What's the official line on bringing a bike back into the country?

Who’s to say you didn’t buy it in the UK 2nd hand so have no receipt.

The serial number? HMRC will have a record of the frames imported by the official importer to check against.

The serial number? HMRC will have a record of the frames imported by the official importer to check against.

But if you bought second hand, who’s to say the original owner didn’t import it? However, HMRC hold all the cards in this game and can hang onto the bike until you prove it was bought in the UK if they feel like it.

Or you could maybe just play by the rules….. 🙄

I wouldn’t take lecturing on the morality of paying taxes seriously from anyone who’s posting here on company time 😉

Surely the VAT and import duty are based on the value as imported, not the new value. If it has two weeks of hard use on it its likely to be worth rather less than the new price ?

Do they make a note of your personal possessions when you leave the country?

I’d not bother wasting time taking out a beater as I’d put money on making FA difference.

I might take some knackered old tyres and grips out though…

how much do you reckon you’ll actually save when you factor in the extra baggage costs?

Salsa spearfish 3 UK- £2300
Salsa spearfish 3 US- $2400 = £1400
Saving of £900 or about 40% on a midrange bike
Or, the cost of a holiday to the states for something more exotic.

Portland last month was ace.

fourbanger – do your numbers include sales tax which is probably around 6% depending on states? Makes a difference but doesn’t change the overall calculation.. it’s still a big difference.

Or you can email me and we can make a correspondence that you “bought” bike from me 2nd hand so you can use it later ….as long you buy me a reverb remote in the states for a shitload cheaper than over here 😕

The serial number? HMRC will have a record of the frames imported by the official importer to check against.

Really?

Buy it (post receipt home)..

Give to friend as present..

Buy back as secondhand and keep receipt to show if required by customs 🙂

Think limiting amount of duty exposure rather than avoidance.

The serial number? HMRC will have a record of the frames imported by the official importer to check against.

Sounds like way too much paperwork and organisation to me. Plus a central database of bike frame numbers? ! Government based IT project to do that would take decades to implement, cost billions and overrun then be cancelled 😀

I did what the OP wants to do….

We were going to Florida back in May, so i looked at what was arround over there. Found an Ibis HDR (650b) and arranged that if i bought it it could be delivered to the hotel we were staying in. No probs there so i bought it…..
From here i got hired a bike box from the LBS and found a “scrapper” to take with me, took it to a scrap place over there and fetched the new one back.
No taxes/charges what so ever and saved 2k 😛

How it arrived at the hotel

😀

fourbanger – do your numbers include sales tax which is probably around 6% depending on states? Makes a difference but doesn’t change the overall calculation.. it’s still a big difference.

No sales tax in Oregon.

I’m not sold on the “take a banger” approach. If they want purchase proof then the banger counts for nothing. Might even just take my bike with me to save the stress – this thread has at least answered the black/white question!

What I meant was that you take one (get rid over there) and fetch one back. You’ll be taking a bag/box with you anyway and Virgin Atlantic did’nt charge for “sports equipment” on the plane. Leaving the states they wanted to open the box to swab for chemicals and did’nt even look at the bike. From our customs point of view, you have taken a bike with you and brought one back. They did’nt check at all….

It’s worth a thought. I saved 2k.”..