Analogue Productions UK retailers?

The personal import limit was reduced to £15, so once you go over £15 you get charged 20% on top of the item value and the postage, plus Royal Mail will charge you £8 collection fee even if you are a penny over, hence a £16 record could end up costing nearer £30. Import duty doesn't kick in until over £100, maybe £135, HMRC has indeed become much more vigilant.

 

Probably, like all European Community countries, there is a Duty Tax for all "discs" like CD, DVD, and LP, of around 3,5% (this percentage can vary for each country), and then the VAT is applied. All the taxes and fees are applied to total package cost (merchandise cost + shipping cost) and are cumulative.

 

One thing I don't understand is why Bank wire transfer is not much widely used in Europe when we have SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) agreement that makes money transfer using the bank system completely free and extremely fast/reliable.

No taxes, no fees, nothing...

Details here:

http://www.vinylgourmet.com/en/content/5-payment-methods#bank_wire
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_Euro_Payments_Area
http://www.ecb.europa.eu/paym/retpaym/html/index.en.html

Instead, European consumers keep using credit cards for most local/European payments where bank wire transfer would be a perfectly valid option, usually paying taxes and fees for credit card transactions and currency conversion fees... sometimes both seller and buyer pay these fees, other times only the seller pays them, but there is almost always some cost involved...

I could understand this in the time when making a bank transfer required going to the bank in person, but these days I do it in 2 minutes online...

 

I suspect the buyers like being covered by their credit card company just in case anything goes wrong, I assume the Euro zone is like the UK and you have virtually no protection if you pay by bank transfer, also in my experience, not particularly recent, German and Swiss transfers were fast and perfect, but getting a transfer from a French bank was almost impossible.

 

Sure I get the "perceived" protection thing, but if you're buying from a place you actually know, or a place where you've already tried once and that you can easily verify as legitimate (with a european VAT registration number, a registered company name, full physical address and phone number you can actually go there or call) and where actual good humans (you know, people) are working and running a regular business... it really makes no sense to keep feeding credit card companies with our money when there is such a robust system in place designed exactly to facilitate trade and business in Europe... If it didn't exist we'd be crying about it every day... now that we have it, we don't use it...business to business uses this a lot, but not consumers, and there's no reason for that in the right commercial context.

I'm pushing this into the discussion because I see people always struggling to find the best prices... paying with bank transfer could potentially bring prices down between 4% to 8% (sometimes more... because CC fees are inflicted upon the product+shipping cost), if you buy a lot of records that can make a difference

Anyway, I'm not sure about the lack of protection with bank transfers... I mean, it might not be an automated process like credit card regulations, but the laws are basically the same and protect any person from fraudulent activity or non-compliance to european long distance / online trade laws.

I must say that I'm probably more protected sending a bank transfer from Portugal to Germany (as an example) than what protection I get from making a Credit Card payment to the USA... I've been tricked a couple of times by really sick sellers on eBay and the only reason why they got away with it was because they were in the USA... but it's not really comparable. I can fly to Germany for the cost of a small audiophile LP box set... and get everything solved if I have a problem, paying with a bank transfer to an actual bank account gives me all the information I need not only to try to work things out myself but also to initiate any legal actions I might need. I think of that as real transaction safety

(your problem with the bank transfer from France was probably caused by them using a sytem that was not SEPA ready... now I think they all are since IBAN/SWIFT codes became mandatory, they should all be made exactly the same way and take exactly the same time, with no added cost)

 

Bank transfer has been the preferred non-cash payment method in Germany for a long time. Maybe that's why other EU countries are hesitant to adopt this method. However, with the increase in online commerce, bank transfer now pays second fiddle to credit cards and Paypal. That's not because the consumers feel more protected, but the online merchants do. If you pay for an online purchase via bank transfer, the merchant usually ships after the money is credited to his account (2 to 3 days). If you pay via credit card or Paypal, he ships immediately. So, it's faster for the customer to not use a bank transfer.

 

Every order from outside the EU worth up to 22 euros excluding shipping is free of any charge. VAT (but no duty) is charged for orders worth between 22 and 150 euros, and VAT and duty are charged for orders worth over 150 euros. VAT (for orders over 22 euros) and duty (for orders over 150 euros) are indeed due for the cumulative amount, i.e. including shipping. I have no idea if this will change if/when a free trade treaty is signed between the United States and the European Union and ratified by the various countries.

 

Yes, it seems to be very similar for most EU Member countries. It's not little money Specially here in Portugal with VAT at 23% and there are some rumours about it going up to 24%... oh well...

 

SNVYNIL - NIGHTMARE
If you're reading this then it's probably already too late,..
Here's my experience with Snvinyle: I placed an order for 2 items with Snvinyle.co.uk on the 09/09/2015 - not a lot of money, fortunately - £75 - £14.50 of which is SIGNED- FOR TRACKED INTERNATIONAL DELIVERY.
I immediately get an order confirmation which states 1 of the items is out of stock - restock in 7 - 10 days.
After 12 days without any news I ask for an update. Out of stock item won't be in for another 2 weeks. The owner of the company, Alexander Scott Nangle (his full name) proposes 2 alternatives which are in stock - I repeat, HE SAYS THEY ARE IN STOCK. One of the items proposed is almost £120 (almost 4 times the price of the item I'm waiting for) and the other is exactly half the price of the item - I ask him to send me 2 of these as a replacement ( I don't actually want or need these things, but I have already Googled his name and find the reviews left on him,) - he says they are in stock, at least I won't lose my money - right ? WRONG !!
Despite his assurances that he would "ship over the weekend" (it's friday) I don't receive a tracking number. I contact him by email on Monday, he replies with " Tracking number in next email" - LOL it seems emails are like buses for this clown.
48 hours later (wednesday) still no tracking number.I write again, this time asking for a full refund.I'm tired of his nonsense.
His reply : "Your order was shipped over the weekend will send a refund & get my carrier to return the goods"
'If it has shipped' I ask,' why no tracking number, and when can I expect to get my money refunded...?'
His reply: HI did send a email advising your order had been shipped i will reship the order today.

Erm...OK.

You may have noticed that what Scott Alex Nangle says doesn't make a lot of sense. He replies to emails, but not to the questions asked, very soon you realise you're just going round in circles..... Feel like giving him the benefit of the doubt?
Don't.
5 weeks after placing an order on his website I have received nothing other than lies, nonsensical excuses and bullsh!t - No products, no refund .Scott Alex Nangle has NEVER once apologised for the delays and mess ups with this order - and the imbecile continues to send me a news letter expecting me to buy his vinyl products... LOL

An Alexander Scott Nangle used to work for ALEX NANGLE (ELECTRICAL) LTD (the fathers company maybe ?) but "resigned" in 2002.

A company called Scott Nangle Energy went belly up in the summer of 2015 ( possibly run by the same person as Snvinyl ? ;-)

Interesting, - and worrying fact, no information available on the internet about a company called Snvinyl,(nothing at Company House etc) which only seems to exist in the form of very negative reviews which started about 2 years ago and has developed a truly appalling reputation on internet review sites.

So what exactly are we dealing with here?
A liar ? Yes definately. He has lied to me repeatedly, and I can prove it
A thief ? Well, he has my money, refuses to return it or send me the items that I paid for.He also refuses to give any logical explanation for what has happened. So it would appear that he has indeed stolen my money.And I can prove it.
A self serving, self centred lying imbecile incapable of running a company? Probably.

What can you do now to get your money back?

If you paid by Paypal: File a dispute.
If you paid by bank card: Do a chargeback - operates in many countries, info on internet. It's fraud and your card company will refund your money.
Paid by transfer/cheque: Contact your bank, it's fraud and you MAY be able to get your money back.

These sort of business practices are nothing less than fraud and he needs to be punished. File a claim on this site: Actionfraud.police.uk (can be used by non UK residents as well)

If you were wise enough to look up his name before making a purchase on Snvinyl, well then I tip my hat to you.
You don't know how lucky you are.

 

I bought a CCR box set (£200!) from SNvinyl 18 months ago, like you, before I read some reviews of his business on Discogs (where he either ceased trading or was removed?). Like you I was spitting venom and furious with myself for not checking him out beforehand. I immediately tried to cancel my order and re-ordered it from someone more reliable at a slightly higher cost. I received no emails. The money had gone. I tried again and sent 3 emails over a weekend to request order cancellation and return of my money. I then received an email from SN thanking me for my order. I responded immediately to confirm I wanted to cancel IMMEDIATELY and politely asked for a refund. He then couldn't "find" my order and it all went quiet. I paid with my credit card so I contacted my c/c company and asked for a form to raise a dispute which it duly sent out to me. I was then away for a week on holiday. On my return I found my order for the CCR box had arrived - expecting it to be from company 'B' I readied myself for a drawn out dispute with SNvinyl. Much to my shock it WAS the order from SNvinyl that I had received and not the other way around. Whilst away I received another email from SN saying thanks for the order and how I was now on a mailing list. I get regular emails about new releases and stock from him.

The point of my story is this I suppose: I jumped to conclusions in a wild panic because of what I read on the internet. As it turned out he DID honour my order very quickly. No, he didn't answer my emails to cancel the order and it appears he ignores emails he doesn't want to read. I couldn't claim because he didn't defraud me. The "mistake" was mine as he would have honoured a refund if I had returned the box set. Due to high post costs I elected to keep the second and I will sell it on in the future. It is very frustrating that he ignores emails and he clearly has communication issues BUT at least in my experience he did deliver my order. OK, it wasn't what I wanted in the end having already jumped the gun and placed an order elsewhere (wrongly assuming I would never seen the SNvinyl order) but that is not entirely SNvinyl fault. Yes, he should respond to customer emails and requests but aside from the obvious frustration this entails, you cannot guarantee that this guy will not deliver. Therefore suggesting that he is an out and out thief and con artist isn't really fair. Different people have had very different experiences with him.

 

I read your posting about SN Vinyl and the frustration of being able to get hold of AP vinyl at a reasonable cost in the UK. I too have suffered and moved on from Scott. I am lucky in that I travel to New York quite a bit and can get albums delivered to friends but it is not ideal and means I am also unable to buy anything which takes my fancy when I am over there.

As far as making things more affordable it seems that shipping is the main problem. Firstly, the cost of shipping from the States and then the rip off Royal Mail handling fee once the item gets into the UK and needs to clear customs. Obviously it would be good to avoid the 20% VAT but that is probably pushing things!!!

Here's a thought. What if all the UK Hoffman users got together and went to Acoustic Sounds or Music Direct to get a monthly controlled shipment into the UK. My thought was we pay for orders in one account (like a trade account) but they group all the parcels (addressed individually) into one shipment. There would have to be someone in the UK to then process the shipment. But perhaps there is a dealer on SH who would be happy to do this.

It seems to me one of the problems is that these are relatively high ticket items and dealers in the UK are unsure about which titles to buy which means when you add in VAT, shipping and profit AP titles become super expensive in the UK and very hard to find.

Maybe pie in the sky? However, wasn't the internet invented for this kind of thing

 

Redspark alas closed their business in September ...

 

Yes, sad.

 

I thought it had been awhile since I received an email from them.

Was it just down to low sales? I hadn't purchased from them since I left England but I had no complaints back then.

 

I don't know, they had a sale in early September with good discounts and when I looked at their website a few weeks later, a statement appeared saying they had decided to close the business and thanking their customers ...

 

That is correct. Only pay for ones in stock. Then his service and price is second to none. Got all the MFSL miles Davis LPs from him. Great service

 

Sorry to hear that. Like I said I have ordered 6 or 7 times. Not one problem. Plenty of communications. He is my go to for MFSL or AP.

 

I think one of the issues with Scott Nangle Audio is that he takes payment when you order, whether items are in or out of stock, plus his communication is terrible.
I ordered Pet Sounds and Smiley Smile a year ago and he's been sitting on my fifty quid all that time.
I googled SN Vinyl the other day and to my horror found lots of warning messages from disgruntled customers. Therefore I've asked that he ship PS, cancel the Smiley order and refund me for it or I will claim back the whole lot from Paypal. No response so far. I'll keep you posted.

 

This never occurred to me but it's so obvious! Is there a reason why AP discs are rarely available from the big retails like Amazon or importcds?

 

I realise that regarding payment. I paid for my funny valentine a year ago and it is still not released. But I have bought another 20 from him and his communication has been top notch.

 

As an update to my month old post about Scott Nangle Audio:

April 18th - I asked that Scott send the part of the order (Pet Sounds) and cancel the other part with a refund. I received some confused emails but neither Pet Sounds nor the partial refund.

10 days ago I therefore sent very clear instructions to cancel the whole order and refund my £50. Scott contacted me finally last Friday claiming to have made the refund and even sending me a bank 'trace number' for the payment. My bank could not trace this refund at all (the reference no. was meaningless to them) and when I questioned Scott about it he claimed to have made a mistake with my bank details. Righto, Scott!

As of today, Scott Nangle is still promising to issue my refund ("I'll do it in an hour") to no avail.

I contacted trading standards and my only recourse is to send a letter ending the contract of sale, waiting a bit and then taking the case to a small claims court i.e. a colossal pain.

All in all my experience with Scott Nangle has been a nightmare and I would caution others who are considering sending their hard earned cash to this man.

On the upside I ordered the Analogue Productions Stereo Pet Sounds from Diverse Vinyl and it arrived within days (coincidentally on the 50th Anniversary of PS) and sounds great!

 

Does anyone know the latest developments with this Scott Nangle dealer. I just registered and placed an order today Sunday 24th July 2016 but although the order was confirmed, there was no way to actually make payment. I did send an email to ask how I actually made payment, but then my suspicions got the better of me, so I did a google which revealed all kinds of problems. I'm now wondering g if the fraud people have caught up with him and whilst his website seems active in generating order confirmations, the facility to actually make a payment has been withdrawn, unless anyone knows better. Thanks.

 

I have used him for years. Bought all the Dylan's and Miles Mofi from him. Not one problem.

 

I wanted some album sleeves, but I noticed that although the website accepted the order, something else indictated they were out of stock. He has just sent me an email with a link on how to make payment which seems to be a bit of a backdoor way of doing it, but having read so many bad reports, I've just cancelled. Not worth the risk.

 

Wise move! Once bitten as they say.............