Shipping/Customs charges. Aaaaarrrgh!

lol

vegansdontneedgears if you hate customs, try dealing with imigration...

Could be a winner.

No, Officer, I'm not importing these lovely Nitto bars.

They have simply emigrated from Japan.

I prefer this tack:
I assure you that dispite the fact the track frame i am bringing home is brand new, without wheels, and in a box saying 'Kalavinka Cycles' that i took it wth me to Japan, sold my wheels, forks, bars, cranks, etc and i'm just bringing it home...
I wouldn't lie to you, officer!

When Phil Wood sent my hub over recently I asked the lovely people there if they'd mark it as a promotional sample and sling $40 on the declaration...
They did and I was quids in...
It's surprising how many places will actually do that... You are fecked if it gets lost in transit tho'...

It's also a little-known fact that you pay VAT on the shipping cost too.

And import duty...

hippy [quote]phunkymunky Just a little info as far as i know....
The courier pays the custom charges on the customers behalf and then invoices the customer for reinbursement plus their admin fees etc.
A year or so ago a friend ordered stuff from the USA, just a few clothes, and got stung by whatever courier was used for customs charges and the courier handling charge/fees etc. She wrote back to the courier saying she never wanted them to pay to pay her charges and she would have paid the customs charge directly if given the chance so she said she wouldn't pay their handling/admin fees and sent a cheque for the customs charge only, she never heard back from the courier. Could save you some cash

But, if you order something and the courier pays the duty, you are then forced to turn up to their depot and pay the charges. They wont deliver the item without you first paying duty and their charges. It's fscking bollox!!![/quote]

It was several (4 or 5) years ago but as far as I remember the parcel was delivered as normal ie by the postie then a couple of days later an invoice turned up charging for the customs/delivery so she got round it that way. With the explosion of ebay and internet commerce I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have the opportunity these days so it probably is "fscking bollocks!!!"

phunkymunky

Bringing an old one to life here I know but was wondering if anyone had an idea as to this.

Is the vat on the price of the good or the price of the good + import tax???

IIRC you pay VAT on the lot, the cost of the goods, shipping and import tax, I know that suggests the government are taxing you on your tax but I seem to remember it being correct. Having items labeled up as 'promotional' or 'for testing' with the important phrase 'no comercial value' is always good.

whoo!!! thanks for the info I did not expect it to include the shipping cost as well.

BillB IIRC you pay VAT on the lot, the cost of the goods, shipping and import tax, I know that suggests the government are taxing you on your tax ..

Well you are really, the only certain things in life are death and tax.

quoting a chick flick (don't worry i like it as well, claire forlani is a total fox!!!)

i love that film!

aaah, how about a lfgss screening in tommy's knightsbridge penthouse?!

if you get a place to put "Returned goods" on the package will customs still hammer your ass?! (not a fan the gift, especially when its coming from a bike shop)

Has anyone bought bicycle parts from USA web sites…how does it work…do you need to pay any extra taxes…any problems with the customs?

Import duty + VAT + a handling charge from Parcel force.

• It more than likely will not turn up at your house, you will nearly always have to go down to your local postal depot and pick it up (and pay the charges).
  
  

Stuff from Europe = none of the above, mostly pain free.

Post office charge an extra £8 for the pleasure of taking your money. A lot of small sellers are willing to mark value as low or even as a present which reduces the risk of customs opening it and charging you.

Yeah, first rule about buying stuff(anything, not just bike stuff) is to ask them to put the value on the package as low as possible within reason, they're usually more than happy to do it. Usually halfprice or less

I never had a problem buying small parts direct less than a couple of hundred dollars and French customs can't be bothered
from ebay you can ask for them to lie about the value
big things you can bring back in a suitcase which I have done many times

You can order stuff from the States and escape the duty and VAT. It's just down to dumb luck, I'm afraid. My new Nitto seatpost arrived last week. I should have had to part with 18 quid to prise it from the postie's sweaty hands, because the value of the item and shipping was over thirty quid and it hadn't been marked down. But I didn't. Either someone isn't doing their job properly or they simply don't have time to work out the duty on every package that passes through the depot. I paid nothing the time before, too. Hey, maybe you should all get your packages sent to me. :-)

If you're feeling lucky, take a chance and order from the US. Just don't do it without working out how much you'll have to pay if the package doesn't escape the clutches of Customs. Make it a calculated risk.

One of the benefits of the interweb and the various forums you can frequent based around hobbies/interests like this one is people are surprisingly amenable to buying stuff for you and posting it to you. There are a couple of guys in the US and Japan who I ocassionally do London/UK shopping for and they reciprocate in kind just cos we posted on the same forum for years and felt we could trust each other.

Best 'arrangement' is to befriend someone who works on a US airbase or similar and get them to order you stuff. You only pay US domestic postage and no tax !

Pistanator Yeah, first rule about buying stuff(anything, not just bike stuff) is to ask them to put the value on the package as low as possible within reason, they're usually more than happy to do it. Usually halfprice or less

I sometime get them to mark it 'SAMPLE' or 'GIFT' with a value of $0.

Yeah, 'gift' always works

It's $1.50 to €1 today! BUY BUY BUY!

...and which are the best US sites to order parts?

cunts, got fuckin done again by the bastards for my new rims, even with gift on the box. i've only got a chain past them. better not get done on my frame or i will be pissed!!