Import fee deposit on 37 key purchase

Hey y’all from mighty London. The world is going to hell so while the flames are high I thought I’d cook. Just bought me my first MPC 37 Key and waiting for it to arrive.

I gotta ask about the pricing though. I paid £549 for the unit, plus £148 for an “import fee deposit”. Anyone in the UK know (a) what that fee is, (b) why it’s so damn high, and (c) if I can claim it back?

I assume you purchased this from outside the UK? If so, then the £148 is going to comprise of the obligatory 20% VAT that you have to pay as a UK consumer (£110), and a £38 that the retailer has added themselves to cover their costs. Normally you have to pay a handling fee to the courier whenever an item incurs custom charges, so some of it will be that.

Those costs are already absorbed into the price you pay when you buy direct from a UK retailer - all products sold in the UK must have 20% VAT added. So if you thought you'd be getting a cut price bargain by buying from abroad that's rarely the case unless you are fortunate that your package somehow got missed by UK customs. You also have the hassle of warranty claims with a non-UK retailer.

Maybe you can cancel the order? Most UK retailers are selling the MPC Key 37 for £655, so you'll save £50.

I forgot about the damn VAT! I bought it in Ireland as I spend a lot of time in both countries. I could cancel it, but it arrives tomorrow and I’ve already got three beats in my head that I gotta get down, so I’ll take the hit. Thanks for the detail!

Moebius2 wrote:I forgot about the damn VAT! I bought it in Ireland as I spend a lot of time in both countries. I could cancel it, but it arrives tomorrow and I’ve already got three beats in my head that I gotta get down, so I’ll take the hit. Thanks for the detail!

You'll enjoy it. I have the Key 61 and it's an amazing unit. People give heavy props to the Key 37 as well. Have fun with it mate.