My sister has a business trip to London and to Bristol in a few weeks and I am thinking of asking/begging her to see about getting me a new racquet there, if prices are cheaper than in the states for Carlton racquets. Anyone know how much Airblade 900 and Rasmussen racquets are going for in the U.K. (pounds or U.S. dollars - I'll convert)? I tried doing a web search for British badminton stores but did not have much luck. I can get one here in the states for about $117 including shipping. Any recommendations for stores in London and Bristol? They will need to be easily accessable by public transportation, as my sister won't have a car. Thanks.
I believe that as an overseas visitor, your sister may be able to get the racquets even cheaper. In UK, overseas visitors are not liable for VAT(value added tax) which is a sales tax and usually included in the final price (unlike Canada where tax is added on afterwards). To claim back the tax, your sister should keep the receipt of the purchase(maybe ask for one which shows the amount of tax). At Heathrow Airport, there is a counter where you take the receipts and then they give the money back! I think the counter is after immigration counter. VAT adds 17.5% to the base price so that's a considerable saving.
have a look at www.tennisnuts.org - their prices are usually standard or a bit cheaper compared to other sports stores. F
Try checking out www.centralsports.co.uk where you should get a good idea of how mauch the rackets cost. Just go to browse catalogue and you can select from a number of manufacturers.fuju wrote:
Thanks for the information everyone. Unfortunately, it does not appear that Carlton discounts its racquets significantly in its domestic market and I would only be able to save around $5, after a VAT refund, by having my sister pick up a racket in the U.K. I did see a lot of different brands of racquets from companies like Fischer (they make primarily skis), Browning (they make primarily guns and hunting and fishing equipment), Slazenger, Monsoon, Talbot, Karakal, and others. It seems like the big trend for the European market is to make lightweight racquets (<85g) with titanium mesh inserts.