Helmets, Covid and Importing.

[Motig]

Thought I'd treat myself to a new open face helmet Found a couple I like but the size and graphics I like seem to be made from unobtainem apart from a couple overseas. I'm presuming this is because of covid affecting production with factories being closed for long periods. So can anyone give me a reliable website or two where I could perhaps order from overseas? And are helmets liable for GST at customs or are they like bike parts where they are GST free? Cheers Motig.

[FLUB]

I don't think that anything is GST free anymore. Any businesses wanting to supply goods to NZ are required to register their interest in doing so. They are then expected to collect the GST and forward it to NZ. Even stuff on AliExpress now gets charged GST at checkout.

[F5 Dave]

Why on earth would you buy a helmet so seriously compromised in design?

[Motig]

Why on earth would you buy a helmet so seriously compromised in design?

What are you talking about?

[F5 Dave]

I've seen some pretty scary damage on the front of helmets. Can you imagine getting caught and dragged down chip seal on your face?

[Motig]

I get you now. Fully aware that the chinbar is good having had a come off last century that split it, came a way with a bit of delayed concussion. They've built a funeral parlour pretty much opposite where I landed. Guess their waiting.

[pritch]

Thought I'd treat myself to a new open face helmet Found a couple I like but the size and graphics I like seem to be made from unobtainem apart from a couple overseas. I'm presuming this is because of covid affecting production with factories being closed for long periods. So can anyone give me a reliable website or two where I could perhaps order from overseas? And are helmets liable for GST at customs or are they like bike parts where they are GST free? Cheers Motig.

Deliveries from the USA can take a lot longer than normal. I bought something from California and was surprised to see its first stop was Memphis. It was going the wrong way.
Long story short: it moved backwards and forward around Europe for about ten days until it moved to Qatar where it could be picked up by Emirates after which things moved at a normal speed. It seems there may be few flights from the US west coast.

To actually answer your question FC Moto in Germany are reliable, I have used them. Revzilla in the US are big, I'd be happy to use them, they currently have some helmets on special.

[SaferRides]

I don't think that anything is GST free anymore. Any businesses wanting to supply goods to NZ are required to register their interest in doing so. They are then expected to collect the GST and forward it to NZ. Even stuff on AliExpress now gets charged GST at checkout.Most overseas suppliers are not charging GST. There is a annual revenue threshold, plus the NZ government cannot compel them to collect GST.

The good news is that you won't pay GST at the border on anything under $1,000.

[Motig]

Thanks Guys.

[jellywrestler]

I've seen some pretty scary damage on the front of helmets. Can you imagine getting caught and dragged down chip seal on your face?

Where did they say it was for chip seal? there are some classes of motorcycle racing in the world where full face brain buckets are actually banned.

[jellywrestler]

Most overseas suppliers are not charging GST. There is a annual revenue threshold, plus the NZ government cannot compel them to collect GST.

The good news is that you won't pay GST at the border on anything under $1,000.

when is the last time you brought something in?

[Gremlin]

Watch Revzilla for import restrictions. I had to put some pants through Youshop (couldn't ship from Revilla direct to NZ), holy crap was that a mistake. Expensive and took 3-4 months (December to March/April). Ordered stuff from FC-Moto in January, and 2-3 weeks later it was here.

Yeah, FC now gets a lot of my overseas orders.

[SaferRides]

when is the last time you brought something in? About a month ago. That was over $1,000 and I expected pay GST at the border, but was not charged.

[MarkH]

I got a helmet from FC-Moto about 3 months ago. I didn't get charged GST and it didn't take too much longer than normal to arrive (within a couple of weeks). Even if I had been charged GST it would have still been ~$500 less than buying in NZ. I'm happy to support the local suppliers, but I'm not going to give them money like they are a charity I want to support!

I did get my bike serviced last week, so I did give a local bike shop a fuck-ton of money. I also have spent many hundreds of dollars with Motomox, but even though some of what they sell is cheaper overseas, it isn't generally all that much of a difference. It's one thing for a local supplier to charge more, but when they are taking the piss, I end up looking elsewhere.

[jellywrestler]

About a month ago. That was over $1,000 and I expected pay GST at the border, but was not charged.

interesting, thought they'd plugged that gap. Most stuff i get through you shop, they charge the gst before you get it, i don't mond, it's better then it getting to our border and being charged gst and a hefty figure to collect that which i never appreciated

[SaferRides]

From the Customs Service website:

Items that cost NZ$1000 or less
If you're bringing items to NZ from overseas that cost NZ$1000 or less you don't have to pay anything to Customs, as GST is collected when you purchase your items. There's nothing else that you must do for your items to arrive.

However, we do charge Duty and GST for alcohol and tobacco products regardless of value.

Which means if you buy from a site that does not charge GST, it won't be collected.

I had an email from MyUS.com when the regs changed to say they would be charging GST on goods shipped to NZ, so maybe they went after the freight forwarders. I haven't found anyone based in Europe charging GST yet, although it is a small sample size. My last order from Partzilla 6 months ago did not include GST.

[mulletman]

Thought I'd treat myself to a new open face helmet Found a couple I like but the size and graphics I like seem to be made from unobtainem apart from a couple overseas. I'm presuming this is because of covid affecting production with factories being closed for long periods. So can anyone give me a reliable website or two where I could perhaps order from overseas? And are helmets liable for GST at customs or are they like bike parts where they are GST free? Cheers Motig.

Ive bought 2 helmets from Chromeburner and would do so again next time , have bought gear from FC Moto and will do so again

https://www.chromeburner.com/helmets/

[nerrrd]

From the Customs Service website:

Items that cost NZ$1000 or less
If you're bringing items to NZ from overseas that cost NZ$1000 or less you don't have to pay anything to Customs, as GST is collected when you purchase your items. There's nothing else that you must do for your items to arrive.

However, we do charge Duty and GST for alcohol and tobacco products regardless of value.

Which means if you buy from a site that does not charge GST, it won't be collected.

I had an email from MyUS.com when the regs changed to say they would be charging GST on goods shipped to NZ, so maybe they went after the freight forwarders. I haven't found anyone based in Europe charging GST yet, although it is a small sample size. My last order from Partzilla 6 months ago did not include GST.

Hmmm it also says this further on:


You are responsible for the information on Customs declarations being correct.

Please be aware that some websites may offer to declare an incorrect value for your item on the Customs declaration, so you can avoid paying GST or duty.

If the sender gives incorrect information or doesn’t make a declaration, your item could be delayed and investigated. In some cases, we may seize your item, and you will have to pay extra charges.

So if the seller is supposed to charge GST and doesn't, does that mean customs could potentially seize the item (assuming they could be bothered)?

[jellywrestler]

So if the seller is supposed to charge GST and doesn't, does that mean customs could potentially seize the item (assuming they could be bothered)?
most countries i thought did not charge tax on exports, to encourage exporting, gst is a tax like vat and others

[nerrrd]

most countries i thought did not charge tax on exports, to encourage exporting, gst is a tax like vat and others

Yes but the govt, in its wisdom, has made it a requirement that anyone selling stuff online to NZ has to collect the GST as part of the purchase process, as in:


If you're bringing items to NZ from overseas that cost NZ$1000 or less you don't have to pay anything to Customs, as GST is collected when you purchase your items. There's nothing else that you must do for your items to arrive.

[FJRider]

... So if the seller is supposed to charge GST and doesn't, does that mean customs could potentially seize the item (assuming they could be bothered)?

Their plan is to encourage you to buy locally.

In reality ... most overseas purchases will be cheaper to buy online ... with or without GST getting added. If the purchase price is lower than an NZ available item ... the GST (if actually added) will be lower.

A lot of online purchases are for items that are simply not available (any more) in NZ. Or ... as rare as hens teeth.

Some countries probably wont charge GST to ensure your continued custom. Like ... China .. (or any Asian country) .. ??

https://www.canstar.co.nz/credit-cards/gst-coming-online-shopping-need-know/



NOTE ...


Foreign online businesses that earn more than $60,000 per annum from Kiwi consumers will be required to collect GST at the point of sale. Where a business does not meet this threshold and your order is less than $1001, you won’t be required to pay GST.

[nerrrd]

NOTE ...


Foreign online businesses that earn more than $60,000 per annum from Kiwi consumers will be required to collect GST at the point of sale. Where a business does not meet this threshold and your order is less than $1001, you won’t be required to pay GST.



Aha, that probably explains why the thing I ordered from an independent retailer arrived in a couple of weeks, while something else I ordered from Aliexpress seems to have disappeared into a black hole...

[SaferRides]

If you're bringing items to NZ from overseas that cost NZ$1000 or less you don't have to pay anything to Customs, as GST is collected when you purchase your items. There's nothing else that you must do for your items to arrive.

If that doesn't happen, then it's not your responsibility. What are you meant to do, send a cheque for the GST somewhere?

I just checked the FC-Moto website and they are not adding GST.

[rustys]

I've seen some pretty scary damage on the front of helmets. Can you imagine getting caught and dragged down chip seal on your face?

Picked a little Japanese rider up one day, who had visited the tar seal wareing an Open Face, it was'nt pretty sight.

[MarkH]

The GST thing is actually working better than I thought it would with businesses like Amazon, AliExpress, BangGood and GearBest all charging GST on items worth less than $1k. Shipito also charges GST, so I'd expect most freight forwarders are doing the same.

Of course there will be some gaps, I don't see what the enzed gummit could do to have absolutely zero gaps! If I buy from a company that doesn't sell much to NZ then they may not be signed up to the deal where they collect tax for Auntie Cindy. Try buying something worth over $1k from China - they don't charge GST on anything over $1k, but what if they don't declare the value of the goods accurately? You could pay $3,500 for something from China (no GST on something of that value) but they send it to NZ with a declared value of $350 and a description like "spare parts" or "replacement case" or what the fuck ever - you can end up with goods that didn't cost you any GST. I would guess that customs saves a shit tonne of work by ignoring everything coming in with a declared value of under $1k (unless it is packed with drugs or whatever) and there will be some goods slipping through the gaps. Still, there are more things with GST collected on them then there used to be, so I guess the govt is ahead overall.

[jellywrestler]

The GST thing is actually working better than I thought it would with businesses like Amazon, AliExpress, BangGood and GearBest all charging GST on items worth less than $1k. Shipito also charges GST, so I'd expect most freight forwarders are doing the same.

Of course there will be some gaps, I don't see what the enzed gummit could do to have absolutely zero gaps! If I buy from a company that doesn't sell much to NZ then they may not be signed up to the deal where they collect tax for Auntie Cindy. Try buying something worth over $1k from China - they don't charge GST on anything over $1k, but what if they don't declare the value of the goods accurately? You could pay $3,500 for something from China (no GST on something of that value) but they send it to NZ with a declared value of $350 and a description like "spare parts" or "replacement case" or what the fuck ever - you can end up with goods that didn't cost you any GST. I would guess that customs saves a shit tonne of work by ignoring everything coming in with a declared value of under $1k (unless it is packed with drugs or whatever) and there will be some goods slipping through the gaps. Still, there are more things with GST collected on them then there used to be, so I guess the govt is ahead overall.

when i use you shop they require a copy of an invoice filed before they'll go any further

[MarkH]

when i use you shop they require a copy of an invoice filed before they'll go any further

With Shipito you fill in the value, it's up to you how honest you want to be . . .

[FJRider]

The GST thing is actually working better than I thought it would with businesses like ...

The Companies that "Agreed" charge GST brings up one question ... once it's collected after you pay the $$$ ... what do THEY do with it .. ??

1. Forward it to OUR Government .. ??

2. Forward it to their OWN Government .. ??

3. Pocket the $$ .. ??

4. Other .. ??

[F5 Dave]

Picked a little Japanese rider up one day, who had visited the tar seal wareing an Open Face, it was'nt pretty sight.
Yeah but at least he looked kool:rockon: