Has anyone bought a bike mail order from the US? What tax costs did you have to pay?
I think it is 15% import duty then 20% VAT, so for every £1000 of bike there are £380 of tax costs - is that right, have I missed any or overestimated anything?
If it is at 38% then its marginal whether it is worth it 🙁
You can split it into two shipments as you pay less duty on bike parts than a full bike.
check the rrp of a mid range spesh ( or another large manufacturer of your choice ) bike in the US, and compare to the uk price. the difference will be ~ what you will pay in tax and other charges. add a bit on if you're feeling pessimistic. i would.
these numbers don't just get picked out of thin air.
i'm sure someone will come on and talk about distributor's/middlemen's cut, but in reality, you won't be far away.
worth it if you've stumbled across a staggering deal over there, but make sure the price listed is what you're actually going to pay.
And the shipping costs could easily stop the import option costing in?
Plus the VAT on the shipping costs, and the advancement fees. Depending on courier and value of the bike you could pay between £10-£100 in advancement fees for the courier to pay the VAT & Duties for you.
Unless you're into tax fraud, best to assume $1=£1 once you add in everything.
Dont forget to factor in the potential headache of after sales support in your decision making.
I've grey imported a frame from the US myself many years ago and saved a massive packet.