ordering from US by USPS Global Priority

[Laurence Dodd]

Hi there,

So, I should be getting a Cateye Stadium 3 bikelight system from Bikeman.com
in a few days. It only cost AUS$607.66 and that includes about US$41 for
freight and insurance, the light cost US$369.95

I am expecting to pay a further 10% GST, but...

I wondered if anyone knows how much I might be slugged for customs cost
recovery fee?

Thanks,
Laurence Dodd.

[RossB]

Customs should be about 5% and the courier company will also charge you
$25-$50 for doing the customs work for you - and if you've ever tried
to clear something through customs yourself, you'll know that's money
well spent!

Ross



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[RossB]

Customs should be about 5% and the courier company will also charge you
$25-$50 for doing the customs work for you - and if you've ever tried
to clear something through customs yourself, you'll know that's money
well spent!

Ross



--
>--------------------------<
Posted via cyclingforums.com
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[RossB]

Customs should be about 5% and the courier company will also charge you
$25-$50 for doing the customs work for you - and if you've ever tried
to clear something through customs yourself, you'll know that's money
well spent!

Ross



--
>--------------------------<
Posted via cyclingforums.com
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[Mike]

RossB wrote:
> Customs should be about 5% and the courier company will also charge you
> $25-$50 for doing the customs work for you - and if you've ever tried
> to clear something through customs yourself, you'll know that's money
> well spent!

I got a new laptop through customs recently without any tax at all!
I think he was being nice, or maybe the bicycle distracted him enough.
Good thing I had cleaned it well of the foot&mouth-carrying mud.

I had heard if you get goods sent by _mail_ and the tax is less than $50,
ie value below $500 and no tarrifs, it will come through no cost at all.
Is that still true?
Of couse, getting the vendor to use US-post, rather than a courier
can be impossible.

[Mike]

RossB wrote:
> Customs should be about 5% and the courier company will also charge you
> $25-$50 for doing the customs work for you - and if you've ever tried
> to clear something through customs yourself, you'll know that's money
> well spent!

I got a new laptop through customs recently without any tax at all!
I think he was being nice, or maybe the bicycle distracted him enough.
Good thing I had cleaned it well of the foot&mouth-carrying mud.

I had heard if you get goods sent by _mail_ and the tax is less than $50,
ie value below $500 and no tarrifs, it will come through no cost at all.
Is that still true?
Of couse, getting the vendor to use US-post, rather than a courier
can be impossible.

[Mike]

RossB wrote:
> Customs should be about 5% and the courier company will also charge you
> $25-$50 for doing the customs work for you - and if you've ever tried
> to clear something through customs yourself, you'll know that's money
> well spent!

I got a new laptop through customs recently without any tax at all!
I think he was being nice, or maybe the bicycle distracted him enough.
Good thing I had cleaned it well of the foot&mouth-carrying mud.

I had heard if you get goods sent by _mail_ and the tax is less than $50,
ie value below $500 and no tarrifs, it will come through no cost at all.
Is that still true?
Of couse, getting the vendor to use US-post, rather than a courier
can be impossible.

[Steve Hubbard]

On 5/10/03 9:31 PM, in article
, "Mike"
> wrote:

> RossB wrote:
>> Customs should be about 5% and the courier company will also charge you
>> $25-$50 for doing the customs work for you - and if you've ever tried
>> to clear something through customs yourself, you'll know that's money
>> well spent!
>
> I got a new laptop through customs recently without any tax at all!
> I think he was being nice, or maybe the bicycle distracted him enough.
> Good thing I had cleaned it well of the foot&mouth-carrying mud.
>
> I had heard if you get goods sent by _mail_ and the tax is less than $50,
> ie value below $500 and no tarrifs, it will come through no cost at all.
> Is that still true?
> Of couse, getting the vendor to use US-post, rather than a courier
> can be impossible.
>

Yes - that is true. Goods with less than AUS$50 tax come through no cost. I
recently had three tennis racquets sent over from Florida at a total value
of AUS$498 and no duty was charged.

The only problem - global priority mail at the moment is unbelievably slow.
10 weeks it took for the racquets to arrive, and the string that I ordered
from California took 13!

[Steve Hubbard]

On 5/10/03 9:31 PM, in article
, "Mike"
> wrote:

> RossB wrote:
>> Customs should be about 5% and the courier company will also charge you
>> $25-$50 for doing the customs work for you - and if you've ever tried
>> to clear something through customs yourself, you'll know that's money
>> well spent!
>
> I got a new laptop through customs recently without any tax at all!
> I think he was being nice, or maybe the bicycle distracted him enough.
> Good thing I had cleaned it well of the foot&mouth-carrying mud.
>
> I had heard if you get goods sent by _mail_ and the tax is less than $50,
> ie value below $500 and no tarrifs, it will come through no cost at all.
> Is that still true?
> Of couse, getting the vendor to use US-post, rather than a courier
> can be impossible.
>

Yes - that is true. Goods with less than AUS$50 tax come through no cost. I
recently had three tennis racquets sent over from Florida at a total value
of AUS$498 and no duty was charged.

The only problem - global priority mail at the moment is unbelievably slow.
10 weeks it took for the racquets to arrive, and the string that I ordered
from California took 13!

[RossB]

I've brought in lots of different types of goods by courier and by post.

With post, if it's small enough, you can be lucky. Generally, anything
big gets examined, and if it's small but expensive there is a good
chance you will be caught.

The problem is that if you are caught by customs, the process of
assessing and paying the duty is so complicated that it is just not
worth the time and effort to do it yourself. The first time I tried to
get something through customs, I had to take a day off work, drive out
to Granville (far west of Sydney, not a place you want to spend a day)
and it took about 5 hours before they released my package, and that was
only after a certain amount of begging. If it's something inexpensive,
the process is a little easier, but still time-consuming, and depends on
the goodwill of the customs officer you are dealing with.

The other problem with the post is that you cannot track your package,
and often it is uninsured.

Couriers offer tracking as well as insurance, fast track through customs
and quick delivery. After some bad experiences with the post (things
getting lost, delayed for months, packages arriving bent and soaking
wet, and torturous customs processes), I am now quite happy to pay extra
for a courier company to do it all, including the customs and GST. It
costs extra, but to me it is worth it.

Ross



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[RossB]

I've brought in lots of different types of goods by courier and by post.

With post, if it's small enough, you can be lucky. Generally, anything
big gets examined, and if it's small but expensive there is a good
chance you will be caught.

The problem is that if you are caught by customs, the process of
assessing and paying the duty is so complicated that it is just not
worth the time and effort to do it yourself. The first time I tried to
get something through customs, I had to take a day off work, drive out
to Granville (far west of Sydney, not a place you want to spend a day)
and it took about 5 hours before they released my package, and that was
only after a certain amount of begging. If it's something inexpensive,
the process is a little easier, but still time-consuming, and depends on
the goodwill of the customs officer you are dealing with.

The other problem with the post is that you cannot track your package,
and often it is uninsured.

Couriers offer tracking as well as insurance, fast track through customs
and quick delivery. After some bad experiences with the post (things
getting lost, delayed for months, packages arriving bent and soaking
wet, and torturous customs processes), I am now quite happy to pay extra
for a courier company to do it all, including the customs and GST. It
costs extra, but to me it is worth it.

Ross



--
>--------------------------<
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[troyq]

Anonymous wrote:
> RossB wrote:
> > Customs should be about 5% and the courier company will also charge
> > you $25-$50 for doing the customs work for you - and if you've ever
> > tried to clear something through customs yourself, you'll know that's
> > money well spent!
> I got a new laptop through customs recently without any tax at all! I
> think he was being nice, or maybe the bicycle distracted him enough.
> Good thing I had cleaned it well of the foot&mouth-carrying mud.
> I had heard if you get goods sent by _mail_ and the tax is less than
> $50, ie value below $500 and no tarrifs, it will come through no cost at
> all. Is that still true? Of couse, getting the vendor to use US-post,
> rather than a courier can be impossible.



This has been my experience with the postal service (under $500 and no
customs fee etc)...

If you go through a courier however, expect to pay every tax/fee without
exception. I have had more issues with couriers (irrespective of
costs/fees) than with Post so I will now only purchase from a retailer
that uses them (fortunately there are still a few).

Cheers, Troy



--
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[troyq]

Anonymous wrote:
> RossB wrote:
> > Customs should be about 5% and the courier company will also charge
> > you $25-$50 for doing the customs work for you - and if you've ever
> > tried to clear something through customs yourself, you'll know that's
> > money well spent!
> I got a new laptop through customs recently without any tax at all! I
> think he was being nice, or maybe the bicycle distracted him enough.
> Good thing I had cleaned it well of the foot&mouth-carrying mud.
> I had heard if you get goods sent by _mail_ and the tax is less than
> $50, ie value below $500 and no tarrifs, it will come through no cost at
> all. Is that still true? Of couse, getting the vendor to use US-post,
> rather than a courier can be impossible.



This has been my experience with the postal service (under $500 and no
customs fee etc)...

If you go through a courier however, expect to pay every tax/fee without
exception. I have had more issues with couriers (irrespective of
costs/fees) than with Post so I will now only purchase from a retailer
that uses them (fortunately there are still a few).

Cheers, Troy



--
>--------------------------<
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[troyq]

Just ou of interest Ross, how come you tried to bring something through
customs yourself? Is there supposedly a cost benefit to do it this way
or was it a special item or something?

Cheers, Troy



--
>--------------------------<
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[troyq]

Just ou of interest Ross, how come you tried to bring something through
customs yourself? Is there supposedly a cost benefit to do it this way
or was it a special item or something?

Cheers, Troy



--
>--------------------------<
Posted via cyclingforums.com
http://www.cyclingforums.com

[troyq]

RossB wrote:
> I've brought in lots of different types of goods by courier and by post.
> With post, if it's small enough, you can be lucky. Generally, anything
> big gets examined, and if it's small but expensive there is a good
> chance you will be caught.
> The problem is that if you are caught by customs, the process of
> assessing and paying the duty is so complicated that it is just not
> worth the time and effort to do it yourself. The first time I tried to
> get something through customs, I had to take a day off work, drive out
> to Granville (far west of Sydney, not a place you want to spend a day)
> and it took about 5 hours before they released my package, and that was
> only after a certain amount of begging. If it's something inexpensive,
> the process is a little easier, but still time-consuming, and depends on
> the goodwill of the customs officer you are dealing with.
> The other problem with the post is that you cannot track your package,
> and often it is uninsured.
> Couriers offer tracking as well as insurance, fast track through customs
> and quick delivery. After some bad experiences with the post (things
> getting lost, delayed for months, packages arriving bent and soaking
> wet, and torturous customs processes), I am now quite happy to pay extra
> for a courier company to do it all, including the customs and GST. It
> costs extra, but to me it is worth it.
> Ross



Agreed that if the item is relatively expensive, better to courier it
for insurance at least... I will persist with post for most things
however, until I get burned (probably inevitable)...



--
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[troyq]

RossB wrote:
> I've brought in lots of different types of goods by courier and by post.
> With post, if it's small enough, you can be lucky. Generally, anything
> big gets examined, and if it's small but expensive there is a good
> chance you will be caught.
> The problem is that if you are caught by customs, the process of
> assessing and paying the duty is so complicated that it is just not
> worth the time and effort to do it yourself. The first time I tried to
> get something through customs, I had to take a day off work, drive out
> to Granville (far west of Sydney, not a place you want to spend a day)
> and it took about 5 hours before they released my package, and that was
> only after a certain amount of begging. If it's something inexpensive,
> the process is a little easier, but still time-consuming, and depends on
> the goodwill of the customs officer you are dealing with.
> The other problem with the post is that you cannot track your package,
> and often it is uninsured.
> Couriers offer tracking as well as insurance, fast track through customs
> and quick delivery. After some bad experiences with the post (things
> getting lost, delayed for months, packages arriving bent and soaking
> wet, and torturous customs processes), I am now quite happy to pay extra
> for a courier company to do it all, including the customs and GST. It
> costs extra, but to me it is worth it.
> Ross



Agreed that if the item is relatively expensive, better to courier it
for insurance at least... I will persist with post for most things
however, until I get burned (probably inevitable)...



--
>--------------------------<
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[RossB]

wrote:
> Just out of interest Ross, how come you tried to bring something
> through customs yourself? Is there supposedly a cost benefit to do it
> this way or was it a special item or something?



It wasn't my decision, unfortunately, the seller would only ship it by
airmail (even though it cost over $2000), so I had no choice. I decided
after that always to use a courier for anything expensive.

Of course, I often buy books and the occasional CD over the net (usually
Amazon.com), and I generally have those shipped airmail, since there
will be no duty on those and, despite the occasional lost, delayed or
damaged package, most things generally show up eventually. I use airmail
if the item is relatively cheap (less than $100) and if it wouldn't be a
huge problem if it was delayed, or got lost. Larger orders (a few books,
DVDs etc) or something I really want immediately (such as the 2003 Tour
de France DVD which arrived on friday) I will always bring over by
courier. (My new Selle Italia Prolink Gel Flow saddle is currently on
its way by courier, and will still end up about $70 cheaper than the
local price.) Anything over $500 I would never entrust to airmail.

Ross



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[RossB]

wrote:
> Just out of interest Ross, how come you tried to bring something
> through customs yourself? Is there supposedly a cost benefit to do it
> this way or was it a special item or something?



It wasn't my decision, unfortunately, the seller would only ship it by
airmail (even though it cost over $2000), so I had no choice. I decided
after that always to use a courier for anything expensive.

Of course, I often buy books and the occasional CD over the net (usually
Amazon.com), and I generally have those shipped airmail, since there
will be no duty on those and, despite the occasional lost, delayed or
damaged package, most things generally show up eventually. I use airmail
if the item is relatively cheap (less than $100) and if it wouldn't be a
huge problem if it was delayed, or got lost. Larger orders (a few books,
DVDs etc) or something I really want immediately (such as the 2003 Tour
de France DVD which arrived on friday) I will always bring over by
courier. (My new Selle Italia Prolink Gel Flow saddle is currently on
its way by courier, and will still end up about $70 cheaper than the
local price.) Anything over $500 I would never entrust to airmail.

Ross



--
>--------------------------<
Posted via cyclingforums.com
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[Southern Flyer]

>
> The only problem - global priority mail at the moment is unbelievably slow.
> 10 weeks it took for the racquets to arrive, and the string that I ordered
> from California took 13!
>

Recently got some books from the USA via sea post (book rate).... only 14 weeks ;-)

[Southern Flyer]

>
> The only problem - global priority mail at the moment is unbelievably slow.
> 10 weeks it took for the racquets to arrive, and the string that I ordered
> from California took 13!
>

Recently got some books from the USA via sea post (book rate).... only 14 weeks ;-)

[M2cycler]

Laurence Dodd wrote:
> Hi there,
> So, I should be getting a Cateye Stadium 3 bikelight system from
> Bikeman.com in a few days. It only cost AUS$607.66 and that includes
> about US$41 for freight and insurance, the light cost US$369.95
> I am expecting to pay a further 10% GST, but...
> I wondered if anyone knows how much I might be slugged for customs cost
> recovery fee?
> Thanks, Laurence Dodd.



holy moly, u spent ~$700 on lights. jeez



--
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[M2cycler]

Laurence Dodd wrote:
> Hi there,
> So, I should be getting a Cateye Stadium 3 bikelight system from
> Bikeman.com in a few days. It only cost AUS$607.66 and that includes
> about US$41 for freight and insurance, the light cost US$369.95
> I am expecting to pay a further 10% GST, but...
> I wondered if anyone knows how much I might be slugged for customs cost
> recovery fee?
> Thanks, Laurence Dodd.



holy moly, u spent ~$700 on lights. jeez



--
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[Tizer]

M2cycler wrote:
> holy moly, u spent ~$700 on lights. jeez



I imported a watch recently from the states, and I was told by the
customs that if the value did not exceed AU$1000 you do not have to have
it cleared through customs, therefore you don't need a customs agent!!!



--
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[Tizer]

M2cycler wrote:
> holy moly, u spent ~$700 on lights. jeez



I imported a watch recently from the states, and I was told by the
customs that if the value did not exceed AU$1000 you do not have to have
it cleared through customs, therefore you don't need a customs agent!!!



--
>--------------------------<
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[RossB]

Tizer wrote:
> I was told by the customs that if the value did not exceed AU$1000 you
> do not have to have it cleared through customs, therefore you don't need
> a customs agent!!!



This is not exactly correct. Less than $1000 you don't need to complete
full customs documentation. However, you still need to complete an
"informal clearance document" which is still a time consuming and
painful process.

Ross



--
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[RossB]

Tizer wrote:
> I was told by the customs that if the value did not exceed AU$1000 you
> do not have to have it cleared through customs, therefore you don't need
> a customs agent!!!



This is not exactly correct. Less than $1000 you don't need to complete
full customs documentation. However, you still need to complete an
"informal clearance document" which is still a time consuming and
painful process.

Ross



--
>--------------------------<
Posted via cyclingforums.com
http://www.cyclingforums.com

[Tizer]

RossB wrote:
> This is not exactly correct. Less than $1000 you don't need to complete
> full customs documentation. However, you still need to complete an
> "informal clearance document" which is still a time consuming and
> painful process.
> Ross



It took me about five minuets and 10% GST, it was not excactly
painfull!!



--
>--------------------------<
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[Tizer]

RossB wrote:
> This is not exactly correct. Less than $1000 you don't need to complete
> full customs documentation. However, you still need to complete an
> "informal clearance document" which is still a time consuming and
> painful process.
> Ross



It took me about five minuets and 10% GST, it was not excactly
painfull!!



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[Theo Bekkers]

"Tizer" wrote

> It took me about five minuets

Led you a merry dance eh?

Theo

[Theo Bekkers]

"Tizer" wrote

> It took me about five minuets

Led you a merry dance eh?

Theo

[Andrew Swan]

Theo Bekkers wrote:
> "Tizer" wrote
>
>
>>It took me about five minuets
>
>
> Led you a merry dance eh?
>
> Theo

Groan.

&roo

[Andrew Swan]

Theo Bekkers wrote:
> "Tizer" wrote
>
>
>>It took me about five minuets
>
>
> Led you a merry dance eh?
>
> Theo

Groan.

&roo