Import charges

[Steamoilking]

Hi
having had one heart scare that the NHS kindly fixed, I’ve just had another having had bits from Zip shipped, the cost of the shipping plus import is almost 2/3rds the cost of the bits!! Anyone else experienced this and are there ways round it? Thanks

 

[stealthyflatfish]

Hi
having had one heart scare that the NHS kindly fixed, I’ve just had another having had bits from Zip shipped, the cost of the shipping plus import is almost 2/3rds the cost of the bits!! Anyone else experienced this and are there ways round it? Thanks

One - if they are standard parts try ordering from Rock auto parts, make sure all the parts come from the same depot, if they come from different depots, you will incur additional shipping costs.
Rock Auto use a system whereby you can see what the total charges are to your door. Also, at certain times they have discount codes, if your a member of cccuk you can look this up.
Two - use an English importer, ie someone like keef at euro vettes he will give you a price as he ships in bulk.
Three - by off the shelf in UK someone like corvette kingdom, you will still have to pay duties and taxis, but at least the cost should be cheaper as he will import in bulk.
Four - find an independent importer and ask if he can throw in your spares with his shipment.
Five - hope we get brexit done and get a zero percentage trade deal with president Trump.

 

[johng]

In my experience, shipping charges vary wildly between the different vendors so it's always best to check before placing an order. Rockauto are great because they show you the cost upfront and give you the chance to pre-pay the VAT to avoid the £12 Parcelforce admin fee. If you've got a big order then Willcox are worth a look. They have 20% off every weekend and although their shipping cost for a single item is usually very high, it doesn't go up that much as you add further bits.
One additional option to the 5 above
Six - have your holiday in the US, you can bring up to £390 worth of stuff back with you for your own use without having to pay VAT

 

[stealthyflatfish]

In my experience, shipping charges vary wildly between the different vendors so it's always best to check before placing an order. Rockauto are great because they show you the cost upfront and give you the chance to pre-pay the VAT to avoid the £12 Parcelforce admin fee. If you've got a big order then Willcox are worth a look. They have 20% off every weekend and although their shipping cost for a single item is usually very high, it doesn't go up that much as you add further bits.
One additional option to the 5 above
Six - have your holiday in the US, you can bring up to £390 worth of stuff back with you for your own use without having to pay VAT

Yes bullit point 6 is a good one, forgot about that one. But don't forget you won't be able to carry back liquids, anything pressurised, or possibly a carb if it's been tested, because it might smell of petroleum !

 

[Fishy Dave]

Option 7. Is to use myus.com this gives you a Florida address to ship to, often taking advantage of free or cheap shipping in the States. They consolidate multiple packages, repack and send it over to the UK at a better price, I use their FedEx option usually, it has saved me many hundreds over the last couple of years.