Looking for a S30/S40/Vendetta in the EU
- Thread starter Ypsilon
- Start date
bentinitalia
New Member
Your problem is understandable. I was in the same position here in Italy. The shipping, customs, and IVA increases the cost far beyond reasonable and adds no value. I searched for months for used. Very few available in the EU, and when I found one that looked decent, it was too far to go for an inspection. Are you willing to buy a used bike sight unseen?
Buying new you have two options. There are dealers, one in the Netherlands, one in France, and one quasi dealer in Italy. But buying through a dealer ends up costing the same as buying direct. They pay the same taxes and shipping. Option two: If you have a good friend or relative in the US that will be traveling to where you live in the near future and they're willing to do you a big favor, have the bike shipped to them in the states. They can bring it to you on their flight. Boxed bikes are allowed at no extra cost as long as they're within the weight and size limit, and you inform the airline ahead of travel that you're checking a bike. I was lucky. My son was planning a visit. I had a new bike shipped to him and he brought it to me on his flight here.
It's too bad that there isn't a true dealer system in the EU that could bring the cost in line with the US prices as with most other products.
Buying new you have two options. There are dealers, one in the Netherlands, one in France, and one quasi dealer in Italy. But buying through a dealer ends up costing the same as buying direct. They pay the same taxes and shipping. Option two: If you have a good friend or relative in the US that will be traveling to where you live in the near future and they're willing to do you a big favor, have the bike shipped to them in the states. They can bring it to you on their flight. Boxed bikes are allowed at no extra cost as long as they're within the weight and size limit, and you inform the airline ahead of travel that you're checking a bike. I was lucky. My son was planning a visit. I had a new bike shipped to him and he brought it to me on his flight here.
It's too bad that there isn't a true dealer system in the EU that could bring the cost in line with the US prices as with most other products.
expensive or reasonable ? is in the eye of the beholder, but complicated it ain't!
Done it twice
If he didn't declare it @customs: don't go around bragging about it....
To which country? What was the cumulative cost? It seems nobody at the customs authorities is able to tell for sure.
Germany (they [Cruzbike, I assume you're considering a new vehicle] "ships wordwide") . Cost : add roughly 1/3 to the net price. Just place a dummy order (don't submit) on the Cruzbike website. You get all the details easily. Ordering a frameset saves some € on shipping and customs fees. You pay everything, incl. taxes with your order. The first time around UPS asked for a few extra $ for handling the customs paperwork, the second time (with DHL) even that was included in the payment.
IyhelM
Member
Import duty varies greatly between parts and accessories (5% in France) and complete bikes (14%); on top of it comes the VAT (20% here).
For a V20c (gold of course) the difference between complete bike and frameset is €2,500 instead of €1,100 without taxes… quite some leeway to build a nice setup.
For a V20c (gold of course) the difference between complete bike and frameset is €2,500 instead of €1,100 without taxes… quite some leeway to build a nice setup.
Shouldn't customs be the same in all of the EU? After all we're a trade and customs union (amongst other things, I guess).
Back to the topic: Buying a frameset only is the way to go.
You have to balance delta $$ against extra time and effort. It's all in your head.
