Has anyone bought Resmed products online from the States?

[jonpspencer2]

Cutting Plug Off

Hi, instead of cutting the plug off, why not go to a Maplin or other electrical store and purchase a brand new UK cord with a Moulded Plug? These are very cheap at £2 or £3 and you can be certain that nothing can get into plug or wire it up incorrectly etc, plus it looks so much better to.

Goodness knows how yours got through customs without a hitch, was it labelled as medical equipment?

Good Luck with your new machine and have fun and a good nights sleep.
Jon.........

[Tigers Fan]

Arrived from the US this morning

Now that's impressive! I ordered Wednesday evening from a retail company in Virginia, USA and it was delivered this morning as I was sitting down to breakfast! Mind, for the USD150 shipping cost, I hope it flew 1st Class.

However - USD1500 worth of APAP with A-Flex, full face mask and a whole bunch of spare parts sailed through UK Customs and Excise with nothing more than a 'CLEARED' stamp to show for it.

$764.25 for the APAP, with humidifier and SmartCard. $179.00 for the full face mask. $55.00 for mask cushions. You won't be far away by dividing by two to get to £Sterling.

All I have to do is cut the US two-flat-pin plug off the power cord and a fit a British plug, and it's ready for set-up and use. Oh! yes! - and put a Kite Mark sticker on it to make it exactly the same as you'd buy in UK.

So even with $150 priority shipping ($136 non-priority) my conviction is that buying in the States is way less expensive than buying in UK.

Tigers Fan

[Tigers Fan]

Arrived from the US this morning

Hi Jon

I'm off to Maplin in a minute - thanks for that.

Yes. The supplier enclosed Customs documents - copies of my order - in a plastic "Documents" stick-on-the-box envelope. All were marked "Medical Equipment".

The box went through Customs as I had been lead to believe it should when I called Customs a few days ago - which isn't to say I was delighted and not a little relieved when it arrived this morning, Duty and VAT free.

My sister, Karen, used to care for our Aged P's and she told me that all medical equipment is 0% rated for VAT.

Tigers Fan

[James @ Intus]

Thanks for sharing Tigers Fan... To summarise:

So M-Series Auto A-Flex with Humidifier:

US $764.25
UK £475 + £150 = £625 = $1236.75

Full Face Mask (I assume Comfort Full):

US $179.00 + $55 Extra Cushion = $234
UK £120 + £20 (1018401?) = £140 = $277.52

Delivery:

US $150
UK £15 = $29.73

Total:

US: $1148.25
UK: $1544.00

Saving: $395.75 or exactly £200

Pro's: £200s saving, if no surcharge by HMCE/Courier
Con's: Not a CE marked product, in case of failure, have to send back to the US.

Not a bad deal at that dollar rate!

[Tigers Fan]

Can you buy ResMed any where BUT the States?

Thanks for the summary, James. I agree that a 25% saving is worth having - I just love it! Long may this exchange rate last!

I'd like to pick your brain a little here, if I may. The mask I bought is, in fact, a Resmed Mirage Ultra (hence contributing to this thread, started by Retsyo back in January). I went looking for it on-line in UK to see if it compared for price with your Comfort Full.

There is so much information about, and discussion of, the mask - everything except a retailer and a price. I couldn't find one in the UK! Of course, US retailers filled my UK only searches. I also noticed a dearth of UK retailers of anything OSA related, never mind the brand of equipment.

So here's my question - are there any on-line UK retailers of CPAP's and masks, etc, other than your goodselves?

Supplementary: If not, why not? I'm sure I'm missing the point, somewhere.

Tigers Fan

[Tigers Fan]

Ripples on the pond

After a few days of believing everything had gone smoothly, I received an invoice from FedEx - for 17.5 % of the cost of the equipment I'd bought in the States plus a £6.80 fee for having paid the VAT bill for me.

Not amused!!

HMRC say it's Fedex's responsibility to submit the right code and FedEx say that HMRC give them the code and then charge accordingly. Either way, seems that my stuff went through Customs as 84733080 - computer parts, chargeable at 17.5%. All I know is that FedEx paid the VAT so they can claim it back! The VAT calculation is printed on the back of the list of goods I imported - with 'CPAP' and 'Medical Equipment' written all over it.

A nice young man from HMRC, Southend called this morning to inform me that CPAP's should be coded 9018908500, medical equipment, a zero rated code.

I have told this to FedEx and suggested they can get their money back from the National Duty Repayment Centre at Southend, as the nice young man told me.

I'll come back and confirm the glitch has been sorted - then we'll all know that 9018908500 is indeed the 0% import tariff code for CPAP's.

Tigers Fan

[buildone]

Buying from USA

I bought my Respironics remstar Auto Cpap c/w A/flex from the USA with no hitch. Arrived 5 days after order, Had to go to a few different company’s till I found one that would ship here. Half the price of the UK $750 inc shipping.
As I mentioned in my introduction bought the wrong machine 1st time, I have a Brand New Remstar M Auto Bipap Machine c/w Bi-flex arriving this week which I cannot cancel as already shipped from USA, If anyone is interested in buying it please let me know. Paid £550 so looking for offer of that amount, Will ship for free within UK. Comes with Bag and hose. Uk price over £1000.

Regards
Andy

[Tigers Fan]

Time limit exceeded

Fedex e-mailed me on the 31st July to say they would sort out the Custom's refund. I have not heard from them since so I conclude that the matter is, indeed, sorted.

This means that 9018908500 is the import tariff code to use for CPAP importation, and is 0% rated for VAT and excise.

Tigers Fan

[Peter Hall]

Remstar Respironics CPAP Machine

Hi Thread, i bought the same Cpap machine on-line from CPAP-Europe, just over a year ago. I paid the same as you for it and had used it without any problems, it definately improved my sleep and stopped me snoring. I have since been issued with a machine on the national health so i no longer require it and intend to sell it, only because i have been issued with one. I would strongly recommend the machine to anyone who has to buy one.

[Tigers Fan]

Positively 9018908500

I've just imported a couple of heated hoses from Australia and Down Under Don put the magic number 9018908500 on the UK Customs slip. The package went through Customs without a glitch andf arrived at my home free of Duty and VAT.

Positive evidence that 9018908500 is the correct code to use for importing CPAP equipment (and any other medical equipment for personal use).

Tigers Fan

[Tigers Fan]

Sorted!

FedEx have sent me a credit note to cancel the bill they sent me - thus proving 9018908500 is the right import code for CPAP.

Respironics have accepted without question that my 'M' Series APAP warranty from the US is valid in UK and are busy arranging a loaner rig while they investigate my own (damaged in transit from North Wales; the humidifier control light flashes all the time and the heater doesn't heat).

Point for all you non-humidified hose-heads; it's not about need vs don't need - it's about it being so much more pleasant when humidified!! as well as better for your nose, apparently! One night without humidification is enough to prove this to me. Lush, tropical heated hose, moist air is suddenly like breathing Mistral air, albeit without the dust.

Tigers Fan

[Tigers Fan]

A good way to go again!

A bit of recession busting / money saving can again be had by buying in the States.

A sparkly new Sandman Auto-CPAP with built-in humidifier in UK is £645 and from the US retailer I bought my machine from is USD 589 or £364 at today's rate. Shipping on top of that and a UK plug/ figure 8 lead to replace the US version. International company so warranty will be good in UK.

TF