Shipping to/from Buenos Aires

[Cruz]

Hi there.

I have written to some of you who are based or just travelled through Buenos Aires, but am also posting as others may be able to reply.

I am shipping from Montreal to Buenos Aires and have been quotes US$1300 of port fees (obligatory) and US$1000 for a local customs broker. Can you confirm whether these are normal fees?

I would greatly appreciate advice as we are meant to ship on 1st November.
We have also been in touch with others who have not used local agents, some have found the experience difficult recently. Can you thus confirm whether an agent is necessary for Argentina?

Many thanks in advance

[mailking]

It seems very steep to me. You would be very well advised to get in contact with the good honored xavier of Dakar Motos. His wife helps brokering now and then I heard.

If you have time and are on the cheap, you can do it yourself. Read our blog here.

always good is to read Karin's write-up on this.

Adventurous greetings,
Coen

[Cruz]

Txs Coen and Karin, once more!
(PS Just PM'ed you on ExPo!)

[thecanoeguy]

i have read its very steep to ship in here ,i am shipping out from here right at the moment ,i am doing my own customs clearance ,the only hassle so far is getting your passport copied and verified by a notary (crock of shit), i would ship into varaparaiso in chile ,its just over the hill

[mailking]

just send you a pm back, with quotes from Malaysia, not all that bad.

I would prefer to do it myself in Buenos Aires. Just take your time and never lose your nerves. Do any of you speak a little spanish?

[Cruz]

Yes we both speak Spanish (though a bit rusty I have to admit), that should help.
Coen, txs for the PM. You got good prices from Malaysia!

We are feeling more confident about shipping into BA and are in touch with some of you there already. Thank you for the pieces of advice, replies and contacts. Contonine to keep coming in. We are making good progress.

It will be a pleasure to meet up in BA, Argentina or anywhere else on the road. Stay in touch,

Isa & John

[cpaulson]

I am crossing the Bolivian boarder tomorrow and still making my way south. But I am looking to ship my bike back to the states in about 5 - 6 weeks. Does anyone have any info that might help as far as possible costs, customs info, and or airlines to contact. Thanks for any insight!!!!

[moto_girl]

I recently asked if anybody knew of a shipping company which can ship our bikes from Lima or Cusco to Miami. People replied by saying that it's sea freight only from there. How about La Paz?? Air freight from there? Does anybody know? Any information on prices? I know there is a link on the hubb with shipping information, but most of it is outdated. Does anybody know of a more up to date database for this stuff? If anybody shipped a bike(s) from central South Am to the USA recently, can you tell me from where to where, how much, and what company??
Also: how much is the visa for US citizens (and bike import) for Bolivia and where do we apply for it??
If shipping costs are astronomical, how does one go about selling a bike down here? Any insight?
Thank you!
moto_girl

[gR]

Originally Posted by moto_girl

I recently asked if anybody knew of a shipping company which can ship our bikes from Lima or Cusco to Miami. People replied by saying that it's sea freight only from there. How about La Paz?? Air freight from there? Does anybody know? Any information on prices? I know there is a link on the hubb with shipping information, but most of it is outdated. Does anybody know of a more up to date database for this stuff? If anybody shipped a bike(s) from central South Am to the USA recently, can you tell me from where to where, how much, and what company??
Also: how much is the visa for US citizens (and bike import) for Bolivia and where do we apply for it??
If shipping costs are astronomical, how does one go about selling a bike down here? Any insight?
Thank you!
moto_girl

Im pretty sure you could air freight from La Paz, but I am sure it would prohibitively expensive (at least for my budget). You can still ship ocean from Bolivia even though its landlocked (they truck it to port in Arica, Chile). For a point of reference, I shipped (ocean) a Harley Davidson from Miami to Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Freight charges were $800 and it took over 60 days. The company was Unibol . I would assume you could find similar pricing in Peru.

I would think you could get a good price for your bike in Bolivia. I can put you in touch with the BMW club here in Santa Cruz if you are interested. That might be a good place to start if you want to sell it.

Also get a second opinion of air freight from Peru. I cant believe that it is impossible. Maybe prohibitively expensive though.

good luck

[laroche]

We sent our 1200 gs from BA to France with Dakar Moto
everything was perfect.
Sandra and Javier have really helped us, everything was very well organized and very fast.
with the exchange price was cheap.
(photo on our blog)

[*Touring Ted*]

Does anyone have any up to date information about shipping from UK-Bsas.

How much was the shipping and how much was the clearance ???

I did this in 2007. I paid £600 shipping and £300 in customs and clearing port.

James Cargo were VERY expensive in 2007 when I got a quote from them.

[*Touring Ted*]

Bump !!!!

Anyone with recent shipping prices from UK-Buenos Aires ??

Cheers, Ted

[The_gypsy]

Originally Posted by Cruz

Hi there.

I have written to some of you who are based or just travelled through Buenos Aires, but am also posting as others may be able to reply.

I am shipping from Montreal to Buenos Aires and have been quotes US$1300 of port fees (obligatory) and US$1000 for a local customs broker. Can you confirm whether these are normal fees?

I would greatly appreciate advice as we are meant to ship on 1st November.
We have also been in touch with others who have not used local agents, some have found the experience difficult recently. Can you thus confirm whether an agent is necessary for Argentina?

Many thanks in advance

Hi, Have done this a few times. I would recommend Montevideo, Uruguay.
10 years ago Bs. As. was a good place to ship to but the people got squeezed and then got greedy. My last few trips have been in/out of Montevideo and they have been consistent and good. The last out, was via Grimaldi. No trouble apart from a few days late arriving at the port. But hey, the wine is good and the town interesting. Good hostels too.
Chile is OK, but more expensive. Valparaiso can be a bit dodgy, but, on a whole Chile is a good safe place to be. Santiago, Happy House Hostel, give all there my regards.
Avoid Bs. As. for shipping, I recently sent a pack of Paddington books via DHL and they waited for 10 days. Not notifying the addressee that they had arrived. I'm sure they would have "disappeared" if I had not complained to their head office. The new administration is better than the last, but it will take a while before that gets through to the workers.
Flying in/out with hand luggage is ok. Anything else is "take your chances. I lost a bag full of LUSH stuff on a previous trip.

[c-m]

Those fees sound normal for sea freight. It's always best to use air freight when sending vehicles to Argentina.

I can tell you though, fees for customs, handling etc. for arrivals by air are cheaper in Bunoes Aires than they are in Uruguay, and quicker too.

I think I posted costs and timescales earlier in this thread.

[srileo]

+ 1
I flew my bike into BsAs in 2012 and though the process was pretty painless for me, it certainly was very evident that the whole process was choked with bureacratic procedures. The most off-putting thing was that it cost $100 (might have been a little less, dont remember) or so per day that the bike was in their possession and wasnt picked up. They count from the moment of arrival.

And there is no mercy with the fixers either. Javier (dakarmotos)sounded pretty ominous about the problems of what happens if the procedures are not followed and i got a schooling on "how it should be done". Glad i didnt have to pay for their services on top of the bureacratic idiocy.

Yep, i'd try Chile or Uruguay next time.

Originally Posted by The_gypsy

Hi, Have done this a few times. I would recommend Montevideo, Uruguay.
10 years ago Bs. As. was a good place to ship to but the people got squeezed and then got greedy. My last few trips have been in/out of Montevideo and they have been consistent and good. The last out, was via Grimaldi. No trouble apart from a few days late arriving at the port. But hey, the wine is good and the town interesting. Good hostels too.
Chile is OK, but more expensive. Valparaiso can be a bit dodgy, but, on a whole Chile is a good safe place to be. Santiago, Happy House Hostel, give all there my regards.
Avoid Bs. As. for shipping, I recently sent a pack of Paddington books via DHL and they waited for 10 days. Not notifying the addressee that they had arrived. I'm sure they would have "disappeared" if I had not complained to their head office. The new administration is better than the last, but it will take a while before that gets through to the workers.
Flying in/out with hand luggage is ok. Anything else is "take your chances. I lost a bag full of LUSH stuff on a previous trip.