buy building materials abroad?

[MrMagic]

People who send contributions northwards we call Quisslings down here !! ;D ;D ;D

 

[Jesca_j]

This thing with Poland sounds very interesting, is it cheaper than going to Germany to shop, do you think?

I'm mainly thinking about tiles and clinkers, but wood flooring/parquet might also be a good idea to buy when you're already down there with a truck? ???

 

[terese]

We are going to buy a car in Germany and thought about buying some building materials like bathroom porcelain, flooring. Is it cheaper there? Is there a website to check?

Thankful for answers/Terese

 

[Immobil]

In general, it is cheaper in Germany. Partly because they only have 16% VAT. Partly because the competition is significantly greater there than here.
Link tips:
http://www.praktiker.de/servlet/PB/-s/1o1b3fb2hd0iex2u07r6ttg2fogpwji/menu/-1/index.html

http://www.toom-baumarkt.de/mainframe.htm

http://www.maxbahr.de/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/de/-/EUR/BOBStorefront-Start

http://www.bauhaus-ag.de/

Viel Glück!

 

[johannathomas]

Check out obi.de as well - a very nice store to visit. They are all over Germany.

/ Thomas

 

[Immobil]

: Oops! I forgot about Globus Baumarkt: http://baumarkt.intersaar.de/

Here is the Obi link that Thomas mentioned: http://www.obi.de/

 

[Nix]

Besides being a pucko, I pretty much don't know any German...

Can you shop online from any of them?
And is there a site in English?

I got a bit tempted by Immobil's cable reel that he was raving about in another thread

 

[Immobil]

Can you shop online from any of them?
And is there a page in English?

It is possible to shop online. But I don't think they ship to Sweden, sorry.
The Germans are still very conservative and stick to their language. I haven't seen any page in English.

P.S. You don't have to be a dimwit just because you can't speak German.

 

[kalleanka70]

Pucko, pucko, pucko!   I can say that I bought a used Merca in April in Berlin with 16% VAT and it was about 35% cheaper compared to Sweden. The booze was naturally cheaper by about 70 SEK for a bottle of Absolut 75 cl. But I don't know how it stands with building materials.

 

[Nix]

It is possible to shop online. But I don't think they ship to Sweden, sorry.
The Germans are still very conservative and stick to their language. I haven't seen any site in English.

P.S. You don't have to be a fool just because you don't know German.

No, it wasn't connected.
I can't speak German. Plus, I am a fool

Too bad then...
I tend to avoid buying cables in Sweden. It feels like a kick in the groin when you see the price tag...

 

[kalleanka70]

One thing struck me...the price is one thing, but what about the warranties?

 

[Nix]

I found this on http://www.minhembio.com/artikel.asp?aid=55

Shopping abroad
This is what is so tempting for many, yet so daunting because they don't know the rules that apply. But I can assure you that it's not much more complicated to shop from abroad than within Sweden. In fact, you can make a really good deal by shopping from other countries. The most important thing is to distinguish between the EU and a third country such as the USA or Japan.




EU

Shopping within the EU is probably the best option when it comes to more expensive products. The EU has a free trade agreement which means that everything you buy, from one EU country to another with a few exceptions, is duty-free. What many dispute is how VAT should be distributed. It has often been said that it is the VAT in the country you buy from that applies, but this is not always the case. E-commerce or mail-order companies with cross-border operations to Sweden must register as tax accountants if they sell for more than 320,000 SEK/year and then pay Swedish VAT for the products sold here. Awareness of this and control is still very poor, but if trade increases, control is also likely to increase. When you shop, the VAT is always included in the price unless otherwise stated. This means that it is the seller's responsibility to charge the correct VAT and ensure it is properly regulated. You don't need to worry about whether it's Swedish, German, or English VAT, you just pay the price stated. You cannot be liable to pay Swedish VAT afterwards.


VAT in different EU countries: (Thanks Marcus!)
Sweden 25%
Germany 16%
England 17.5%



As a customer, you are often satisfied with the transaction as long as you don't have problems with who or what you have bought. When problems arise, it can be good to know what rights you have concerning, for instance, warranties, returns, and delivery times. Every EU country has an equivalent to our Consumer Purchase and Consumer Services Act, but the content may differ slightly. Usually, the seller's country's laws apply, which means that if you shop in Germany, German purchase law applies. What about warranties? Well, many large manufacturers, such as Sony, offer something called a European warranty, which means you can submit your warranty repair to any authorized Sony workshop. If the item is not covered by a European warranty, you can contact the importer for the brand, and with a little goodwill, they will help you. Otherwise, you will have to return the product to where you purchased it. But often you've saved quite a bit by shopping from another country, so it usually pays off anyway.

 

[kalleanka70]

It will probably work with Germany, I checked out Mercan before and it has exactly the same warranties as if it were bought in Schweden (Sweden for non-Germans ) i.e. 2 years factory warranty and 30 years rust, etc.

The question is the blessed newly EU country Poland. Are they in the system yet? There is a certain skepticism on my part that needs to be proven otherwise.

 

[terese]

Thanks for the tips! Now it's time to bring out the German dictionary......
/Terese

 

[Immobil]

Now it's time to bring out the German dictionary......

If there are any issues, just contact me.