# Import duties on complete bikes / framesets



## octave (May 11, 2014)

hey everyone,

does anyone have any experience buying bicycles and/or framesets from abroad? i did a little research and it seems bicycles are definitely subject to import duties. framesets also?

in any case, how much did people pay in duty fees for a complete bicycle? a frameset? i am looking to import something from Germany to the USA...

thank you!

o


----------



## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Call your local customs and exise place and ask them.


----------



## stanseven (Nov 9, 2011)

It's easy. Do a search of customs duties. There are tariff schedules for complete bikes and components including frames. Duties are assessed based on declared value. The shipper completes the form with the value.

It's also a game. Some of the overseas online sources used to state items are gifts to avoid duties nd often delays from detailed inspections.


----------



## ibericb (Oct 28, 2014)

You can find the duty rates in the Harmonized Tariff schedules. Bikes show up in Chapter 87. For a complete bike with wheels, depending on size and weight, I believe it's either 5.5% or 11% - see heading 8172.xx (the fastest way to find all entries for bicycles and components is to use the search function on your browser (Control f), and type in "bicycle" less the quotes).


----------



## nirVELOvana (Mar 6, 2014)

octave said:


> “。。。_does anyone have any experience buying bicycles and/or framesets from abroad?
> 
> 。。。how much did people pay in duty fees for a complete bicycle? a frameset?。。。_”


_There's a really neat calculator that I've used before to figure out that very thing_。

_Here's a sample illustration_ for both a complete bike *AND* a frameset。。。


----------



## brucew (Jun 3, 2006)

I have purchased a frameset from Europe.

I wasn't charged. I don't know why, because it was clearly stated on the customs declaration.

Speculation abounds, but the fact remains, I was not charged.


----------



## ibericb (Oct 28, 2014)

brucew said:


> I have purchased a frameset from Europe.
> 
> I wasn't charged. I don't know why, because it was clearly stated on the customs declaration.
> 
> Speculation abounds, but the fact remains, I was not charged.


Was that recently? Duties change from time to time, as well as the exemptions from duty. As I look at the current schedule, frames and forks from EU today would be charged at 3.9%. Maybe you just got lucky.


----------



## laffeaux (Dec 12, 2001)

Are you importing bikes/frames for resale, or are you buying one bike for personal use?

My experience is the same as "brucew." I have on more than one occasion purchased bikes and frame from Europe (and once from Australia). I have never been charged any import fees for the purchases. The purchases were delivered to my home labeled as bikes/frames.

If you are looking to import products for re-sale, I expect that the situation would be very different.


----------



## ibericb (Oct 28, 2014)

laffeaux said:


> Are you importing bikes/frames for resale, or are you buying one bike for personal use?
> 
> My experience is the same as "brucew." I have on more than one occasion purchased bikes and frame from Europe (and once from Australia). I have never been charged any import fees for the purchases. The purchases were delivered to my home labeled as bikes/frames.
> 
> If you are looking to import products for re-sale, I expect that the situation would be very different.


In the schedule I linked previously, currently bicycle imports from Australia, along with Canada, Mexico, and a list of other countries, are duty free, but not generally Europe. That may have been different at times in the past.

As far as I know, the duty is the same whether it is yours, or is for resale. The importer has the responsibility to pay the duty.

edit added - there is also typically a personal exemption for stuff you buy while abroad, and bring back with you. Currently that's generally $800, but there limits by class as well (e.g., alcohol, tobacco, etc.). The personal exemption amount is deducted from the total to determine the dutiable value.


----------



## nirVELOvana (Mar 6, 2014)

It's been said already in a million other threads on this subject in other forums across the web: «_Whether or not somebody gets billed for customs/import duty for a given transaction, is a total coin toss_»。

That's definitely been my experience。 Sometimes I'm billed for import duty for a particular item。 Sometimes I'm *not billed* for import duty — _even though I bought the same item [apart from the brand] at roughly the same price a year or so later_。

Why it's so random — _even though there are clear rules laid out on what to expect_ — is anybody's guess.


----------



## nirVELOvana (Mar 6, 2014)

*Not A Million Miles Off The Mark。。。*

。。。So this is _*my*_ guess。。。



Tom Harris | howstuffworks.com said:


> “_
> *How Customs Works*
> 
> 。。。In most countries, it isn't feasible for the customs agency to check all of the goods that every single [buyer] is importing, so governments have to depend largely on people's honesty。。。
> ...


----------



## Roland44 (Mar 21, 2013)

nirVELOvana said:


> _There's a really neat calculator that I've used before to figure out that very thing_


That's pretty cool!


----------



## brucew (Jun 3, 2006)

ibericb said:


> Was that recently? Duties change from time to time, as well as the exemptions from duty. As I look at the current schedule, frames and forks from EU today would be charged at 3.9%. Maybe you just got lucky.


February 2013. Third week of the month as I recall. Royal Mail Global Priority which magically converts to Express Mail Overnight at JFK.

As I said before, speculation abounds.


----------



## ibericb (Oct 28, 2014)

brucew said:


> February 2013. Third week of the month as I recall. Royal Mail Global Priority which magically converts to Express Mail Overnight at JFK.
> 
> As I said before, speculation abounds.


The bike fairy was watching over you.


----------



## octave (May 11, 2014)

nirVELOvana said:


> _There's a really neat calculator that I've used before to figure out that very thing_。
> 
> _Here's a sample illustration_ for both a complete bike *AND* a frameset。。。



i saw this site, and was actually going to mention it and ask a question about it.

it works very well, yes, and is super easy, but what worries me is when you put in the insurance value, because i might be buying from a shop in germany and they would ship with insurance... and when i add in the insurance for the value of the purchase, it adds that to the total cost...! so basically, according to the calculator, i would pay the cost of the bike, plus 11% plus the cost of the bike again in insurance fees! is this accurate!?

thanks, everyone, for the responses.

o


----------



## pmf (Feb 23, 2004)

I bought two Colnago frames in Italy in 2000 and had them shipped to me months later when they were finished. There was no duty, but the DHS shipping was really expensive (like $200). I would guess that the customs inspectors are interested primarily in large commercial shipments of goods. With small individual packages, it's probably hit or miss. 

Two custom Colnago C-40 frames for me and my wife. I built them up, and the next day, it snowed.


----------



## octave (May 11, 2014)

pmf said:


> Two custom Colnago C-40 frames for me and my wife. I built them up, and the next day, it snowed.


damn those lemons.... i hope you have been able to enjoy them since!

thanks for your two cents... i talked to the shop and they would be willing to sell the bike without wheels (low quality anyway) so that might help me pay less or miss out completely on customs fees.


----------



## Pirx (Aug 9, 2009)

Here's my 2 cents for people: Just keep your mouth shut, unless you absolutely must wake sleeping dogs. I wish people would not create threads like this one. Sheesh...


----------



## pmf (Feb 23, 2004)

Pirx said:


> Here's my 2 cents for people: Just keep your mouth shut, unless you absolutely must wake sleeping dogs. I wish people would not create threads like this one. Sheesh...


Hey buddy, I work for the government and I can tell you with a pretty high level of certainty that there's no customs guys reading stuff like this and getting any ideas. It just isn't that efficient. 

And watch that flu shot -- it contains a little chip that allows us to track your movements with satellites.


----------



## nirVELOvana (Mar 6, 2014)

octave said:


> “。。。_and when i add in the insurance for the value of the purchase, it adds that to the total cost。。。i would pay the cost of the bike, plus 11% plus the cost of the bike again in insurance fees!。。。_”


Wha?!?! 

Can you copy the URL from your calculation results from your browser's location field — then paste it here? Please?


----------



## Pirx (Aug 9, 2009)

pmf said:


> And watch that flu shot -- it contains a little chip that allows us to track your movements with satellites.


What's a flu shot?

But, I wasn't talking about those forum posts, really, but I can see why you get the impression. Sorry for the confusion.


----------



## nirVELOvana (Mar 6, 2014)

Pirx said:


> “。。。_I wish people would not create threads like this one。。。_”


Yeah。 I know how you feel, Bub。 I also used to wish that I had total control of what people post to the web too。

Word of advice: _Let it go, friend。 The harsh reality will only eat you up inside。_


----------



## pmf (Feb 23, 2004)

Pirx said:


> What's a flu shot?.


I once had some tin foil hat character tell me that. I was at this store where they sold wheat in bulk in 1999. There were all these end of the world folks coming in buying hand crank flour mills and what not in preparation for when the year 2000 rolled in and all the computers were going to melt and civilization as we know it would end. He said "you know, the government knows where everyone goes. They track people with satellites". I said "how do they manage that?" The guy says "with computer chips embedded in your body". "So how do they implant them?", I asked. "Did you get a flu shot?" he asks. Yes, I said. There you go buddy.


----------



## octave (May 11, 2014)

nirVELOvana said:


> Wha?!?!
> 
> Can you copy the URL from your calculation results from your browser's location field — then paste it here? Please?


here is the screenshot:


----------



## nirVELOvana (Mar 6, 2014)

octave said:


> “。。。_what worries me is when you put in the insurance value_。。。”


Your problem is, you've confused «_Insurance *Cost*_» with «_insurance *value*_»。

If you want to insure your shipment for $1,500 worth of coverage [_the «*value*» of the bike_], it won't *cost* you $1,500。 The way insurance typically works, is the «_premium_» [_the *cost*_] is some fraction of the total «_*value*_» [_the coverage amount_]。


----------



## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

I recently bought about $500 worth of bike parts from PBK and for the first time ever, I had to pay duties on the order. Duties plus handling was $32. I got Chorus cassettes for $95, I still made out.


----------



## octave (May 11, 2014)

nirVELOvana said:


> Your problem is, you've confused «_Insurance *Cost*_» with «_insurance *value*_»。
> 
> If you want to insure your shipment for $1,500 worth of coverage [_the «*value*» of the bike_], it won't *cost* you $1,500。 The way insurance typically works, is the «_premium_» [_the *cost*_] is some fraction of the total «_*value*_» [_the coverage amount_]。



ah ha ha! so smart you are. i incline my head graciously to your insight. thank you!


----------

