Viewing 26 posts - 1 through 26 (of 26 total)
  • Buying bike stuff from America
  • RealMan
    Free Member

    Are there any ways that don’t cost loads? Looking to get a pair of wheels from over there, and it looks like it will cost £160 just to get them here.

    easygirl
    Full Member

    Get em sent as a gift
    Go over and pick em u yourself
    Smuggle them inside a south American drugs mule

    All illegal

    7hz
    Free Member

    Cost as in postage or what?

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    singlespeedstu
    Full Member

    easygirl – Member

    Get em sent as a gift

    Makes no difference you still have to pay tax and import on it.

    uplink
    Free Member

    Warranty replacements FTW 😉

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    go buy bring home

    flow
    Free Member

    Its not worth it

    easygirl
    Full Member

    Ohh it is
    Bought a blur ltc 1600 dollars,£1083
    Price here £2400

    flow
    Free Member

    How did you get around import duty?

    They are $2499 on Santacruzbicycles.com

    t-p26
    Free Member

    If the “warranty replacement” is sent direct to you,you are still liable for import VAT and clearance fee.
    Surely you should be costing this in when you think of buying in the first place???
    At least cost it in before pressing the buy now button

    singlespeedstu
    Full Member

    If the “warranty replacement” is sent direct to you,you are still liable for import VAT and clearance fee.

    But they will refund this if it’s a genuine warranty replacement and you have the paperwork from the original frame.

    dickie
    Free Member

    I recently saw a Blur XC carbon with RP23 for what converted too £995 at Competative cyclist – £2500+ here.
    But what about warranty issues?

    I bought a RWC top shock bush roller bearing a couple of weeks ago for about £25 from US & the post office charged me £11 for handling & duty!

    But a few years ago I bought a new RP23 from an ebay shop in the US for £99 & paid no import duty.

    godzilla
    Free Member

    I’ve had loads of stuff from sent from America as “gift” and not paid tax on it.

    daveells
    Free Member

    Get them to but a lower value on the invoice.£160 postage sounds a bit steep.

    RealMan
    Free Member

    It’s only £40-45 postage. I worked out the £160 from duty/vat etc.

    easygirl
    Full Member

    Yep that’s the one I got from competitive cyclist 2010 blur ltc

    7hz
    Free Member

    Factor in the duty, and suck it up and pay it, or buy whatever it is you want in the EU and don’t pay duty, your call…

    dans160
    Free Member

    Simple: Is what you’re buying massively cheaper and factor in VAT and duty and or is it only available in the States and you really must have it. If it’s either of those then you may as well.

    My Intense SS1 frame cost £850 delivered. They were 2k in the UK at the time.

    rudedog
    Free Member

    I bought a bunch of stuff from Jenson a while back, probably totaled around £130 quid and only paid £18 delivery – no import tax.

    corroded
    Free Member

    I just received some forks from Jenson that were half their UK price. Got stung with a whole £13 in duty 🙂
    What’s more they arrived three days after I ordered them. I’m happy.

    alexxx
    Free Member

    A slightly more random import question – I’m moving to France in 2 weeks – does anyone know if I’d have more or less chance of getting stung for import costs here or in France?

    uplink
    Free Member

    I bought a bunch of stuff from Jenson a while back, probably totaled around £130 quid and only paid £18 delivery – no import tax.

    That’s because you don’t pay duty on goods brought in under the value of £135, you are liable for VAT though on anything over £18

    thejesmonddingo
    Full Member

    My brother-in-law brings my stuff over when he’s visiting from Boston,he’s brought frames in bike bags,with his name on all the documentation,so no probs on entry,nobody bothered checking if he still had it on exit.

    charliedontsurf
    Full Member

    add the VAT, and sometimes a duty handling fee.
    Consider that if they fail or have warranty issues your local shop will tell you to get on a plane and bother the people you bought it from.

    And what wheels do you need to go to the US for… everything is available over here (pretty much)

    RealMan
    Free Member
    uplink
    Free Member

    Consider that if they fail or have warranty issues your local shop will tell you to get on a plane and bother the people you bought it from.

    It is a consideration but, in 12 years of proper cycling [ie not just riding around the streets] and umpteen bikes and bits, I’ve only once had to return something under warranty.

Viewing 26 posts - 1 through 26 (of 26 total)

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