Hi, I have a good quality second hand Bosch tumble dryer (used value about £80-100), which came from my late sister-in-laws estate, any idea if i will have problems with customs and duty if I take it from the UK to our house in France to replace a decrepit one? Thanks in advance.
You would be allowed to import €430 of miscellaneous goods so, on that basis, you should be OK.
4 Likes
Great thanks.
1 Like
Very good brand, Miscellaneous. They make a lot of different products. 
8 Likes
Indeed. note to self - make sure to jump on Chris’s next spelling mistake mercilessly
4 Likes
No problems, just remember to change the plug for a good quality french one and never use an adapter.
4 Likes
Is it LHD or RHD? You may have to reverse the polarity.
(only joking)
But seriously is it worth the shipping cost? We had to replace a double oven last year as they don’t sell them here anymore. We would have had to bodge the kitchen to fit in a single or two single units so I shipped a double oven from Ireland where they are still available. It was expensive to ship but a lot cheaper than a new kitchen 
1 Like
I happen to be going on my own this time and i have a large estate car, so it will be my travelling companion.
3 Likes
Can I ask what is the issue with using plug adapters?
I use quite a lot of them, the largest appliance being a large brand double fridge freezer.
Am I creating trouble?
Often not rated high enough and generally for temporary use. Some are better than others but long term best to buy a proper french plug
1 Like
In addition, many now are very poor quality and it’s difficult to find good ones.
Yes, potentially. What @Corona said above, with bells on.
I’ve even come across adaptors that don’t connect the earth through, as well as being shoddily made, & not rated for the 16A that can be drawn from French sockets.
…is not a large electrical load, so you’re lucky. I’ve witnessed ovens, hobs, kettles & tumble dryers that have melted adaptors, sometimes to the detriment of the socket they’re plugged into.
Only ever use such things for light loads; for other uses just CHANGE THE PLUG!
1 Like
What everyone has said - change the plug. Its only going to cost a few euros, you can even do it yourself.
There are plenty of double ovens on sale in France.
1 Like
My solution when in France is to bring a four-way extension block like this one (from Amazon):
So I can plug in my MacBook, phone and iPad chargers etc safely into the UK sockets, and the Schuko plug goes into the wall, no dodgy individual adapters needed.
Subject to power ratings it would probably work as a long-term solution as well, if you didn’t feel comfortable changing UK plugs to EU ones on individual appliances - and of course with things like chargers the UK plug may be a fixed item.
1 Like
Be careful with advice like that Chris, many of those extension leads are wired with 1.5mm flex not 2.5mm for high powered items like tumble dryers.
4 Likes
That’s just plain stupid & any insurance claims as they will be deemed illegal and not payout, these are temporary devises for plugging in small electrical equipment on holiday, deplacements proffesional etc.
1 Like
Why should anyone feel uncomfortable about replacing a big ugly UK plug with a much smaller, more elegant French one?
I was quite clear that I was not thinking of high power devices like tumble dryers - as I mentioned I use it for small items like a laptop and phone chargers, and I also said “subject to power ratings”.
Perhaps my use of the word “appliances “ was confusing.
It could be an alternative to buying new chargers where those have a fixed UK plug.
1 Like
Show me one