I could have this delivered to my brother in the US and then posted onto myself, compared to the UK price of £1799 its an absolute bargain…

https://shop.santacruzbicycles.com/featured-products/blur-lt-al-2-3-with-float-ctd-evolution-1533.html

Anyone had a bike/frame shipped from the US before? Any idea on shipping costs and the logistics of customs/tax etc?

Seems a bit too good to be true 😯

I’ve found air freight costs have gone up loads in the last 2 years. I’d guess at around £150 plus Vat (even if you book the shipping in the US, VAT is added to shipping when the duty/vat are calculated)

Duty would will be in the region of 4% plus 20% vat and a customs handling free of about £10.

So I would estimate a total cost of something like £300 for shipping, Vat and duty.

Shipping with insurance around $150
Then add 4.5% duty then VAT 20% applied on total value, the cost of the frame to be declared.

This link is helpful

http://www.dutycalculator.com/hs-codes-import-duty-tax-rates-restriction/189/195/1250/bike-frames-painted-anodised-or-polished-lacquered/

Would there be duty or VAT if its wrapped in birthday paper and sent on by your brother?

A month ago I sent something from the USA to the UK. It was the size of a crank arm in a box and valued at $800. UPS Expedited Worldwide shipping was $113.50 inc insurance. That was the cheapest tracked door to door service. The fees in the UK were £120 on top of that. A bike is obviously bigger, so ramp that cost up a bit for yours.

I told the truth on the value because insuring it for less would have been a bummer if it did go missing. Gifts over something like $46 have to have the value on them as well and it is the value that dictates how much you pay. Others may have different corner-cutting experiences.

The old adage of replace the $ with a £.

So £900 is still a whopping £899 saving.

Personally I would be taxdodging if possible but at the end of the day it doesn’t add that much to the price even if you pay VAT and duty.

How about flying over to visit your bro and bringing it back in luggage?

I have a friend visiting from the States in the new year.

*thinks*…

Is the Blur LT any good then?

Does that US price include sales tax? Something else to think about.

sales tax isnt payable if its sent out of state is it?

Also if its secondhand then VAT isnt applicable, so get your bro to mucky it up a bit and send it insured for full 2nd hand value.

I think this will avoid all fees

I’m pretty sure Vat and duty are applied regardless of whether an item is new or used.

It’s different if you are bringing something back in to the UK that you took with you to the US in the first place.

Wrapping it in birthday paper only increases the tax threshold slightly, it’s still taxable.

I’m pretty sure Vat and duty are applied regardless of whether an item is new or used.

I think this is the case too, and do you also pay VAT on the shipping costs or duty?

I remember having a sting in the tail like that on a fork once.

VAT and duty is payable on secondhand too.

Happened to me with a fork.

Still a bargain though. They are really good bikes

I would have thought you could get away with paying to much if your brother took all the labels off, got it a bit grubby and said it was his personal bike. And make sure the 2 of you have the same story

I bought a second hand Blur TRc frame off a “bike store” on ebay from the USA in January this year. The frame cost £620, the postage was via UPS and was £43 – this included insurance up to the price I paid for the frame. The VAT, duty and “handling fee” came to around £180. Total cost was around £880. The frame took around a week to arrive and was in perfect condition.

Done this twice with Blurs as well over about 3 years. Did it last time about a year ago. Shipping cost was £65 and I put a slightly lower, but not stupid price, on the shipping info and paid about £110 in taxes etc. what is important to know is the box the bike comes it comes in is under the maximum size that USPS accept and mine went priority international which takes about 6-10 days. So all your brother would have to do is take it down to his local USPS, fill in the customs paperwork and then pay them some dollars. In a little over a week you have your bike, easy!!!

One thing to note though if you are getting this through the SC sale web site you now need to have a US addressed credit card to pay with.

Any other questions just let me know.

I’ve used USPS before. They are OK if you aren’t too fussed about tracking and if you decide to under-insure to make things look cheaper on the paperwork, you’ll be out of pocket if it is lost or trashed.

USPS details here:

https://www.usps.com/

USPS are not ‘end to end’ either. They hand over to Datapost for the UK end, hence my comment on tracking.

Sounds great (even with VAT/duty etc). Warranty might be a problem?

I have just bought one in the same deal. Getting it shipped to a US bike shop for a partial build. Shipping is around $100 because the shop is making some money out of the build but there is then the import duty and VAT to be paid once it arrives in the UK.

cheers guys, so worst case calculations here…

Shipping with insurance around $150
frame $900
duty $40.50

= $1090.50
= £681

+ 20% = £817

£982 saving!

Are there any other Santa Cruz bargains to be had, or is this just an exceptional rare offer?

@cblair thanks for detailed info, my bro could use his US card to pay 🙂

@tootall I don’t think i’d under declare in case couriers decide to trash the parcel LOL

@shooterman i’ve sent you an email for details of bike shop, that could be another option, getting new headset and bb fitted etc.

I tried to buy a Heckler in the states last year at SC end of season fire sale. They wouldn’t sell it to me as I wasn’t American. Wasn’t happy.

Not that relevant given savings involved, but you’ll also be charged a handling fee by the courier UK side for paying your VAT. Between £8-35 depending who it comes with. Don’t think of it as worst case though, you will be paying tax and vat as you won’t get it insured otherwise. Still less than half price…!

Are there any sales taxes to add onto the price if it’s shipped to an American address first?

Update, took the plunge and made the purchase

Blur LT 2.3 in XL grey 😮 I’ll keep a running cost on here, as long as it stays circa £900 i’ll be happy!

Someones offered me £420 for the anodised black 2007 Heckler frame?

£623.21 so far

the fox float CTD evolution is £280 alone I think 😯

it’s a good price if you get it for that. Better than the offer I had on the same frame, ended up with the C instead though. Great bikes.

@flyingmonkeycorps review here

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/mountain-bikes/product/review-santa-cruz-blur-lt-frame-only-09-36977

VAT and duty is payable on secondhand too.

How does that work then? What if you emigrate and send a container of stuff, you don’t pay VAT on all your own belongings! Or if you shipped your bike across because you were visiting family etc?

Is there a difference between ‘buying second hand’ and ‘shipping this to myself’, if so that seems a really easy dodge!

Most counries will ask you to pay tax on goods owned less than x months – Australia it’s 1 or 2 years. YOu must declare what you have and pay duty on anything over the limits. Quite standard.

Import Duty is 15% on bicycles! 😯

Did they take payment from a UK credit card?

@milkie 4.5% on bike parts

@scapegoat Payment from US debit card.

I’m going to ring customs once its in transit and pay the fee’s over the phone, as opposed to waiting for them to charge me, I wonder if I can get my $75 US sales tax back, or would that just be too cheeky 😆

actually 4.7% duty..

So a clear £1000 saving on the frame.

Interestingly the shipping and insurance has duty and vat added on it, so the cheaper I can get this the less i’ll pay. The difference would be peanuts in the grand scheme of things though.

Ah yes, sorry I was checking a complete bike. 😳

Also this week Santacruz UK / Stiff/ Jungle imports have taken the Blur LT and LTc in its 26″ wheel format completely off the website now!

http://www.santacruzbikes.co.uk/

27.5″ and 29″ getting rammed down the publics proverbial buying throats.

Nope they scrapped the tax back scheme a while back, glad to see someone paying their taxes 🙂

I did the deal on the LTc on the day SC US dropped it from the site, great time to negotiate 🙂

Surely there’s a surcharge for importing an obsolete wheel size or are the US just getting rid of their waste?

29% twenty six inch surcharge so I heard! With a 27.5% duty 😯

😀

I wonder if i could buy a frame and have it sent to our US branch then get them to send it here with our usual air freight.

Don’t you fancy a mk10 thingy frame for 1.1k new?