two issues actually.. are there any regulations for importing a marker from us?
If it is available in the uk then it will usually work out cheaper to buy in the uk even when the bus price is less
If not readily available in the uk contact some retailers and ask if they can slice one
Buying from the us means you pay the us price plus international postage
When it arrives at l the uk the importing courier checks the customs declaration. (Customs may check themselves but its mostly done by the courier as customs are busy looking for more suspicious items)
They look for the type of item to see if it is legal - you may get contacted for a vcra declaration. If its a bling speedball type in bright colours then all the answers are no and it's cleared
If its 'woodsball' then its still fine unless its considered 'realistic' looking
This is subject to opinion though and guns that are freely available in the uk have been destroyed or returned to sender
Next comes finance - if its over a threshold value (which a gun will be) then import vat becomes payable. This is 20% of the value.
The value is assessed at customs, they first go by the declared value but also check uk prices so may value it as higher then the declaration
You get a bill for 20% of the value, plus a courier handling fee between £8 & £20 depending on the courier
Once you pay then its sent to you
It means that unless you slip through the system then you pay more and wait longer, even if you get away with extra fees you still wait longer for international post
Your warranty will be with the us company and not the uk element or their importers
This may or may not make any difference. Techs at events will probably just work on it for you, but they may notice it is a grey import and charge you
Full warranty support involves the serial so the company will know and it's up to them if they honour the warranty as uk reps
Electronic guns in the us will have full auto and burst modes. These are often excluded from UK editions. But that does not make them illegal. You can possess the modes but cannot use them on uk sites
Finally by purchasing from the us you are not supporting the uk traders. Buy from the uk if its available, if its not available then ask someone to bring it in for you. They will quote a fair price and deal with the import problems - as a business they will get it into the uk and be able to charge you less then your importing costs. If its not available then import as you wish
