Shipping costs/tax/import duties etc

[topher]

Hey,
before i get blasted by a admin, i've searched this and had a good look through everything and could find what i needed specifically!

Anyway, im looking at buying a hardtail frame from the usa, from www.camrbiabike.com. Its a santa cruz chameleon frame. There price on it is $449.95 US, which works out to be $614.68. This is without shipping attached to it. They give you a choice of delievery services to choose from they are Parcel Post Surface, Parcel Post Air, Expediters International and finally fed ex international. I've heard of both parcel posts and fed ex but not expediters international. Has anyone had any experience with them? Here is a link to the shipping table, http://www.cambriabike.com/policies.asp#shipping

Which do you advise i use, as im trying to keep this as low as possible. Is it possible for me to keep this frame under 750 with duties tax etc?

Any help you could give me would be much appreciated as its the first time buying off an OS internet store!
Cheers
Chris

 

[Timmy Bee]

i know this isnt answering your question but i thought you should know.

i dont think cambria will ship santa cruz frames internationaly, due to there contract with santa cruz, most places wont including speed goat among others.

but saying that, they did sell me my bullit, and my freinds vp free and blur, but they told him they were not going to do it again.

 

[rowanr]

expedited just means fast execution/delivery of item.
i doubt you'd get taxed on the frame since its under $1000 australian so i wouldn't worry about customs/gst. i have heard though that companies such as fedex or DHL do help you getting taxed, but i haven't had problems. according to that site i can only get fedex standard international shipping at it costs $us160 which is a fair bit. i'd have no problems with that though.
and thank you, i have been looking for days for a site that has jackals and ships to australia!!

edit: oh yeah i forgot to say that too. lots of companies such as fox and others don't allow exporting to countries such as our fine one. another option is to see if a mate is over there, and get them to post it. on the upside they can probably bargain the frame down AND you can get cheaper postage.

 

[Fatman]

Things aren't as easy as they used to be,

I imported heaps of stuff from all sorts of companies over seas, but as has been mentioned there are certain 'agreements' that state where a product can be sent. I personally have worked in the industry and can understand why this happens. The shops which we support, support us cannot stay open with the influx of 'grey' imports.
It may seem cheaper in the short term, but I feel we aren't helping by importing all manner of items from OS. This may seem a little biased in favour of local retailers, this may be so, but they have supported me so I will support them.
When you add up the price of freight, customs duty and so on, we really don't get that bad a deal.
Alot of us have been guilty of succumbing to the 'Supergo' syndrome, myself included. If you find the pricing is too high, talk to your LBS and say so. Don't buy the product. The suppliers are in close contact with each shop so your feedback can have an impact. I wouldn't hold your breath but it's worth a try, if a company can't shift units of a product then they will have to change something. Maybe I'm talking crap to alot of you out there, I suggest you talk to your LBS and see for yourself. With all the mateship etc, the guys that run bike shops are there to make money, not be a charity.
I'm probably not making too much sense, but with the riders voting with their wallets I'm sure an outcome can be established that can be mutually beneficial.