Hey guys,

... why we dont put a thread, with all the people travelling in and out of Southamerica ?
This is a big community. There must be at least 5-10 people travelling to southamerica per week.
We could use it as a spare parts/needed things from home courier system. As you dont need to pay taxes on things when you fly in by plane. Of course, this is all on mutual trust.
But I think it is better than trusting courriers, with their strange fees, and customs riping you off. Besides alot of people here have a reputation, and it is a "holding together" community.

Thing is, I could use a new 525 chain from home. I went trough all the threads with courier problems, and I thought: why dont we help each other out. Same with the Bike swap system in europe and the states. It is a brilliant Idea!
We spare mother earth some less polution and strenghten our community.
There is no need for meeting, if that is an issue. Specially for those which dont have the time. There is still the local post, to do the rest of the job.
And today ordering and paying something over the internet is so easy. So there would be no work for the courier.

So guys, what do you think ?

It's a GREAT idea! I live in Huanuco, Peru and help out bikers coming thru. Everyone flying to Peru HAS to go thru Lima and all I would need is for them to drop off the part at a friends place right in Miraflores. In fact, I can get them a 40% off a nice hotel to stay, right where I need the part!

I also go back to the USA about twice a year and would be happy to bring back stuff for others! HECK, I've even brought a WHOLE motorcycle (Yamaha IT400) once in suitcases (frame cut in 3 pieces) into Peru!

Cheers! Toby

Good idea but personally I'd be quite nervous about taking items across international boarders for people I didn't know terribly well.

You are allowed (by law) to bring in Tax-Free the value of $400 in things of that sort. No worries!

Excellent idea. I know someone who is stuck in Salta. He needs a radiator for his GS Dakar. They told him the delivery would take 4 to 5 weeks..-

Used auto parts are specifically prohibited. I found this out three weeks ago when flew home from Lima to get new parts for my R1150GS ? I didn't declare them because the value was under $400. but they found them in the X-ray machine. I was able to talk the customs guy into letting me classify them as tools with a value of $100 and a $38 tax. The guy in front of me was not so lucky.

For sure it´s a great idea, in fact i´ve been doing this for some time. As mentioned there´s no need for meetings, A lot of travellers are leaving their bikes, vans or bringing parts for fellows who will pick it up late here in Iguassu.

After some reserch, I found a even better way to help bikers who are in need of parts. it´s called PARAGUAY BOX. it´s a company that organizes freights from other parts of the world such as Europe(Spain), USA, China, etc.

So if you need a part and has a friend or your seller in Europe/USA who is able to send it by mail to Spain or to the adress of the comapny is USA, when the package gets to the adress of the company they will send it down to Paraguay, free of tax(please don´t a whole bike). The prices they charge are quite fair.

From USA = USD18,00/Kg
Europe = USD 23,00 kg

But the best is the time, they are quite fast, I get the packages from USA in about a week.

I would be happy to help, count on me

All the best

Rod
Iguassu Bikers Hostel | Iguassu Falls Overland Base

i have done this many times for folks in nicaragua, as i travel there 1 or 2 times per month.

perhaps another idea, similar to the paraguay box idea, is a listing of known couriers. i just sent $400 worth of stuff to twomotokiwis in peru via Peru Courier. price is based on size and weight.

paid $86 dollars to have it delivered to cusco and that includes them retrieving the box from customs (usually a pita) and delivering to cusco.

peru courier accepts shipments direct from vendors, so order away and have it sent directly to them. they will then forward to wherever in peru you want. juan is very communicative and responds very quickly to email.

Hey mates !

..... I can understand that people are afraid carrying stuff for others over the border.
But it should just be stuff like spares. I am speaking of sprockets, chains, brake pads.... maybe some super-computer-BMW device ( which broke .... again!!! ) ... just all things which are obvious and cant be used as a cocain/drug case.
The Courier has the 101% allowance to open and see the package. I mean, you cant put something dangerous into a sprocket ... or a brake bad ? I mean c'mon ? Dont let the big media dictate all youre decions.
Of course... if you got a bad feeling about it... then please dont do it.
It would be a really cool thing. Many travellers have a travels-blog just right here on the HUBB. That is a good chance to get a feeling over the travellers. If they can be trusted or not.

Iguassu falls Quati : I Just took a look at the companies webpage. They even do shippments from germany. How do you know that it is completely tax free ? Do they send it to a major town, and then I have to get it at one of their shops ?
We are at Posadas, Argentina at the moment. You are based in Iguassu ?


Cheers.... and safe ridings .

tuckr-tuckr.blogspot.com/

It is a great idea, but keep in mind that the custom rules and fees are different for each country. Usually the person getting the goods knows the deal for their country. If they are willing to pay the importation fees or fines & fees if caught undeclared, then the proposed service would work.

February 2013 I took a break from my ride in South America and flew home from La Paz, Bolivia. Coming back I brought parts for the guy who was watching my bike and additional stuff for myself. It was a few hundred dollars worth of stuff, all in. I spent some time on the Internet trying to figure out how much Bolivian customs would charge for a mix of new and used parts, yeah right. Bolivian customs websites are not user friendly to the casual visitor. I decided to chance it with my own parts as my plan was to take them out of the country. Sounds like a reasonable argument... The guy in La Paz was willing to pay importation fee if charged. I wasn't going to try to sneak his parts in and he was Ok paying the importation fee for things he had difficulty getting. It didn't matter in the end.

On the flight back to Bolivia I filled out my immigrations form, where there is a check box for "do you have things to declare?" I ticked the box. Immigrations were ready to charge me the reciprocal tourist fee that they charge everyone with a US passport...because the US charges high visa fees. I could see the disappointment on the officials face when I pulled out my Irish passport (ah the benefit of being a duel citizen) and he realized that he couldn't collect the tourist fee from me. Next stop, pick up my bags and do the Customs shuffle.

To clear the Immigrations area and enter the Custom area one must pass through what looks like a metal detector gateway, but first the immigrations form is collected. The attendant no more than briefly glanced at the form I surrender (the one that clearly marked that I had items to declare) and indicated that I should push the button on the gateway. As luck would have it, the light over the archway turned green and I got to skip the customs step altogether. Pass Customs, do not pay fee. Go figure.

That is my personal experience bringing parts into Bolivia. I got off without a hitch, as has happened in the past. My wife has met me during my travels and usually is my personal mule, smuggling parts and electronics to far away lands, undeclared. Turn signal cable and oil filters into Panama. Laptop, oil filters, riding pants, eyeglasses into Argentina. She met me in Cuba, but that importation story through Mexico is too long. Suffice to say there were several hundred dollars in fees between the two countries for four bags worth of stuff being delivered to Cuba for a friend of a friend...

This fall a friend was visiting from Brazil. We took her shopping a few times and she was loaded up when she return home (helmet, riding gloves, pants, jacket, iPhone, mini iPad and that is only the stuff she bough when visiting me...) Her bag was so stuffed that she had to wear the riding gear and carry the helmet on board the plane. Brazilian customs asked her if she had anything to declare in her luggage. Standing in front of the official wearing new riding gear, she said no. He said fine and let her go. Turns out she had all of the high end electronics in her backpack, so she didn't lie.

Some times you get luck, some times you don't. Customs can get ugly when you don't get lucky.

__________________
Peter B
2008/09 - NJ to Costa Rica and back to NJ
2012/13 - NJ to Northern Argentina, Jamaica, Cuba and back to NJ
2023 - Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia...back to Peru.

Blogs: Peter's Ride

Get story Peter

In Peru all 'deporte' (sports) equipment is free of tax...

"Are those motorcycle parts?"

"No, they are 'sports equipment' for the sport of 'moto adventure'"

TRUTH... properly applied!