Vélo Orange

I ordered a VO French threaded bottom bracket for my puppy kill a couple of weeks ago, and have just received an e-mail explaining that they were adding £20 for customs or something of the sort. So all in all, a 40$ BB is going to end up costing me £100 (BB+£20+other stupid charges). And I'm pissed off. There.

So, the lesson is : just buy a bloody Phil Wood.

In other news, Happy New Year

thanks for the post broux was just about to order one from them.
anyone get any ideas where else i can get a cheap french BB??

http://www.velo-orange.com/returnpolicy.html
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"Do you ship to Europe, Asia, Canada, etc.?** We ship all over the world, usually via US Postal Service. about 20% of our business is with customers in Europe and Asia. *The shipping cost will not be automatically added to your shopping cart total.* When you place an order from a non-US address, we'll pack it, weigh it, and e-mail your shipping options for your approval prior to our charging your credit card or shipping the package. We can't offer a shipping quote before you place an order.

You can estimate shipping cost at the United States Postal Service web site( www.usps.com ).

Please note that we mark the actual purchase price on customs forms; if we don't declare a full price, then we can't insure it for the full value. Packages cannot be labeled as gifts or at a lower value."

If you buy VO stuff from Paul/Jamie at Freshtripe, you avoid such issues. I've ordered VO bits from them before, the prices are very good and service is excellent. You might have to wait a little while though.....

noorkoiv, if I'd known that Freshtripe had them in stock (they do, 103 & 113mm), I would have bough it there.
Pifko, I knew postage would be a bit high, but I was thinking something along the lines of £30-£40 max. I'm just a bit shocked and annoyed that it's added up to so much. (I'm being a bit childish, really)

God I wish I'd gone to freshtripe, with their ever annoyingly named categories. (The BB is in Oily Bits, by the way)

nice one thanks for the info.

Definitely Freshtripe for VO bits. As Sweens said, good prices and very friendly/helpful service.