Buying parts from the US

[wfjet]

Hi there

Has anyone here bought parts from the US?? either off ebay or suppliers like Pelican.
Is there duty and taxes to be paid when the parts get delivered to the UK since the source of the parts is outside the EU??

[Gary71]

Hi,

Yes you get stung for duty and taxes when you buy from Pelican. Low value items, say less than $20 sometimes get through, but if you are planning an engine rebuild using their bits then find a friend on a trip to the US with a large suitcase

[chris68]

As Gary said, plus Pelican wanted to charge me a small fortune for shipping. I got the bits I needed from Forest Fine in the end and was happy with the service.

Cheers,
Chris

[Mike Smith]

Do the Sums

Work out the cost - Add the Shipping - Multiply the total by 3 to 5% for the Duty - Add this to the Total and carry out the $ / £ Exchange Rate Calculation - Add approx £15 for the UK Paperwork and then check whether it is cheaper to buy from your friendly UK Supplier

I have not mentioned VAT - You will either pay that on arrival from the US or to your UK supplier (if that is the way you go) - It is the same either way

If you are a nice guy or placing a largish order you can probably negotiate some sort of discount with your UK Supplier

In addition you get to see what you are buying (there is a lot of junk out there - ask the guy who is on his 3rd Flywheel from one supplier)

In the event of a problem you are not attempting to deal with a supplier who is 5,000 miles away in a different time zone

Carrying stuff in and not declaring it is fine, your choice - but asking a friend to do it is asking your friend to become a smuggler

There are a few people I would ask to do it but I do not count them among my friends

There is of, course, a `Personal duty free allowance of £340 per person from the US which you would be stupid not to take advantage of but you have probably already expended this on 501`s and Hawaiian Shirts

[jonat127]

I tend to agree with Mike.
I only buy stuff from the states if I can't get it locally or they are very cheap indeed.
Here's an example:
I bought some SS heat exchangers for my 914 on ebay. Paid $250 when it was $2 to the £. Shipping cost $125, still seemed ok. When they arrived in UK I had to pay nearly £50 duty, VAT and admin. They charge duty and VAT on the shipping charges too
It still worked out as a good buy because you just cannot buy SS heat exchangers anywhere but if it had just been regular parts I expect I could have done better locally or in Europe.
Jon

[Dakota]

Hi All
I am a bit of a tart when it comes to buying parts and spread my love all over including, heaven forbid, main dealers . I think for the present America has been kind of knocked on the head by the exchange rate, as for duty it is a problem though you could get your order routed via an American friend who could remove the invoice and resend as a gift or similar as for issues on service etc I got some mis packaged piston rings from Pelican they took my word for it, did not want the wrong ones back and sent me replacements promptly , oh and nobody else had the ones I required , another American supplier sent me some wrong panels for a 356 , only small items but a few quids worth, and once again with no arguments they sent out the right stuff quickly and did not want me to return the other items , the downsides of buying stuff from overseas are it works for either very large orders or small orders but does not really prove worth the potential trouble and financial savings with orders that fall in between . I have bought parts from all the main uk suppliers and have sent things back to them all too, that said they have always either provided replacement parts or sorted a refund and it has to be noted that margins on the stuff they sell are not huge and its hard work and they provide a very genuine support for these cars so thanks for that.

[rocket280]

I used stoddards for a large order about 18 months ago and found the service very good and the delivery very quick. all items present and correct and duty+vat and delivery paid when it got delivered. after doing the maths I saved £££££ but the exchange rate now would make me think twice. Most of the parts for 356s that come from uk suppliers are sourced from the US and they also have to pay the same costs then add profit.

[Rustbucket]

I got mine from the US too.
I really, really wanted to get them from the UK but as Jason says, the exchange rate was so strong at the time it just wasn't logical.
I would def try to get what you can from UK suppliers however as its good for them, and you get 'in the loop' with offers, parts etc, and just make friends...