HELP!!! I'm stuck with something

1) When you get things via post, or container (takes weeks, but you can transport quite a lot) you will always have to pay duty, or VAT on products above a certain value. Probably 20£ or something.

2) If you go to the us and collect it yourself you can avoid duty by pretending it was your bike "all along" and you brought it to the US for a sportive, or something like that.

Yeah thats just what i was thinking of doing

The vat and duty come into effect when something bought outside of the EU costs more than £15, if its a Gift its £40 and for certain things this extends right up to £135, but the bike is going to cost alot more than that

The vat and duty comes to well over £1000 if i declare it as a bike, but it will be shipped un-built, so i can declare it as parts, there for getting a reduced rate, but still going to be closer to the £1000

Where as if i fly, i can do it for less than half and just say i took it with me to go do a few days cycling in America, BUT then would i need to provide proof of purchase in this country? Easy enough if i made up a receipt i suppose. I just refuse to pay the government ANOTHER tax on something with it keeping me fit and health and out of the NHS hospital's

U probably shouldn't b airing these ideas out loud.

the suspense is killing me...what bike are you looking to 'smuggle' over??

Not sure about bikes but certainly camera gear such as lenses will have a CE sticker on somewhere which confirms that the product complies with EU quality standards etc.

Now, that isn't proof that you purchased the item in the EU, but it's going to help your case if you're going through customs when returning with a bike that you flew out with.

That doesn't apply obviously if you're going out, buying a bike and coming back. There's definitely a risk involved, and if you do get stopped, you will face questions of why you didn't declare it, and of course unless you're paying cash, your bank/credit card records will confirm it. If you have the receipt about your person, you're in trouble and could end up seriously out of pocket and lose the bike.

Best practice if you're travelling anywhere outside the EU with something valuable, be that a bike, camera gear, whatever, is to complete a customs declaration on the way out, so that when you come back into the country you can prove that you didn't buy the goods abroad.

My advice would be that you either come clean and pay the charges, or assuming no money's changed hands yet, look elsewhere for a bike - you can't exactly hide a bike in a suitcase and for that reason alone it could well attract the attention of customs officers when you come back into the country.

If you're still determined to do it, have a look at this thread:

http://www.pinkbike.com/forum/listcomments/?threadid=114530

Get in touch with a company called Saddleback. They ship bikes from America to this country and then transport them by courier to your address / shop.

I bought my Felt bike through them and it was dispatched from California. They MIGHT be able to help with your predicament.

Thank you for that link Simon, many ideas in there i had thought of, I was going to get some miles on it before coming back, my own little tour of cali and was also going to post myself the receipt as to not carry it on my person. I was also going to pay it in cash over there to avoid it on a bank record.

If i was to complete a custom's form on the way into America for a bike, but not actually be carrying a bike, just an empty case, that might cause me more hassle than its worth? I would fully declare that i was carrying a bike on the way back though.

Stumps, Saddleback are all fine and good if your importing a bike brand they stock, this manufacturer do not have any stockists outside of the US and mainly have small scale retailers at the moment, this is why i've managed to get a deal with them in exchange for showing the bike to any interested parties they may have over here, so want to avoid getting a retailer involved in my import, that way i will also avoid getting a huge mark up added onto my purchase.

I looks like a trip to America is on the cards

Why let your bike enjoy the trip and not you? I'd go in person if I were you. Three things though: Don't make up a receipt and don't claim you're taking a bike out and its only an empty bike box. Apart from being illegal, they'll scan the bike box at the airport. Finally, consider taking a bike out with you. I assume you'll be taking other gear to ride out there anyway.

Out of interest, there must be a time limit until an item bought overseas and is used overseas, becomes exempt from taxes. Surely people who 'travel' for 12 months don't pay import duties and VAT on clothes and other goods? Your riding it in Cali may make it easier to claim its not new - just well looked after. You really need to take advice from experts on this matter. Good luck.

That's true, I think the time limit is 6 months so if you can wait that long and you have a mate in the US then send them the money to buy it then go collect it once the time limit expires. My girlfriend and her pal looked into this when she was looking to buy a sculling boat in Canada. I might be getting my timeline mixed up but if it's not 6 months then it'll be less.

Go to the dump find an old bike, box it up....take it to the states as 'your touring bike'...(if you know the frame number of the new bike..stick that on the 'outward bound declaration' as proof that you took a bike out)...ride the new bike and leave any dust/dirt residue on it- bin the old banger....(take loads of photographs of wherever you go ..try to include the new bike in them....and friendly US cyclists) ...say you had a wonderful time with your US 'buddies'....box it all up...come home - try to get past customs with the 'old used UK bought bike'...tell them what a great little holiday you had....hopefully scam them into thinking it is an old bike (not likely)...get found out ...have the bike confiscated and still have to pay fines etc....be out of pocket and have a criminal record...(if not 'do' time sharing a cell with big Bubba)...lose your job/family/house etc...

Or you could buy a bike in the UK- paying all the tax-middleman add ons/profits etc...and help the UK cycle industry stay afloat in this time of financial crises...

I know which one I'd do...... @i'm leaving on a jet plane@

I'm not a betting man, but I think he'll take a chance on big Bubba

There's a high probability that the bike is made in the Far East so why the need to go for all the effort? When you factor in duty and vat, it's just not worth the hassle IME.
My experience is that HM Customs are pretty strict on goods from the US but stuff from China (probably due to higher volumes) often comes straight through. I recently received a consignment of 3 custom titanium frames from China and paid zero vat and duty

Considering you don't even know the make, how can you say "There's a high probability that the bike is made in the Far East"

I guess you didn't read my starting post, the manufacturer is where I'm going to collect the bike from, in the US, nothing to do with the far east. Basically i'd be collecting it straight from the factory.

Vat and Duty is the same, no matter where things come from outside of the EU, its to do with the value of the items and what they are, not where they come from

Can't you say that it's a 'prototype' or'sample' and that you are interested in it's marketability in the UK???
There's something in the HM customs website regarding this...

Thats actually quite a good idea, IF the brand wasn't on sale in America already and the bike will have logo's on it.

Would work a treat for a plain carbon frame or something like that though

But there's no UK importer/vendor...so that's why it's a 'sample'...???

Hmmm its something to look into i suppose.

I always wondered if sponsored riders, who are given a bike by a company had to pay import duty at all, but then i looked at the rules on gift's and thought they may still have to pay, don't know how that works either

Forget everything above, I've just been on the phone to my mum, her mate in the RAF has just been awarded an OBE for something or other, so he's got to fly back to collect it and He's based not far from where I would be going to collect.

So after the phone call, my mum called over there, Sorted, he can take it over and for some reason they avoid custom's altogether on RAF flights?

70% of all bikes are made in the far east and the best carbon manufacture is in Japan.just buy a 2011 sale bike already.At the end of the day as Lance said its not about the bike.

As much as i'd love to get something from the UK, nothing compares to this

Fully Carbon (apart from the wheels, as i wasn't paying stupid money to have them), Fully Dura Ace (carbon levers) and Disc brakes

A). I'll have you know that Britain is set to become world leaders in composite technology very soon, billions are being spent

B). Have you actually read Lance's book

C). I'm not trying to be rude, but it CLEARLY is all about the bike, as set out in velominati rule number #4

http://www.velominati.com/blog/the-rules/

The UK has a great history with carbon fibre lately, although it many not be in bikes, its certainly in F1, just look at the best car of the last few years, the Red Bull, based in Milton Keynes

The aircrafts that are built here are starting be use more and more of it.

The general cars that are being built with carbon in them aswell in the UK and the US

One last thing to add.........twatwaffle

Yeah it is about the bike, without a bike, i'm not a cyclist

You missing the point. Lance would pass any of us on a chopper.Like i say its not about the bike its the man pushing on the pedals thrust me.

Also f1 cars made in england yes but the same people are not making bycycles.If they were the cost would be £100000 per frame.Tipical ripp off Britian.

Didn't Frank Lucas do something like that?

Oh dear. Someone *had* to bring up Lance's chopper...

Did you pack the bag yourself, sir? And are you carrying any explosives... oh.

Well, he's missing the point if he just wants to go fast. Or maybe not, since Lance wouldn't have won the TdF on a chopper - the bike does make some difference. An awesome bike won't make a nag into a racehorse, but it will make a nag slightly faster than a less awesome bike.

The thing is, it isn't always about going faster - it's about having more fun and (forgive my capitalist society ideals) about owning something lovely and taking pride in it. A lovely ride quality makes riding more fun. And you can debate the rights or wrongs of wanting to own something special, but it gives some people pleasure to own something interesting and unusual. So for those purposes, it's ALL about the bike.

btw, GKam, is it one of these?

http://volagi.com/bikes

Interested to hear your thoughts on the ride - they certainly look like an interesting bunch.

Also interested to know if they really are manufactured in the US - that sort of manufacturing is expensive there compared with the Far East, but the bikes don't seem unreasonably priced. Doesn't seem to say on the site where they are manufactured, but you mentioned you were going to the factory?

Maybe its my age, but i had to google him

Yeah its a Volagi, I'll let you know what i think when i get my hands on it

After alot of emails and when i was going to be over, i was offered a tour of the warehouse/factory, i think the frames are made in-house but not 100% i'm just going on what i've been told and as there is nothing to say otherwise

Oh I thought it was a race bike... think I'd rather have a chopper!

Certainly wouldn't go to the trouble for something that looks that dull! I'm disappointed Gkam

It is a race bike and dull?? its certainly not that

looks not dissimilar in approach to the Spesh Roubaix (albeit with disc brakes). They seem to do ok as a race bike...

I'm lead to believe that Dizzee Rascal funded the early part of his career by buying cheap electronic and music gear in the states and flogging it on when he got back home.

And look where he's ended up.

Only half like a Specialized according to the judge...

Yeah the guys are in a court case because they are ex specialized employee's who came up with the idea while working for them

Which perhaps explains why it looks a lot like the roubaix...

Threads gone a bit quiet and I was looking forward to seeing how it worked out.

Have you sorted the delivery yet Gkam?

Oh boy, Yes, i got A bike delivered, it didn't even make it out of its box though (which is a really nice travel box)

I went with the Dura-Ace set up and some carbon rims

I got sent a Rival set up with alloy rims

So i looked in the box and it looked sweet, but i dont want a Rival set up, so it went back on an RAF flight two days later, got a refund, but still working out how to get the Dura, Also, it came through "custom's" with no problems