Amazon.de unable to source new Warhammer books

[Black Knight]

Since the new year I have not received a single pre-order from Amazon when it comes to Warhammer novels. I think I currently have six books that I am waiting on, their pages no longer offer Amazon as a seller but they haven't been cancelled.

 

Is anyone else experiencing or has any knowledge on this. I thought it may be that they were stuck in a container waiting but its been three months now.

 

Outstanding Books:

 

The Harrowed Paths (Warhammer Horror)

Deacon of Wounds (Warhammer Horror)

Penitent

Pariah

Fabius Bile: Manflayer

Mortis(This was delayed form tis original release date)

 

Blood of the Emperor: A Primarchs Anthology(Releases tomorrow but I am not holding my breath at this stage)

[Black Knight]

Well Fabius Bile: Manflayer just got cancelled on the day it was supposed to arrive. I don't think I can rely on Amazon anymore, are there any German residents that have alternatives?

[infyrana]

I had Prospero on order years ago from Amazon, it took a good 2+ years before they cancelled the order (and I'm in the UK). Given the current issues, I would consider other options.

[excelite]

Depending on the book format and language you like (soft/hardcover) you might find your books at thalia or hugendubel.

 

Also 3rd party sites like fantasywelt, Games-Island or Taschengelddieb have the black library books around

[Taliesin]

I see Amazon.NL and De indeed do not offer anymore though amazon, only through their 3rd party sellers. Very weird.

 

Personally I order through a 3rd party specialist store in Holland who also get the campaign books so hadnt noticed this yet.

 

I assume amazon. uk still delivers though.

Edited March 30, 2021 by Taliesin

[gorg_graggel]

Well Fabius Bile: Manflayer just got cancelled on the day it was supposed to arrive. I don't think I can rely on Amazon anymore, are there any German residents that have alternatives?

Bummer, even though Amazon tends to be a bit more expensive I always appreciated the prime service... Had this happen with the 'Nurglings' kids book. A few weeks ago I got a message that it's being delayed and assumed it was Brexit related. I imagine it actually is, as most other German GW online retailers seem to have lots of issues getting stock.

 

If they have stock the usual suspects can be used as source of Black Library material. fantasywelt.de, kutami.de, taschengeldieb.de, der-tabletopper.de, aussenposten-tabletop.de and of course the mentioned normal bookstores can usually source almost anything in any language as long it is officially supposed to be available.

 

Due to the bad stocking situation I have actually re-started ordering directly in the UK again. Wayland and Element Games. Wayland has a DDP shipping option for around 5 quid and it arrived in Germany in a week via Hermes tracked. This or next week I expect something from Element. Let's see if that is gonna work out as smoothly. They don't seem to have any information on their site regarding the Brexit situation and just seem to operate the same as before, unlike Wayland who seem to have really figured it out and have a whole info page on that topic. And it still turns out slightly cheaper than ordering discounted in Germany. Unless the order is over 150€, then you have to pay customs fees.

 

The mentioned 'Nurglings' book is among the things in that Element order. I have canceled the Amazon order.

Edited March 31, 2021 by gorg_graggel

[Black Knight]

Update: A few of the books came back in stock again, The Harrowed Paths and Mortis but the rest are still absent.

[gorg_graggel]

Update from me as well:

Today I got mail from the customs office. One of the packages from Element Games has arrived there and I'm supposed to make an appointment and bring the documents for customs processing. The other package should arrive tomorrow in theory as it was dispatched a day later.

 

So, I guess this will be quite the hassle and I will have to pay the German VAT on top of the UK one that Element doesn't seem to remove or replace, like Wayland does. Hopefully Element will refund me the UK VAT retroactively.

 

So, I can fully endorse Wayland for delivery to Germany. Cheap, fast and hassle free.

Element I would only recommend if they have something that is otherwise hard to get or more expensive. And I will update how it went in terms of customs/VAT and refunding of it. Probably next week.

[Black Knight]

Yeah I have had four Wayland Parcels now with no problems at all as they take the VAT for customs when you buy, although I believe as soon as you go above ~£130 a higher tax bracket kicks in, so best to keep it under that. I heard Element are refunding but I thought it was automatic so definitely contact them on that.

[Firedrake Cordova]

they take the VAT for customs when you buy, although I believe as soon as you go above ~£130 a higher tax bracket kicks in

The threshold for importing into the UK is £135, and the regulations should be symmetrical as they're a result of an EU directive. :)

 

One "gotcha" on the valuation of the goods is that it's the value (RRP), not the cost (purchase price) which is supposed to be used (not always, it seems, but there are reports of some people getting caught out buying [non-GW] discounted goods and getting charged VAT on the RRP).

[gorg_graggel]

That's importing to the UK. Importing to the EU is €150 afaik, which then of course depends on the current exchange rate. And that threshhold is about customs fees. You always have to pay VAT, but if you go over that amount they also add fees on top. Good thing is that certain goods in Germany have a reduced VAT rate. Books for example. If you open up the package at the customs office (or they believe you based on the name of the item) you'll only have to pay the reduced rate. To have to go to the office though you have to first opt out of the German Post/DHL import service. Otherwise they will just charge you the higher rate and slap on their service fee on top with no chance to challenge it...

 

I'm pretty sure German customs don't give a rat's ass about that gotcha. They will usually charge whatever fees and VAT based on the final purchase price including shipping. You could probably go some legal route, but it usually is not worth the hassle. If you're lucky the seller has the value and VAT listed separately, so they cannot as easily dupe you, but even then they (customs) will try to coax out as much as possible from you. And if you try to be a smart ass with your knowledge about import fees, they will find some other thing to nitpick and potentially make it worse. German officers are douchebags regularly going on power trips to compensate for some personal frustrations...

 

Question is, what does Element refund? Just the flat 20% UK VAT or whatever you had to pay at the customs office? The former would be great, as I would have to pay even less than their already cheaper than others prices, due to most of both my orders are books. I will of course contact them about it, but I'll wait for both packages to arrive at customs, so I don't have to do everything twice. But if anyone knows, it would be appreciated.

Edited April 16, 2021 by gorg_graggel