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Stag UK Postage

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vettedog72

Jedi Knight
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Ive got a package of parts I need to get out of London (UK) and delivered to me in Louisiana. I am looking at spending about $140 for the shipping on 19 pounds. Is there any other way?? or am I stuck with the high cost of postage?
 
Did you check the usual suspect's websites?
usps.com
ups.com
fedex.com
dhl.com
 
Hi,

Postage from England via Royal Mail is quite expensive. I avoid getting anything other than small items shipped that way, as much as possible.

I got a 20 lb package sent from Scotland some months ago. It cost about $80 US by "surface" Royal Mail, not airmail. Unfortunately that took four to six weeks to arrive. Plus the box was approximately the shape of a beach ball by the time it finally landed on my doorstep. The postal carrier who delivered it was chuckling and shaking her head. Fortunately, the contents (20 cameras!) survived their ordeal pretty well.

USPS won't help. That's only for shipping from the US to other destinations. But the others options that have already been suggested might offer a more affordable alternative.

Adding insult to injury, you will quite likely *also* be charged an import duty once the package arrives (sometimes in advance). It's been a while since, but the last time I had some shipped, the duty for car parts was 30%. In the past you could save some, if you were buying parts for a Triumph, by asking the shipper to be sure to declare the parts as "ollectible or antique auto". That was a 10% duty the last time I made such a purchase. I believe used items have little or no import duty levied, if that applies.

Shipping costs and import duties are good reasons to ask British manufacturers if they have a distributor in the US. Shipping might be combined with other items to help reduce the cost for any individual item and might be by more efficient means. Also, a distributor pays the import duty on the wholesale price. Those duties end up back in the retail price, but of course are proportionately reduced.

At least you don't get charged VAT (Value Added Tax... essentially a sales tax)! That was 17.5% the last time I was in England.

The duties can sometimes be avoided by buying through Canada. I get many of my Land Rover parts that way. There is minimal or no import duty from England to Canada, and little or none from Canada to the US (although hefty charges are sometimes levied on Canadians buying from the US!). It is one way around the import duties on British goods!

I hope this helps!

Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif.
'62 TR4 CT17602L
 
I only ck FEDEX and the sender give me a 75 UK Pound price so I figured that is what the normal freight co's are charging. With all those beautiful parts on the various GB catalogs it is a shame the freight is so costly; it just does not seem like we need any tariffs to keep commerce with in our continental bounds. I guess I was wanting some magic.
 
Good timing for this post for me too. I have been speaking with Simon from Robsport in England regarding a headliner I am buying, for my TR7, from him. His price is 35-00gbp, which I assume is pounds, including shipping. Am I to understand then, Alan, that your experience tells that I would not get nailed with duty? I get royally you know whatted when I get somthing from the States.
Thanks

Paul
 
If you are getting "you know whated" when you order from the states is it via UPS or an other courior? I am also in Canada and there is no duty on antique car parts. Two things I have learned about getting parts shipped from the USA to Canada. 1) don't sent it via UPS or a courior send it US Postal service (the couriers force you to pay them "as broker" and then they make sure you have duty to pay to justify the fee
2) have the package labeled "Attn: Customs Parts for antique automobile over 25 years old, Tariff Code 2441" assuming this is true of course)
 
Hi Paul,

I am not certain, but as far as I know there is little or no tariff on items from England to Canada. Better check that, though. Any of the shipping companies should be able to tell you.

The percentages I quoted pertain only to items travelling from England to the U.S., and could be out of date. There are vastly different tariffs on different types of items. (A complete car is different than car parts. A complete camera is different than camera and lens sent separately!) Along with expensive shipping, it can add up fast and is worth investigating before committing.

Yes, I find it odd that Canadian buyers are slapped with the heavy duty when they order things from the U.S. I've never had any tariff slapped on when I buy things from Canada. In addition to car parts, I buy and sell collectible cameras and have had a number of Canadian customers and suppliers. Now the delivery from Canada is another thing entirely. The worst I've seen was 6 weeks, but it's usually only a day or two longer than something within the U.S.

On the other hand, delivery times can be iffy with the U.S. Postal Service, too. I've been waiting since 7/20 or 7/21 for a "Priority Mail" delivery from Cincinatti! (Of course, it just happens to be one of the most expensive and rare cameras I've ever purchased!)

Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif.
'62 TR4 CT17602L
 
[ QUOTE ]

On the other hand, delivery times can be iffy with the U.S. Postal Service, too. I've been waiting since 7/20 or 7/21 for a "Priority Mail" delivery from Cincinatti! (Of course, it just happens to be one of the most expensive and rare cameras I've ever purchased!)

[/ QUOTE ]

You too? I've been waiting about that long for an antenna to come from Florida and my truck's registration to come from Pennsylvania (it expires in 2 days).
 
[ QUOTE ]


Yes, I find it odd that Canadian buyers are slapped with the heavy duty when they order things from the U.S. I've never had any tariff slapped on when I buy things from Canada.

[/ QUOTE ]

Just to set the record straight. We in Canada are not "slapped with heavy duty" (at least not buy the Canadian Government. The problem is with the private shipping companies like UPS, FedEX, Purolator and the like. These private companies play a game and make it sound like it is a "duty" or "tariff" but in fact it is a brokerage charge they add to the cost of shipping and make the receiver pay it. I have had my TR3 since 1985 and have been getting parts for it from the USA shipped to Canada on a regular bases since then. I have never once had to pay a cent in duty or tariff. I have had UPS call me and say "your package is being held at customs and if you pay us $30 we will act as your broker, pay the duty and tariff and clear the package for you." Now this package contained the chrome bolts for the front bumper of my TR3. I replied to UPS "no thanks, send it back to The Roadster Factory. I then phoned The Raodster Factory and asked them to take the package when it got back and ship it to me via the US Postal service. The package arrived at my door a week later and there was no charge.

Sorry about the long rant, but I just don't want people to think we are getting stung by the Government when it fact it is the shipping companies that are trying to take advantage of the the people getting packages.
 
Adrio...
Sorry, but you are wrong.
I have bought hundreds of things on Ebay, from Sports Cards to parts for my TR7, MGB, Christmas gifts.
The latest was a set of aluminum ZS Carb mounts for my TR7 that I got from California. The package clearly stated "Antique car parts." I was charged, by Canada Customs, and it was sent by US mail, $23.00 in Duty, GST, and PST. At Christmas I won a Discman for my Daughter. Won it for $59.00 US, Canada Customs put a value on it of $359.00 cdn. It sells for $159.00 at Future Shop. I had to pay almost $85.00 to get it out of the Post Office here, on Dec. 23rd. Again.. sent US Post. I have another 7 or 8 same examples of this crap. The only thing I have ever had send by UPS was my car cover, again Duty, GST, PST, and Brokerage fee.
It is a PITA gathering all the data and sending it away to our crooks from Ottawa just to prove proper value and get some of my money back.
Please... Let me in on your secret. Do you work for the Government? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Paul
 
i haven't had to pay customs duty on any of the parts i've ordered from the uk. be it through ebay, rimmer bros., etc. i have found that royal post sometimes "loses" packages. so much for privatized mail. i paid 30 pounds to ship a ring and pinion gear ups, it took only 5 days to oregon.
 
Well I have been listening to this post with some interest.My experience with foreign postage is as follows: I had purchased a car part from the UK that had a CORE charge on it. The core charge was 99 USD.So I packaged the core up and took it to UPS for mailing. The clerk asked how I wanted it sent, as economical as possible I replied.He calculated the cost and told me it would cost 99 Bucks /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif. I said thats not economical, he said then you should take it to the US Post Office and ask for express mail because UPS puts an additional surcharge on. At the post office the package only cost me $23.45. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif You go figure.---Keoke /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
Adrio...
Sorry, but you are wrong.

Please... Let me in on your secret. Do you work for the Government? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Paul

[/ QUOTE ]
KLUTZ
I don't have a secret, but I have had to fight with the folks in Ottawa a few time to get my money back. I do live in Ottawa so it is not such a big deal, I just walk over from my down town office to their down town office and show them the ownership of the car to prove it is over 25 years old and then they are happy. That is when I discovered the tafiff code thing to put on the outside of the package.

There are other "tricks" you can use. Such as (at least back a year or so ago) Canada Post has "limits" on value under which they don't bother charging, (I think it is $19 for a package from a company and $49 for a package from a private house). The only thing that saves me (for things over those values) is the antique car over 25 years old, otherwise I have had to pay.

There is also the North American Free Trade thingie you can play with. I think if the item is manufactured in Can/US/Mex then it might be free of such things.

I do agree with you about the nature of Canada Customs, they do take a "you are guilty ontil you prove otherwise" approach. That is a bit of a pain.

In answer to your question, yes I do work for the government but not any where near Canada Customs. I am with Civil Aviation in Transport Canada.
 
I called a few places and the best I could do was let the seller send it by carrier (what ever that means). On the other hand I would expect a headliner with packaging would be 15-20 pounds(weight) and if shipped to the U.S. would cost around 75 British Pounds (money). I don't see how anybody in the U.S. can buy parts direct from the UK; I don't understand how shipping cost could be any less if the item was shipped to Canada.
 
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