Anyone bought a bike from the USA

sacredny

And had it shipped over?

What with the dollar being so weak ($2 = £1) there's some cracking deals to be had

Big n Daft

Er,

There is and there isn't,

Depends if you get it through customs or not,

If you do, your quids in, if not, it will probably end up costing more, anything imported into the country is liable for numerous charges i believe, including import tax and VAT.

These are dependant on the value of the item.

More info here: http://london.usembassy.gov/fas/import_procedures.htm

It's interesting to note, that you as an individual are liable for these charges, not the exporter.

There are ways round this which usually involve the exporter quoting a lower price or labelling the item as a sample, none of which i would suggest you use due to their illegality.

It's a shame because with a weak dollar, you can basically halve the price, but Uncle Gordon's got to have his cut! :evil:

jimore

You would have to pay 15% Duty and then VAT at 17.5 % on the whole amount , so with shipping probably would work out the same but a lot more hassle

mtb.boy

I bought a bike frame and forks from the American ebay and had them shipped over. Frame cost £400 and the forks £150 (total £550).

The cost of the frame in UK was £900 and forks £350 (total £1250).

When they arrived I had to pay import tax (and Parcel Force handling fee?) £80 for the frame and £30 for the forks (£110).

Postage was about £60.

So I ended up paying £720 for £1250 worth of gear.

Its probably best buying USA made stuff, as it seems to be that if the item in the UK is £1000 then they sell it in America for $1000 (and thats half price).

Shop around and take into account postage and import taxes.

Some things worth imporing - other things not.

I got top of the range commuting Cat-eye lights (front - EL530 and back - TL LD600) for about £25 including postage when in the UK front one alone costs £45.

mtb.boy

Make sure you check the US seller will ship to UK. A few I have contacted will not.

Had my eye on a brand new Litespeed titaniam frame which went for £306. If only he would have shipped it over here I would have paid £400 for it.

yoshimi

I just bought some Avid Carbons and Sram X0 shifters for £240 from US but then had to pay £70 in tax