Hogue no longer shipping to Europe

[Mark8]

This news will probably be of interest to a lot of members located in Europe:

I was just informed by Hogue that they do no longer ship to Europe. A limited liability company run from a small suburban home in Austria operating 1,5 days/week will provide a subset of products to European customers with prices about 25%-30% above US list prices.

The reason given by Hogue is that shipping times to Europe are too long. It looks like there won't be any stock in Austria (stock list seems to match Hogue USA) so it's hard to see how adding another stop could shorten shipping times, especially for Non-EU countries as everything will now have to be exported from the US, imported into the EU, then exported from the EU to finally be imported into the destination country. But it is for Hogue to decide how to run their business, and for us to decide what and from whom to buy.

 

[teletech]

I wonder if the increased ITAR issues we've been seeing might play into this decision as well?
I've got a couple vehicles I'm working to collect brass for and lately folks can't ship 76mm spent casings. Weird things like vacuum-drilled cap screws are also ITAR items now so lately we just drill them out on the lathe if we just need a few because it takes less time than going through purchasing! I guess that's one way to bring jobs back to the USA. :-\
Anyway, the delays might be about customs and ITAR compliance so it might be the case that is the rational for having a distributor.

 

[Andyd]

I agree with teletech that this issue is most likely related to ITAR compliance. It is not worth the time and effort of the paperwork that has to be filled out for each shipment just to sell a couple of grips. I had helped an Austrian AR manufacturer get 9mm uppers from one of the big outfits here and the work burden is horrendous, on top of that shipping cost from the US to Europe is several times as expensive as shipping from Germany to the U.S. for small packages.

Brownells Germany should be able to get the grips imported in their regular US imports.

 

[Mark8]

Anyway, the delays might be about customs and ITAR compliance so it might be the case that is the rational for having a distributor.

No, the delays do not occur in the USA, Hogue always shipped promptly and USPS usually managed to get the packages out of the US within 2-3 days. The delays occur once the packages reach the postal services of the destination country (customs, sorting, delivery), and yes shipping times have increased because of the online shopping boom caused by Covid, but obviously customers are aware of that (tracking) and don't blame Hogue or USPS. The real reason has very likely something to do with money and jobs, and that's OK, Hogue is a business, and if that is how they want to treat their customers in Europe, then that's how it is.

 

[Bullet Bob]

For the acronym weary/challenged/overwhelmed, ITAR is the International Traffic in Arms Regulations.

 

[bigwheelzip]

.... and for us to decide what and from whom to buy.

One of my Swiss friends realized there was a whole range of consumer goods that were much cheaper in the USA, and that the money saved by coming here to shop would more than pay for the trip. She would arrive here with an extra empty suitcase, then fill it with goodies to bring back.

 

[reddog81]

New VAT regulations imposed by the EU starting 7/1/21 probably made that decision easier. A lot of sellers into the EU will have to start jumping through more hoops to sell their products

 

[Mark8]

New VAT regulations imposed by the EU starting 7/1/21 probably made that decision easier. A lot of sellers into the EU will have to start jumping through more hoops to sell their products

Switzerland is not part of the EU and will remain an independent VAT zone after 7/1/21. Shipping to Switzerland from the USA remains as it has been for a very long time, i.e. the seller in the US simply declares the value of the shipped goods and VAT is then collected from the recipient by Swiss customs when the package enters Switzerland.