European Online Merch Store

Let me start off by saying that I think on the whole Ten Club is very good. Priority tickets, bootlegs etc is worth the subscription alone.
Here's my question. Why isn't there a European online merchandise store? The band has a very loyal and fairly large following in Europe. I know loads of people who follow the band, buy merchandise by the lorry load and are unhappy that the cost of buying shirts etc is becoming ridiculous.
It's not because the shirts are expensive, it's the postage and import charges.

Here's an example:

I bought a Springsteen hoodie for £32 plus £3 postage = £35

If I bought a PJ hoodie it would be £35 plus £10 postage plus £11 import charge = £56

I realise the import charge isn't 10Club's fault but surely a European store makes sense. Most bands do it. Hell, REM still have one and surely Pearl Jam sell more merchandise than them.

Come on guys, this needs addressing as fans are being ripped off.
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Comments

  • Final BowFinal Bow flying Posts: 483
    I support this idea
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  • 23scidoo23scidoo Thessaloniki,Greece Posts: 18,415
    me too..
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  • pdalowskypdalowsky Doncaster,UK Posts: 14,664
    good idea, but will the tenclub really see a need to open up a whole new set of admin and overhead costs to service the orders they are already receiving?

    still I support the idea !!
  • What about the orders they're missing out on? I know people no longer buying PJ merch because of the postage and import charges.
    Just from a business perspective it makes sense but even more so from a service one.
    Happy up here in my tree
  • pdalowskypdalowsky Doncaster,UK Posts: 14,664
    there is that potential, and perhaps lower shipping costs would encourage more orders. I used to order much more than I do now. The extra $17 to ship a poster is enough to focus my mind elsewhere these days
  • Seems odd that the majority of bands have European online sites and PJ don't.
    I mean, I bought the Springsteen hoodie, didn't buy the PJ one
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  • boyo79boyo79 Warrington, UK Posts: 6,525
    Even with a European store the prices would still be affected by customs because the items are coming from outside Europe in the first place. If the product is made in the US (for example) it still needs to get to Europe whether its a European store or direct to each customer. Either way customs gets involved.
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  • How do other bands do it? Maybe licence someone in Europe to make them? It must be possible. Soundgarden, Springsteen and REM manage it
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  • TW3766TW3766 Posts: 57
    I like the idea - another advantage would be trackability of our shipments :)
  • Keep suggesting it to 10C and maybe they will listen if enough EU customers tell them they are holding off on purchases because of the price. There are plenty of places to manufacture merch over here and it looks like they already use GZ in Czech Republic for some vinyl pressings. They must have stats for how many EU orders they get and what stock gets purchased.
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  • swervedriverswervedriver Sheffield, UK Posts: 182
    Great idea! Although I have to say that I have found 10C try to keep the customs charges at bay most of the time. For example the 2013 boxset was valued at $20 on customs form to avoid import charges. But a europe base would take the risk away
  • tino_11tino_11 Posts: 1,926
    That $38 shipping charge is looking ever more ridiculous. Sure the vinyl will be awesome but still feeling a bit screwed over.
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  • I would buy more if postage was £3 and not £21 including import charge.
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  • Great idea! Although I have to say that I have found 10C try to keep the customs charges at bay most of the time. For example the 2013 boxset was valued at $20 on customs form to avoid import charges. But a europe base would take the risk away

    I had to pay the £11 import charge for my Wrigley Field shirt last year.
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  • ZodZod Posts: 9,945
    Even as a Canadian I like the sound of that. It's getting more and more expensive to ship from the US to Canada. It's actually cheaper to ship from Europe to Canada these days... so why not... I'd give it a go.
  • nickburrows14nickburrows14 Posts: 858
    edited December 2014

    Keep suggesting it to 10C and maybe they will listen if enough EU customers tell them they are holding off on purchases because of the price. There are plenty of places to manufacture merch over here and it looks like they already use GZ in Czech Republic for some vinyl pressings. They must have stats for how many EU orders they get and what stock gets purchased.

    Vault 4 vinyl arrived today from Czech Republic. Guess what? No £11 import fee. But why was postage $38? Something not right here. £24 postage and packing from Europe to UK?! I've sold vinyl on eBay and sent to eastern Europe. Can't be more than £10 for a triple vinyl. A bit unfair?
    Post edited by nickburrows14 on
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  • ZodZod Posts: 9,945

    Keep suggesting it to 10C and maybe they will listen if enough EU customers tell them they are holding off on purchases because of the price. There are plenty of places to manufacture merch over here and it looks like they already use GZ in Czech Republic for some vinyl pressings. They must have stats for how many EU orders they get and what stock gets purchased.

    Vault 4 vinyl arrived today from Czech Republic. Guess what? No £11 import fee. But why was postage $38? Something not right here. £24 postage and packing from Europe to UK?! I've sold vinyl on eBay and sent to eastern Europe. Can't be more than £10 for a triple vinyl. A bit unfair?
    That thing happens to use Canadians. We pay the same fee as everyone overseas pays (even though Shipping to Canada is cheaper through most/all shipping companies). The 10c has never found a quality shipper.

    The old days: Good domestic rates, high international rates. 2 years ago - High domestic rates, awesome internation rates. Now: ok domestic rates and crazy expensive international rates.

    Maybe the 10c isn't a big enough operation to negotiate better contracts and use economies of scale to lower their costs.
  • If I can get a better rate at my local post office then they need a different shipping company. £24 is ludicrous.
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  • boyo79 said:

    Even with a European store the prices would still be affected by customs because the items are coming from outside Europe in the first place. If the product is made in the US (for example) it still needs to get to Europe whether its a European store or direct to each customer. Either way customs gets involved.

    Sure, but the charges would be much lower. Now we have to pay 20% on the declared value plus 12 euro administration costs. In the case of a European store importing goods from outside Europe, the customs charges are on the wholesale price (let's just assume that's half of the retail price) and the administration costs can be divided over a much larger quantity. So the price difference will be much lower.

    Great idea! Although I have to say that I have found 10C try to keep the customs charges at bay most of the time. For example the 2013 boxset was valued at $20 on customs form to avoid import charges. But a europe base would take the risk away

    Was that boxset sent by TenClub or by Nugs? I know that Nugs uses a lower declared value. Haven't seen that from TenClub (not when I was buying bootlegs from them instead of from Nugs directly).
  • Rage Against The Machine have a European online store too. Shirt £15, shipping £2.76
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  • pdalowskypdalowsky Doncaster,UK Posts: 14,664
    Nugs marked the value down. I understand tenclub cannot do that now due to the shipping handler they have
  • boyo79boyo79 Warrington, UK Posts: 6,525

    boyo79 said:

    Even with a European store the prices would still be affected by customs because the items are coming from outside Europe in the first place. If the product is made in the US (for example) it still needs to get to Europe whether its a European store or direct to each customer. Either way customs gets involved.

    Sure, but the charges would be much lower. Now we have to pay 20% on the declared value plus 12 euro administration costs. In the case of a European store importing goods from outside Europe, the customs charges are on the wholesale price (let's just assume that's half of the retail price) and the administration costs can be divided over a much larger quantity. So the price difference will be much lower.

    The customs charges aren't Ten Club's problems though. There is very little they can do about that. They could mark the prices down on the customs form but if that item then goes missing they can only declare for that lower value and then they are out of pocket. Totally understand it from their point of view.

    If there was a European store it'd be likely any goods imported from outside the EU would retail higher to cover the customs charges the company would receive. This was why the Soundgarden RSD box this year was so expensive in the UK because the stores were getting hit by customs and adding the charge to the item when onsale.

    To be honest the way I approach it is if the item is more than $25 I'll know to expect a customs charge in the UK. If I don't get the charge it's a bonus (didn't get a charge on the Lincoln poster for example).



    2000: Manchester
    2006: Dublin; Leeds; Arnhem
    2007: London
    2009: Manchester
    2012: Manchester I & II : EV Manchester : Soundgarden Shepherds Bush
    2013: Brad Manchester : Soundgarden Manchester
    2014: Amsterdam I & II; Berlin; Leeds; Milton Keynes
    2018: Berlin; London II; Boston II

    Bootleg Reviews: http://pjbootlegreviews.blogspot.com/
  • My point is that a lot if not most bands do it. It must be possible.
    Maybe if it was ever going to be done it would've happened by now. Would be nice if someone at ten club looked into it.
    Happy up here in my tree
  • pdalowskypdalowsky Doncaster,UK Posts: 14,664
    The thing about the value being marked low - and that meaning that they cannot recover the value, is that correct? Wouldn't there need to be insurance on the parcel to be able to recover lost items?
  • pdalowsky said:

    The thing about the value being marked low - and that meaning that they cannot recover the value, is that correct? Wouldn't there need to be insurance on the parcel to be able to recover lost items?

    Surely if that were true they could put the cost price?

    Happy up here in my tree
  • boyo79boyo79 Warrington, UK Posts: 6,525

    My point is that a lot if not most bands do it. It must be possible.
    Maybe if it was ever going to be done it would've happened by now. Would be nice if someone at ten club looked into it.

    I think a lot of other bands outsource their merch and that can enable a Euro store. PJ like to keep it in-house.

    2000: Manchester
    2006: Dublin; Leeds; Arnhem
    2007: London
    2009: Manchester
    2012: Manchester I & II : EV Manchester : Soundgarden Shepherds Bush
    2013: Brad Manchester : Soundgarden Manchester
    2014: Amsterdam I & II; Berlin; Leeds; Milton Keynes
    2018: Berlin; London II; Boston II

    Bootleg Reviews: http://pjbootlegreviews.blogspot.com/
  • pdalowskypdalowsky Doncaster,UK Posts: 14,664

    pdalowsky said:

    The thing about the value being marked low - and that meaning that they cannot recover the value, is that correct? Wouldn't there need to be insurance on the parcel to be able to recover lost items?

    Surely if that were true they could put the cost price?

    true, but if items are automatically insured by their declared value why would anyone ever pay for insuring and tracking.....

    then we get into the realms here of second guessing too much without any idea how they work these things or their protocols and why they do it like they do.
  • pdalowsky said:

    pdalowsky said:

    The thing about the value being marked low - and that meaning that they cannot recover the value, is that correct? Wouldn't there need to be insurance on the parcel to be able to recover lost items?

    Surely if that were true they could put the cost price?

    true, but if items are automatically insured by their declared value why would anyone ever pay for insuring and tracking.....

    then we get into the realms here of second guessing too much without any idea how they work these things or their protocols and why they do it like they do.
    That's why a European store makes sense.
    Happy up here in my tree
  • dannydanny Posts: 2,270
    excellent point
    danny d
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