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Importing from Europe


chrisb

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Does anyone have experience of a supplier for UPVC windows imported from Europe?

Not after anything spectacular, but reading historical threads suggests that the cost/quality ratio might be better with Polish manufactured units.

 

Then the wider question of any other items worth importing - Genvex from Denmark is the well-mentioned one, but is there anything else to look out for?

As a starter, I will soon need a water softener, sink waste disposal unit and a filtered +/- boiling water tap. I haven't started looking at these things yet, so all ideas welcome.

 

I'm guessing that the transport costs on larger materials (8'x4' Hardwood Ply) will likely exceed any savings over buying from Selco locally.

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I think you need to look at each item individually.

 

Unless you need a spectacular quantity or something quite technical such as 3G, I cannot see upvc 2G being cheaper to import. It is an inexpensive product, and I would expect a local manufacturer to be competitive.

 

Ferdinand

 

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I found boards were going to be costly once shipping was added (was looking specifically at Fermacell), and managed to find a UK distributer who was cheaper than the internet sellers. In the end prices would have been about the same after shipping.

 

Water softener look at waterclearlimited. Solid units at good prices.

 

Boiling tap I got it cheaper from Germany as part of a volume discount with all my second fix plumbing, but the unit developed a leak and Grohe UK washed their hands from the warranty as it did not comply with UK regs. Got a good price for a replacement unit from appliancehouse - there was a cashback offer on at the time.

 

But for sure purchasing from Europe is a good thing and quite safe. I ended up buying direct all bathroom / taps etc, LED light fittings, roofights and a bunch of minor bits and pieces. I also purchased European products like kitchens, engineered flooring and windows, but in the UK through a local distributor.

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Hi @jpinthehouse, some have been mentioned on here before. Bear in mind i purchased some 18 months or so ago, so things may well have changed by now (certainly EUR is stronger relative to GBP)

 

megabad for all things sanitary taps etc. I used google chrome with auto-translation to navigate the German language site. Good prices with an auto-applied volume discount made the prices unbeatable as I was ordering enough to get the maximum discount. I also liked that they made sensible recommendations with an item, it made it a lot easier to get the right bits together in one order. A bit slow with responding to queries, and some items did take a long time to get in (e.g. my custom-drilled baths). Delivery was fine with nothing missing or damaged. Paid by BT.

 

PVO for lighting. I emailed prior and they offered a discount code based on my volume. I only purchased SLV LED products, which seem to be solid and reasonable value, though they may not be to everyone's taste. I made my shopping list through CEL's catalogue and ordered on PVO. Fast delivery, one damaged item that was quickly rectified. Paid by BT.

 

Milpe for rooflights. I did not order from the webshop direct as the windows I wanted were specific, but they were fast to respond by email and delivered quickly with no damages. Bear in mind leadtime for manufacture of products. Paid by BT.

 

wagner-sicherheit for some very specific stainless door stops for external doors. Emailed and offered a good discount, quick delivery. Paid by BT.

 

There were others e.g. for stainless external post box, rubber strips for internal doors (these give a luxurious feel to door closing - a nice touch!). Opportunistic purchases.

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Oh and if you need to transfer funds in a foreign currency, suggest you steer clear of banks, paypal and such as they take a big cut. Try the specialist companies like transfergo and transferwise. I use both and they are quick and fuss-free, I compare rates on the day and chose the cheapest.

 

If you want to use these I can give you an introductory code, they will both give you some benefit (e.g. free transfer) as well as a small kickback to me (in the interests of full disclosure!)

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  • 4 months later...

To resurrect this thread if that is ok ....

 

I am doing quite a major build and need 6 bathrooms,  triple glazed wooden windows, large runs of bifold doors, kitchen x 2, 2000 sq feet ish of Oak flooring, bathroom tiles etc. 

 

I asm importing a pool cover ( electric float on slats) from China which is about 40% of the UK price and I wondered if others had looked at this to bathrooms, windows, kitchens etc.?

 

I have had a look at MegaBad and the prices dont seem that keen, but of course it is driven by exchange rate to some extent.

 

I can find remarkable little on line other than this thread about self importing and would welcome any guidance .

 

 

Thank you 

 

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I can't add much I'm afraid.

UPVC windows came from Merseyside in the end, and ended up having to get MasterCard to chargeback as they were faulty but the supplier would not refund me.

I bought a kitchen tap from China on eBay - nice enough tap, but wrong colour turned up. Lots of typical Chinese seller rubbish about refunds etc. Ended up with eBay refunding me.

 

The moral of the story I guess is to ensure that you have some kind of buyer protection!

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There was  a good thread on e build in 2015  -  see http://www.ebuild.co...hop#entry105591  . Most of my contribution is still relevant , as follows:

 

I  haven't bought kitchen appliances from Megabad, but I have bought bathroom ceramics, bath and bathroom fittings/accessories (V&B, Duravit, Grohe,Geberit ) for 5 bathrooms and 2 cloakrooms ( 2 houses) new build recently and old house in 2010. Good service and terrific prices but strangely they don't seem to be competitive on shower enclosures, shower trays. There is another German supplier Reuter that my son has used Reuter http://www.reuter-shop.com/ - this is their English website, which is an advantage as I think Megabad have only a German language website and takes a bit longer to navigate ( though you can through Google Translate). There are dozens of German, Dutch and Belgian websites offering everything you might need..

There a some tips from my experience that may help:

  • Plan carefully before you order and ensure that you ordering the exact Model No as you would buy in the UK (go to showrooms to choose your stuff and make detailed notes and get the catalogues) . It's not so much of a problem with ceramics, taps etc but it can be problematic with anything electrical. Two examples - i bought a Keuco Bathroom cabinet and it did not meet UK Wiring Regs for installation in a bathroom. My son bought a Grohe Red Duo boiling tap and it was German model, which did not meet WRSA regulations (one of which is that the highest temperature must be less than 99.5C ( if I remember correctly) Also, it came with different fittings and without the filter included with the UK version, which is why it was cheaper.
  • One very good thing is that these two suppliers, and almost certainly all similar German suppliers, have very good and very efficient returns policies.My son returned it quickly, they sent him a Returns Label and instructions by email and received a full refund with no hassle.
  • All the prices are in euros. I have a SAGA Credit card (no comments please...) that has  O%  Sterling Transaction Fee (usually 2,75% for Visa and 3% for AMEX) and also charges best market exchange rates. So, this is an instant 2.75% saving over a normal credit card or FX sites..... There are a few companies that offer this benefIt - MoneyMarket,com comparison site is a good source

We have also used AVOLTA, VOLTUS, eibMARKT  ( Germany)for KNX and electrical items, VIEFFE (Italy)for Elica Kitchen Extractor Fan,  DACHMAX(Poland) for FAKRO 3G rooflight, 

 

 

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I got my 24 UPVC and wooden doors from E.Europe (German system) for 17.6k inc transport. Better than the utter crap service you get here and they are PassivH. I can dig out the details.

 

In euros too!

Edited by oranjeboom
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