Experience of shipping to the UK / Worldwide

[ukemo]

Hey Emo's.
Am considering getting the XPA-5 shipped to the UK. I am pretty set on my amp choice so the only thing holding me back my fear of the potential damage from sending this beast half way across the world and handled by some guy who doesn't appreciate what's inside...

I know the unit would obviously be well packaged prior to shipping, and all should be OK - but surely no amount of packaging could protect it from a heavy drop, the potential of which cannot be ruled out. And there may be no obvious signs of it having being dropped when received.

I'm worried that even if I get it and it all seems to work OK at first, some of the delicate parts/connections/electronics inside may fail after 1 month, 2 months or 6 months due to some kind of blunt shock during shipping.

In the past I've ordered a custom PC for recording music on, and it was so badly damaged in transit I had to send it back. It only went from London to Kent, but when I opened the box it the cover of the CD tray was bent, the internal fan had snapped off and was lying on the RAM, plus loads of other bits were loose....so this is why I'm a bit wary of shipping anything electrical (I normally go out of my way to collect my AV stuff in person, which I guess is much easier in England than in the US).

I would love to hear some feedback from anyone who has ordered internationally to try and reassure me that your stuff arrived in one piece without any shipping related issues, particularly from anyone in the UK.

Cheers

ps - if anyone in the London / Kent area has an XPA-5 and wouldn't mind giving me a demo that would be great!

[DYohn]

If you use the original Emotiva double-box packaging it should make the trip just fine as long as you use a reputable shipper. Like you say, no packaging can protect anything from every possibility... that's why insurance is also a good idea.

-edit - Oops, I thought you are talking about shipping YOUR amp, not ordering a new one from Emotiva. If you are ordering new, go for it. They have shipped their amps all over the world without incident.

[hokienation]

Hi ukemo,

I live in Australia and recently received a USP-1.....no issues. Shipping quote was more than reasonable and dealing with customer service was great.

[Topend]

I've had 6 Emo items shipped to me in Australia with Fedex. 5-7 days wait and never a problem.

[mysterymachine]

I had my UPA-5 moved overseas.. they damaged my bed, my desk, and destroyed a filing cabinet but the UPA-5 arrived perfectly. I used the original boxes - I think Emotiva does a good job with their box choice / construction.

[hiacedrifter]

On a similar note... has anyone shipped an Emotiva item to the UK recently? What were the taxes etc? I believe there is a list of "categories" or "codes" used for taxation, some are cheaper than others - does someone have that list please?

[odin2ken]

Hi all....Im from singapore,also ordered a xpa-5,it came to me early,and the packaging is double boxed,box is in perfect shape as well....im very happy with my purchase,so u should be worry free too....have faith in emo

gonna get xpa-2 soon !

[wizardofoz]

Lots of gear here in Singapore for sure, seldom any damage, physically anyway.