If I was looking to buy a carbon canoe paddle (not a bike) from one these outfits, what do I need to know?
How do you find a reliable company?
What import taxes/extra costs are there?

What import taxes/extra costs are there?

Import duty, VAT, “handling fees” from the courier.

You may or may not get hit for these (you should, technically), I didn’t on my frame, but did on my rims.

If you go onto eBay or similar are there lots of carbon canoe paddles from China? Choose one you like the look of, and job done! Or look on CanoePaddleTrackWorld?

CanoePaddleTrackWorld = ukriversguidebook.co.uk

No-one on UKRB or SoTP seems to have done this.

UKRB = generally if it isn’t a Werner or Mitchell, they wont touch it.
SoTP= either £12 plastic spade or a hand made, hewn from a single tree, polished by a wood pixie’s sweat with inlays of juniper and mahogany, then they are not so interested…

Loads of Ali Express: Clicky

If not many folk are buying them from China (I’d have no idea), then it might slip through customs with a low value shipping note. Bike frames are more popular so (at least here with Spanish customs) they’ll know what it cost and hold it back until you can prove what you paid. Depending on the company you could ask for a low value invoice, pay that, and then pay the balance in a separate transaction. For something costing less than a couple of hundred USD I would just pay the full VAT, it’d be a lot of faff to save not much money.

One of the shipping options allows you to pay duty up front iirc, saving time later.

If I was looking to buy a carbon canoe paddle (not a bike) from one these outfits, what do I need to know?
How do you find a reliable company?

Research – read up on them, find a company that’s been around for a while and has good feedback on the forums, particulary in how they have handled any problems. Top tip though – avoid any fake branded stuff – eg the equivalent of a Pinarello – the good brands will do their own stuff and not try to pass it off as something else.

What import taxes/extra costs are there?

As above, import duty, VAT, handling fees. Seems to vary significantly.

Loads of Ali Express: Clicky

Indeed, just trying to find a canoe blade is a challenge: English is a second language and getting the fine difference between a SUP, Dragonboat or Kayak blade is a challenge…