International Ordering

[PPK]

Order items from Lazzari last week but unfortunately, Matteo receive only Wire transfer. Not credit cards. Due to concerns about the local customs.

[Raw]

They accept paypal.

[t-bone]

As an update, Antonioli did open up a "tracer" with UPS for me, so now I just have to wait 3 days for UPS to either find my package or declare it lost. Not sure what the process is for a refund in that case but I have no doubt it will be taken care of.

[Faye]

I kinda don't understand how antonioli handles taxes and customs policy for switzerland.

in their faq is first written this:

DDU(Delivery Duty Unpaid)
If you live outside of the European Community, shipments are subject to import duties, local taxes and customs fees. Payment of these DDU fees is the sole responsibility of the Client.

Continents: Africa, North America, South America, Australia and Asia.

European Continent Countries outside of the European Economic Community: Gibraltar, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

then this:

Please be reminded that shipments destined outside of the European Community (except USA/JAPAN/SWITZERLAND) are subject to import taxes and duty fees (DDU Deliver Duties Unpaid) based on your home country's regulations.

what does EXCEPT mean here? don't these 2 quotes contradict each other?

[Goldsmith]

Refund

I would like to get your opinion on this. Last night I purchased from a shop with online web site,the shop is in Europe I am in the USA. The item was 30% off before the item was shipped the item went to 50% off but I was not so far given the additional 20% off. It was about 12 hours from online purchase to confirmation of shipping and at that time I was notified that 50% was the discount but not told I was given it. I have written many times today requesting this as they had the item in their possesion at the time of further reductions. I will most likely not have the package for 5 days. Should I get the 20% additional discount or an I being unreasonable? They have so far not responded to any of my emails.
Thanks for any input you might have.

[lowrey]

I would imagine that what counts is the price at the time when you place the order. however, I don't think its unreasonable to ask for the additional discount. I don't think the store is in any way obliged to give it, but they might?

[messenoire]

i was told by antoni before that the item was there at the lower discount but they couldnt guarantee it would be there at the higher discount so i was paying the higher price to secure an item that could otherwise have sold out...if that makes sense.

[Dane]

Are there any retailers other than Yoox and LVR that ship DDP (duty paid) to those of us in random, annoyingly understocked countries?

[anomolies]

I recently discovered that it is much cheaper to order current season japanese brands from Japan rather than in the US or UK. In some cases the disparity in retail price is 100%. What's up with that?

So I'm wondering why there's any reason to purchase jeans for $1000 at my local store when I can get them for $500 overseas, and that's with no discounts. Not to mention they often have a better selection

[beardown]

Because to order from Japan, (except for in an handful of situations) you have to pay a proxy and you can bypass certain taxes, duties and fees that retailers have to pay. A lot of proxies will mark as a gift so you don't have to pay them but that's part of the game.

Plus, there are a handful of retailers who carry Julius in the states and they DO have to pay the duties and taxes involved in importing those goods to sell. So while you and your proxy can sidestep those fees, a shop in the U.S. has to go through the proper channels and so what you're paying for when you get Julius at retail in America are:

Cost of shipping, cost of duties, import taxes and fees associated with an agent that can sort that out (it's rather a complicated process to import finished goods into America and not easy for a small shop to manage)

In return, they make it easier for you to take home because all of those fees have been taken care of and are included in their price.

All of the above explain why the prices are different. And there are some retailers that shoot the price up sky high because of how rare the items are in the U.S. I think Blackbird has sold things for twice as much as they retail in Japan but that also leaves them some room for end of season markdowns.

Bottom line: The average person never really had access to a proxy to bypass the american retailer and so if you wanted the brand or item, you had to pay the price.

[Dane]

The first time you get a proxy'd item from Japan that doesn't fit, you realize why sometimes paying the premium is worth it.

[anomolies]

Bottom line: The average person never really had access to a proxy to bypass the american retailer and so if you wanted the brand or item, you had to pay the price.

yea that's the conclusion I've come to as well, but times are changin

[kuugaia]

^ This is a double-edged sword that needs caution in my opinion. If everybody was to proxy their goods from Japan (or elsewhere) to avoid these taxes and fees, what would happen to the retail stores? What would happen to the retailers who give you the ability to try on goods, discover new brands, and offer information/advice? Of course I understand that everybody wants to save money, but it's not like the retailers are ripping people off.

Like Dane said, you'll realize the importance of paying that extra fee when shit doesn't fit or just looks plain ugly from online ordering. I would not be on this site or have discovered this world of clothing (so to speak) if it weren't for stumbling across a retailer in my city. So if I try something on in that store, and I want it, I buy it from that store instead of getting it cheaper online. I'm not saying that's what everybody should do, but I'd hate to see retail shops close and have the shopping landscape change to mostly online. I enjoy the retail shopping experience, the communication. But of course proxies are good, I use them too, but let's hope times don't change too much.

[Dane]

I won't lie...I have tried on Julius jackets, looked at the $3500 pricetag, and went scouring Yahoo!Japan, but generally speaking I only get stuff proxied if I can't find it locally.

Issue I have with local retailers is the sizing...one shop has it stuck in their head that CDG should ALWAYS be worn oversized, even when it's not supposed to, so they only stock M and up. So annoying. Other retailers think they're selling you one-of-a-kind items, so they refused to ever mark them down, even if they're from seasons past. I have no issue bypassing these shops and going online to find it cheaper.

[kuugaia]

^ Oh I am with you all the way. By no means am I trying to say 'support all retailers and don't buy from the online devils', but there's a balance. And I think if you use a store that treats you well and offers good service as a fitting room and always buy online afterwards - that's a bit unfair. But I suppose I'm biased because I've almost always had great service from the stores that stock things I'd buy. But of course, if you're really shaking change to kop some jawns...everyone would go for the cheaper option.

That reminds me though...I did have one bad store experience in Melbourne...fuck that bitch!