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Shipping Nightmare - Any suggestions? Shipping Nightmare - Any suggestions?
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Travellers' questions that don't fit anywhere else This is an opportunity to ask any question, and post any notice you wish that doesn't fit into one of the other sections.
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  #1  
Old 4 Jun 2019
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Shipping Nightmare - Any suggestions?
HI All

I am hoping to bring my DR 650 to the Uk from the States.

ive received quotes for the freight which is £895
Transit Insurance is £75.15

so far so good

However the
customs Duty is 293.7
Customs VAT is 1271.74
Customs Levy 1000
Use of Deferment is £51.30

This is more than I paid for the bike in the States.

I do not have the finances to cover the shipping costs and also do not have money to buy another dual sports. I have already lost one dual sports - written off by a drunk rider who stole my previous bike. I was really hoping to get this bike back from the States and off on adventures across Europe but have no idea who to do this.

SO far this quote is from James Cargo and I understand that the Levy etc is not the companies doing at all but does anyone else have suggestions of more affordable options or advice on shipping?

thanks Marie
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  #2  
Old 4 Jun 2019
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Did you look at www.motorcycleexpress.com ? They are less expensive than James cargo
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  #3  
Old 4 Jun 2019
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Location: Bellingham, WA, USA
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That's a reasonable price on shipping alone, although maybe you can find something a bit cheaper. How much were you hoping to spend, after all?

You don't say where you're trying to ship from, by what method, or what other destinations you might consider. It's usually cheaper and easier from Canada than the US, and usually cheaper (but not so easy) by sea rather than air. Some European ports will be cheaper than others, and some very specific shipping routes might even hit the magic combination of cheap, easy, and reliable--I shipped once with Stephan Knopf on one of his regular routes for about 500 euros, dropping off at his house and picking up in Florida.

As far as the ~£2600 in taxes and fees, I'm not clear whether it's your intent to permanently import this bike into the UK. If so, you're going to have to pay for the privilege. Bikes are cheap in the US, not so much in Europe/UK, and this is part of the reason why.

If you're planning a temporary import--mine stayed for the better part of a year and a half without incident while registered in the State of Washington--you can do this for a small fraction of the prices you quote.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark
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  #4  
Old 6 Jun 2019
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Germany
Posts: 58
Hi,


for temporary vs. permanent import just what Mark said.


Most of the time you can add port fees at the destination. Don't have experience in GB, but in Canada and Germany it was around 200€ +-50.


I paid for my bike from LA to Germany 790 US-$ in a shared container (+destination fees). From the East Coast it might be cheaper. Problem with shared containers is, it might take some time. I waited about 3 month. Probably till the company had enough bikes for the container.


Cheers
Martin
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  #5  
Old 6 Jun 2019
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Suggest avoiding US ports in favor of Halifax for any motor vehicle. Security issues and ICE are nightmares in USA ports compared to Halifax. Cost may be lower also.
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  #6  
Old 6 Jun 2019
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Anyone know the rules of a foreign national buying and insuring a bike in the UK.
I would have thought you only need an address.
Sell the DR - you can get a decent 650 for between £1 - £1.5k. Insurance will cover you for Europe.
Or are you a European returning?
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  #7  
Old 8 Jun 2019
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I assume that you are going to export the motorcycle back to the USA after your tour around Europe. That means that there is no VAT or duty to be paid. There are some conditions to this which you can read up on here - this is the UK government website.

There is a limit of 6 months unless you go outside the UK (as you are touring Europe that would seem likely!) when that rises to 12 months as long as it is split into chunks with spells abroad.
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  #8  
Old 11 Jun 2019
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Shipping nightmare
Always go by air as port fees and delays in shipping outweigh any savings. Go via Canada and check out Air Canada Cargo as they have been offering some great deals recently. If you need a crate speak to a BMW dealer as the newest ones are cardboard over a wooden frame and easier to unpack and cheap.
If you are bring the bike back then you should avoid the import fees (or at least claim them back on return). If you plan to sell the bike in Europe then its best to by something in the UK as selling a US bike will be troublesome and there is plenty to choose from if you look at MCN (weekly bike paper in UK).
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