Ebay UK tools -> USA, issues?

[Danglerb]

I am seeing more and more UK tool sellers on ebay (USA) with stuff that even with shipping is starting to tempt me to buy. Brands we don't get like Sealy and some odd looking tools I don't see from USA sellers (maybe patent issues?)

Any USA buyers of UK tools, what are your experiences?

 

[ChevyEFI]

You forgot to mention Facom.

A couple small items here; no problems.

 

[dankicksass]

I ordered a 14mm spark plug socket from Sealey the other day, shipped from the UK. Didn't really think anything of it, just couldn't find a 12pt 14mm spark plug socket in the Snap-On catalog and figured it's probably Chinese junk but all the stuff I found otherwise was Chinese junk too.

 

[dede2897234]

I've purchased Ko-ken, Britool, and Sealey from UK tool sellers. I too have not experienced any problems.


Dave

 

[nicksnothereman]

I am seeing more and more UK tool sellers on ebay (USA) with stuff that even with shipping is starting to tempt me to buy. Brands we don't get like Sealy and some odd looking tools I don't see from USA sellers (maybe patent issues?)

Any USA buyers of UK tools, what are your experiences?

No warranty no dice. What's the point in actually buying them when you can buy equivalent tools with a warranty?

Just see no reason for it bro...most of the excellent european stuff has a presence in the US anyway. Just saying.

 

[steveo3002]

two things to consider

you wont get it next day ..some buyers still seem to think it will arrive in super fast time

if its a high value item there could be import taxes

 

[Sick Puppy]

There have been a few sellers that have started shipping over the Australia, I'm assuming those same sellers are looking at the states too.

Avoid Draper though as it is of poor quality - I am one for three, and will not be buying this brand again. Any manufacturer that can make a bit driver that does not fit bits , and a precision bit driver where the bits fall out does not deserve my money.

 

[steveo3002]

sealey will generaly be re labeled china stuff so watch out on that , its not often worth paying a premium for anyway

 

[Harrison2]

I get this all the time from US sellers on ebay UK.

one thing, avoid Sealey! they're quality has dropped off alot over the last few years. Last year I got a 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 socket set and atleast 5 sockets in each set the chrome was already chipped on. as i used the rest the chrome rubbed off and chipped like crazy.

screwdrivers and wrenches arn't too bad but no better than gearwrench.

ratchets are no better than GW or kobalt, HF, craftsman.

Some companys too look out for and try are britool, sykes pickavant, elora, facom, hazet.

draper, rolson, silverline, am tech is budget stuff not much better than HF. wouldnt bother trying them.

halfords is hit and miss, the taiwian stuff is as good as taiwian GW.

laser is a good brand, asia made. similar to otc, vim etc.

theres also teng tools which is of course advertised well by the tv show wheeler dealers, thats all asia made and on a par with gearwrench/matco. personally i think they're overpriced for the quality. a very minor truck brand.

by the time you work out shipping its just as best to stick with usa bought. I buy alot of tools in the USA and bring them back to the UK as I find US tool prices considerably cheaper.

 

[theknurl]

I ordered a 14mm spark plug socket from Sealey the other day, shipped from the UK. Didn't really think anything of it, just couldn't find a 12pt 14mm spark plug socket in the Snap-On catalog and figured it's probably Chinese junk but all the stuff I found otherwise was Chinese junk too.

maybe because a 14mm spark plug has a 13/16" hex, you think?????

 

[Moose-LandTran]

maybe because a 14mm spark plug has a 13/16" hex, you think?????

He's referring to small body plugs with a smaller thread and a 14mm 12-point collar. They're used in cars like newers Minis and newer BMWs.

 

[Hootbro]

No warranty no dice. What's the point in actually buying them when you can buy equivalent tools with a warranty?

Just see no reason for it bro...most of the excellent european stuff has a presence in the US anyway. Just saying.

If it is electric or high end high dollar tools, then I can see worrying about a warranty. For me anyways, I can count on one hand the amount of hard line tools I have had to warranty over the years and a warranty is a secondary consideration for me.

Warranty or the lack of it does not mean the tool will be of good quality, if that was the case, Craftsman warranty would mean they make the best of everything and that is not true.

 

[exmaxima1]

He's referring to small body plugs with a smaller thread and a 14mm 12-point collar. They're used in cars like newers Minis and newer BMWs.

Like this:

http://www.sears.com/schwaben-14mm-...1x000001&kpid=00930875000&kispla=00930875000P

 

[Danglerb]

No warranty no dice. What's the point in actually buying them when you can buy equivalent tools with a warranty?

Just see no reason for it bro...most of the excellent european stuff has a presence in the US anyway. Just saying.

Anything I can buy here, I do, but some tools either don't have a US dist or equivalent tool. Mostly its quirky want for no good reason items, like the Norma Breeze hose clamp driver with a flip socket in either 6/7mm or 6/8mm. I have the Ideal branded one, which is I think SAE.

Like these;

 

[steveo3002]

those look pretty funky...what seller did you see those at?

 

[Danglerb]

those look pretty funky...what seller did you see those at?

Norma Flexidriver seems only in Australia, but several online sellers there show it.

Sealy, UK, plenty of sellers, but the one with the hex drive in the handle may be unusual. They are AK6961 for the flat handle, and AK6962 for the handle drive, UK ebay sellers.

 

[Danglerb]

those look pretty funky...what seller did you see those at?

Double jointed driver, Kabo or Kobo, http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/p/tools/hand-tools/workshop-tools1/tool-kits/?537770010&0&t5_229

 

[turdferguson13]

I ordered a 14mm spark plug socket from Sealey the other day, shipped from the UK. Didn't really think anything of it, just couldn't find a 12pt 14mm spark plug socket in the Snap-On catalog and figured it's probably Chinese junk but all the stuff I found otherwise was Chinese junk too.

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?P65=&tool=hand&item_ID=647258&group_ID=682657

 

[steveo3002]

cool -thanks

euro car parts often has good discount codes so look around if buying from them , had a package from them today

 

[brit road garage]

Haha completely the other way round for me, i have had both sealey, facom and other euro tools and some are great like elota stahlwhile but if I lived in America I wouldn't go out of my way to get them, I went out of my way to pick up some craftsmen industrial wrenchs from eBay pay 50 pounds for 9 wrenches and I don't regret a thing


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Rico.]

Just a heads up to anyone thinking of buying Sealey tools.... The positive is they have
a massively huge range of tools, and for the specialist tools that you use once in a blue
moon they are a good choice.

I have a Sealey compressor and most of my air tools are from them and they have all
held up well and nothing has broken yet. I would guess they are comparable to the
Harbour Freight Pitsburgh Pro line.

Now, the thing to watch out for is they have two tier's of tools, Their budget range
which is called Siegen and their "Top" line which is called Sealey Premier. Allot of eBay
sellers are sneaky and list their items as say "Sealey combination spanners" When they
are really Siegen.

The Siegen stuff is really low quality, probably be ok if you only look at them gentley, but
at the minimum you want the Sealey Premier stuff, which to be honest, even though the
stuff I have is fine and works ok, is only middle of the road stuff... A fair ways from "Premier"
but more than acceptable for a DIYer... Lifetime warranty too and the company is
superb to deal with, from personal exprience when I wanted to buy some spare parts.

The price though, is really good on some tools and definitely worth a look....
However, if I were in the USA, I would look no further than the Pro stuff from
Harbour Freight.... I would be willing to bet that allot of it, especially the
specialist tools, is the same stuff.

The key to determine if it's Sealey Siegen or Sealey Premier are the model numbers...
Anything that starts with "SO" is Siegen and anything that starts with "AK" is from their
Premier range and really the only range worth a look.

Cheers...

 

[jd100]

How about the other way round has any of you fellow uk guys bought used/new tools from us on ebay and how do you get aroun an import duty some snap on or higher quality tools seem so much cheaper over the pond. Thanks

 

[Rico.]

How about the other way round has any of you fellow uk guys bought used/new tools from us on ebay and how do you get aroun an import duty some snap on or higher quality tools seem so much cheaper over the pond. Thanks

Quite bizzarely I bought a new sealed Facom 1/4" socket set from the States, I already
had one, but thought it would be nice to keep another in the house, and it was on
ebay for a quarter of the price they normaly list at. The seller had good feedback, so I
thought I'd take a chance with the real expectation that it was a fake or something else
other than listed, but it turned up still sealed and perfectly genuine...

I had to pay about £10 import duty. Not really anyway of getting around it unless the
seller is willing to say it's a gift or say's the value of the item is not worth more than about
$20. Not many would be willing to do this sort of thing.

I still to this day don't know how an American seller ended up with a brand new Facom
socket set and was able to sell it so cheap, but after two trips accross the Atlantic it's
finally found a permanent home.

 

[jd100]

Rico how did you go about paying the import tax or was it included in the shipping price. Sounds like you got a good deal ive a couple facom 1/2 ratchets and there always the first i pick up to use!

 

[Rico.]

Rico how did you go about paying the import tax or was it included in the shipping price. Sounds like you got a good deal ive a couple facom 1/2 ratchets and there always the first i pick up to use!

These days you can pay for your import duty fee during the paypal checkout phase
with some sellers.... With my deal it was just held at the local post office parcel depot
and I had a notification posted through my door with the details that there was a parcel
for me there, and to turn up pay the duty and collect it.... job done. However, the post
office add a few quid to the bill, so if you can pay for the duty during checkout... Do so.


I have a few thousand quids worth of Facom tools now, and after many years of use
all of it feels and works as good as new.... I am definitely a fan.

 

[steveo3002]

sometimes a seller will agree to mark the purchase as a low value gift , should avoid taxes that way

the ebay deal where you can pay in advance works good too , that way theres no delay and no collection fee of £8-10

 

[Bigplum]

Anything I can buy here, I do, but some tools either don't have a US dist or equivalent tool. Mostly its quirky want for no good reason items, like the Norma Breeze hose clamp driver with a flip socket in either 6/7mm or 6/8mm. I have the Ideal branded one, which is I think SAE.

Like these;

The little wrench top right corner is ok , but very light duty, I've got one , been handy a few times though

Someone posted that Draper is a bit junky, ( it is) but look out for Draper Expert that's much nicer , the spanners always feel nice and are slender , pretty sure it's the same as the Elora brand , older Britool stuff is pretty much bombproof too

 

[Bigplum]

How about the other way round has any of you fellow uk guys bought used/new tools from us on ebay and how do you get aroun an import duty some snap on or higher quality tools seem so much cheaper over the pond. Thanks

I had my pants pulled down by customs for a maglite that was unavailable over here, ended up paying £35 in duty and Handling fees ..... And the maglite is the worse one I've ever had.

One make of tool to avoid importing is Bergen , a german sounding name but from god knows where , I've yet to see a point of origin on the packets , always sold by dodgy ***** looking types from worn out old vans at markets

 

[theknurl]

He's referring to small body plugs with a smaller thread and a 14mm 12-point collar. They're used in cars like newers Minis and newer BMWs.

my '66 Chevy has plugs threaded M14 X 1.25
the '04 Aprilia RSVR has plugs threaded M12 X 1.25
the '08 MV Agusta has plugs threaded M10 X 1.0

they all use the same plug wrench 5/8" or 16mm


I have been turning wrenches since '59 and have never seen a spark plug with a 14mm wrenching surface OR a 12 point spark plug or plug wrench either

 

[Danglerb]

At least one party in a deal with international shipping needs to really know how things work and be up to date on all the carriers and duty practices.

My main hobby are my three Porsche 928's, and despite many parts originating in Germany, many owners in Germany and Europe find one of the USA parts sellers to be the best to deal with, but the two main ones do a LOT of shipping internationally.

 

[Moose-LandTran]

my '66 Chevy has plugs threaded M14 X 1.25
the '04 Aprilia RSVR has plugs threaded M12 X 1.25
the '08 MV Agusta has plugs threaded M10 X 1.0

they all use the same plug wrench 5/8" or 16mm


I have been turning wrenches since '59 and have never seen a spark plug with a 14mm wrenching surface OR a 12 point spark plug or plug wrench either

Well here in Europe a number of our newer cars use plugs with an M12x1.25 thead and a 12-point 14mm collar. I've been a mechanic since '07 and have encountered spark plugs with 14mm, 16mm, 18mm, 21mm and 22mm collars. They're out there.

 

[brit road garage]

read my other post iv always preferred american stuff although im tempted by toptul

 

[brit road garage]

also rico is right i needed some whitworth stuff so i bought some premier 3/8 drive sockets and a siegen wrench set, i also bought a premier breaker bar, the sockets and breaker are exceptional quality for the 20 pounds i paid for the both but the spanners are pretty average, i mean i wasnt expecting anything special at 25 pounds a set but i just wish they did the premier stuff only and not that other ****

 

[SpannerMonkey]

I am in the UK and my first tools were Draper and Sealey. I bought the cheapest Draper trolley jack and torque wrench. I bought a Sealey Premier 1/2" socket set and big breaker bar. That was over 15 years ago and I am still using the same tools today.

Both companies make decent tools BUT they also make real rubbish too. As Rico says, avoid the Siegen stuff like the plague. I bought a few Siegen spanners to fill some holes in the range and they're horrible. I've buried them at the back of my toolbox where I can't see them. Not all of the Sealey stuff is Asian. It's made in a right mix of places including Denmark and the UK.

Draper rebrand a lot of other companies stuff. I bought an 18mm Draper ratchet spanner and it's got both Draper and Gearwrench brands on it. They sell loads of Knipex pliers too. I'm not a fan of Drapers own hand tools though.

 

[zakmartin]

I'm 2 for 3 successes with UK Ebay purchases. One bleeder wrench I ordered never made it. I put in a claim with Ebay after 40 days and the money was promptly refunded. About 60 days later, a shredded paper envelope (no bubble wrap) showed up from the USPS along with a claim form. Since I already got my money back, and I didn't feel like getting hassled over a $20 tool, I tossed it. The claim form from the USPS said that any items that come out of their envelopes are sent to a central processing center and you need to file the claim within 14 days or you probably wouldn't get what was sent to you. Two other items I ordered on Ebay (a swivel spark plug socket and a specialty wrench) arrived without any problems. I kind of blame the sender on the lost bleeder wrench since he sent it in a paper envelope... what did he really expect would happen?

 

[rhandwor]

I have purchased a few Laser,Stahlwille,Koken,and a few other items mostly not manufactured by US manufacturers. I have been pleased with the products.

 

[BJ42LX]

I just bought one of these this afternoon:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/181191652614

I've had this on my watch list for a while:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/161172563934

 

[theknurl]

I ship things internationally for 3 motorcycle forums, I use the Post Office.....they've never lost anything
I buy world wide on Ebay......never a problem, never paid a dime in duty......worst place to ship to? the UK they hose you folks on duty.....but I'm creative

slowest place to ship to? English Channel Islands ~30days, the Royal post throws it into the Thames.......and currents float it to the Channel Islands....coming FROM there 5-7 days go figure?

#2 Western Australia 10-14days, they have a 3 legged camel drag it across OZ on a sledge and OZ has the 79" rule length + girth......unlike the rest of the World

to South Africa.....by courier only.......Mexico same deal

 

[nicksnothereman]

I am seeing more and more UK tool sellers on ebay (USA) with stuff that even with shipping is starting to tempt me to buy. Brands we don't get like Sealy and some odd looking tools I don't see from USA sellers (maybe patent issues?)

Any USA buyers of UK tools, what are your experiences?

Probably an exchange rate deal. I don't order internationally unless it's cheap enough that I don't care whether or not it arrives (so I don't have to track them down in real life). Yeah, I'm one of those dudes...honor, equity, and justice type

If you do it, get trackable shipping.

 

[steveo3002]

if you wana estimate the cost to ship stuff , try parcel2go.com you can send a smallish box with 5kg via ups fully tracked for £28 ish , ive shipped stuff before and theyre pretty good

happy to take in stuff at my address and forward however you like as long as you cover the costs