Rules of the Road (Please Read)

[Jay Laverty]

Hi Everyone;

Richard at Wingnut has been kind enough to pass along information about the release schedule and planned products for Wingnut Productions for the near future, and as you can see there are some exciting projects in the works.



Wingnut Wings product list as at 16 October 2009.



32001 Junkers J.1 - available now
32002 LVG C.VI - available now
32003 SE.5a Hisso - available now
32004 Bristol F.2b Fighter - available now
32005 Gotha G.IV - available 2010
32006 Pfalz D.IIIa - available 2010
32007 DH.9a - available 2010
32009 Albatros D.V - available 2009
32010 Hansa Brandenburg W.29 - available 2010
32011 Fokker D.VII - available 2010
32012 RE.8 - available 2010
32013 Sopwith Pup - available 2009
32014 FE.2b - available 2010
32018 Fokker E.II/III - available 2011 (new announcement)
32019 Pfalz D.XII - available 2011 (new announcement)
32022 Roland D.VIa - available 2010
32028 DH.2 - available 2010



5132003 RAF Wire for 32003 1/32 SE.5a 'Hisso' (P/E) - available 2010
5132004 RAF Wire for 32004 1/32 Bristol F.2b Fighter (P/E) - available 2010
5132007 RAF Wire for 32007 1/32 DH.9a (P/E) - available 2010
5132012 RAF Wire for 32012 1/32 RE.8 (P/E) - available 2010
5132013 RAF Wire for 32013 1/32 Sopwith Pup (P/E) - available 2010
5132014 RAF Wire for 32014 1/32 FE.2b (P/E) - available 2010
5132028 RAF Wire for 32028 1/32 DH.2 (P/E) - available 2010



30001 1/32 5 Colour Upper Lozenge decals - available 2010
30002 1/32 5 Colour Lower lozenge decals - available 2010
30003 1/32 4 Colour Upper Lozenge decals - available 2010
30004 1/32 4 Colour Lower Lozenge decals - available 2010
30005 1/32 German Ribtapes for Lozenge decals - available 2010

Numerous 1/32 (54mm) resin air and ground crew figure sets - available from 2010


Evertyhing is available from Wingnut direct:

[Patrice Sublemon...]

HI Jay,

Great news for fan of WWI.
I know a guy which will become very happy

Cheers
SPang

[Tigger]

I just wished they would get a Eurpoean distributor. Unless I get them cheaper than what I had to pay to parcel Farce and Customs and excise I will not be buying any more despite them being beautiful kits..
John

[Erwin]

I just wished they would get a Eurpoean distributor. Unless I get them cheaper than what I had to pay to parcel Farce and Customs and excise I will not be buying any more despite them being beautiful kits..
John

That's a good remark.

I still can't understand why these great kit can only be bought directly.

[daz greenwood]

They do look nice.

I especially like the figure sets!

Cheers Daz

[Ross]

Some very nice pieces there. I think I may finally be tempted.

Ross

[Rowan Broadbent]

I just wished they would get a Eurpoean distributor. Unless I get them cheaper than what I had to pay to parcel Farce and Customs and excise I will not be buying any more despite them being beautiful kits..
John

John, If you baulk at paying VAT (the Parcelforce charges can be questioned and avoided with a small amount of effort - I've done this three times now) just imagine what you would be paying with a retailer's 30 or 40% mark up, shipping cost to get them to the retailer and then VAT on top of that lot. Plus of course postage plus markup from the retailer - they all seem to want a second bite of the cherry there.

Just a quick rough calculation goes like this: Current WNW Cost - say £52.00 plus 40% markup= £86.66 plus shipping from NZ say another £2.50 in bulk = £89.16 plus VAT @ 17.5% (coming back to this level soon in the UK - higher in other European Countries)=£104.76 plus the postal charges from the retailer - add another £5-£8. If the retailer buys the kits from a UK distributor (as, say Hannants does with Roden kits through Pocketbond) you have to add their markup as well (and the retailer's markup on that!) before you put VAT on the lot. The figure would then easily be over £130.

Currently, even if you do pay the Parcelforce 'clearance fee' as well as the VAT the same kit will only cost you £69.10. delivered to your door.

"Be careful what you wish for" as the saying goes!!

[Jay Laverty]

Hi Rowan;

There is one slightly fundamental flaw to your calculations and that is that the trade price is set according to a discount from the retail price as set by the producer.

For instance if the retail price is £59.99 then the trade price would generally be £40.19, but then if you are distributing it would generally work at a 50% discount or the price to distributors would be £30.00 give or take.

I reckon through the average importer we could look at approximately 20 - 30 % increase on the price of the kit as sold direct, nowhere near £130.00 you have extrapolated. More like £75.00 if it is selling at £59.99 direct. Perhaps £79.99.

Most distributors will work in the costs of duty and transport costs into the price, although sometimes that is countered when a producer who sells direct offers prices on their own websites that do not have to work in those expenses.

Plus there is the notion that an importer has to make a profit on kits in order to stay in business, and while some may work in more profit than others, most are generally very fair about it. After all we all need to make a living at this since it is not a charity.

Importers also have to work in the costs of advertising, samples, and promotions like major prize giveaways at he IPMS UK nationals for instance, and this support of the hobby is something we seem to take for granted. If the importers did not advertise in the magazines, the magazines would find it very difficult to cover their own costs, and the loss of distributors would filter down to the local hobby shop as most of them would not be able to afford to order enough kits direct to qualify for a discount from the producer direct, and that could be the final nail in the coffin for many.

I think at this stage it is simply a choice on the part of Wingnut to sell direct in order to keep final costs down for the consumer, and as an independent business they are entitled to. As an editor I will be paying very close attention to how the experiment of running a business that sells exclusively direct works as I have a feeling that the results could have a very significant impact on the future of the hobby and our purchasing habits.

All the best,

Jay

[Tigger]

John, If you baulk at paying VAT (the Parcelforce charges can be questioned and avoided with a small amount of effort - I've done this three times now) just imagine what you would be paying with a retailer's 30 or 40% mark up, shipping cost to get them to the retailer and then VAT on top of that lot. Plus of course postage plus markup from the retailer - they all seem to want a second bite of the cherry there.

Just a quick rough calculation goes like this: Current WNW Cost - say £52.00 plus 40% markup= £86.66 plus shipping from NZ say another £2.50 in bulk = £89.16 plus VAT @ 17.5% (coming back to this level soon in the UK - higher in other European Countries)=£104.76 plus the postal charges from the retailer - add another £5-£8. If the retailer buys the kits from a UK distributor (as, say Hannants does with Roden kits through Pocketbond) you have to add their markup as well (and the retailer's markup on that!) before you put VAT on the lot. The figure would then easily be over £130.

Currently, even if you do pay the Parcelforce 'clearance fee' as well as the VAT the same kit will only cost you £69.10. delivered to your door.

"Be careful what you wish for" as the saying goes!!

Unfortunately after Parcel Farce had thier cut it cost me £82.55, don't ask me how they calculate it and i have not heard of anyone with the same final price either!. I have not factored in the cost of having to drive to the Parcel farce depot to collect which was a 50 mile round trip in my car which is a 2.6 ltr engine so I suspect the final cost is nearer the £90.00 mark. I just cannot justify that sort of cost.

I suspect that if someone did import then we could safely say convert the model price straight into £ Ie $79 = £79 I think that would be nearer the mark . As Jay has said over £130 would be suicide. Even at £79 I still think it is just too much despite the quality etc.

John

[Rowan Broadbent]

Unfortunately after Parcel Farce had thier cut it cost me £82.55, don't ask me how they calculate it and i have not heard of anyone with the same final price either!. I have not factored in the cost of having to drive to the Parcel farce depot to collect which was a 50 mile round trip in my car which is a 2.6 ltr engine so I suspect the final cost is nearer the £90.00 mark. I just cannot justify that sort of cost.

I suspect that if someone did import then we could safely say convert the model price straight into £ Ie $79 = £79 I think that would be nearer the mark . As Jay has said over £130 would be suicide. Even at £79 I still think it is just too much despite the quality etc.

John

Hello Jay & John,

Jay, I understand your point - perhaps WNW would want to sell at a discount to importers - without knowing their revenue/sales/profit figures the amount of this discount -if any- is impossible to judge. There would be some obvious savings for them in packing staff costs and possibly inventory costs. My point really is, if the current business model is working (and we just don't know that, but I suspect they will have done some careful resarch before going down this road) why would they want to change? Certainly they are absorbing the not inconsiderable shipping costs at the moment and just knocking that off the current retail price would give a smaller figure.

I don't altogether share your view of the importer's altruism, however. The cost of Roden's 32nd SPAD VII is a case in point. It was originally priced at £59.00 from big H and only after this was queried with them and the importer did the latter admit a "mistake" and drop their price. It still has a whopping £49.00 price tag whereas if you were to buy it in France, Poland or Germany it's a lot cheaper than that. I would never underestimate the importer's desire to cash in on rip-off Britain!

John, I reiterate what I wrote about the PF 'clearance charges' you don't have to pay them before recieving your parcel as it is unlawful to withold delivery for anything other than VAT or duty payments. I have on three occasions escalated the issue and they have allways backed down, I've paid the VAT over the phone, insisted that the claerance charge is invoiced separately and the parcel has been delivered the next day. I have never been sent an invoice for the clearance charges and if I was I would dispute it on the basis that I have no contract with Parcel Force and therefore no charge is enforceable. We should not just take this stuff!

[Jay Laverty]

I've paid the VAT over the phone, insisted that the claerance charge is invoiced separately and the parcel has been delivered the next day.

That is a stroke of genius Rowan! I will remember that.

I got stung for over £45.00 in duty and of course the £13.50 "handling fee" from Parcel Farce.

Cheers,

Jay

[Alan Troi]

Man, all that money for shipping and handling... might as well just drop me ole trowsers and grab my ankles...

[Rowan Broadbent]

That is a stroke of genius Rowan! I will remember that.

I got stung for over £45.00 in duty and of course the £13.50 "handling fee" from Parcel Farce.

Cheers,

Jay

Hi Jay,

Wingnut have modified their shipping now, from a tracked premium service to more regular airmail as it seemed that the premium service automatically attracted the attention of the RM operated customs clearance and charging process (under contract to Customs and Excise, I believe). As a result of this a number of more recent UK customers have not been caught for the VAT charge (and the 'clearance charge') at all.

If you do get caught for the VAT and clearance charge you will not get a resolution from the local Parcel Force depot staff, you will need to escalate the issue to the Managing Directors Office at ParcelForce HQ in Milton Keynes. The local depot should give you the phone number if you ask for it. Simply ring them with your consignment number, explain that you believe that holding the parcel pending payment of their clearance fee is illegal under the 2000 Postal Services Act and that you wish to pay the VAT and be invoiced separately for the clearance fee. They may resist but ultimately they know they are in the wrong. Ask them to contact the local depot to request them to call you for payment of the VAT by credit card. In each of the three cases I have had with WNW parcels they have done this quite promptly. Do ensure that you take the name of the person you speak to at the MD's office, as on one occassion I had to chase them to get the phonecall from the local depot.

In all of this it is useful if you remain scrupulously polite throughout, no one likes dealing with Mr.Angry! It is also useful to write a note to your MP if you can be bothered, describing the issue and why you believe it to be illegal to hold parcels for this fee to be paid. The more of us who do this, the more likely the situation is to change.

Just as an aside, I know from contacts in NZ that they are a bit mystified by all this nonsense as they don't have to pay import duty and local taxes on anything imported with a value of less than NZ$200. In the USA Kits are regarded as toys and are completely duty-free! Other European nation's customs and postal services can be at least as bad as the UK - Holland and Denmark are considerably worse, it seems.

[Tigger]

Hi Jay,

Wingnut have modified their shipping now, from a tracked premium service to more regular airmail as it seemed that the premium service automatically attracted the attention of the RM operated customs clearance and charging process (under contract to Customs and Excise, I believe). As a result of this a number of more recent UK customers have not been caught for the VAT charge (and the 'clearance charge') at all.

If you do get caught for the VAT and clearance charge you will not get a resolution from the local Parcel Force depot staff, you will need to escalate the issue to the Managing Directors Office at ParcelForce HQ in Milton Keynes. The local depot should give you the phone number if you ask for it. Simply ring them with your consignment number, explain that you believe that holding the parcel pending payment of their clearance fee is illegal under the 2000 Postal Services Act and that you wish to pay the VAT and be invoiced separately for the clearance fee. They may resist but ultimately they know they are in the wrong. Ask them to contact the local depot to request them to call you for payment of the VAT by credit card. In each of the three cases I have had with WNW parcels they have done this quite promptly. Do ensure that you take the name of the person you speak to at the MD's office, as on one occassion I had to chase them to get the phonecall from the local depot.

In all of this it is useful if you remain scrupulously polite throughout, no one likes dealing with Mr.Angry! It is also useful to write a note to your MP if you can be bothered, describing the issue and why you believe it to be illegal to hold parcels for this fee to be paid. The more of us who do this, the more likely the situation is to change.

Just as an aside, I know from contacts in NZ that they are a bit mystified by all this nonsense as they don't have to pay import duty and local taxes on anything imported with a value of less than NZ$200. In the USA Kits are regarded as toys and are completely duty-free! Other European nation's customs and postal services can be at least as bad as the UK - Holland and Denmark are considerably worse, it seems.

Hi Rowan
Really appreciate the info I may well give them a second chance, not WNW as their kits are superb but Parcel Farce. Thank you again
John