Customs kick in the guts
simoninoz - November 7th, 2007 at 02:29 PM
Our dollar is strong eh, especially against US. Ohh look those rubbers and seals now look pretty affordable from California.
Ring ring..
How much shipping via UPS/Fedex?? Jesus that's a lot but oh go on then...
Few days later
Ring Ring
Hello this is Fedex, Customs want their cut too. $230 please..
Oh dear. What 'bargains' to be had at the moment...
"don't spend & import goodies more than $1000 including freight 'cause it aint worth it"
vwjon - November 7th, 2007 at 04:43 PM
surley if its a personal import (which you can prove) then import duties dont apply.
theres a thing in the uk where shipping companys are ripping off clients by charging tax and duties when they shouldn't.
have duties and freight been paid for in the US? i suspect so or you wouldn't be sent the parts. so duty cannot be expected to be paid here.
fedex cannot hold your patrs either, explain you wish to pay the duty at your local office. they have a legal right to inform you of your options.
they will have bumped the duty up to make more cash.
when you go to the customs office explain your situation and you should be exempted.
if you have paid, take the reciept to your local office and ask for a refund as the duty was wrongfully paid believing that the parts were for
commercial use.
The Bigfella - November 7th, 2007 at 05:10 PM
Nope - personal or not - if its $1000 including shipping - PING.
What gets better is if you bring in a few shipments a couple of days apart, for example, they can still PING you - on the combined amount.
If you have to - its worth splitting shipments. I blew up my BMW M5 engine last year and brought most of the stuff in myself - at one fifth of what
the local stealer wanted for the same parts. Some shipments came on my credit card to me - some on my wifes card to her.
Your US supplier should have known if he's selling much to Oz. My BM guy raised it with me for one shipment - and we spilt it to solve the problem.
simoninoz - November 7th, 2007 at 05:46 PM
| Quote: |
Originally
posted by The Bigfella
Nope - personal or not - if its $1000 including shipping - PING.
What gets better is if you bring in a few shipments a couple of days apart, for example, they can still PING you - on the combined amount.
If you have to - its worth splitting shipments. I blew up my BMW M5 engine last year and brought most of the stuff in myself - at one fifth of what
the local stealer wanted for the same parts. Some shipments came on my credit card to me - some on my wifes card to her.
Your US supplier should have known if he's selling much to Oz. My BM guy raised it with me for one shipment - and we spilt it to solve the problem.
|
Hmmm Wolfsburg West, cheery girl didn't really offer advice. I did plead sent it economy air but it's got here in a couple of days. Have got another
lot on the way from IPS, I expect a similair phonecall.
Regrettable.
simoninoz - November 7th, 2007 at 05:50 PM
| Quote: |
Originally
posted by vwjon
surley if its a personal import (which you can prove) then import duties dont apply.
theres a thing in the uk where shipping companys are ripping off clients by charging tax and duties when they shouldn't.
have duties and freight been paid for in the US? i suspect so or you wouldn't be sent the parts. so duty cannot be expected to be paid here.
fedex cannot hold your patrs either, explain you wish to pay the duty at your local office. they have a legal right to inform you of your options.
they will have bumped the duty up to make more cash.
when you go to the customs office explain your situation and you should be exempted.
if you have paid, take the reciept to your local office and ask for a refund as the duty was wrongfully paid believing that the parts were for
commercial use.
|
I got an expensive vintage go faster part sent from LA recently and that got through without any interest from customs - as it's going to my work
address do you think customs have assumed it's not a personal item?? All confusing.
StenGuns - November 7th, 2007 at 08:02 PM
Its pretty straight forward.. $1000 threshhold for personal or commercial imports.. Here goes..(This is from memory).. The value is calculated on Cost
and Freight (C&F).. then the duty rate is applied (say 5%) then a round up of 20%.. so start with a part worth 700USD, add freight of 220USD (say
920USD C&F) convert to AUD = 1000AUD.. add duty rate (5%) = 1050AUD. add the 20% roundup.. 1260AUD.. ADD GST = 126AUD. Add the duty (50AUD) =
126AUD.
Duty and GST = 126AUD
Customs Entry Fee = 65AUD
Add Doc Fees etc = 25AUD
GST on Fees = 9AUD
Total Import cost on a 700USD shipment = 225AUD
The Bigfella - November 7th, 2007 at 09:10 PM
That's a lot of freight ... I had mine sent via USPS and even the one that had new front struts in it was only $80. I was able to get everything
here by the book and without paying any add-ons.
StenGuns - November 7th, 2007 at 09:31 PM
Its only an example to demonstrate the formula
frog - November 7th, 2007 at 09:54 PM
So the deal is, keep it under $1000 Aus including shipping?
I've tried looking on .gov site for exact facts but got lost.
sasquatch - November 7th, 2007 at 10:11 PM
| Quote: |
Originally
posted by IN2VWS
I wanted to order some parts from Wolfsburg West. I couldn't convince them to send with USPS for me. The price of the parts was $270. They wanted
$430 for shipping.
So I got friendly with someone on TheSamba, and had the parts sent to his house for $20, and then he sent the parts to me for $75 (airmail).
Didn't get slugged for any duties.
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nice idea! 
... Interestingly I've been sending parts to the UK from Australia as they are cheaper here than there! I always mark them 2nd hand car parts as
technically I bought them and are reselling them!
1303Steve - November 7th, 2007 at 10:13 PM
Hi
I only use USPS, all the others charge an arm and a leg.
Steve
frog - November 7th, 2007 at 11:25 PM
some places don't give the option of usps unfortunately.
StenGuns - November 8th, 2007 at 06:03 AM
Correct
| Quote: |
Originally
posted by frog
So the deal is, keep it under $1000 Aus including shipping?
I've tried looking on .gov site for exact facts but got lost.
|
BUGBOY - November 8th, 2007 at 07:39 AM
| Quote: |
Originally
posted by frog
So the deal is, keep it under $1000 Aus including shipping?
I've tried looking on .gov site for exact facts but got lost.
|
You just need to make sure the total is under $1000.
this includes cost of items and postage and insurance costs etc and you shouldn't have any problems.
ringoschariot - November 8th, 2007 at 11:39 AM
If you use Fedex and TNT you are very likely to get slugged for duty but you can opt to try to prove they are for private use and not commercial.
I always use USPS and have never been charged duty or any mention from customs. It does pay to ask sellers to put "vintage Auto parts" on the
declaration, I have had new parts sent with this written on the form. just have to have an experienced international seller.
simoninoz - November 8th, 2007 at 11:59 AM
| Quote: |
Originally
posted by ringoschariot
If you use Fedex and TNT you are very likely to get slugged for duty but you can opt to try to prove they are for private use and not commercial.
I always use USPS and have never been charged duty or any mention from customs. It does pay to ask sellers to put "vintage Auto parts" on the
declaration, I have had new parts sent with this written on the form. just have to have an experienced international seller.
|
Apparently doesn't make any difference whether it's private or not - I've spoken to someone at Fedex today.
I think it pays to heed advice here and play safe and keep your TOTAL value inc. shipment in Aussie dollars to under a grand. Then you won't get
slugged like me. Twice.
ringoschariot - November 8th, 2007 at 03:20 PM
I think Fedex and TNT etc must be very closely monitored by customs as i would imagine that now days the bulk of international air shipments must go
through these majors.
amazeer - November 8th, 2007 at 05:57 PM
what if you buy $500 worth and your mum or neighbour fellow club memberbuys some for their VW?
simoninoz - November 8th, 2007 at 07:29 PM
| Quote: |
Originally
posted by amazeer
what if you buy $500 worth and your mum or neighbour fellow club memberbuys some for their VW?
|
I spoke to customs about that and it doesn't work for your Mum, they are on to that. It only works for a brother or an Uncle. It doesn't have to be
an actual blood-ties Uncle though, it could be a mate of your Dad's that you grew up calling 'Uncle ....' whatever. Best of luck.
Craig Torrens - November 8th, 2007 at 07:58 PM
| Quote: |
Originally
posted by simoninoz
| Quote: | Originally
posted by ringoschariot
If you use Fedex and TNT you are very likely to get slugged for duty but you can opt to try to prove they are for private use and not commercial.
I always use USPS and have never been charged duty or any mention from customs. It does pay to ask sellers to put "vintage Auto parts" on the
declaration, I have had new parts sent with this written on the form. just have to have an experienced international seller.
|
Apparently doesn't make any difference whether it's private or not - I've spoken to someone at Fedex today.
I think it pays to heed advice here and play safe and keep your TOTAL value inc. shipment in Aussie dollars to under a grand. Then you won't get
slugged like me. Twice.
|
yeah but then you have to do multiple deliveries if you want $2000 worth of goodies, which means you are paying multiple delivery
fees............probably costing more than the duties on one $2000 order !!
simoninoz - November 8th, 2007 at 08:27 PM
| Quote: |
Originally
posted by Craig Torrens
| Quote: | Originally
posted by simoninoz
| Quote: | Originally
posted by ringoschariot
If you use Fedex and TNT you are very likely to get slugged for duty but you can opt to try to prove they are for private use and not commercial.
I always use USPS and have never been charged duty or any mention from customs. It does pay to ask sellers to put "vintage Auto parts" on the
declaration, I have had new parts sent with this written on the form. just have to have an experienced international seller.
|
Apparently doesn't make any difference whether it's private or not - I've spoken to someone at Fedex today.
I think it pays to heed advice here and play safe and keep your TOTAL value inc. shipment in Aussie dollars to under a grand. Then you won't get
slugged like me. Twice.
|
yeah but then you have to do multiple deliveries if you want $2000 worth of goodies, which means you are paying multiple delivery
fees............probably costing more than the duties on one $2000 order !!
|
It's a sod of a thing isn't it.You are on to a winner if you can get the company to send it economy for you, but to be honest if you are speaking to
a dolly bird she just wants to process the order and not worry about it. I'd imagine all the big VW parts places have accounts and that's their gig,
express or forget it.
xornge666x - November 11th, 2007 at 09:06 AM
They only deal with UPS or FedX, because they pick up several times a day, and packages are easily traced at any time. Here in the US its cheap to use
either of those carriers, and the US market is their biggest. Tracing lost stuff through usps can be a pain in the ass.
You need to remember Australia is a long way away, and they only have express international services to there, which is why it costs so much. My parts
always got to me in less than a week from WW.
I would suggest going through Classic for WW stuff, if you are not in a real hurry for the stuff and can wait for George to put it on the next order.