UNITED STATES SHIPPING SITUATION

For the regular FAQ’s scroll down

BPOST (The Belgian Postal Service) has suspended all shipments towards the US. This has been in effect since the 22nd of August of this year. I’ve been using them as my only method of shipping for close to 4 years now, since they are the only ones offering sensible and affordable pricing structures for their services.


With this suspension I cannot offer a flat rate for any shipment to the US, as the other avenues for shipping (UPS and DHL) do not work with flat rates, their pricing varies from day to day, apart from being considerably more expensive (upwards of 600% for DHL and about and about 200% for UPS). And that’s without counting on what could happen on arrival regarding what tariffs might or might not be charged. At the moment it seems to be oddly random, though shipments of 1-2 cymbals seem to be often unaffected by the tariff charge.

The US customer base has been my most important source of commerce throughout these years, so I am worried —to say the least— about what this situation will imply. Regardless, I need to post my new batch, and I simply couldn’t find a way that would work for both me and my potential customers, specially because of the uncertainty of tariffs and the potential need to organize logistics within the US for further shipping.

My solution here will be as follows. I will reopen the possibility for US customers to purchase from me, with a shipping method that will charge 0eu. After I receive your purchase then your options are, either you organize the shipping on your own (I will provide all the info you will need on my side), or you wait for me to figure out what prices and delivery methods UPS/DHL might have, and then send you a payment link for the service of your choice. UPS should round the 170-190eu range for a 1-2 cymbals box, whereas DHL could be anywhere from 250-300eu for the same box.

Alternatively, if many people from the US buy in a close enough time frame, or if you know other individuals that have bought from me, a collective shipment can be organized within all the concerned parties, which will definitely lower shipping costs for the individuals. But in this case, all potential tariff charges at entry, plus the required extra shipping label you will need to get it from its arrival spot in the US towards your own address, will be 100% on you. With this option I will take responsibility only until it leaves Belgium.

I apologize, but it is out of my hands. In the worst case scenario, if you want to buy it but prefer to wait it out until BPOST resumes its normal services towards the US, be 100% sure that I will keep the instrument safe and sound and away from the public inside my workshop. This is also an option. Thanks for reading.

MGQ

FAQ’s

-Shipping Fees?

Worldwide shipping is available. Within the European territory (+UK, Iceland and Norway) shipping has a fixed rate of 15eu regardless of location. Outside of European territory shipping is calculated depending on the weight of the parcel.
I use the Belgian Postal Service (BPOST). All parcels come with a tracking number and I usually ship within the 48 hour margin (2 business days) from the sale.

-Taxes (VAT/Customs)?

ATTENTION!: The prices that appear on my shop DO NOT reflect VAT. That’s because VAT in EU is country dependent, the VAT will only appear at checkout once you specify a shipping address.

If you are buying from outside EU, no tax will be collected at checkout, BUT, do calculate that you will most likely be charged import duty taxes by your country’s customs department on your cymbal’s arrival.

-Business to Business VAT?

If you are buying on behalf of a VAT registered business from within the EU economic zone (excluding Belgium), you could have the VAT deducted from your purchase. For this please do contact me directly, this website’s shop functionality is unable to do so automatically and I would have to prepare that manually for you.

It might take me some hours to respond, remember this is a one-man show, so patience is appreciated.

-Do you take Commissions?

I will take small commissions, but their acceptance will depend on the feasibility of the project and my current workload. Incoming requests will be kept in order of arrival, and for those I couldn’t accept, I will contact you down the road when I get the necessary space and time for your commission.

For now commissions are requested through the “contact” page, and all single cymbal commissions incur an added extra cost of 10% above their regular price. This because of the extra costs incurring in ordering single blanks from my provider.

IMPORTANT!: There’s no refunds accepted for commissions. The totality of the costs for the work is paid in advance. No result is entirely predictable. This is a non-exact craft full of unforeseen variables.

-Can you replicate this?

I don’t do replicas, historical or contemporary alike. There’s many reasons for it, from my almost nonexistent hands-on experience with vintage cymbals, to my lack of an accessible physical sample-library for comparison. Plus, I believe that as good as some smiths have been and are nowadays at creating stunning “vintage’esque” cymbals, truly capturing and replicating the sound and essence of old bronze is close to, if not an entirely impossible task.

I will take inspiration, as anyone does, in many different pieces, styles, and eras, but I take it as the honest and responsible approach to claim and market my work as my own, not piggybacking on the past, or worst, other artists, both dead or alive.

-How do you price?

Pricing follows this simple formula for all Rides: 34€ x inch.
For Hi-Hats, 14”=20” Ride, 15”=22” Ride and 16”=24” Ride.

Any size specification up to one sixteenth of an inch is done for transparency and cymbal-case concerns, but prices are always rounded up above the 1/2 inch (e.g. 19 ¹¹/₁₆” = 20”)

-Can I Visit?

My doors are always open, you can come, play and select your cymbals from my existing stock. That said, visits do require previous appointments set at least 2-3 days prior. The workshop is located 15 minutes away from Brussels’ city center. For scheduling your visit go to “contact” and fill the form, I will get back to you as soon as possible, times permitting.

-Do you take Refunds/Returns?

I do not offer refunds or returns. The artisanal nature of these instruments makes them unique non inter-changeable pieces. Aditionally, I go through lengthy extents to record the most comprehensive audiovisual samples I can with multiple mics and sticks so that the listener gets a precise sonic picture of the instrument before buying it.

Guarantees are only applicable on the very rare cases where the damage is a verifiable and clear fault in production.