G'Day,
Do any of you, especially the Aussies, have any recommendations on how to get two shipments of engine parts, one from SoCal and the other from Texas, to Australia, as economically as possible?
My experience is that both FedEx and UPS provide a good and speedy service, but they charge like wounded bulls.This speedster project has been evolving slowly for about 10 years, so speed is not a priority.
Given that there will be a complete Rootlieb speedster body kit to follow soon, should I find myself an agent of some sort?
Thanks to Steve Jelf for his answer to this question in a previous thread.
Cheers,
Rob

Rob,

Watch the Horseless Carriage club web site in the classifieds as it seems to me that members from Australia advertise several times a year that there is a container leaving from LA harbor and they invite folks to add to the load.

Rob,I have used Peter Leahy on the Gold Coast several times very reliable & cost effectihttp://www.rolyleahycustomimports.com/shipping.html. There LA base is at Long Beach. Have a look at website & give Peter a bell.

Thanks Gents, Much appreciated.
Evan, I'll look into that during the week.
Doug, I've left a message for Peter, asking for his advice. My only problem there is that Brisvegas is 2 days drive from here, but that can be overcome.
Once again Gents, Thank You.
Cheers,
Rob

Rob, it is usually better to combine your parts shipments into one lot. If you have a Rootlieb body coming, aggregate your other stuff with it if you can. Paperwork costs!!!! If you can do it on one set of papers, you will make a considerable saving.

GST is payable on shipments over $1000 dollars, but that can still be better than paying freight on smaller parcels and postage costs.

Hope this helps.

Allan from down under.

Hi Rob, the guy in Queensland could be great but that two days drive away for you and the fuel cost will out weight the value or the shipping cost to you will have the same cost. I use a guy at Castle Hill in Sydney with great results as he just landed a $1000 order with no problems and had some one pick up for me as well, I have been using him for about 20 years with top results... call me and I can give you his details... Ray PM sent.
Alan the GST is payable but that's chicken feed and not worth the worry as its 10%, the real cost is the new customs payment of $139 dollars to process your paper work and the dirt police who charge $90 to inspect the goods and process your paper work which I have been hit with on my last two shipments.

Thanks Ray,
I'll call you shortly.
Cheers, Rob

Rob, contact Dave Dryden, I just took some parts to a shipper in Ontario, ca who ships core engines to Australia. Dave has more info on it. Kim

G'day Kim, Dave is just 25 mins from me, BUT about 7 hours in a modern from Rob.
I would have suggested my shipper here in Lilydale, but again fuel cost from there to here and back would probably kill any saving.
How about someone from the Sydney area who ships containers regularly.
David.

Hi David, how long has it been since you used your guy, same to Doug and Allan. ring and ask him about the government paper work and charges.

Ray, I agree the GST is not the greatest cost. I did say it can be less costly than postage and packing charges. I did suggest that it is best to combine shipments into one so there is one set of charges to pay on paperwork.

My last import was handled by a shipping agent in Melbourne. All the costs were included in his flat fee for his service, a great deal on an $8900 car.

Allan from down under

Russel Holden from the early Cadillac group and the hcca send a container over a few times per year. Check the hcca classifieds or the ECG web site

Rob GST is based on the purchase price (and here in New Zealand plus the freight costs to get it here and its 15% to boot) However I would be interested in how often the purchase price equals the purchase price on the invoice that customs uses to calculate the GST ??

Allen, your last import cost you 10% of the purchase price if over $1000 Australian based on the purchase priced converted to Australian dollars at the exchange rate of that day plus fees so in real terms it is more like 15 to 20%, then there is the paper work for customs at $139 then Quarantine paper work and inspection at $90 and these are based on each invoice and having some one sticking them all in one box dose not count as one delivery. You will be asked for your invoices and if you have three invoices from different companies then that's three fees but if in your name from one company then that is one fee and you could escape all this if it had come by post but through a import agent it will have his costing built in to a finial price which hide what he is charging you, also another charge you will get stuck with from many parts sellers in california is at least 7.5% but there are different rates for different areas of the state because it is going to an address in LA or San Fran to be shipped out of the country and there is always a good reason that they will not refund that amount. (California has many special taxing jurisdictions (districts), which are funded by a transactions (sales) and use tax rate that is added to the standard statewide rate of 7.50%, effective January 1, 2013. The tax rates for these districts range from 0.10% to 1.00% per district)

Ray, my import agent gave me a set figure for the import before he was given the job. So all the government customs and quarantine fees were included in his charges. Indeed, they were not itemised for me, but I was more than pleased with the total fee.

I am not sure you are correct with your assertion that the government fees are charged on each invoice. Either that, or I am blessed. In the back seat of the car were three separate packages from Snyder's, another from a restorer in the US and two packages from the T model owner who delivered the car to New York for export. None were subject to additional charges.

Allan from down under.

Allan, in the back seat is the reason why they got through and did not come as a shipment. I would hope your customs people in SA are some what slacker than Western Australia and New South Wales.
A company I buy off in Perth imported a truck from England and customs made the company send in a crew to dismantle the engine and remove all the wheels and drums looking for dirt. They even got that pettie that a work man spent his time digging rocks out of the Tyre treads. My new toy had holes drilled all over the body to flush out any dirt and a full steam clean inside and out side the vehicle.
As you said you had three packages from Snyders and that would count as one shipment but try snyders and Chaffins and Texas T parts and that is three hits.
Here is my last import bill and the tyres were $84 dollars US each to purchase also a box from Texas and two boxes from a company in Oregon.
I was happy with the prices as it under cut the same items here by up to 60%...Ray

Have the 6 tyres here for you. So your bill looks like this.

6 tyres @ $145 = $870.00 including government charges.

2 Customs entries for 3 boxes, including freight, agents fees etc = $430.00 (Less than cost)

TOTAL $1300.00