROFLBTCUTS  |
 1 user liked this useful post by H0
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Joined: 08/05/2015(UTC) Posts: 567 Location: Tunbridge Wells, Kent, United Kingdom
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Earlier on I mentioned VAT being a mess, so I’d like to share something that hopefully will make you 😃
Some months ago a parcel from a well known dealer in Germany arrived in the UK. The value was in excess of £135 so I expected to get a letter charging me with everything, import duty, vat, handling fee, etc. It arrived and because I was eager I paid up and the parcel was delivered next day. Now over a cup of tea, after admiring my new purchases, I was looking at the numbers in the letter and no matter how I tries, fingers toes, calculator, IPad and she who is significantly more intelligent than me, I couldn’t get the VAT they charged to be appropriate rate of 20% of the value of the parcel. It was more like 40%, so I appealed only really wanting to know how the VAT was calculated.
Anyway last Friday I received a letter from BORDER FORCE. I spent more than a few minutes wondering what on Earth this could be. I opened it fully expecting to be a charge or demand for something but NO. Quite the opposite the letter informed me they had made a mistake and the parcel should not have been subject to VAT or Import duty and they are refunding in full.
Result.
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 7 users liked this useful post by twmarklinfan
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Joined: 23/07/2014(UTC) Posts: 8,467 Location: ENGLAND, Didcot
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Originally Posted by: twmarklinfan  Earlier on I mentioned VAT being a mess, so I’d like to share something that hopefully will make you 😃
Some months ago a parcel from a well known dealer in Germany arrived in the UK. The value was in excess of £135 so I expected to get a letter charging me with everything, import duty, vat, handling fee, etc. It arrived and because I was eager I paid up and the parcel was delivered next day. Now over a cup of tea, after admiring my new purchases, I was looking at the numbers in the letter and no matter how I tries, fingers toes, calculator, IPad and she who is significantly more intelligent than me, I couldn’t get the VAT they charged to be appropriate rate of 20% of the value of the parcel. It was more like 40%, so I appealed only really wanting to know how the VAT was calculated.
Anyway last Friday I received a letter from BORDER FORCE. I spent more than a few minutes wondering what on Earth this could be. I opened it fully expecting to be a charge or demand for something but NO. Quite the opposite the letter informed me they had made a mistake and the parcel should not have been subject to VAT or Import duty and they are refunding in full.
Result. Well, that is an all round win. Pays to check on these things and complain when they are wrong ...
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 1 user liked this useful post by kiwiAlan
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Joined: 05/03/2016(UTC) Posts: 368 Location: England, Bedford
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I have just bought a Marklin BR216 26254 equivalent to a 36218 for a remarkable Euros 78.82 (or £67.90). It's from a set so it won't have a box but at that price, who cares? You can never have enough of these really useful engines (perhaps I'll call it Thomas). But just when I thought I had a bargain, and below the UK Customs threshold too, I got clobbered by DHL for Euros 28.50 (£24.24) for the postage which I thought was a bit excessive. From bw-bahn if you are interested and there are any left.
IanC
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 1 user liked this useful post by IanC
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Joined: 11/02/2006(UTC) Posts: 696 Location: Cheshire, UK
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Originally Posted by: Nigel Packer  Originally Posted by: Rwill  They sold out within the first day and were on Ebay the next day. On the 18th July my daughter received a message from M – we haven’t yet worked out how to ship to the UK but don’t worry its still in the warehouse. And here we are nearly half way through August no further progress or news. Am I a lonely voice or does anyone else feel the same way? I’m still waiting for the Keith Haring wagons too. I haven’t been able to go to any train events in Germany since the beginning of 2020 (due to Covid, not Brexit), otherwise I would have asked Florian Sieber about supply to the UK. He is personally very friendly towards us Brits (and to me in particular), so I’m not sure quite what the difficulty is. It could be the ludicrous bureaucracy, but that’s probably not much more difficult for Germans than dealing with Switzerland or Norway. I ordered the flood charity loco as well, so I’m hoping that Märklin will work out a solution soon! Nigel Märklin tell me that they are still waiting for the UK government to issue them a tax code so that they can resume shipping to the UK. This is what is holding up the Keith Haring Art wagons. Might have known it was the UK’s fault! This will also affect the flood charity railcar model as well, if it’s not resolved soon. Nigel |
Märklin collector since age 5. H0 Collection from 1935 to today. |
 2 users liked this useful post by Nigel Packer
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Joined: 19/12/2003(UTC) Posts: 1,205 Location: Swindon, Wiltshire
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Originally Posted by: Rwill  Does Marklin not like the Brits and not really want to do business with them? ... Interest in model railways often starts with interest in railways in general. And in most cases, that interest is based on the prototypes that people see locally. Marklin being German, it's no surprise that the vast majority of the product range, including starter sets, covers German items. And I don't recollect ever seeing a British outline starter set from Marklin (I may be wrong; did the Hogwart's Express come as a starter set?). The UK is too small a market and is dominated OO scale. The volume of demand is simply not there to warrant any great efforts for Marklin, sadly. |
Richard |
 1 user liked this useful post by rugauger
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Joined: 10/02/2021(UTC) Posts: 3,886 Location: Michigan, Troy
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That is true, but, An early Marklin model was a red LMS.
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 1 user liked this useful post by marklinist5999
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Joined: 18/03/2007(UTC) Posts: 6,763 Location: Brisbane, Australia
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Originally Posted by: marklinist5999  That is true, but, An early Marklin model was a red LMS. Before the days of HO and OO model trains Märklin made many many models for the British market in gauges 0,1 and 2. However they were marketed in the UK with their own branding by retailers such as Gamages in Holborn London, and generally by Bassett Lowke. Of course most of this happened pre-1914. Here is an example of a pair of O gauge Märklin coaches probably made around 1910. (Image courtesy of Vectis auctions UK)  In pure speculation there would be nothing to stop Hornby contracting with Märklin now to produce trains for the British market. This would depend on whether: 1. Märklin either have (or could capitalize to have) the capacity to cope with this production 2. Hornby wished to have production alternative to China 3. The price of production at Märklin is suitable for sales in the UK. Kimball |
HO Scale - Märklin (ep II-III and VI, C Track, digital) - 2 rail HO (Queensland Australia, UK, USA) - 3 rail OO (English Hornby Dublo) - old clockwork O gauge - Live Steam 90mm (3.1/2 inch) gauge. |
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Joined: 23/05/2021(UTC) Posts: 252 Location: England, Guildford
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I have a green British Railways ‘Warship’ class Märklin loco from the 60s or 70s. It uses the V200 chassis unsurprisingly since the BR Warships were based on the German prototype but with a smaller overall size. They were not successful. I read somewhere it was to appeal to the children of British service personnel domiciled in Germany. There was no suitable rolling stock from Märklin to go with it. Fleischmann produced a much more accurate looking Warship in H0 with some Bulleid coaches to go with it, these were rather nice also. ChrisG
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 2 users liked this useful post by Mman
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Joined: 23/07/2014(UTC) Posts: 8,467 Location: ENGLAND, Didcot
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Can anyone remember what the WTO category for model trains is? I have just received a shipment from Lokshop where I have been charged customs duty. Looking through the HMRC web site it appears they regard a duty of 2.5% to be the norm. My understanding is that with the appropriate code the duty should be 0%. So I want to fight this and will inform Lokshop that they need to put this code on their customs declaration.
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Joined: 23/07/2014(UTC) Posts: 8,467 Location: ENGLAND, Didcot
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Originally Posted by: kiwiAlan  Can anyone remember what the WTO category for model trains is? I have just received a shipment from Lokshop where I have been charged customs duty. Looking through the HMRC web site it appears they regard a duty of 2.5% to be the norm. My understanding is that with the appropriate code the duty should be 0%. So I want to fight this and will inform Lokshop that they need to put this code on their customs declaration. Ah, don't panic, I have managed to find it via the HMRC site.The full classification is 95 03 00 30 00 which covers all model train related items including accessories and kits.
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Joined: 10/09/2019(UTC) Posts: 151 Location: England, Chichester
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Originally Posted by: kiwiAlan  Can anyone remember what the WTO category for model trains is? I have just received a shipment from Lokshop where I have been charged customs duty. Looking through the HMRC web site it appears they regard a duty of 2.5% to be the norm. My understanding is that with the appropriate code the duty should be 0%. So I want to fight this and will inform Lokshop that they need to put this code on their customs declaration. The WTO Harmonised Standards tariff code for model railways is 9503 00 30 00 https://www.tariffnumber.com/2021/95030030However, I'm pretty sure that the withdrawal agreement agreed between UK and the EU set this tariff to zero. Will try to find a source for that. |
Marklin - "The train set I never had as a child."
Keith Bowman |
 1 user liked this useful post by Bogenschütze
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Joined: 07/01/2015(UTC) Posts: 729 Location: England, Suffolk
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Interested in hearing the result of this argument 🙂
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Joined: 11/02/2006(UTC) Posts: 696 Location: Cheshire, UK
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Originally Posted by: kiwiAlan  Can anyone remember what the WTO category for model trains is? I have just received a shipment from Lokshop where I have been charged customs duty. Looking through the HMRC web site it appears they regard a duty of 2.5% to be the norm. My understanding is that with the appropriate code the duty should be 0%. So I want to fight this and will inform Lokshop that they need to put this code on their customs declaration. Is this in addition to VAT? Was VAT charged on the duty as well? And yes, duty should be zero on model trains. Good luck with sorting it out! Nigel |
Märklin collector since age 5. H0 Collection from 1935 to today. |
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Joined: 10/09/2019(UTC) Posts: 151 Location: England, Chichester
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Originally Posted by: Bogenschütze  Originally Posted by: kiwiAlan  Can anyone remember what the WTO category for model trains is? I have just received a shipment from Lokshop where I have been charged customs duty. Looking through the HMRC web site it appears they regard a duty of 2.5% to be the norm. My understanding is that with the appropriate code the duty should be 0%. So I want to fight this and will inform Lokshop that they need to put this code on their customs declaration. The WTO Harmonised Standards tariff code for model railways is 9503 00 30 00 https://www.tariffnumber.com/2021/95030030However, I'm pretty sure that the withdrawal agreement agreed between UK and the EU set this tariff to zero. Will try to find a source for that. So, I couldn't easily find anything about the post-Brexit trade agreement with the EU but as I think you have discovered already, the HMRC site definitely states that the tariff (Customs Duty) is 0.00% https://www.trade-tariff.service.gov.uk/headings/9503 |
Marklin - "The train set I never had as a child."
Keith Bowman |
 1 user liked this useful post by Bogenschütze
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Joined: 23/07/2014(UTC) Posts: 8,467 Location: ENGLAND, Didcot
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Originally Posted by: Nigel Packer  Originally Posted by: kiwiAlan  Can anyone remember what the WTO category for model trains is? I have just received a shipment from Lokshop where I have been charged customs duty. Looking through the HMRC web site it appears they regard a duty of 2.5% to be the norm. My understanding is that with the appropriate code the duty should be 0%. So I want to fight this and will inform Lokshop that they need to put this code on their customs declaration. Is this in addition to VAT? Was VAT charged on the duty as well? And yes, duty should be zero on model trains. Good luck with sorting it out! Nigel It was in addition to the VAT. I haven't worked the numbers through yet, but there was £120 VAT plus £25 Customs Duty. The HMRC pages seem to say they are both calculated in the value into country, not compounded with VAT on duty. The link I gave earlier does state that duty is 0%, so I need to claim it back. I'm just hoping that I get the same result as Adrian up in post 23 ... 
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Joined: 08/05/2015(UTC) Posts: 567 Location: Tunbridge Wells, Kent, United Kingdom
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Just catching up with this, good luck Alan.
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Joined: 07/01/2015(UTC) Posts: 729 Location: England, Suffolk
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Thinking badly is usually a sin, but you are seldom wrong. Old Italian saying 👍🏻🙂 Somebody is beating around the bush here
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 1 user liked this useful post by ocram63_uk
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Joined: 05/07/2020(UTC) Posts: 326 Location: Mississippi, Vancleave
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Marklin, because it uses a 3 rail system, is not so popular around the world as it models mostly European railroads. They have a limited number of USA and UK prototypes depending on the demand. Most prefer a 2 rail system, even if wiring is more difficult. I prefer American prototypes, but appreciate the beautiful European prototypes Marklin produces. I used to be a 2 rail modeler, but in my senior years switched to Marklin. Marklin has and always will be a German modeler. As a correction to this post, Marklin is still popular among European and Scandanavian modelers Edited by user 08 September 2021 19:11:04(UTC)
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 1 user liked this useful post by Mr. Ron
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Joined: 23/07/2014(UTC) Posts: 8,467 Location: ENGLAND, Didcot
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Originally Posted by: Nigel Packer  Originally Posted by: Rwill  They sold out within the first day and were on Ebay the next day. On the 18th July my daughter received a message from M – we haven’t yet worked out how to ship to the UK but don’t worry its still in the warehouse. And here we are nearly half way through August no further progress or news. Am I a lonely voice or does anyone else feel the same way? I’m still waiting for the Keith Haring wagons too. I haven’t been able to go to any train events in Germany since the beginning of 2020 (due to Covid, not Brexit), otherwise I would have asked Florian Sieber about supply to the UK. He is personally very friendly towards us Brits (and to me in particular), so I’m not sure quite what the difficulty is. It could be the ludicrous bureaucracy, but that’s probably not much more difficult for Germans than dealing with Switzerland or Norway. I ordered the flood charity loco as well, so I’m hoping that Märklin will work out a solution soon! Nigel For those in the UK, with an interest in Keith Haring, there is a documentary on BBC4 on Monday 13 Sept, 10pm "Keith Haring: Street Art Boy". The Radio Times says 'first shown on BBC2', but I don't know when that was.
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Joined: 11/02/2006(UTC) Posts: 696 Location: Cheshire, UK
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There is a special message for UK customers in today’s announcement of future Art wagons. It says that Märklin still haven’t solved the UK delivery conundrum, but please, UK customers, order the next wagons anyway!
(Yes, OK, I probably will do, but I’d like to know that some progress is being made with sorting out the Brexit nonsense.)
I don’t yet know which artist has designed the next wagon.
Nigel |
Märklin collector since age 5. H0 Collection from 1935 to today. |
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Joined: 23/07/2014(UTC) Posts: 8,467 Location: ENGLAND, Didcot
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Originally Posted by: Nigel Packer  There is a special message for UK customers in today’s announcement of future Art wagons. It says that Märklin still haven’t solved the UK delivery conundrum, but please, UK customers, order the next wagons anyway!
(Yes, OK, I probably will do, but I’d like to know that some progress is being made with sorting out the Brexit nonsense.)
I don’t yet know which artist has designed the next wagon.
Nigel But when will it be advertised/issued?
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Joined: 11/02/2006(UTC) Posts: 696 Location: Cheshire, UK
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Originally Posted by: kiwiAlan  Originally Posted by: Nigel Packer  There is a special message for UK customers in today’s announcement of future Art wagons. It says that Märklin still haven’t solved the UK delivery conundrum, but please, UK customers, order the next wagons anyway!
(Yes, OK, I probably will do, but I’d like to know that some progress is being made with sorting out the Brexit nonsense.)
I don’t yet know which artist has designed the next wagon.
Nigel But when will it be advertised/issued? “Soon”. Here’s the link to the web site. It seems to be about two weeks away. The Message WagonsNigel |
Märklin collector since age 5. H0 Collection from 1935 to today. |
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