Buying stuff from the usa

Hey guys im in the market for some boots and other riding peripherals.
I was just hoping if some of u guys could answer a few of me
questions..
a) Whats the gst rate on boots and such items and what tariffs is one
looking at?
b) Am ordering from kneedraggers website so is there any past
experiances here?
c) As boots gloves etc r not mandatory do they need to pass any kind
of australian standards and if so would getting american stuff be not
a good idea..

Thanks for all the help and am hoping to get this stuff soon for me
birthday..cheers

 

Buy the stuff from Canada. Better exchange rate.

 

Be carefull with buying from Canada. Yes the exchange rate it better, but
often the actuall price in Canadian dollars outweigs the benefits. For
example, you can actually buy a Hindle exhaust cheaper in USA than you can
in Canada, and they are MADE in Canada in the first place. Sad but true.

Cam
'03 954

 

There's a few things you need to remember when importing.

If you want to get in duty and GST free via the by-law then BOTH conditions
must be met. They are
1. The goods value must be less than $250 AUD
2. The total GST and DUTY on aforementioned goods is less than $50 AUD

Now, if you can't do that (and depending on what boots you are looking at,
this won't be possible, unless you can get them to write down a lesser value
on the commercial invoice or customs declaration) then you will pay both a
customs entry/clearance fee AND the DUTY AND the GST.

Depending on the courier/parcell service the electronic entry/customs entry
fee will differ. It's about $40 for Fedex, cheaper for some others. I didn't
get any duty on mountain bike protective clothing, but I'm not sure about
Motorcycle protective clothing. You might get lucky there and only have to
pay the GST. Finding out the exact duty on the items you are looking at is
always a bit of a hassle, I'm yet to find a reputable source and I used to
work for a customs clearing agent. Best bet is to contact customs themselves
via phone or e-mail etc and try to get a figure out of them. Usually it's
fairly low, should be around 4 - 5 %.

I've looked into buying boots from the US as well, but it's still
prohibitive. Apinestar Squid boots = $260 US, plus some stupid fucken
freight charge of around $40 or more US, then you get hit with electronic
entry fee, duty and GST, comes to around .... $485 Aussie pesos. Bummer

Be carefull when importing. Essentially there's two ways to go. Go small,
less than $250, or go BIG and get shitloads of stuff at one time and make it
worth your while.

Enjoy

Cam
'03 954

 

If its under $1K and through Postal service then it gets through

if it goes via couriers then you get screwed twice

and of course if its a 'gift'

 

Buying from Tuvalu will give you an even better exchange rate.