Import duty

[Johnwebley]

if you buy from the US ebay,
 there is an international shipping deal ,if I remember correctly,it costs a little more,but they claim no extra customs payments etc,

 check it out ,may help

[Chris400F]

I think John is referring to the eBay Global Shipping Programme.
Using this is the choice of the seller; some use it, some don't.
Items bought and shipped with this option should have all duty costs included in the total price paid.
If you buy an item that just quotes a postage cost then you may still have to pay duty charges, particularly (it seems) if the item is from the US.

[paul G]

I have used the global shipping as a buyer and seller a few times and been really impressed.
No aditional charges as a purchaser.

[MrDavo]

I've consulted the interwebs, and this seems to be the position:

import duty is NOT charged if:
The total order is worth £135 or less.
The total amount of import duty due is less than £9.

And then for VAT – it is NOT charged for any import worth less than £15 with the exception of tobacco, alcohol and perfumes – for which VAT is always payable

Vat is not a problem on my order, I don't mind paying that, the killer is the Parcelfarce charge on top as well. Paying both makes it uneconomic. I can get all the bits NOS from Germany, however they all have a high postage charge on each item. If I can negotiate a job lot postage charge it might work, if they choose to understand me.

I too bought a seat from the USA, if I'd realised how much the duty, VAT and collection fee would add up to, I wouldn't have bothered. Nice seat, though.

I've also learned that VAT is payable on anything from the Channel Islands - Ive been buying Harley parts VAT free (and advertised as such) from there for years, I don't know how that works.

I can see me getting the bits from Silvers at this rate, however he doesn't have all the bits I need at the moment.

[MrDavo]

Just as a follow up, because the sum total of buying the OEM parts individually was so high, particularly because the parts were only available from different suppliers, nearly all abroad, I took a punt with the duty and ordered the M-TEC kit from Japan.

It turned up today, delivered by Parclefarce, there was no duty, VAT or anything else payable.

The quality seems OK, though I'd need to see an OEM footrest set to compare it with, I suppose the test is how long the plating lasts, I know the Honda ones can go rusty eventually, but how many years and salt baths that takes I don't know. I'm going to try and keep my plating dosed with spray on silicon where I can, as I am going to be riding Candy in all weathers, I don't want her to be a garage queen.

Ironically the OEM bolts (they go through the pillion rests and the exhausts, so are quite substantial) cost more, before postage from Germany, than the footrests, there were cheaper pattern bolts on my eBay watch list, but I forgot until I'd ordered.