VKB-SIM

Hi. I have a VKB Gladiator Mk2 which I use in Xplane for mainly online IFR flights.mInwould like to replace in with an updated joystick. However I am a bit confused by the number of variations on offer. Could anyone advise which would be nearest to the Gladiator Mk2. Also for delivery to UK what if any charges would be made. Most seem to state EU only VAT. Would the VAT price shown be including all UK taxes. Thanks in advance.

The most reliable option would be the Gladiator EVO with SCG grip, either Standard or Premium version (more controls on the last one). If you don't need all those grip buttons the EVO with KG12 grip is even cheaper (12 buttons on the grip vs 27 on Premium SCG).
The courier will sometimes add tax to the value of the grip, but that's not always the case; you could check this thread to see UK people sharing their experience.

Thanks. Very helpful.

Checked the thread thanks. Nothing less than a year old. Any one here recently puchased for delivery to UK ?

If you cannot find more recent UK-customer experience postings on here, you might want to try the HOTAS/HOSAS discord and/or VKB's official Discord server. I'm sure there are UK customers around on either of the two who could share their experience with you.

From what I remember reading from UK-guys:
You pay VKB's price excl. tax and then you'll have to pay UK VAT/import duties later on (this last step has nothing to do with VKB) - usually this is handled by the courier who will probably also charge you an extra "handling fee" on top for taking care of all that stuff for you.

When I ordered my Delanclip set from the UK about 10 months ago, that's how it went for me. Paid their price (around GBP 60 IIRC) and when my package arrived, DHL charged me another €20 at my door for import duties and handling fee. All in all, GBP 60 turned into roughly €100 for me (can't remember the GBP to EUR exchange rate ) - so do expect a non-trivial amount in fees and taxes added. Granted: This was an order going the opposite way (UK to EU), but AFAIK it's pretty much the same thing for you guys over there when ordering from the EU.



S.

Hi, UK customer here.

The purchase & delivery process is as described by 1sascha. Buy online from VKB Sim Europe for despatch from the NL-based warehouse, and when you enter a UK address at the checkout the site automatically deducts EU VAT from the price.

The last few times I have ordered as above, the parcels came via UPS. You get a tracking number from UPS and it's easy to register with them and follow delivery updates. Depending on the value of the package, UPS will contact you directly for payment of UK VAT and any import charges. The VAT threshold (off the top of my head) is around GBP 130-140, so if you're buying a joystick or a number of components, you will likely get charged VAT and import duties by UPS. This is paid directly via their website or app, and will not delay delivery if you act promptly.

Hope that helps!