Amazon vs marine chandlers

[TheOldDuffer]

I’d bought a bilge pump from Amazon. It cost me £20. I then popped into the local chandlers to get some 29 mm ID corrugated tubing. They had all sizes but 29 mm. This despite the fact that they sold the exact same pump, taking 29mm tubing. At €68.

I’m still looking for some 29mm tubing!

[Rob Johnstone]

Ah, but what was the provenance of the one on Amazon?

[TheOldDuffer]

It looked exactly the same bar a slight difference in the outlet connector.

Still looking for 29mm hose

[Graham W]

It looked exactly the same bar a slight difference in the outlet connector.

Still looking for 29mm hose

They’re all made in China, whatever the brand.

eBay is usually quite good for various diameters of hose.

[TheOldDuffer]

It looked exactly the same bar a slight difference in the outlet connector.

Still looking for 29mm hose

They’re all made in China, whatever the brand.

eBay is usually quite good for various diameters of hose.

You can have any diameter you want as long as it's not 29mm  :'(

[Graham W]

I think the answer is that you need to look for a hose with an internal diameter of 1 1/8” rather than 29mm.

[TheOldDuffer]

I think the answer is that you need to look for a hose with an internal diameter of 1 1/8” rather than 29mm.

I've seen some described as 29mm (1 1/8"). I've ordered some corrugated electrical trunking in 29mm from Germany. Non-slitted, naturally

[Sea Simon]

Strange shortages of 29mm - 1 1/8" hose in Ireland? 

Why Gemany? Is it difficult  to import such things from the UK these days? (Genuine  question).

[TheOldDuffer]

Strange shortages of 29mm - 1 1/8" hose in Ireland? 

Why Gemany? Is it difficult  to import such things from the UK these days? (Genuine  question).

Pretty much. Some UK companies know the score but others have no clue as to post-Brexit exports. I had a great difficulty with some tent poles. There was no way I could order online without paying UK VAT (and then having to pay Irish VAT on entry), so I phoned them up to be told they had to charge UK VAT because the sale took place in the UK! There is a UK postal address that we can use that will organise the paperwork and customs duties, but we still have to pay VAT twice.

I ordered €2k worth of tents from a UK company's Irish website, the tents priced in Euro with Irish VAT, but they came from the UK warehouse with completely wrong paperwork and Irish customs looked for €2.5k in customs duties!  I declined and the tents were returned and it took 3 months to get my money back.


I didn't find a supplier in the UK that carried 29mm or 1 1/8" either on Amazon or Ebay.

The following is pretty representative: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Corrugated-Flexible-Garden-Filter-Marine/dp/B0BZVSMS8H/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1X8UACWTUNG3O&keywords=pond%2Bhose&qid=1701764711&s=diy&sprefix=pond%2Bhose%2Cdiy%2C69&sr=1-4&th=1

[Sea Simon]

Weird isn’t it? Disgraceful  actually...trying to keep away from politics...

UK ebay, 1st hit. Easy. See attached.

UK Amazon seems to prefer Imperial? More hits for 1 1/8", but a few for 28mm.

Slightly "ambitious" prices?

For me, now seems almost as easy to import from US as Europe. "Green"?   Nuts!

I had a fright with the double VAT thing when looking at used boats in Europe last year. Even USED boats originally delivered and registered, VAT paid in UK, but subsequently exported pre "cut off" become VAT liable when re imported.
French built boats VATable on import to UK, on basis of used value (despite Euro VAT being tne same as UK VAT at time of sale).
That VAT sum was worryingly vague, and no doubt "valuation" fees to be paid too?
Discovered this just as I was booking my ferry to France!
VAT on £50k is worth avoiding...which I did, by not buying from Europe.

Momentarily tempted to sail the damn thing home and say nowt...but then what about the inevitable  questions about importing the empty used trailer!

Some bleddy progress 

[TheOldDuffer]

I must have just put in 29mm  , not 1 1/8.

I thought the UK was decimal?

[Sea Simon]

UK, decimal??
Imperial, old chap! 
...well, partly...

Always worth searching all "formats" imho.

Having worked with Americans, and on American plant for many years, it always used to amuse how dearly they love, and cling to, our Imperial system 
History considered, You'd think they'd have been very early adopters of Napoleon's system?
However, they do still use their own versions of some of our standards. eg National Pipe Threads for similar applications, but not interchangeable with BSP. Caterpillar seem to use 14mm (9/16") tools for half-inch AF fasteners, whereas most seem to use 13mm.

However, to confuse most, we did have available a set of "Decimal foot" (ie 10 "inches" to the foot) rules, including  a tape measure!