Importing bikes - the people to use?

this is true. Cost wise, it cost me £39 to send a set of carbon fibre aerobars to the states by parcelforce so I would suggest they are out of the running!

If you were coming back from somewhere and you'd taken a bike box out with you - it would be pretty hard to check, although I suppose if they really got suspicious they could cross check to see what it weighed (or more likely what it cost you because of what it weighed) to bring it out. That's pretty unlikely, as to Bananadrama's point about it being scanned at the security gate, well you would'nt be taking it on has hand luggage would you, it would be going as hold luggage which might very well get scanned but unless it raised suspicions is not going to be linked to a particular passenger - you only have to see how hand luggage is dealt with to notice that.

However, Gandberg's original question was about getting something shipped over without him having to go out and get it.

yeah I know but is there a rule about sending an empty box? Do they check the weight of your box when going one way compared to the other?

An empty box will show just that when being scanned at the security gate!

How can they prove you didnt take the bike with you to the states or wherever and are just coming back with the same luggage?...could always check in an empty bike box on the way out?

BUT if you say it's not worth owt and customs decide to take you to task you'll have to pay the duty on the amended value and, i think, a fine too.

You will get charged on the value that it is declared to be regardless if it is second hand i.e. if the value is said to be only a small amount you will only get charged a percentage of that.

TR, do you have to pay import duty on somthing that isnt new? i.e/ second hand?

You will have to pay import duty and VAT unless it is something very cheap (£50ish). Tony is almost right, duty is about half on bike components than it is on complete cycles so it is best having the bike listed as components and not as a complete bike but sending 2 packages might prove more costly.

This company is the cheapest I have found for most things.
http://www.parcel2go.com

Yeah the import tax is what you want to 'avoid' if possible, it really would kick you. I got stung ona set of spinergy's once...they were second hand as well so I shouldnt have been charged but hey ho. If you havnt got a holiday booked this eyar you could wrap the two up together and bring it back (used after a cycle round central park).

Is it for sale in a shop or privately?

Either way, what about buying it and getting them to ship, better still get them to ship the frame and all the gubbins without the wheels and then you won't have to pay import duty - you could get them to send the wheels over separately.

Even better buy the bike without the wheels and get them over here.