Hand Sewn 8 Yard Kilt Price List and Comparison

[Barb T]

Hi all,

I do not have a web site nor do I advertise, so you would not know the price of my kilts unless you emailed me. Basically, I have enough business by word of mouth, so I don't advertise. But, I would like to be added to the list, Bricekolob:

Barbara Tewksbury Kiltmaker:

I charge a flat fee of $325 for an 8 yard knife-pleated kilt, which includes labor and all materials *except* tartan. All hand-sewn.

Tartan ranges in price from about $160 to over $350, depending on where I order tartan from (custom weaves are at the high end). So, you can list my cost as $485 to $675 plus shipping.

Don't forget that, in comparing final kilt prices, you may pay duty if you order from overseas.

It would be great if you could edit your original post and add Wally and me to the list, because that's the post that most people will read.

[Chas]

Thanks for putting this together Brice.

The amazing thing is that this has not been done before. On a site like ours, we really should have this information at our fingertips. It should be 'sticky' in some form or another and should be updated every 6 months.

Certainly here in the UK, we have a proliferation of price comparison sites - from insurance and broadband to white goods. This is a site for kilt wearers, it would seem only logical that there would be comparison information available.

Regards

Chas

[OC Richard]

Don't forget that, in comparing final kilt prices, you may pay duty if you order from overseas.

Yes indeed. It might be very difficult to cover all the various countries involved, but it would be a useful addition to any kilt price comparison to mention a rough estimate of the import duties for each country.

I bought a kilt from a place in Scotland a few years back that was a bargain... but several months later I got a bill from US Customs for over $100.

Quite a few years ago a person in the business of importing kilts from Scotland told me that kilts with fringe were considered a "fringed garmet" by US Customs, which had a higher duty rate than an unfringed kilt.
He would have the kilts shipped from Scotland to the US with the fringe left undrawn so they would come in at the lower rate.
He told me that the US Customs rules were amazingly complex and were enforced in an almost completely random way: if he received ten packages all containing the same item, half would not be caught and the five that were stopped would be charged five different rates.

[Ancienne Alliance]

Yes indeed. It might be very difficult to cover all the various countries involved, but it would be a useful addition to any kilt price comparison to mention a rough estimate of the import duties for each country.

I bought a kilt from a place in Scotland a few years back that was a bargain... but several months later I got a bill from US Customs for over $100.

Quite a few years ago a person in the business of importing kilts from Scotland told me that kilts with fringe were considered a "fringed garmet" by US Customs, which had a higher duty rate than an unfringed kilt.
He would have the kilts shipped from Scotland to the US with the fringe left undrawn so they would come in at the lower rate.
He told me that the US Customs rules were amazingly complex and were enforced in an almost completely random way: if he received ten packages all containing the same item, half would not be caught and the five that were stopped would be charged five different rates.

May I respectfully point out that this Forum is an international one.
We have members from Italy, Germany, Africa , etc.
When you speak from an American point of view, it would be polite to indicate it for better understanding.
Thank you for keeping in mind that there is a kilted life outside the US.


Best,

Robert

[ForresterModern]

Yes indeed. It might be very difficult to cover all the various countries involved, but it would be a useful addition to any kilt price comparison to mention a rough estimate of the import duties for each country.

I bought a kilt from a place in Scotland a few years back that was a bargain... but several months later I got a bill from US Customs for over $100.

Quite a few years ago a person in the business of importing kilts from Scotland told me that kilts with fringe were considered a "fringed garmet" by US Customs, which had a higher duty rate than an unfringed kilt.
He would have the kilts shipped from Scotland to the US with the fringe left undrawn so they would come in at the lower rate.
He told me that the US Customs rules were amazingly complex and were enforced in an almost completely random way: if he received ten packages all containing the same item, half would not be caught and the five that were stopped would be charged five different rates.

From an American point of view: (thank you Robert, and also for the compliment above)

One should also always remember that importing from another country, expecially retail goods from a formal business retailer, has the risk (some say obligation) of having duty attached and paid, that if I remember for kilts in particular being somewhere from 12.5-17.5% for those coming into the US form EU countries, including the UK (none from within North America----NAFTA took care of that). But also remember that, as OCR says above, many get through customs without being assessed, or if assessed , done so at various and often capricious rates, depending on how the importer labels the package and how the particular customs official decides to code the item. Lastly, and probably most importantly, which method you choose (or get stuck with by your vendor) greatly changes the chances that you will be charged duty----if you import from a vendor who sends your package from the UK to the US via FEDEX or UPS (not USPS), and if that vendor is doing their proper job of correctly labelling the item as a kilt and its retail value, you WILL be hit not only with the obligatory duty (usually around $50-75 per kilt) BUT also with the courier company's ADDITIONAL handling fees, set up so that those couriers can expedite delivery times through customs. Some companies and individual kiltmakers may give you the option of using ground shipping (which often avoids duty costs by comparison to the obligatory FEDEX/UPS charges) while other companies, presumably due to the value of the item and thier desire to insure a trackable method of delivery for their own financial safety, will only send a valuable item like a kilt via a trackable and insurable method, namely FEDEX/UPS. Be sure to check that variable when you get ready to order. Some may call it a "free upgrade" to a faster delivery method, selling it to you as "getting your kilt faster and being able to track it all along its route" when in fact it may be a poison pill that once the imposed duty fees are included is anything but "free".

I would not suggest that any of this info be included in Bryce's listing as that could make things complicated and potentially incorrect, as companies often change their couriers on a whim it seems, but is should be on your checklist of items to inquire about before ordering from overseas for delivery to the US.

Lessons learned by making all the mistakes, but only once each.

Jeff