Small questions thread

[Urthwhyte]

His women's sizing is really confusing especially when you compare drkshdw to mainline. Looking at it now tho my tanks are/were 38 and fit 44, but I'm L in DRKSHDW jackets and hardly broad of shoulder.

[mattizzle]

So the length will be the same on the Men and Women version(The Limo Boxer Pod Shorts)?

Thanks guys

[dmash]

i have a question, i figured id just ask her instead of mucking up darklands thread.

why would they charge USA guys VAT? i've never had a problem ordering from overseas when they deduct VAT as when I get hit w/ customs from UPS/Fedex/DHL it evens everything out. but paying VAT and then paying customs on top of that would make it cheaper for me to buy some of these items in the states.

ps, this isn't a *rant per say, just genuinely curious why they would charge us VAT, especially being a forum affiliate.

[sshum88]

^ VAT

There was an extensive discussion about this in the past. Can't recall the exact reasons - not all retailers are setup to handle this. Do a search to find the discussion.

[beardown]

There have been recent VAT discussions in the international ordering thread. Might try asking over there. I think like so much governmental red tape and bureaucracy most people don't really understand many of the aspects of taxes, duties, import fees, custom fees, VAT, etc.

I know I don't. I know how VAT is handled when you purchase in person in the EU and then return to the states in terms of getting a refund but it was always my impression that mailorder is handled differently.

I'd post in the other thread and see if someone can help out who has ordered from Darklands to the U.S. in the past.

[Soul Pill]

I have a European online business (UK). By law we have to charge UK and European Union members VAT on purchases, but VAT is automatically removed at checkout when the buyer selects their home country as being outside the EU.

It does take a bit of setting up when u program the website, especially as the govt. keeps changing the VAT rate, but it's not hard. It is also illegal to charge VAT to a non-EU member country.

btw: Postage charges are all VAT-able regardless of the destination

[lowrey]

I have a European online business (UK). By law we have to charge UK and European Union members VAT on purchases, but VAT is automatically removed at checkout when the buyer selects their home country as being outside the EU.

to be clear, this is only the case when you have a proper e-commerce system that provides this, right?

I'm curious to know what the process is like for actually sorting this with the tax authorities, I'd assume they want you to somehow declare the goods as being exported outside the EU? By default, a business is probably obliged to charge VAT for everything they sell, otherwise you could just choose whether or not to charge and pay VAT

[Soul Pill]

Yes, we take off the VAT at checkout automatically if the customer enters a shipping address (matching card payment address) outside EU.

Taxwise, when you fill out your quarterly VAT return, you just have a load of non-VAT income which you put in the appropriate box.

On my site, the advertised prices include VAT wherever in the world you are viewing the website; we could have had different prices and currencies viewable depending on viewers' IP address location for example, but that was quite an expensive option.

There's a more in-detail UK report here:

http://www.official-documents.gov.uk.../1051/1051.asp

The only doubt I have in the system is if an EU resident enters a fake address outside the EU they could purchase certain items which don't require a shipping address, that we have available digitally for download, VAT free. But as a security measure the merchant services (card payment) checks their manually entered address against the address the card is registered at and sometimes (several criteria used) rejects the payment if they don't match.

[sshum88]

Okay, here's the thread where it was discussed at great lengths. Start with post #3046.

And I know the same has been asked of Canadian retailers where the tax can be as much as 13% on top of the price paid. There's no simple answer.

^ VAT

There was an extensive discussion about this in the past. Can't recall the exact reasons - not all retailers are setup to handle this. Do a search to find the discussion.

[endorphinz]

I'm lookin for a sterling silver buckle to accommodate a 11/2 inch leather strap. I have a guidi q15 with a non adjustable strap. great bag, great leather and versatile size but why it was ever made with a non adjustable strap is a mystery. (I know the newer iterations are adjustable)
I wanna bring the bag to a cobbler and have him sew on the buckle thereby making the strap adjustable.
the net is full of ornate stuff. I want sumthin simple and wound appreciate not having to sift thru pages of western ranger sets.

any recs??

ps: has anyone ever modified the strap for the q15? or any bag for that matter?

thanks

[dmash]

do any of you guys cut your BBS 'straps' off? I picked up the ss12 oiled lamb high neck and I'm just having thoughts about leaving it on or not. basic tees and stuff, no big deal. sort of weird i'm thinking to just have it hanging off such a nice outerwear piece.

[magic]

if you doesnt like the strap, just cut if off.

[KingJulien]

What is the durability like on MA+ boots? The only reason I ask is because some of his (non footwear) designs look like they were cut with a flint knife, but hopefully that doesn't preclude them having some longevity.

[messenoire]

do photos of any pieces from tatsuro horikawa's nuke exist?
also this is a long shot but i have a shredded/destroyed tank in a substantial black fabric from the 90's with the label "mass public squat" with a star symbol and it says "property of AG" "commonwealth japan" as i am guessing that it is in no way related to the ex diesel designer i was wondering if anyone could shed a bit of light on where it may be from and if the line still exists. a long shot i know but i've had it in my collection for a long time and don't know it's origins. i can take photos of the label when i get home.
also on the subject of the bbs tag, it's one of the biggest bummers and i know sz is not about branding but i think it's a tricky workaround that is immediately identifiable and always looks out of place. i havent cut any of mine off just in case i want to resell something but it's still a bit cumbersome especially when layering basics and you have a bulk of weird plastic shoe strings on the back of your clothing

[cjbreed]

What is the durability like on MA+ boots? The only reason I ask is because some of his (non footwear) designs look like they were cut with a flint knife, but hopefully that doesn't preclude them having some longevity.

m.a+ footwear is some of the best available. built to last. at the risk of taking an internet beating, i may even prefer it to carpe diem. just sayin'

also, m.a+ clothing is for the most part built to last and evolve with the wearer. maurizio's forte is leather. that is partly due to this unique ability of leather to sustain, protect, and evolve. also, using leather, one is able to accomplish a lot with the bare minimum of material. a single layer in many cases. which is another hallmark of grandma's work. one of his goals in choosing fabrics is to achieve this same level of performance. fabrics that perform like leather. as a result, a lot of his stuff is the most hardy that i've come across in this little niche of ours. the fabrics often times appear to be one thing (rough, stiff, cheap) but evolve to be something entirely different (second skin). just this weekend i was caught in a torrential downpour wearing an m.a+ cotton jacket and m.a+ boots and my feet stayed dry and my jacket emerged unscathed.