Best Price for Bose A20

[24seven]

Does anyone know where online you can get the best deal for a Bose A20 Headset?

Either in the USA or UK preferably and from a reputable supplier.

Thanks


(I apologise now if this goes against forum rules if people start suggesting particular retailers etc)

[riverrock83]

Are you travelling to the USA? You are likely to be hit with paying UK import duties if you get it posted from there to the UK. This pretty much removes any saving you make by buying across there. I presume you have to pay VAT.
If you are travelling to the USA (or can get someone to bring them back for you and they don't declare them at customs when coming back) then the USA is considerably cheaper.

Also - which version are you looking for, so people can compare like with like (GA twin plugs without bluetooth)?

eg (to start) for GA twin no bluetooth
In UK:
Aviation Pilot Shop - UK Aviation Supplies - Mendelssohn Pilot Supplies (http://www.gps.co.uk/) £885 incl VAT
In USA:
Bose® A20® Aviation Headset, no Bluetooth (battery powered, twin plugs) - Sporty's Pilot Shop (http://www.sportys.com/PilotShop/product/14866) $995 (about £641)

[mrmum]

Apparently Bose run a really tight price setting operation with their approved retailers, so you probably won't see any price difference between "reputable" suppliers within a country. They're not allowed to discount, or to sell to intermediate retailers, only to end-users. I hear that Bose also actually "mystery-shop" their retailers to check that they are behaving.:*
I've bought in the US, if you show a UK passport you can avoid sales tax there, then just brought them back in my luggage, totally tax free that way.:ok: Throw all the packaging and receipts away, get the US retailer to email you them if you really want them.

[simoon]

There is a pair on ebay at the moment from the US
BOSE A20 BLUE TOOTH NOISE CANCELLING HEADSET PILOT AIRPLANE AVIATION SHIPS WW | eBay (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BOSE-A20-BLUE-TOOTH-NOISE-CANCELLING-HEADSET-PILOT-AIRPLANE-AVIATION-SHIPS-WW-/271012246484?pt=Motors_Aviation_Parts_Gear&hash=item3f1996b3d4)

Not sure if you would get them back tax free though - best talk to the seller. Also warranty could be an issue

[172driver]

I've bought in the US, if you show a UK passport you can avoid sales tax there

No, unless you find a gullible retailer or buy at the airport, legally you can't. This does work quite often, though, as not many US sales people get confronted with this situation too frequently.

You CAN avoid US sales tax if you buy online, although I think (not sure) that that doesn't work in all states. Check.

In Europe you might find a better price looking at some of the pilot shops on the Continent. This avoids any VAT & duty issues (and may perhaps help in case of a warranty issue).

One reputable outfit is Skyfox in Berlin, who have all the various models on their website (http://skyfox.de/Headsets-and-Intercoms/BOSE-Headsets/).

[mrmum]

Well, I have purchased numerous headsets, avionics, instruments, transceivers and associated flying paraphanalia, on multiple occasions, over many years. Not from what I would consider a gullible retailer, actually a fair-sized aviation company, we're not talking perfume or designer handbags here are we?

Every time, they just asked for a passport and foreign address on some kind of export form they had, I paid no US sales tax. It appeared to me that they knew their system and just needed some paperwork from the customer, stating that they were exporting the items. Having had a (admittedly quick) google of their tax rules, it would seem that this is a legitimate process. It's the sneaking it all back into the UK that's dodgy.

As to warranty, I can only attest to David Clark, but their service was excellent. One of the headsets I bought over there broke, I emailed DC, they shipped back to the US at their expense, then sent me a new one in return.

[172driver]

mrmum, interesting - which state was that? And did you pick up the stuff yourself?

[mrmum]

They are in Florida, whenever I'm over there on holiday I usually visit their premises, buy whatever I'm getting over the counter, then bring it back it home with me.
You don't work for HMRC do you? 'Cos then I'm obviously just bullsh***ing on the internet.:E

[172driver]

Nothing to fear from me, mrmum :ok:

The reason I asked 'which state': I used to run a business importing high-value goods from California. While most of the stuff was shipped, we usually took some items back with us when visiting suppliers and used exactly the method you describe. However, one day the chaps in CA informed us that they couldn't do this any more if we took the goods out of their premises ourselves (and therefore into the streets of CA). This was many years ago but chimes with recent experience, also in CA.

Now, sales tax is a state (and sometimes municipal) tax, so the procedure may well differ from CA to FL. Good to know it still works in FL !!

[Dave Gittins]

Far as I know ... if you buy across state lines (mail order) you don't pay state tax. If I buy from Avshop (in Florida) I don't get charged sales tax if it comes to the UK or if it goes to my daughter's in Colorado Springs.

[student88]

I bought my A20 from Sportys Pilot Shop USA and had it delivered to my hotel in NYC, managed to get it through LHR fine so only ended up paying £650 for it. I bought the non-bluetooth version.

Anyone know of a cheap Airbus adapted supplier in the UK? Transair and HSL Shoreham seem extremely overpriced when you can pick them up in the US for $45.

[24seven]

student88 did you pay the tax when you bought the headset? or did you do a rebate when you were leaving NY?

[Commuting Pilot]

I've just spoken with Mendelssohn Pilot Supplies. The current price for the non-Bluetooth A20 XLR headset is £799.99 incl VAT. Any further headset ordered at the same time is less 10%, reducing the price to £719.99 incl VAT.

The headset is also being supplied with a free Bose Soundlink Bluetooth speaker, so you can listen to your iPhone's music library on the turnarounds through a slightly better speaker than the build-in phone one!

I was asked if the company were paying for them. I choked...

Anyone interested? If we can get a bulk order in then there may be room for further discounts, I just need numbers at the moment in order to get a deal.

[BroomstickPilot]

I hear that Bose also actually "mystery-shop" their retailers to check that they are behaving.

If this is so, then surely it must be illegal. Resale price maintenance was outlawed by parliament very many years ago. I know it still goes on, but if it is happening in this case then surely this is a matter to report to the local trading standards department.

BP.

[thborchert]

Yeah, smuggle them in (because that's what it is) from the US, then expect full service, support and a complete selection of 5-quid-a-piece charts from your local dealer when something goes wrong. Sounds like a sustainable business model for all involved... :=