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Customs duty on a frame imported from USA?

snoogly

snoogly

Maximum Pace
Oct 14, 2007
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After an 8 month wait my custom-build steel MTB frame is at last on its way to me from the USA. Does anyone have any idea what the import duty will be? - just a frame.

Price is .... gulp ..... $1,500, so I imagine the duty will be quite a lot.
 
Not too steep

Congratulations!

Bought a new bike from Europe a couple of months ago. Not sure of exact price in dollars but around the 4k mark - for the full bike. I had expected about 5 man so was very pleased when the guy phoned me and said I'd have to pay 12,000 import tax. :warau:
 
Anyone else think that duties seem to be randomly applied to overseas online purchases? I'm sure there are rules somewhere, but I've yet to divine them.

Glad to hear you got away with so little, Lee. I'm going to be ordering a new bike from the States soon, so I too am all agog to find out how much Mister Zeikan's cut will be.

(Possibly irrelevant, but when I bought the Sequoia during a trip back home to Canada last year, the limit was $2000 of duty free, and anything above that would be charged 15%.)
 
I think I'll have a wad of cash on hand - just to be on the safe side.
 
Frame...

I s'pose most of the readers have seen my bike.
I purchased the frame on "e-bay" for US$400, and the delivery charge was US$200 - all up 60,000 yen!
I don't think I was charged import duties.
Still, $200 seemed a little steep at the time!
pic from the original "e-bay" file!
 
USPS shipping for my frame was only $86, which will help sweeten the import duty bitter pill.
 
Phil said:
Anyone else think that duties seem to be randomly applied to overseas online purchases? I'm sure there are rules somewhere, but I've yet to divine them.
Click to expand...

I'm with Phil on this one. I have ordered two frames from the U.S. and never had to pay any import duty in Japan. Knockin' on wood... ;)
 
I paid 15,000 yen duty on a $4k carbon frame. Best to keep some cash on-hand just in case.

Danny
 
Why not ask one of the military riders on the board to see if you can ship the bike via US Postal Service to the base and avoid duties period. If I were in Japan I would offer up the service but unfortunately I won't get there (Yokosuka) until the end of August.

James
 
evan06 said:
Why not ask one of the military riders on the board to see if you can ship the bike via US Postal Service to the base and avoid duties period. If I were in Japan I would offer up the service but unfortunately I won't get there (Yokosuka) until the end of August.

James
Click to expand...

Technically illegal, and honestly I'd only do it if I knew the person (not someone I'd just met). It would have to be shipped in their name.
 
ayasechick said:
Technically illegal, and honestly I'd only do it if I knew the person (not someone I'd just met). It would have to be shipped in their name.
Click to expand...

You'd want a dog (drug sniffer) to go over it too before it had your name and address on it as a delivery destination. :cool:
 
Being kept on tenterhooks ~ still no delivery knocking at the door. Maybe he is planning a wild weekend in Thailand with the money he knows he's going to collect from me ....
 
Not bad!

I'm still waiting for my MTB frame...the wheels were delivered 3 weeks ago but no rest of the bike. I'm very jealous!
 
Mere pocket change! Glad it was so cheap, snoogly. We'll all have to keep adding to this thread and see if we can build up a big set of data points...
 
6,500 yen

Data point:

US$2K complete bike + US$80 handlebars...

Customs duty: 0
Consumption tax: \5,200
Regional consumption tax: \1,300

Total: \6,500

I'll take it! :warau:
 
Phil,

I see there will be another person riding a Ridley frame. I noticed too that you ordered from Competitive Cyclist, a great option for ordering top of the line frames online.

I just ordered a Ridley Damocles complete build which I will send via the US Postal service in a Trico Iron case for about $80...beats sending FedEx or UPS that would have run close to $1000 just in shipping. Then tack on the customs duty. But by going USPS I will not have to pay the customs duty...whew, considering the bike cost me close to $5k.

James
 
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