How I bought a 3D printer

This post is a kind of warning to those who have decided to buy a 3D-printer. This seemingly simple process for civilized countries can shatter into harsh Russian realities. Without waiting for it, I managed to walk through every possible rake, and I was convinced in my own skin how things really were on the other side of the screen. So, I invite you to learn from the mistakes of others.

My hobby from symbiosis of electronics and programming, as well as interest in robotics, in early 2013 led to the realization of thought - I need a 3D printer. I live in St. Petersburg and therefore cherished the hope that this desire materializes very quickly. After digging some money, I began to look closely at the existing 3D printing technologies. If you put the main in one table, you get something like this:

Technology	Description	Minimum detail	Color print	Printer price (2013)
Fdm	Layered fusion	0.1 mm	-	3000 $
SLA	Stereolithography	0.05 mm	-	$ 100,000
SLS	Selective laser sintering	0.1 mm	-	$ 2,000,000
Mjm	Multi-jet modeling method	0.025 mm	-	$ 250000
FC3D	Color Gypsum Printing	0.1 mm	+	$ 88,000
LOM	Layer bonding of films	0.15 mm	+	4000 $

It shows that the technology of layer-by-layer fusing, at the moment, is the most accessible to the average budget of a megalopolis resident. Based on this conclusion, I began to choose a specific printer model for purchase. After long comparisons, studying reviews, reading comments, etc., I came to the conclusion that the printer Replicator2 is what I need. Of course, there was still a good competitor to the RigidBot 3D Printer , which by some parameters (maximum print volume, resolution, price) was even better. But, it was alarming that it was a start-up, the first ready-made samples were promised only by the fall, and it’s not clear how the software will be there. In general, I chose Replicator2 from the notorious American firm MakerBot.

Go to their website, make an order and pay for it - it turned out a matter of a few minutes. For the printer, I also bought an extra PLA plastic reel. By the way, this was my first mistake! Make a decision about the printer, not having studied thoroughly the characteristics of the material. Later, much later, I learned that there are two main materials for FDM technology - ABS and PLA. Each of them has its own unique features, and should be aware of them before buying. I will not dwell on a detailed comparison, it is already well done here . If in the paint, then ABS is durable, its irregularities are smoothed with acetone, but with uneven cooling it deforms, which complicates the printing of large parts. PLA is devoid of this flaw, pleasant to the touch. But PLA has another serious flaw that needs to be remembered - it is a biodegradable plastic! From it, for example, make disposable ecological dishes. Biodegradable - this means that if a printed part of it is thrown out onto the street, then in two years there will be little left. At home, in a dry and warm environment, she, of course, will stand for about five years. But if your goal is to live and relive everyone, then PLA should definitely be forgotten. Particularly terrified are the brave comrades who, for their tricopyors, print engine mountings from PLA. Not only is the tensile strength along the layers insufficient for such demanding applications - the part itself after a couple of rain hits will present a real threat to others in the event of destruction.

But we digress. Having ordered my printer in the spring, I plunged into the sweet anticipation of the moment when I would open the treasured box with the package. I still had a vague idea of ​​the speed of movement of parcels from the American continent, but I assumed that in any case our valiant mail would signal to my mailbox with a notification of the order that arrived.
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About a month later, my suspicions began to grow that some postmen preferred to deliver parcels to the addressees on foot. On one of these days, I found a notice in my mailbox ... about a telegram in my name! Wondering who of my acquaintances could use such an outdated type of communication, I came to the post office. But they did not give me a telegram, as it turns out, I came too late, and it was sent for long-term storage to the telegraph. In general, our mail touches me. This is a strange organism, living by its own, only to him clear rules. Many post offices work on business days until 2:00 pm; they can write out a notification to the parcel after it has been in the post office; for some reason they send telegrams for storage to the telegraph - apparently the telegrams are very heavy and take up a lot of space on the shelf. Anyway. I didn’t have to go to the telegraph office, because vague doubts began to torment me - the telegram was somehow connected with my package. On the website tracking the parcels, I checked the number specified when sending - and oplya! It turns out that the parcel was in Russia within two (!!) weeks after the order. All the rest of the time she rushed between the sorting nodes, went through customs, lay in warehouses and so on. Therefore, I was not even surprised that she was stuck at the Main Post Office - even if it was not near the house, but already in St. Petersburg, what can be said, very close. Moreover, the Main Post Office, about a miracle, is open on weekends. At the weekend I decided to go for my printer.



The main post office reported that once the parcel came to them, it means that it was stopped by customs. I was handed a notification and sent to the next window, which occupies a customs post. True, they do not work on weekends, so I had to return here on a working day.

A small digression. It turns out that there are several conditions, if any of them are fulfilled, the customs considers the cargo to be commercial and does not allow it to be a physical person. The most basic:
1) The cost of the goods is more than 1000 euros.
2) The number of items more than 5.
Take this into account when placing an order in foreign online stores!

On a working day, asking for help from work, I went to meet with the customs officers. Surprisingly, all the inspectors were both on the selection, beautiful young girls. But I was glad prematurely. Taking the paper, I was tortured for a long time with questions about what it is and why it is needed. All attempts to explain the principle of operation of a 3D printer broke against a wall of misunderstanding. The interrogation “on what it prints” was especially remembered. We have Georgians, by the name of Goridze, and his name is Avas. Remember this monologue? And I had exactly the same:
“–What is this printer for?
- For printing plastic objects
- What is he typing on?
- On a special substrate, the main thing is not what it prints on, but how - in volume.
- What does it mean in volume, you need special glasses for viewing?
- No, he creates three-dimensional objects in space.
“What does it create? ..”
In the end, they nodded at a piece of paper hanging on the glass, supposedly prepare these documents and come again. A set of documents for individuals is obligatory, therefore I provide here a complete list (an exact copy with corrected spelling errors):

1. Copy of passport
2. Copy of TIN
3. Order (listing of your order with a description of the qualitative, quantitative and cost characteristics of the product)
4. Payment (confirmation of payment for the purchased goods) “credit card transaction, extract from PayPal account, payment order for money transfer”
5. Order confirmation
6. Other documents required for customs clearance.

Notice the 6 point? I also meditated on him a little. It turns out that no matter what documents you bring, you can always find the missing one. But there is nothing to do, I prepared the first five documents from the list and went to customs again.

On the next visit I got to another girl and was afraid of a repetition of an empty dialogue. But it turned out even worse. I was pleased that the user manual, although it contained technical information, but for verification, one should provide a copy translated and certified by the translator. Otherwise, they will not consider anything. The proposal to transfer directly with them any item just waved away - these are the rules. In the process of communication, I also noticed that the customs workers had difficulty in determining the TN VED code to which this printer belongs - they did not identify it.

For reference, TN VED is the Commodity Nomenclature of Foreign Economic Activity or a product classifier used when working with customs. Those. a set of numbers that encoded the declared goods. To determine the FEA, you can use both directly updated directories and convenient classifiers that facilitate selection. I tried to define myself, but I could not. Due to the fact that the total number of categories is very extensive, and the codes themselves do not keep pace with the rapidly changing world and often have to squeeze the goods into the next group, which is suitable only with a big stretch.

In finding the right code, it turned out an interesting detail. It turns out that on the website of the State service there is such a service to the population - you write a statement and attach a description of the product to it, and after some time, you are sent a classifier of the TN VED. I decided to take advantage, especially since it is free.

True, a small snag - the application must be signed by electronic signature. The difficulties did not frighten us, and after a few days I was already in the open spaces of Rostelecom and received a USB key containing the key of the electronic signature and the certificate of this key. He cost me 600 rubles with a little:



And that very evening I wrote a statement on a template with a detailed description, and, for reliability, attached a user manual.

In the meantime, my electronic application for the determination of the TN VED code dangled on the sidelines of e-government, another trip to customs was undertaken with the aim of buying out a 3D printer waiting for me. I also took the translated user manual with me, which fortunately, someone had already translated it to me.

This time, the customs officers have already prepared for my visit and immediately stated that: “... this product does not fall under the category of goods for personal use, therefore, it is necessary to issue a cargo customs declaration. How? Please contact the customs broker, or call for consultation by phone above. ”

Immediately I warn you, it is useless to make a phone call to which the customs officers refer. For the caller will hear that telephone consultations are not given, and the caller should personally come to the territory of Pulkovo Customs for consultation. Who does not know, Pulkovo Customs is located near the Pulkovo airport, so you can’t call them quick and enjoyable trips. But a new surprise awaits the one who has arrived - consultations do not turn out on the execution of declarations, nor are assessments of the lawfulness of the customs inspector’s behavior. The entire consultation is reduced to the search and demonstration of the chapters of the Customs Code, which fall under a specific case of interest. You understand that you can find the necessary chapters on the Internet yourself.

In order to present approximately what I am getting involved in, I decided to go for a consultation to a customs broker. By the way, not free. A little phlegmatic customs broker listened to me, took the documents and began to study. I rummaged around in my computer, gave me leading questions and, calling my colleague for consultation, delivered a verdict: “Yes, the product does not fall under the category for personal use. Yes, it is necessary to issue a cargo customs declaration. Yes, making a declaration does not mean receiving the cargo, as two documents will additionally be required - the certificate and the official confirmation of the manufacturer that there are no encryption and crypto protection elements inside. Registration of the cargo declaration will cost 20 thousand rubles. And be prepared that you will also have to pay VAT in the amount of 18% of the value of the goods and customs duty. ”

"Delighted" heard, however, began the search for a customs broker. Making a huge list of existing customs firms and brokers in St. Petersburg, he began methodically calling them around. And here came another surprise. It turns out that they all do not work with individuals! With legal entities - please, almost they themselves will come running, but with individuals - no. Yes, and the average price for processing cargo customs declaration fluctuated around 30 thousand. This is not a significant waste for a company importing containers with goods - the amount is simply invisible against the background of bulk purchases. And for the average person who bought goods in a foreign online store - the cost is unaffordable.

It is now, having a great experience behind me, I know a competent and inexpensive customs broker working with physical. persons (by the way, if anyone needs - contact, advise). And then I spent more than a week looking for a broker who would be willing to issue a declaration to a simple individual. Found this, as always, an acquaintance.

This broker was located on Vasilyevsky Island. On the first visit, a general scheme of work was agreed upon. He draws up a declaration, and I myself go with her to the customs. This also turned out to be my big mistake. In all cases, the broker must interact with the customs officers! In addition, the submission of the declaration in electronic form is now available, which saves time. But then I did not know all this.

When the next visit to the broker I arrived for my declaration, another feature of our customs laws surfaced. The date is put on the declaration, so, this date should correspond to the one when you submit it to the customs! Nothing wrong? No matter how wrong! Also, the declaration indicates the exchange rate on the day of filing, and if these two numbers do not correspond to reality, the declaration will not even be considered. And the course for tomorrow becomes known in the afternoon, after the auction. Those. the broker prepares a declaration in the afternoon, then it needs to be picked up and come to the customs the next morning. Before this, do not forget to pay 18% VAT, because Payments are also tied to the exchange rate.

When in the morning I appeared at the customs post with a ready declaration and stood in line, I was immediately turned around. It turns out that simply attaching payment receipts is not enough! It is necessary to independently “register” each transfer in the payments department of Pulkovo Customs. Those. call this department, ask if the payment was received, and if it did, ask for it to be identified, i.e. assign it a unique number with the date on which the inspector will refer to it in the future. When I asked why the customs officers themselves do not deal with their bureaucracy, there was a brilliant answer: “we don’t have to do this!”. In general, I later heard this phrase “we are not obliged” so often that I had the impression that customs exist only to complicate the process of receiving cargo and knocking out money from the solvent population. To my regret that tomorrow the course will change and you may have to pay the missing difference of the VAT again, I was reproached: “Well, you were warned that you had to pay VAT with a reserve! The difference will be returned to you later. ” Naturally, no one personally warned me about this, and for the first time I heard about the refund. But did not argue, turned around and went to the next round.

Speaking of circles, I mean the trajectory that each time it was necessary to pass through again. I marked this triangle connecting the customs broker, the Central Post Office and the Pulkovo Customs, on the map to represent what each trip represents. And all this had to somehow be combined with work (which, naturally, is far beyond the limits of this triangle).



The broker made me a new declaration with the next date, I paid VAT at the bank with a reserve and the next day I appeared with the papers at the customs officers. Having inspected the declaration, the inspector happily returned it to me, saying that it contains errors and cannot accept it in this form. After lengthy persuasion, he (or rather, she - all the girl’s inspectors) agreed with unconcealed favor to say where and what the mistakes were. The inspector explained, but I barely managed to write behind her, constantly asking and clarifying something. I have this note preserved - there are about 9 comments! Now the wrong code is in the field, the location of the goods is not correctly indicated, the necessary document is not entered, etc. Having collected all the comments, I went to the next round to the customs broker.

Looking ahead, I’ll say that it took about two months for all attempts to get a printer through customs. Each visit was accompanied by some niggles, requirements of new documents, etc. Especially "pleased" that each inspector had his own comments. I had a feeling that the customs officers were trying to extort a bribe in this way. But I was not going to pay out of principle.

Three weeks after the beginning of the epic with the registration of the cargo declaration, I accidentally talked in line with a woman who also designed her cargo at the Pulkovo customs. I do not remember the details of her product, but it was something like cosmetics and creams. She was an individual entrepreneur, unlike me. But she also tried to arrange the cargo for several weeks, wondering - earlier she managed to go through customs easier and faster. Only before she received the goods by rail, and he got to the St. Petersburg customs post (Pulkovsky oversees delivery by airmail, and St. Petersburg - land delivery methods). I learned from her that the shelf life of the parcel in the mail is only one month. And after this time, you need to write an application in the mail about the extension of storage. I figured that my package had been on the mail for more than a month, and hastily rushed to apply for an extension. I was afraid that the parcel had already gone back, but fortunately, the slowness of the mail here played into the hands - my printer was still at the Main Post Office.

A month after the start of this entire epic with customs, I was bored that the customs and the broker would not come to an agreement. Each side, as it happens, blames the other. Customs accuses the broker of illiteracy, the broker claims that customs is too picky. I, running between them, in parallel, I myself understand the intricacies of customs laws in order to find the truth. Therefore, I chose the day and made an appointment with the first deputy head of Pulkovo Customs. To the deputy because the chief himself, apparently, belongs to the circle of the elect and does not accept visitors. – , , , . , ( ), , . , , , , . . .

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