A.S. Campbell - opions

[Silent Raven]

OK so i am still searching around for my best options on a kilt that i can afford and i recently found A.S. Campbell Ltd kilt makers from the UK. i have contacted them and they answered all the questions i had, their prices seem reasonable for what I'm looking for.

I tried doing a search on here to see if any one has dealt with them before but could not find any thing. so I'm just wondering some opinions on how they look

they do a lot of ebay sales and have excellent reviews on ebay from the buyers.

http://www.campbellkilts.co.uk

[Oddern]

I have no experience with this company, but from the looks of their website and info I can find on them, they seems like a serious company, and I would certainly consider buying from them.
Skål!

[Chas]

Hi Silent Raven,

The price is right at £340. I paid £300 for my tank (made in Scotland, but different maker), two years ago, so this seems reasonable. That is the guide price, I use to judge all kilts made in Scotland. There are suppliers in Scotland who quote £600, £800 and even £1000. Well for that you could get three!

£340 is, of course, the price with VAT (Value Added Tax - 20%). As you would be exporting the kilt, VAT would not be applicable and the price would come down to £283 plus any shipping costs.

I think it would be value for money.

Regards

Chas

[Silent Raven]

Hi Silent Raven,

£340 is, of course, the price with VAT (Value Added Tax - 20%). As you would be exporting the kilt, VAT would not be applicable and the price would come down to £283 plus any shipping costs.

Chas

thanks Chas, i was wondering what VAT was. so because im shipping it out of country i wouldnt have to pay the VAT? am i reading this correctly? should i expect to pay any sort of customs fee or anything? i dont really buy things from over seas much so i dont have much clue as to the fees and processes of it all. Also they quoted me for £24 for shipping (kilt and plaid) does that sound reasonable for Scotland to Oregon USA?

[Chas]

thanks Chas, i was wondering what VAT was. so because im shipping it out of country i wouldnt have to pay the VAT? am i reading this correctly? should i expect to pay any sort of customs fee or anything? i dont really buy things from over seas much so i dont have much clue as to the fees and processes of it all. Also they quoted me for £24 for shipping (kilt and plaid) does that sound reasonable for Scotland to Oregon USA?

Hi,

All EU citizens pay a VAT of one sort or another (rates vary). In essence, if you are exporting goods out of the EU area then you don't have to pay the tax. Not all companies are automatically set up for this, so you should ask. Not everything would be VAT free. If you are physically here and ate a meal or had clothes dry cleaned or visited some entertainment, you would pay VAT, because the service would be delivered to you here and you would be experiencing it here rather than taking it back to the States.

Customs - there is no export duty on our side, but what your own customs charge as import duty, I can't say. If the kilt is shipped through Royal Mail (normal postage, not a carrier) the chances are that it will slip under the radar. I always ask for the shipper to put £1 (or $1) as the value, so as to come in below tax threshold.

Postage in the UK now goes on weight and dimensions, so £24 sounds a bit high for Royal Mail. It does sound though at that price, delivery would be by carrier. Ask about postage by Royal Mail (if you want to go that route). Of course, there is no insurance with Royal Mail. Although they will provide the sender with a 'Proof of Postage' free of charge, which they can scan and email you to prove that it has been sent.

If you can, pay by credit card.

So it comes down in the end to your peace of mind. One one hand is Royal Mail, which could be riskier, but cheaper. On the other, is a carrier and probable charges.

I hope this helps.

Regards

Chas

[R.S.L. Kiltwearer]

my understanding on shipping to the US is.

Package value under $200: $0 + no customs duty

Package value over $200: $30 + customs duty

The United States customs duty on packages with a value over $200, packages under this value should be exempt from duty. The duty amount itself is usually very low (sometimes no duty is applied) and varies depending on the type of item being imported.
I had a sporran, belt & buckle, and two kilt pins shipped to me last month, from Scotland, vaule of the items was just around 250 and it came fedex, and to my surprise no duty was applied. as for the the amount of the duty, i can not say as i have yet to have anything shipped that required it.

[MacMillans son]

Well Silent Raven the price with shipping, and without duty on our end, is about $480 US. Add in any duty , some here have reported paying another $40 on top of shipping, and you are looking at $520 US +/-. An alternative would be to use one of our wonderful kilt makers here in the States and save the hassle, possibly a few bucks, and have a working relationship with the person who is making your kilt. I can highly recommend, from my personal experience, either Kathy Lare, or Bonnie Heather Greene both of whom make wonderful kilts at comparable prices.

http://www.kathyskilts.com/

http://bonniekilts.com/

It's nice to have options.

Best of luck in your quest!

[Silent Raven]

I was looking at getting on of their casual kilts so the price would be a lot less, and was also going to get fly plaid and flashes to match, and with these cost plus shipping it is still cheaper than most other makers, I would love to be able to use one of the advertised sponsors here but they are either on the high end of my budget or do not have the tartan I desire, and the cost of getting the tartan fabric ends up making it cost more money. I have done a fair amount of research and from what i have read on here ever one says get the best kilt you can afford and I believe that this is it here. when I most likely order my next kilt it will be through one of the sponsors here, when I am not looking for such a hard to find tartan. thanks every one for all your help and suggestions. and of course once i get it in there will pictures posted!

[MacMillans son]

Silent Raven, please trust that I'm just trying to help. Here are some observations that you may not have considered.

Did you notice that although the add says "wool" it doesn't say what weight? I did also notice that it doesn't have a traditional selvedge edge, but rather, a hemmed bottom (which makes me ask why?). The third thing is that their casual kilts only take measurements for Waist and Height (Height?) but not for seat or length. Which ensures you will get a poor fitting kilt for anything other than the most casual activities. Since you are considering getting a plaid along with it, I assume you are planning on attending some other types of activities?

You are absolutely correct in getting the best outfit you can afford. And I can absolutely understand the realities of living on a limited budget. To achieve those ends, I would offer the suggestion that you forgo the plaid and put that money towards the kilt, and if necessary, save a bit longer and get a higher quality traditional kilt that is made for and fits YOU and can be worn to any event you encounter.

May I ask what tartan you are you looking for? There may be more options than you are aware of.

Respectfully,

Brooke

[piperdbh]

What Brooke said.
And, I'd encourage you to at least talk to a stateside kiltmaker. Call Matt at the STM or any of the other kiltmakers here and get their opinions. They might be able to order an extra yard-and-a-half of your tartan which you could fringe yourself and have the fly plaid at a lower cost than hiring someone else to fringe it for you. That's what I did.
And do keep us posted, whatever you decide.