Anyone used Oriental Trading Company?? Are they any good???

[alfielooloo]

I have spent most of today looking through the usual Baker Ross etc for ideas for Christmas Bazaar at School. I have found this Oriental Trading website tonight which are selling things for a fraction of other suppliers are. I think they are american? Anyone used these before & how long for delivery? Do you pay extra for inporting goods?? I have never ordered outside the UK before so am naive to it all. Any advice graatefully received

Yes, I have used them. The stuff is great, they will ship to the UK, shipping will be based on weight. Delivery within (as far as I can remember) about 10 days.

But - you will get hammered for VAT by customs, plus a whopping (~£20 IIRC)handling charge from Parcelforce - all of which you will have to pay on delivery - so the savings may or may not get wiped out... however they do stock stuff which people won't have seen a million times before. The only way to avoid the is if they are shipped to a company (implication being VAT exempt - you would have to check the legality if it is the school - I have done it once because the things I was ordering were to be used as work giveaways).

HTH.

How would a company be vat exempt?? How would I check this out??

Anyone else know anything about how we can avoid paying VAT? I am clueless with these matters but would really like to order the stuff as it is so different from the usual Baker Ross tat we normally use, the kids would love it

, Califrau (at your easy access to such resources!). I should probably add that I have only used them for party stuff, not scrapbooking - and the quality of (for example) ludicrously cheap cuddly dragons was fine.

Alfie - I think you probably have to resign yourself to paying the VAT, and work costs out accordingly. HMRC guide to VAT