Travelling to the US - what would you buy

UKworkshop.co.uk

Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
With good exchange rate maybe

Sachakins: I can remember way, way back when a $ was worth 6s 8d, ie, $3 to the £. I don't think today's rate of $1.31 to the GBP is particularly good! Would anyone care to enlighten me here?
 
Bring back a tanker full of oil or gas. Though in the US gas prices have also risen by 40 %.
My brother tells me that petrol has also shot up, now £4 a gallon.
 
Last time I did this I brought back a USA "Kestral" carbon cycle frame, for a then saving of over £1000.00 not make anymore by USA Kestral, but now a much cheaper version available so lost all its kudos. 😥
 
By the time you’ve paid import duties and vat, most savings will be wiped out. Gone are the days of getting anything past customers with every suitcase being scanned these days.
back in the 90’s I brought back a Celestron telecope, paid $1000 dollars there, was £2000 here. With a $50 pelican case, I just wheeled it through customers. 😉
 
My late brother-in-law always referred to a ‘half crown’ coin - worth 2s6d (25p) as “half a dollar”..
I believe that originated in a time long gone when a pound was worth 4 dollars.

Edit to add, 1940

Further added to say a half crown was = 12.5p :)
 
Last edited:
With good exchange rate maybe

Sachakins: I can remember way, way back when a $ was worth 6s 8d, ie, $3 to the £. I don't think today's rate of $1.31 to the GBP is particularly good! Would anyone care to enlighten me here?
I remember in early 2000,s when the $ dropped to £0.50: I boughht a whole load of HO model railroad kit. When I retired from the hobby 3 yrs. ago, I sold up - everything sold, Australia, Brazil , Europe (a lot to former E. Europe). Never regretted what I'd spent (invested as it turned out), I got my money back with a profit.
 
Re earlier post about difference in mains voltage.
If buying a rechargeable could this be to your advantage as you can sell on the chargers to the trade working on 110v sites.

Colin
 
Take a rip into Canada, Go to a Lee Valley woodworking store, an experience in itself, not just the tools, claim back the Canadian taxes back at the border. I have accessories and pocket hole screws.
 
I believe that originated in a time long gone when a pound was worth 4 dollars.

Edit to add, 1940

Further added to say a half crown was = 12.5p :)

The vernacular was “half a crown”, just saying. And a “2-bob bit”, ie, 2/-, would have been equivalent to 10p. Some of the 2-bobs, or two shilling pieces, we’re marked “Florin”. Aaah, back in the day…

:)

Puts me in mind of the quite funny Michael Palin/Monty Python sketch, where all these geezers were ruminating about the ‘good ol’ days.
 
Hey!!
I resemble that comment. Monty Python! And who could forget Mr Bean! Stupid show but it had me in stitches!

I learned a lot of my initial skills from Jim Kingshot. At first it was like he spoke a foreign language. But you learn. He was a lovely gent who knew his trade. I miss him.
 
By the time you’ve paid import duties and vat, most savings will be wiped out. Gone are the days of getting anything past customers with every suitcase being scanned these days.
I used to go to the US several times a year for work, until covid. While I never really brought anything significant back (I might have bought an iPad once?), I'm not aware of a single occasion where my bag was scanned/inspected by customs coming back into the UK. How does it even work at a busy airport like Heathrow? Where do they stop you and inspect/charge you? My recollection is you just get your bag from the carousel and walk out the door...
 
I used to go to the US several times a year for work, until covid. While I never really brought anything significant back (I might have bought an iPad once?), I'm not aware of a single occasion where my bag was scanned/inspected by customs coming back into the UK. How does it even work at a busy airport like Heathrow? Where do they stop you and inspect/charge you? My recollection is you just get your bag from the carousel and walk out the door...
It's been scanned before it gets to the carousel, every bag from every plane is scanned. Anything suspicious is flagged and you get pulled through customs.
 
I bought a kreg notching router bit, for beaded face frames, and some other kreg kit. I'm going in a few weeks time and will buy some more kregs stuff that's harder to find or more expensive, I.e the other notching bits
 
As a boxmaker I'd visit one of the Rockler stores and buy some pre- planed wood. Rosewood, bubinga and curly maple etc are all available in 1/2" thickness. Getting it home is another question of course . :rolleyes:
 

Latest posts

Back
Top