Off to introduce the little’un to the joys of Mickey Mouse and to look at chunky Americans in the summer.

Was wondering if it was cheaper to buy a bike over there and ship it back, are some of the American brands cheaper in the states, or is it just not worth the hassle?

Don’t know if they are cheaper to start with.. but don’t forget to factor in shipping costs, duty and VAT on top..

Why not take a bike bag over with an old bike in it give the bike away and bring the shinny one back. Who knows you could get away with it.

I like your thinking 🙂

Never sweated so much when i brought back a bike from the states through customs.

Didnt take a bike out with me. Think its a myth that they check what you took out with you. Airlines dont keep records.

be careful, If you get stopped customs won’t care if you took a bike out or not.
as far as I know It’ll be your duty to prove you bought it in the UK
and if you can’t do that you’ll have to pay up.

but you might be lucky
you take your chances, some you win some you loose….

Depends what you want to buy. Makes more sense on American brands and top end stuff as you save more. I mean, theoretically, you might, in theory, be able to get a whole bike built up, possibly, for about $1k more than the frame alone in the UK. Perhaps, in theory.

Then the cost of shipping a bike each way might pale into insignificance compared to the savings.

My bike was cost neutral if stopped by customs. So was worth a gamble.

I rode it in some mud before the shop packed it up. No duty on second hand goods i fink.

Definitely take it out for a proper ride before bringing it back, and don’t get it too spotlessly clean before bringing it back in would get my vote.

Should then be fairly safe, especially if not being carried in a brand new bike bag.

mate of mine bought an ellsworth epiphany in New Yoik few years ago, what he saved effectively paid for his holiday, although he timed it bang on for exchange rate though!

The comment about ‘proving you bought it in the UK’

Well does that go for all your luggage? If you got searched at customs, would they make you prove that the four pairs of trousers, six shirts, six dirty pairs of under crackers and a wash kit were also bought in the UK?

Remember if you get caught they can seize the bike and fine you…

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/seized-goods.htm

If they seize my dirty undercrackers and I subsequently prove that they were legitimately bought in the UK, will they return them washed and ironed or in the crusty condition they seized them?

Take some old tyres and put them on.

Get it dirty.

Tell customs you brought it cash, 2nd hand (in the UK) and have no reciept.

Done.

ive bougth bikes back a few times when i was studying in the US

if they are over 6 months old then no VAT

of course I cant recommend on a forum to get a lower value recept made out for 6 months earlier, that would not be fair

just bring it back in a bike box as a peice of luggage

My mate bought me a Santa Cruz Nomad in San Jose last October, he took a bike bag with him in a case, said Nomad was a tad over 3k with local taxes, he took it for a ride & soiled it!! Packed it in a bike bag & walked through customs with it, BA did’nt charge anything extra for it. He did however send all the paperwork & reciepts back mail. I reckon I saved 1k – 1.3k on the bike which is a bit of an odd spec.

I bought some forks in Canada posted them home & got stung with a VAT & import duty bill of £80 so you are taking your chances. Good luck anyway we get shafted over here we really do.

gillycoops – how come you bought forks in Canada – aren’t they more expensive (t)here?

To the OP, keep the paperwork separate from the bike (as someone else said, if you need it, post it – don’t have it on your person).
And then carry it with you, rather than shipping it – shipping seems to be more likely to get stopped by customs.

Nicko74 I paid £300 for a new pair of 2010 2 step Lyriks which seemed a bargain to me back in September 2010.

Where are you off to in the states?

GC – fair enough, that does sound like a bargain! I need to look harder, obviously…

i got a fully built yeti 575 for £1600 in the US the frame here was £1350 and with the same build £3200 so i saved £1600(this was when the dollar was $1.86 to the £1). just rode it an left the mud on it when i packed into the bike bag. i have cracked the frame an had to send it back to the shop i got it, for warranty so bare this in mind 10weeks without a bike.

I did this a few years ago. Was going for a meeting. Contacted local shop – spent a while on the phone discussing options. Was all built up ready for me on arrival. Rode on it for a week over there and then they boxed it up for me. Came home free with BA no problems.
I had previously traveled around with my own bike and never had any hassle and thought that this would just look like a cycling holiday. Mailed all bills etc back. Savings were huge.

If you going to smuggle stuff into the country wouldn’t coke be a better bet? You could sell it and buy several bikes.

Remember if you get caught they can seize the bike and fine you…

Yep, that happened to my bike…

…except it was some poor unfortunate bugger who had bought the bike in the US, had it impounded by Customs, couldn’t (or wouldn’t) pay the duty so I picked up an absolute bargain when Customs eventually auctioned it off!!

Unlikely to get stopped border staff usualy have more to do than deal with people stealing a few hundred quid from the public purse especially with all the cuts in front line staff. There is duty on secondhand goods but obviously as it is usually ad valorem it will be less than on new goods.

Think its a myth that they check what you took out with you. Airlines dont keep records

no thats wrong, if HMRC contact the airlines quicly enough they usualy have the check in baggage detail on their system.

and they can check your credit card details so pay cash.

I bought a Nishiki Ariel in Colorado in 1990 and brought it back with me. Got the shop to give me a receipt for the bike as being second hand. The search my bags and found the real one at the back of an out of date young persons rail card.

Made to pay tax and vat on real value and had a strip ripped off. Very lucky to not have bike taken.

i got a fully built yeti 575 for £1600 in the US the frame here was £1350 and with the same build £3200 so i saved £1600(this was when the dollar was $1.86 to the £1). just rode it an left the mud on it when i packed into the bike bag. i have cracked the frame an had to send it back to the shop i got it, for warranty so bare this in mind 10weeks without a bike.

you should have bought 2 bikes 🙂

if they are over 6 months old then no VAT

Wrong.

we get shafted over here we really do

Yeah – it’s really awful being shafted by having a free health service, proper welfare state etc.

I keep asking on these threads, but nobody has yet given me any tips on evading income tax.