I was wondering if anyone can help with import duties when importing parts from the states.
What amount does import duties cut in at? And, what is the rates that are charged and any delays etc through customs
Not hijacking your thread..... but i got same sort of question....we have a free trade agreement with the states,so what does that mean for us average joe who want to ship whole bikes and parts here.we stiil get slugged something but for what and how much..?
You will have less issues if you use postal service as opposed to airfreight courier... with airfreight you may get pinged.
If Customs are having a really really bad day you could get hit with 5% Import Duty plus 10% GST on the lot. This is unlikely to happen under $2,000 but by the rules it could. They can charge you on even $400 if they choose to. I have had this happen on my kite related business stuff. When you work out the numbers you will still be heaps better off than buying local anyway so why worry!?! It's an odds game but a game that you can't lose. Just do it!
We ship stuff to AUS on a regular basis, 2-3 times a week and we never hear any feed back on shipping issues. Most of our stuff is sent United States Postal Service but also never amounts to over $1000.
How long have people waited before placing an order from the U.S. so that it doesn't arrive at the same time as a previous order and therefore exceed the $1000 limit and incur import duty?As I ordered a wheel the other day,and wondering how long I should leave it to order the other wheel !!!
nobody
rkc
I have heard of people that had ordered stuff from the same place a day or 2 apart,and when they arrived in Australia even though they were different invoices,they were from the same company and were sitting in customs at the same time,so the totals were combined and then they were slugged with import duty.
Think I will wait a week or so to order my rear wheel............just to be safe
Wayne Ker has the right idea...good one.
Nobody, you are absolutely correct in what you said. Using your wife's name etc or an alternative address does NOT work. Take my word for it. I have done this dozens of times over the past 15 years with kites from New Zealand (from where there is no bloody Duty anyway!!)
I order a kite on Monday worth say $900 and it is posted. I order another the folowing Monday and it too is posted. Oddly enough they and up at the same place in Sydney ready to be railed over to Perth. They arrive at Customs at the same time and then become a SINGLE shipment of $1800.
Under $1,000 you can do an "informal" entry which is not too difficult but helps heaps if you know the tariff code for the goods. Sometimes the guys are very helpful. Smile a lot! You will then pay the Import Duty (rarely over 5%) plus GST on the total of goods + Duty. That's only about 15.5% so it's still very cheap.
If over $1,000 you need to do a "Formal" (read "nightmare" entry. This costs just under $50 regardless of anything else. The form has around 80 squares on it. You only need to fill in about 25 though!!! If you take on an agent you will pay maybe another $100 fee.
So, try hard to keep under the $1,000. One wheel at a time is a good idea!
cheers
kiteman
Unless the rules have changed since I got a whole bike in years ago there is no import duty on heavy machine parts as we don't make heavy machinary in OZ.
The bike was packed in a timber crate with the wheels, bars and tank removed and packed in the same crate. The crate was weighed and stamed with the final weight and genuine Cat logo, bound with 6 1" steel staps and addressed to Hasting Dearing, ****town, NT, Australia. Noted as machine parts.
They never even cut the staps. Me mate the store man rang to say you won't belive what they just sent us, yes I bloody would, nobody touch any thing, I'II be be there in about 1.2 seconds.
After reading through the various replies (and being told that the rear wheel will take 6 weeks) I have decided to make separate orders. Hopefully the 6 weeks will be long enough not to attract interest from customs.
Thanks for all of the valuable input.
6 weeks to get a rear wheel .My wheel went out the same day I ordered it.Also ordered my air ride suspension today,will be in the post 1st thing tomorrow.Ordering my rear wheel next week.What sort of rear wheel are you ordering and from where?
So waynekerr, are you saying that Customs will happily hand over parcels to you with different names and different addresses with no probs??? Don't they ask for some sort of ID if you have 2 names?
I wouldn't be so confident if I were you.I have also imported a lot of different stuff for personal use over the years,and I was once called by customs over an article I imported and the only way I was able to get it through was to declare it was a GIFT and gave them a phone number of the person that sent it to confirm it.Luckily I was able to contact said person before they did to arrange for it to be a GIFT.So take nothing for granted,or you may be in for a surprise.
I'm ordering from American Wire Wheel. They are yet to complete the hubs for the rear wheel as the hubs changed from the 07 ot 08 models.
Wheels have now been ordered and being sent separately to two different locations and names.
We'll see how we go.
