I’m off to the US in 5 weeks on my honeymoon and was planning on bringing back a few bike bits. Namely a reverb, but probably a few other bits. I was wondering what the deal was with bringing them though customs? I don’t want to end up being stung with import charges and the like.
I’ve heard that I should be ok if I remove tags and such?
Any advice welcome!

One Google 🙂
https://www.gov.uk/duty-free-goods/arrivals-from-outside-the-eu

You can bring in goods worth up to £390 duty-free. If you arrive by private plane or boat, you can only bring in goods worth up to £270 duty-free.

If you bring in any single item worth more than your allowance you have to pay tax/duty on the full item value, not just the value above the allowance.

You can’t group individual allowances together to bring in an item worth more than the limit.

Declaring goods to customs
You have to speak to customs when entering the UK from non-EU countries if:

you exceed your allowances
the goods are for commercial use
you have 10,000 euros or more (or its equivalent) in cash
you think you may have banned or restricted goods
How much you have to pay
If you exceed your allowances or don’t meet the conditions you might have to pay:

Customs Duty
Excise Duty
Import VAT
Customs Duty rates

Customs Duty is waived if you owe less than £9. Otherwise:

it only applies on goods above the £270 or £390 allowance (whichever is appropriate)
over this allowance and up to £630 the rate is 2.5%
over £630, the rate depends on the type of goods – check by calling the VAT, Customs and Excise Helpline
Excise Duty rates

HMRC has the latest duty rates for alcohol and tobacco products.

Import VAT

This is charged as a percentage of the total value of the goods plus any other duties payable. The VAT rates are the standard UK rates.

If you don’t then you are evading tax 🙂

but yeah just rip the tags off and join Amazon & Starbucks

Not that I’d condone it but apparently having the receipts on you & stuff in boxes, as you pass though customs maybe a slight give away (post the reciepts home).
That said, coming through customs with a bunch of new bike kit, and no bike, might be a slight give away in itself.

If it is under the limit then you have Nothing to declare. I’ve brought lots of stuff back, including two sets of Kreitler rollers in their box, Never had a problem.

If you are over the limit on any one item, then you will have to declare it and pay duty at bike accessory rate and VAT. If it’s small, then it won’t be noticed, if it is a bike frame, declare it immediately.

I was planning on buying a Jones frame, but in the end decided on something else instead. I would have declared it at entry.

depends how you come into uk as well ….

fly into aberdeen via heathrow without collecting your bags – no one has ever checked 😉

Based on my uni holiday days when i did a stint at gatwick handling you would be very very unlucky if you got stopped. At the time they were more focussed on catching the people coming back from tenerife who flew out with empty cases and are now flying home with them full of fags. Customs come air side and check the bags when they’re unloaded off the flat bed on ‘high risk’ flights. Strange picking up a massive suitcase and find it weighs next to nothing. Anyway, they knew who they were going to stop before you made it to the customs channel.

Besides, a couple of small products bought when you’ve been on holiday is hardly going to bring the economy down. Just stick em in your case and maybe avoid the dark raybans and panama on the way back through. Bought skis and ski boots in canada when on holiday before and never had any issue.

A ‘good friend’ of mine bought a Yeti 575 in the USA when it was 2 dollars to the pound. Packed it into a used flight case and wheeled it through ‘nothing to declare’ without getting a second look.

He also bought an Ibis Mojo frame on another trip and put it in his suitcase, same result. Both times he sent all the paperwork separately, just in case.

I bought a couple of tee shirts mail order and got stung for import duty. Ho hum.

I’m visiting California for a few months sometime within the next 12 months and I’m intending to get myself a bike to ride when I’m out there.

Having read around (here and elsewhere) it seems many people purchase a bike and use it a few times abroad (so it’s clearly not new) and then don’t have any problems with not declaring it when bringing it back to the UK.

Bringing back a whole bike is obviously quite different to bringing back parts though. I imagine that so long as you’re sensible there won’t be any problems.

Hmmm, now do I get a One 9 or an Air 9 Carbon singlespeed? (it’ll be a commuter whilst in CA, so both are probably a bad idea!) :p

Thanks all, great help STW!

As a for instance what would you pay on a frame that cost £700 and you declared it?

Smidge over 20% i believe.

VAT at 20% and duty is 4.7% on bike frames.
http://www.dutycalculator.com/