My agency, Connect is in Tvangsopløsning.
If there are any other IT Contractors out there affected by Ken Lynge Primby and his Connect Resorce Agency, CVR Nummer 28976496, Søren Frichs Vej 38 C, 8230 Åbyhøj going into tvangsopløsning, then please contact me or leave comments here. Connect can be viewed at this website http://www.connect.dk
I note the business went into tvangsopløsning on 17/9/07, but he still kept quiet and agreed a new contract with me starting 1/10/07.This just about sums up my entire time here. If anyone still thinks Denmark is some kind of socialist idyll, full of nice fluffy, fair-minded people-this is more or less how my partner sold it to me-then I suggest they try living here.
I see Ken Lynge Primby is already back in operation through his new business, also called Connect; or perhaps more correctly; Connekt, at the same website http://www.connect.dk. But new address Banegårdsgade 20 1 mf8000 Århus C. Nice.
søndag den 16. december 2007
onsdag den 28. november 2007
Cheap PC Memory
Previously, I'd used eBay for this sort of thing, but there seems to be less advertised on there right now and the prices are no cheaper than mainstream suppliers. well, my Dell C521 needed some new memory (Windows Vista eats it up)
Step forward www.orca.co.uk. They sold me 2 separate 1GB memory boards for £43, when the same items in Denmark were a cheapest price I could find of 599 krone each.
And that was delivered post free from the Uk within 3 days!
Step forward www.orca.co.uk. They sold me 2 separate 1GB memory boards for £43, when the same items in Denmark were a cheapest price I could find of 599 krone each.
And that was delivered post free from the Uk within 3 days!
torsdag den 22. november 2007
Pound in freefall, but the dollar hides it
I must admit that I have been worried about the Pound for some time, what with the trade deficit, budget deficit and now the Northern Rock crisis.
Actually, the trade deficit bothers me least of the problems, as Britain has a large reputation for investing abroad. The others are not so good. especially the Northern Rock crisis, since the implication is the government have magically created the necessary backup reserves out of thin air (is there any other method?)
Now, I notice that in the past couple of months, the Pound has dropped about 6% against the Euro and Danish Krone. This has hardly got a mention, as all the media are going on about the weakening Dollar and the bargains available for those taking a shopping trip to the USA.
So please, Germany and Holland, don't give in to whingeing France and Italy about needing a weaker Euro, and the usual rubbish about generating exports. A devalued currency helps no-one long term.
If it carries on like this, the Euro could become the world's new reserve currency, especially for pricing oil, at least until China is ready to claim its spot.
Just a thought.
As for me, I'm off to browse the internet for some bargains from Britain...
Actually, the trade deficit bothers me least of the problems, as Britain has a large reputation for investing abroad. The others are not so good. especially the Northern Rock crisis, since the implication is the government have magically created the necessary backup reserves out of thin air (is there any other method?)
Now, I notice that in the past couple of months, the Pound has dropped about 6% against the Euro and Danish Krone. This has hardly got a mention, as all the media are going on about the weakening Dollar and the bargains available for those taking a shopping trip to the USA.
So please, Germany and Holland, don't give in to whingeing France and Italy about needing a weaker Euro, and the usual rubbish about generating exports. A devalued currency helps no-one long term.
If it carries on like this, the Euro could become the world's new reserve currency, especially for pricing oil, at least until China is ready to claim its spot.
Just a thought.
As for me, I'm off to browse the internet for some bargains from Britain...
tirsdag den 20. november 2007
Shopping Abroad for Shoppings sake
Just in case anyone thinks I'm obsessive about not spending money in Denmark, well, it's almost true, but hey, even I give in sometimes. Still on the lookout for a new big washing machine for the expanding family, we spotted El-Giganten doing a 7kilo Bosch Washing machine for 3333 krone. Even cheaper than you could get it in Germany, surprisingly enough. It wasn't available at any of their stores, but I've ordered from their website. Arrival is promised next week.
Normally I'm not a fan of el-giganten, as I believe it's owned by Dixons, hardly the most trusted UK organisation for buying from. But we'll see....
Normally I'm not a fan of el-giganten, as I believe it's owned by Dixons, hardly the most trusted UK organisation for buying from. But we'll see....
torsdag den 1. november 2007
At last, a Real Danish Bargain
Having lived in this country for almost 3 years now, the only thing I'd discovered that is cheaper than the UK is wood. Yep, plain old wood, whether it's for your fire, garden fence or the finished product for building some shelves in your house, invariably it's a lot cheaper. But probably not a total surprise, for a country that is, apparently,25% wooded, has a population of 5 million and is right next to Sweden.
Anyhow, the big news is that I have discovered a commodity that is FREE in Denmark, but costs over £100 in the UK for the identical commodity. What could this commodity be, you ask? Well, I'm not saying...if I do, they will doubtless introduce some kind of tax on it!
Anyhow, the big news is that I have discovered a commodity that is FREE in Denmark, but costs over £100 in the UK for the identical commodity. What could this commodity be, you ask? Well, I'm not saying...if I do, they will doubtless introduce some kind of tax on it!
søndag den 28. oktober 2007
Get your Computer Software on Amazon
Paint Shop Pro is a cheap photo editing package I've been fancying for some time, and as a law-abiding citizen I wanted to get a legal copy after trying their trial. You'd be amazed how Denmark, hotbed of socialism is also a major hotbed of DVD, CD and software piracy. Anyhow, by the by, cheapest price I could find in Denmark was 799 krone on Kelkoo.
Amazon third party sellers revealed several third party sellers willing to ship to Denmark for £3.99. End result is that I ended up buying a totally legit copy for £47 all in. with none of that going to the Danish taxman. Ah great.
Remember to try third party sellers on Amazon for anything you're looking for.
Amazon third party sellers revealed several third party sellers willing to ship to Denmark for £3.99. End result is that I ended up buying a totally legit copy for £47 all in. with none of that going to the Danish taxman. Ah great.
Remember to try third party sellers on Amazon for anything you're looking for.
A half-decent Danish shopping site
Before anyone accuses me of excessive bias against expensive Danish retailers and high prices the MOMs differential goes nowhere near explaining, the last post reminded me of a highly recomended Danish shopping site I have used in the past.
Electrical spares here are very expensive in the DIY shops, and even the national newspapers had an article on it. Their advice was to try El Salg. I did, and even for a few simple things I needed that would have cost about 350kr in the shops, they did the identical, same brand goods for 179kr, including the postage.
So there you go, and since they charge the same MOMs, what more proof do you need of the high street rip-off taking place here?
Electrical spares here are very expensive in the DIY shops, and even the national newspapers had an article on it. Their advice was to try El Salg. I did, and even for a few simple things I needed that would have cost about 350kr in the shops, they did the identical, same brand goods for 179kr, including the postage.
So there you go, and since they charge the same MOMs, what more proof do you need of the high street rip-off taking place here?
fredag den 26. oktober 2007
and now the washing machine has had it too
Following on from the Tumble Dryer disaster, our washing machine has broken down too. Hardly worth fixing, since the local repair bloke will want something like 1000kr just to look at it, before he even starts with repairs.
Unlike the Tumble Dryer, we happen to have one in reserve (long story), although it has hot and cold fill, so we need some new plumbing accessories.
and now to the shopping bit...spares are a ridiculous price here. A washing machine fill hose is 165 krone (£15), and I can't even find one of those self-tapping washing machine plumbing units you can screw onto the pipe, even though I've measured it up and it's the same 15mm copper as back in the UK! Bottom line - expensive.
A browse around on Ebay solved our problem. There are many UK sellers willing to ship to Denmark for little more than the UK price. So I bought a washing machine hose for £3.85 including postage, and an adapter for £9.53, including postage. So less than one hose at Hjem n Fix. (and it arrived from the UK in 2 days!)
The moral of the story is that there is no need to pay the high Danish prices for anything any more. So please don't do it.
Unlike the Tumble Dryer, we happen to have one in reserve (long story), although it has hot and cold fill, so we need some new plumbing accessories.
and now to the shopping bit...spares are a ridiculous price here. A washing machine fill hose is 165 krone (£15), and I can't even find one of those self-tapping washing machine plumbing units you can screw onto the pipe, even though I've measured it up and it's the same 15mm copper as back in the UK! Bottom line - expensive.
A browse around on Ebay solved our problem. There are many UK sellers willing to ship to Denmark for little more than the UK price. So I bought a washing machine hose for £3.85 including postage, and an adapter for £9.53, including postage. So less than one hose at Hjem n Fix. (and it arrived from the UK in 2 days!)
The moral of the story is that there is no need to pay the high Danish prices for anything any more. So please don't do it.
Denmark calls a General Election
...wooo!
Just when you thought Danish television couldn't get any worse, we'll be subjected for the next few weeks to constant drivel from politicians. Thankfully I've only been in Denmark for a few years, so I won't understand most of it, but most of them are socialists talking the same old rubbish but with slightly different undertones.
Thankfully, Helle "we choose welfare, my husband chooses elsewhere" Schmidt doesn't seem to have much chance of winning. You can read more about Stephen Kinnock, husband of Helle Thorning Schmidt here. I'm glad, since it does mean there are plenty of Danes out there sick of this welfare state they're stuck with right now. Apparently Anders Fogh's lot called the election early so they can "..push through sweeping reforms under a new mandate..." hmm. can only imagine how sweeping - top rate tax down to 67% from 70% or something as sweeping as that is my guess. Can only hope he means seriously cutting benefits and making a few of the excess state employees redundant. unlikely though.
Just when you thought Danish television couldn't get any worse, we'll be subjected for the next few weeks to constant drivel from politicians. Thankfully I've only been in Denmark for a few years, so I won't understand most of it, but most of them are socialists talking the same old rubbish but with slightly different undertones.
Thankfully, Helle "we choose welfare, my husband chooses elsewhere" Schmidt doesn't seem to have much chance of winning. You can read more about Stephen Kinnock, husband of Helle Thorning Schmidt here. I'm glad, since it does mean there are plenty of Danes out there sick of this welfare state they're stuck with right now. Apparently Anders Fogh's lot called the election early so they can "..push through sweeping reforms under a new mandate..." hmm. can only imagine how sweeping - top rate tax down to 67% from 70% or something as sweeping as that is my guess. Can only hope he means seriously cutting benefits and making a few of the excess state employees redundant. unlikely though.
lørdag den 20. oktober 2007
Honest Advice at No Price
Don't forget to visit my investing sites for financial information to help you save money. First, there's Successful Tax Free Investing. Then IT Contracting in Denmark. Then, if you live in the EU, loads of tips on how to Shop Online and Save and finally, visit Invest Gold and Silver to find out how to invest on the two things likeliest to save you from financial collapse in the uncertain future awaiting us all.
lørdag den 15. september 2007
Site Relaunch
Okay, maybe not quite. But I've had a bit of a rejig of my three main Danish sites and the results can be seen at :-
http://www.ingenmoms.dk
http://www.sparmoms.dk
http://www.itcontractor.dk
Would appreciate some feedback on the results.
http://www.ingenmoms.dk
http://www.sparmoms.dk
http://www.itcontractor.dk
Would appreciate some feedback on the results.
torsdag den 13. september 2007
Buying from Outside the EU with PLAY
The modern history of Europe leaves some small islands off the coast of France as members of the UK, but not members of the EU. The major islands being Jersey and Guernsey.
These have been used for years as financial offshore havens, but thanks to the power of the internet some enterprising companies such as Play and BlahDVD (and now you can even add Tesco and Amazon Jersey to this list) have based themselves there to sell their wares online.
The major reason being that there are no sales taxes on these islands.
Sounds great that we can buy from these places, and indeed it is. The only catch being a limit of £15 or 22 euros. Denmark also tries to push that limit down to 80 krone for CDs, but I've yet to see the evidence.
The other great thing is that both of these stores do FREE POSTAGE to anywhere in the EU.
Play especially is highly recommended since in addition to CDs and DVDs, they have a huge range of ENGLISH BOOKS.
But the key tip is, if you can, keep the limit per order below the £15/22euros mark. Even if you end placing multiple orders per day!
Check out Play and BlahDVD today.
These have been used for years as financial offshore havens, but thanks to the power of the internet some enterprising companies such as Play and BlahDVD (and now you can even add Tesco and Amazon Jersey to this list) have based themselves there to sell their wares online.
The major reason being that there are no sales taxes on these islands.
Sounds great that we can buy from these places, and indeed it is. The only catch being a limit of £15 or 22 euros. Denmark also tries to push that limit down to 80 krone for CDs, but I've yet to see the evidence.
The other great thing is that both of these stores do FREE POSTAGE to anywhere in the EU.
Play especially is highly recommended since in addition to CDs and DVDs, they have a huge range of ENGLISH BOOKS.
But the key tip is, if you can, keep the limit per order below the £15/22euros mark. Even if you end placing multiple orders per day!
Check out Play and BlahDVD today.
onsdag den 12. september 2007
Buying on Amazon and avoiding the taxes
Amazon was the first retailer by the EU forced to charge sales taxes at the buyers rate. A clear example of the real Euro view on supposed free trade.
Painful for a Eurobuyer like me, browsing through their amazing product database, seeing loads of goods I'd love to buy at excellent prices, but excluded from doing so.
Worse still, in Denmark, and probably some other smaller european countries without their own Amazon site, it charges something like £3.99 postage per book. So, say you spotted a book for £5.99 you fancied. It would end up costing £5.99 + £3.99 + 25% MOMs, ie £12.50!!!
As such, Amazon is losing a lot of Eurotrade. A lot of Danes still buy from there though, because they're not aware of other options like Play, who do FREE postage to anywhere in Europe with no Sales taxes added (under £15/22euros).
But there is a way to buy from Amazon and avoid the MOMs, and that is to use the "Third Party Sellers". Whenever you search for a book, you will see alternative prices below the Amazon price. Click on this to see what other sellers are offering the book via Amazon.
These sellers will charge you the asking price plus, about £3.99 postage. They will not add MOMs on, except perhaps within their original asking price - the price will not change because of your buyers location. This can work out to be a good deal, and I personally have even bought the occasional book from the USA using this service. Not all sellers are willing to post to Europe, but there are so many choices you will normally find one who does.
Highly recommended. So visit Amazon and browse freely.
Please report back on any recommended sellers you find!
Painful for a Eurobuyer like me, browsing through their amazing product database, seeing loads of goods I'd love to buy at excellent prices, but excluded from doing so.
Worse still, in Denmark, and probably some other smaller european countries without their own Amazon site, it charges something like £3.99 postage per book. So, say you spotted a book for £5.99 you fancied. It would end up costing £5.99 + £3.99 + 25% MOMs, ie £12.50!!!
As such, Amazon is losing a lot of Eurotrade. A lot of Danes still buy from there though, because they're not aware of other options like Play, who do FREE postage to anywhere in Europe with no Sales taxes added (under £15/22euros).
But there is a way to buy from Amazon and avoid the MOMs, and that is to use the "Third Party Sellers". Whenever you search for a book, you will see alternative prices below the Amazon price. Click on this to see what other sellers are offering the book via Amazon.
These sellers will charge you the asking price plus, about £3.99 postage. They will not add MOMs on, except perhaps within their original asking price - the price will not change because of your buyers location. This can work out to be a good deal, and I personally have even bought the occasional book from the USA using this service. Not all sellers are willing to post to Europe, but there are so many choices you will normally find one who does.
Highly recommended. So visit Amazon and browse freely.
Please report back on any recommended sellers you find!
EU VAT Regulations and their absurdity
It has been pointed out to me that there is a Danish regulation here for MOMs limits here.
Well I wasn't aware of the 280,000kr limit regulation hidden in there, but that does shift the onus onto the retailer to manage their business - you wouldn't be charged any more VAT on EU-bought items when they arrive.
Also, I wonder if that limit is even legal since websites like Figleaves and Book Depository make clear they charge UK VAT rate only. eBay previously added VAT to sellers fees at their location rate, and I'd give up selling anything through them since moving to Denmark as a result, but now eBay have felt confident enough earlier this year to move their EU jurisdiction to Luxembourg so that all EU private sellers only pay 15% VAT on their selling fees. See here http://pages.ebay.ie/sell/VAT-ie-faqs/index.html. I'm sure they bought the best legal advice going and you wonder why Germany doesn't do something about this, since they would be the biggest losers...maybe they know eBay have an ace to play?
Let me know if you can find a case where a government has dared to challenge a business regarding this murky rule.
I checked Fleggaard (50 yards into Germany) and they do charge German VAT on pick-ups but Danish MOMs on delivered goods so they're being careful, but then again they are a Danish company so probably have to be.
A shame, since it does mean that any hard-working Danish firm trying to sell on the internet is at an immediate disadvantage against counterparts from other European countries. Hence much business lost for the nation, as proven by my own occasional forays to Euroshop sites.
As I'm self-employed I'd suspect the limit is more likely to be a way of blocking companies supplying personal services rather than flow of goods. With this rule you'd always have to open a Danish branch.
As regards the taxes and blocking - If you read up on the EU, Denmark (and Sweden) are always the blocking countries whenever cross-border trade is mentioned. They are part of the reason it takes years to get the VAT rules shifted for the betterment of the majority. They just know that the taxes on everything are so much higher here than elsewhere that they'll lose out.
Well I wasn't aware of the 280,000kr limit regulation hidden in there, but that does shift the onus onto the retailer to manage their business - you wouldn't be charged any more VAT on EU-bought items when they arrive.
Also, I wonder if that limit is even legal since websites like Figleaves and Book Depository make clear they charge UK VAT rate only. eBay previously added VAT to sellers fees at their location rate, and I'd give up selling anything through them since moving to Denmark as a result, but now eBay have felt confident enough earlier this year to move their EU jurisdiction to Luxembourg so that all EU private sellers only pay 15% VAT on their selling fees. See here http://pages.ebay.ie/sell/VAT-ie-faqs/index.html. I'm sure they bought the best legal advice going and you wonder why Germany doesn't do something about this, since they would be the biggest losers...maybe they know eBay have an ace to play?
Let me know if you can find a case where a government has dared to challenge a business regarding this murky rule.
I checked Fleggaard (50 yards into Germany) and they do charge German VAT on pick-ups but Danish MOMs on delivered goods so they're being careful, but then again they are a Danish company so probably have to be.
A shame, since it does mean that any hard-working Danish firm trying to sell on the internet is at an immediate disadvantage against counterparts from other European countries. Hence much business lost for the nation, as proven by my own occasional forays to Euroshop sites.
As I'm self-employed I'd suspect the limit is more likely to be a way of blocking companies supplying personal services rather than flow of goods. With this rule you'd always have to open a Danish branch.
As regards the taxes and blocking - If you read up on the EU, Denmark (and Sweden) are always the blocking countries whenever cross-border trade is mentioned. They are part of the reason it takes years to get the VAT rules shifted for the betterment of the majority. They just know that the taxes on everything are so much higher here than elsewhere that they'll lose out.
tirsdag den 4. september 2007
Whatever happened to the EEC?
Does anyone remember how, many years ago when Britain gained entry to the EU, it wasn't even called the EU, but the EEC (European Economic Community) or "Common Market"?
In those days, the major benefit that was sold to Britain was entry to an exclusive free trade club, and before that Britain was in EFTA (European Free Trade Association) along with a few of the Scandinavian nations.
Fast forward from 1973 to 1999 and the internet suddenly started making this free trade doctrine possible. So what happened? By a bit of rebranding the EEC had become the European Union (EU) and did things like forcing Amazon to charge VAT at the local buyers rate.
As a publicity stunt to put EU citizens off buying overseas ever again, it was a great success, but people need to know that Amazon was made an exception because of it's size. It's legal to buy from almost all other retailers in the EU and pay only their local sales tax.
I'm all for the EU as an organisation for fair, free trade, but at the moment this core belief has been forgotten...or did it ever exist except as an idea on paper from the days when they knew ordinary people wouldn't be able to take advantage of it anyway?
In those days, the major benefit that was sold to Britain was entry to an exclusive free trade club, and before that Britain was in EFTA (European Free Trade Association) along with a few of the Scandinavian nations.
Fast forward from 1973 to 1999 and the internet suddenly started making this free trade doctrine possible. So what happened? By a bit of rebranding the EEC had become the European Union (EU) and did things like forcing Amazon to charge VAT at the local buyers rate.
As a publicity stunt to put EU citizens off buying overseas ever again, it was a great success, but people need to know that Amazon was made an exception because of it's size. It's legal to buy from almost all other retailers in the EU and pay only their local sales tax.
I'm all for the EU as an organisation for fair, free trade, but at the moment this core belief has been forgotten...or did it ever exist except as an idea on paper from the days when they knew ordinary people wouldn't be able to take advantage of it anyway?
mandag den 3. september 2007
Buying on eBay and Paying NO SALES TAXES
Despite what people think, it is possible to use ebay legally to great advantage.
I'll explain this using a recent personal example.
I needed one of those cassettes you insert into your car stereo and can plug an MP3 player or CD player into so that you can listen to a greater choice of music or audiobooks while driving.
In Denmark, these things cost 250 krone or more.
On ebay, Chinese and Hong Kong sellers are selling them on "But it Now", factory direct for 99 pence, or about 11 krone! Even with postage, it still works out to £3, or 33 krone.
The seller doesn't have to charge me any sales taxes because the item is being exported. In the case of Hong Kong, there are no sales taxes anyway. Then, because the item is valued at under 22 Euros/£15, there are no sales taxes to pay in Denmark.
About 14 days later, the item arrived and works perfectly.
You will agree that that is quite some saving!
So top tip is, whatever you are looking to buy new, consider using ebay. My next purchase I'm considering is a USB TV Aerial for my PC, and these things cost 600 krone or more in Denmark. Chinese sellers are currently selling them for 99 pence + approx. £7.99 postage.
The other reason they are cheaper is that you are cutting out all the middlemen who repackage the items and add a huge mark up. So this is definitely a benefit to global direct trade, in my opinion...and global warming too if you consider the amount of wasted packaging you get with these things. The shop direct one from China arrived in a Jiffy envelope, no extra packaging.
And remember that by buying through Paypal you do have some guarantees should you pay but not receive your item.
So remember to check out ebay.
I'll explain this using a recent personal example.
I needed one of those cassettes you insert into your car stereo and can plug an MP3 player or CD player into so that you can listen to a greater choice of music or audiobooks while driving.
In Denmark, these things cost 250 krone or more.
On ebay, Chinese and Hong Kong sellers are selling them on "But it Now", factory direct for 99 pence, or about 11 krone! Even with postage, it still works out to £3, or 33 krone.
The seller doesn't have to charge me any sales taxes because the item is being exported. In the case of Hong Kong, there are no sales taxes anyway. Then, because the item is valued at under 22 Euros/£15, there are no sales taxes to pay in Denmark.
About 14 days later, the item arrived and works perfectly.
You will agree that that is quite some saving!
So top tip is, whatever you are looking to buy new, consider using ebay. My next purchase I'm considering is a USB TV Aerial for my PC, and these things cost 600 krone or more in Denmark. Chinese sellers are currently selling them for 99 pence + approx. £7.99 postage.
The other reason they are cheaper is that you are cutting out all the middlemen who repackage the items and add a huge mark up. So this is definitely a benefit to global direct trade, in my opinion...and global warming too if you consider the amount of wasted packaging you get with these things. The shop direct one from China arrived in a Jiffy envelope, no extra packaging.
And remember that by buying through Paypal you do have some guarantees should you pay but not receive your item.
So remember to check out ebay.
fredag den 31. august 2007
New Site Launch...
Well, and this is largely thanks to Mr Jenkin's comments, the site will now be opening a new sister site www.sparmoms.dk. Quite a nifty domain name and one I had my eye on when I bought www.ingenmoms.dk but it belonged to someone else.
I guess they didn't renew and that the name must have finally dropped in the past week.
Star man for reminding me!
I guess they didn't renew and that the name must have finally dropped in the past week.
Star man for reminding me!
torsdag den 30. august 2007
Amusing bit of misinformation here
Right after my last post, it was amusing to find someone of the dubious nature I just described.
http://american.meetup.com/27/messages/boards/view/viewthread?thread=1502971&pager.offset=40#10499250
No idea who this AllanJenkins is, but I can assure you IngenMOMs is no scam and actually, even if you do pay VAT in other european nations, you most definitely do not pay any MOMS. 100% legal, mate. If Denmark wants to enjoy the benefits of being in the EU it has to allow free movement of goods and that includes when it's citizen choose to bypass the higher prices and buy from other EU retailers.
Books and Magazines from Britain are VAT-exempt, such is the respect Britain has for a free press, and if you buy your DVDs and CDs from the likes of Play in Jersey then you'll pay no sales tax if it's under £15 in value.
As ever DYOR on whether it's worthwhile, but it usually is. I even provide a link to the Danish Kelkoo site for this very purpose.
http://american.meetup.com/27/messages/boards/view/viewthread?thread=1502971&pager.offset=40#10499250
No idea who this AllanJenkins is, but I can assure you IngenMOMs is no scam and actually, even if you do pay VAT in other european nations, you most definitely do not pay any MOMS. 100% legal, mate. If Denmark wants to enjoy the benefits of being in the EU it has to allow free movement of goods and that includes when it's citizen choose to bypass the higher prices and buy from other EU retailers.
Books and Magazines from Britain are VAT-exempt, such is the respect Britain has for a free press, and if you buy your DVDs and CDs from the likes of Play in Jersey then you'll pay no sales tax if it's under £15 in value.
As ever DYOR on whether it's worthwhile, but it usually is. I even provide a link to the Danish Kelkoo site for this very purpose.
Tax Tricks
I'm amazed at the publicity the EU nations use to make it appear as though we're doing something illegal or unpatriotic by buying goods outside our national borders. Yet again, I encountered more people today who thought it was illegal to buy British books from Britain or that extra Danish taxes would be payable. This simply is not true!
As far as I'm concerned, the EU was sold to us as a Free Trade with No Borders association, and if they stuck to that I'm sure you'd find a lot more people enthusiastic about it than currently are.
I say to everyone out there...make the rules work for you. It is legal to buy from any EU supplier willing to sell an item to you, with no further taxes payable, so do it. It's the best way we'll ever get harmonisation and integration across Europe.
As far as I'm concerned, the EU was sold to us as a Free Trade with No Borders association, and if they stuck to that I'm sure you'd find a lot more people enthusiastic about it than currently are.
I say to everyone out there...make the rules work for you. It is legal to buy from any EU supplier willing to sell an item to you, with no further taxes payable, so do it. It's the best way we'll ever get harmonisation and integration across Europe.
onsdag den 29. august 2007
Savings on Whitegoods (Hvidevarer)
When we first moved here, we visited Punkt 1, a well known Danish electrical chain for our appliances.
Word of warning here - NEVER pay the asking prices here. We were told this by other people beforehand and forewarned is forearmed, as the saying goes, since we were able to get approx 15% off the list price on what we bought.
2 years later, our Zanussi Tumble Dryer (Tørretumbler) has fallen by the wayside so now time to look for a new one and this time, mission is to save money by buying in Germany.
Checklist
1) Decide on the exact model you want
2) See how much it is in Denmark using the Kelkoo search engine on Ingen MOMs
3) Now search on the German (Tysk) Kelkoo and see the difference!
Wow. We were amazed. Every appliance we looked at could be bought for approx 30-40% cheaper than in Denmark. And that includes Flegaard who are about 50 yards on the German side of the border and thus list on Kelkoo DK.
Even worse, one of the appliances we were interested in an AEG energiklasse A was available for the equivalent of 4,000 krone, but our local Skousen had it in for an amazing 10,000 krone (that's nearly £1,000 for a tumble dryer!). Imagine overpaying to that extent.
Next step is to find a German retailer willing to ship to Denmark. Not as difficult as it sounds, and with the help of Free translation on the internet, a non-German speaker like myself could work it all out.
Result :
10 days later we have a new Siemens WT46E301. The price? A mere 3,190 krone, including delivery to our door.
The Danish Prices ranged from 4,900 krone to 6,500 for the EXACT SAME model.
Only downside is that the dial is in German, buy hey, I'll happily learn 10 words of German for 1,800 krone.
I'll post the site at some point soon, along with details of a Danish bank that does FREE international money transfers, since a lot of German retailers only take cash.
Word of warning here - NEVER pay the asking prices here. We were told this by other people beforehand and forewarned is forearmed, as the saying goes, since we were able to get approx 15% off the list price on what we bought.
2 years later, our Zanussi Tumble Dryer (Tørretumbler) has fallen by the wayside so now time to look for a new one and this time, mission is to save money by buying in Germany.
Checklist
1) Decide on the exact model you want
2) See how much it is in Denmark using the Kelkoo search engine on Ingen MOMs
3) Now search on the German (Tysk) Kelkoo and see the difference!
Wow. We were amazed. Every appliance we looked at could be bought for approx 30-40% cheaper than in Denmark. And that includes Flegaard who are about 50 yards on the German side of the border and thus list on Kelkoo DK.
Even worse, one of the appliances we were interested in an AEG energiklasse A was available for the equivalent of 4,000 krone, but our local Skousen had it in for an amazing 10,000 krone (that's nearly £1,000 for a tumble dryer!). Imagine overpaying to that extent.
Next step is to find a German retailer willing to ship to Denmark. Not as difficult as it sounds, and with the help of Free translation on the internet, a non-German speaker like myself could work it all out.
Result :
10 days later we have a new Siemens WT46E301. The price? A mere 3,190 krone, including delivery to our door.
The Danish Prices ranged from 4,900 krone to 6,500 for the EXACT SAME model.
Only downside is that the dial is in German, buy hey, I'll happily learn 10 words of German for 1,800 krone.
I'll post the site at some point soon, along with details of a Danish bank that does FREE international money transfers, since a lot of German retailers only take cash.
fredag den 24. august 2007
You might not be able to do anything about living in Denmark and paying Danish income taxes, but you might be surprised to learn that you can take advantage of EU free market rules to buy your stuff abroad and so avoid the dreaded MOMs, a 25% sales tax on every single item you buy in Denmark, including essentials like food and clothing. Couple that with the fact that things often seem to be more expensive in Denmark even without the MOMs and you really are onto a substantial winner.
The good news is that thanks to the internet the principles of fair taxation have never been closer and there are plenty of legal sites where you can buy your goods and get them sent direct to your door, paying lower prices and lower or even non-existent sales tax rates.
The money saved stays in your pocket for you to spend!
With knowledge of a bit of English you can open the door to a whole new shopping world where you can get hold of the items you want at the prices you want to pay.
INGENMOMS.DK guarantees that all sites listed have been personally tested and rated highly on price and reliability. Furthermore, we only recommend sites that offer reasonable postage costs to Denmark. It can be frustrating to think you've found the exact thing you want at an amazing price and go through the slow checkout process only to find delivery is £50!
The XE.com Currency Converter can help you work out what kind of massive savings you can make while you shop.
What are you waiting for? Get shopping at IngenMOMs.DK
The good news is that thanks to the internet the principles of fair taxation have never been closer and there are plenty of legal sites where you can buy your goods and get them sent direct to your door, paying lower prices and lower or even non-existent sales tax rates.
The money saved stays in your pocket for you to spend!
With knowledge of a bit of English you can open the door to a whole new shopping world where you can get hold of the items you want at the prices you want to pay.
INGENMOMS.DK guarantees that all sites listed have been personally tested and rated highly on price and reliability. Furthermore, we only recommend sites that offer reasonable postage costs to Denmark. It can be frustrating to think you've found the exact thing you want at an amazing price and go through the slow checkout process only to find delivery is £50!
The XE.com Currency Converter can help you work out what kind of massive savings you can make while you shop.
What are you waiting for? Get shopping at IngenMOMs.DK
Ingen MOMs - Why did I do it?
I moved to Denmark 2 years ago with my Danish partner. While overall it's a nice country, the thing that really gets to me here is the HIGH TAXES!
There's even a 25% sales tax, MOMs, on everything that you buy with what's left of your hard earned income (after income taxes of up to 70% have been paid) so life can prove bloody expensive here.
THE GREAT NEWS IS THAT YOU CAN NOW AVOID PAYING THESE TAXES AND BUY YOUR STUFF CHEAPER ABROAD!
Books, CDs, DVDs, Computer Games, Kitchenaid, Dyson, Tumble Dryer, Washing Machine, Magazines...hell, we've bought all that and more and saved as much as 95%. Yes, you read that right...Ninety-five percent!!!
I want to tell as many people as possible, hard-working people like YOU about the sites out there you can save this money at. A single website of recommended links goes a long way to spreading the word and also saves you the hours we put in finding reliable retailers that deliver to Denmark and charge reasonable postage prices. http://www.ingenmoms.dk/ is the result.
I therefore hope that IngenMOMs.DK can strike a blow for the principles of fair trade, fair taxation and personal freedom of choice. Who knows, maybe one day even cars won't cost 3 times the price in Denmark as the rest of the world...
There's even a 25% sales tax, MOMs, on everything that you buy with what's left of your hard earned income (after income taxes of up to 70% have been paid) so life can prove bloody expensive here.
THE GREAT NEWS IS THAT YOU CAN NOW AVOID PAYING THESE TAXES AND BUY YOUR STUFF CHEAPER ABROAD!
Books, CDs, DVDs, Computer Games, Kitchenaid, Dyson, Tumble Dryer, Washing Machine, Magazines...hell, we've bought all that and more and saved as much as 95%. Yes, you read that right...Ninety-five percent!!!
I want to tell as many people as possible, hard-working people like YOU about the sites out there you can save this money at. A single website of recommended links goes a long way to spreading the word and also saves you the hours we put in finding reliable retailers that deliver to Denmark and charge reasonable postage prices. http://www.ingenmoms.dk/ is the result.
I therefore hope that IngenMOMs.DK can strike a blow for the principles of fair trade, fair taxation and personal freedom of choice. Who knows, maybe one day even cars won't cost 3 times the price in Denmark as the rest of the world...
torsdag den 14. juni 2007
IngenMoms
I've created this new site http://www.ingenmoms.dk to identify foreign websites that sell to Danish consumers at much cheaper prices and with low postage costs and less sales taxes MOMs. How the hell do i get it listed anywhere or manage to direct anyone to it????
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