[sdiy] Need advice some diy advice as a beginner

[Derek Holzer]

Did I mention that going to the Zoll (customs office) here takes half 
the day? There's no other way for private persons to do it, they send 
you a letter and you have to go pick up your package. It's in the far 
wastelands of West Berlin where nobody goes, too far to ride the bike 
and exactly at the other end of the S-Bahn lines...

Add a half day's legwork to waiting days or weeks for parts from 
someplace in North America or Asia, dealing with mass distributors and 
potentially having to sell off some of your haul in a group buy 
situation in order to get a cheap price, and suddenly these resellers 
don't look like such a "wanker EU ripoff" after all.

So unless it's really a lot of something that I need, I don't have any 
problem to go to Banzai. I consider them to be mid-level priced for 
Europe, and they stock quality components rather than Reichelt garbage. 
The fact that they are very nice people, and I can ride there on my 
bike, also play a big part.

As for the $4 poti, I think that's an extreme example, as the majority 
of Banzai's 16mm Alpha pots are EUR 1.29 or 1.79 (USD 1.79 - 2.48). I 
wouldn't order a hundred from them, but if I need four or five for a 
module this week, I don't hesitate.

best!
D.

Derek Holzer wrote:
> Last time I got zapped by the Zoll here in Germany it was 13.5%
> 
> D.
> 
> Justin Owen wrote:
> 
>> Can I ask what the 35% tax is you're talking about?
>>
>> I know that a couple of EU countries have a 25% VAT rate - but 35% 
>> import duty on electronic components?
> 
> 

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