Is there a bike shop in the states that'll label parts as 'personal'?

Have done a search but couldn't find it. I'm sure someone, somewhere, mentioned that there was a bike shop in the states that was open to marking parts up as 'personal' so customs didn't try and blag you for tax when buying some bits online and getting them sent over the pond to the UK. Can anyone remember or does anyone know what I'm talking about ?! Cheers.

bens, trackstar, salvagetties

bens, trackstar, salvagetties

• 1 on Trackstar, Ben's wouldn't when I asked... I'm obviously not as charming as Mr Crash... ;)
  Phil Wood do too... Nudge, nudge... Bling Bling...
  How's the Fuji?
  

I don't know what you're trying to buy, but I needed to get some bits and after seeing some of the fairly hefty prices at Ben's I contacted good ol Hubjub and sourced some bits through them - in fact some of the bits worked out cheaper that way, plus no risk of getting import duties wacked on.

yeah, you're taking the bread out of wills mouth!

Also Aspire Velotech mark down everything so you dont get done for customs

I hate to be the boring bastard but remember that if you get Trackstar to mark your Sugino 75 cranks costing £100 then if it gets lost in the post it wont have been insured for more than what the marked down value was maybe £20. I'm not sure how this works if you have a personal item. Insurance might not be available at all through some couriers.

I'm all for getting stuff cheap. Sometimes the risk is just not worth the saving though.

I hate to be the boring bastard but remember that if you get Trackstar to mark your Sugino 75 cranks costing £100 then if it gets lost in the post it wont have been insured for more than what the marked down value was maybe £20. I'm not sure how this works if you have a personal item. Insurance might not be available at all through some couriers.

I'm all for getting stuff cheap. Sometimes the risk is just not worth the saving though.

See that's what I don't get - 75's work out at about £96 from Trackstar (unless I'm wrong), and that's not including postage and the subsequent duty issues, whereas they're £109 here, which for me isn't a big enough difference to warrant the potential grief. I know that other things have a greater price difference though, but I've noticed similarly small benefits when buying stuff like MKS pedals and Nitto stuff too.

Got my 75 from NJS for £80, it was worth the risk, along with a chain ring and chain.
Picked up a Pearl 90 stem and Nitto Bullhorns from Bens, saved maybe £10 over hubjub,
but forgot to look there first!! Didn't get stung by customs though... Lucky this time.

See that's what I don't get - 75's work out at about £96 from Trackstar (unless I'm wrong), and that's not including postage and the subsequent duty issues, whereas they're £109 here, which for me isn't a big enough difference to warrant the potential grief. I know that other things have a greater price difference though, but I've noticed similarly small benefits when buying stuff like MKS pedals and Nitto stuff too.

Sugino and Nitto are the things I want to buy aswell. Nowhere is really that cheap to buy these things. Maybe yahoo! auctions in Japan but I'm a bit scared to bid on things there. I'd rather get things by mail from the UK or bought in person in a shop in the US. I've been stung with import duties too many times before and I like knowing exactly how much something will cost, to the penny, before I buy it.

Got my 75 from NJS for £80

From NJS? I don't understand. Do you have a link?

Well I've just dumped $1200 US on a complete bike through Speedgoat in the US, even with shipping charges and duty and vat it still ends up being heaps cheaper than buying here, I mean the frame alone retails for £499 and no more are available in the UK untill end of the year. Would be nice to avoid all the taxes but some things are still heaps cheaper to buy from the states.

From NJS? I don't understand. Do you have a link?
#

njsframes.blogspot.com

or
search for 'njs export' in google.

• 1 on Trackstar, Ben's wouldn't when I asked... I'm obviously not as charming as Mr Crash... ;)
  Phil Wood do too... Nudge, nudge... Bling Bling...
  How's the Fuji?
  
  

Good thanks mate. Just need to get front caliper/cable/lever sorted and am skint until pay day (end of next week)! Only working credit card I have is American Express, hence asking about US online sites as no UK sites I can find take AmEx. Gaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!! Desperately fighting my impatience gene!

:D

Good thanks mate. Just need to get front caliper/cable/lever sorted and am skint until pay day (end of next week)! Only working credit card I have is American Express, hence asking about US online sites as no UK sites I can find take AmEx. Gaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!! Desperately fighting my impatience gene!

:D

Sounds like its hardly worth it, by the time you order and wait for postage from the states it will be end of next week. If your that impatient why not find a bike store that accepts Amex and but from the shop, instant gratification and shouldn't cost to much more.

@JDB, you're probably right but I'm fed up with waiting! Just another week to go, nearly there. And breathe!