If you already have 2009.5, there is a 20GB download-only option available $99.

http://www.pgmusic.com/ubbthreads/showfl...ge=0#Post250288

Customs attention in the UK is patchy, somethings I have ordered from abroad attracted duty but the PG Hard Drive with the 2009 software was delivered without any charge. I live in hope that Gordon Brown will not try to offset the country's financial problems at my expense this time.

Lyn

Again, thanks to all that replied, especially Peter himself.

I think i'll probably risk it as I'm very keen on the full inventory of RB tracks.

Merry Christmas All,
Pete

In my experience, it depends on the courier used. Some couriers automatically apply the duty (often with a handling fee) to all packages where the declared value is over the limit - I think it is a way of earning revenue for them through the fee charged. I recall once being charged duty + a £10 fee by UPS for a couple of Region 1 DVDs coming from Amazon in the states where the identified value was loose change over the £18 limit at the time. Sad to say, the driver who demanded the fee was not over happy at the response he got... Other couriers never apply the duty. I can't recall anything which came via the Royal Mail ever having duty charged.

I don't recall ever paying duty on anything from PG - perhaps those checking the parcels are particularly nice to things coming from Canada rather than the US!!

Brian

I have been buying BIAB and getting it shipped to the UK since about version 8. Last year I bought the USB drive version of 2009. For the first time in all those year I was charged duty. The duty amounted to about £3.00, but there was a handling charge from the carrier that put the price up to just short of £11.00

Whilst I feel there is a certain amount of a "rip off" about this, I felt the total cost was not unreasonable and spreading it over all the years it was a bargain.

It will be interesting to see what happens this year.

Hi,

Wow.....be happy you live in the UK and not Mexico. Our version of "Duty" is stuffing $50 into the pocket of the postoffice worker just to make sure the envelope get's here. Not to mention "Helping" Customs officers here. I've been having my stuff sent to a buddy in the States, who then repackages the stuff in a plain brown box, even with this it's a crap shoot to see if I ever get my box.

Ed

Maybe a move to the Lake Chapala area is in order. I played there a few times, and have friends there. Such a large population on Canadians and Americans they don't have those problems often.

But I have a friend with a big sailboat he leaves there, and he has to stash envelopes all over and call and tell someone where to get them so the inspector of white sailboats with 3 masts in harbour on the 3rd Tuesday of the month gets his $50 or else. Then comes the inspector of Sailboats longer than 10 meters and he gets to pay him, and so on.

I did however have to pay $20 bucks US to some cop for permission for our band to play the Mexican National Anthem. That was weird, good thing our host knew that it was illegal, and had a form for the local cop to sign, they could have put us all in jail.

The crazy thing is the Mayor was there, and he collected the 20 from the cop after we were done. Weird.

Got the usb drive today. Cost to pay was £3 +£11 handling costs total £14.13 about $20 us

Probably something to do with the fact that it was classified as computer software adn valued at $40.

Maybe pg are helping us out here.

Thank you.

Paddy

HM Revenue and Customs says:

"If you buy goods online from a country outside the European Union, for instance the USA, Canada, China, Australia you will be charged:

Customs Duty if the amount of duty is €10 (£7) or over
Import VAT if the value of the goods is €22 (£18) and over"

so it looks as if the €22 is EU-wide.

Still a pest though ...

Brian

In conclusion, thnaks to the help and advice here, I finally pressed the button on this so am looking forward to a major play with Real Band mainly in the New Year.

Merry Christmas all,
Pete