Buying from overseas

[Dak]

Has anyone had experiences with getting bits from overseas? USA or the UK or Oz. I'm after a Micron can for my CB1300 and don't relish paying the price shops want for them here. Also after colored bolts and bits as well, anyone know of places that sell these?

Cheers, Jeff.

[batts1]

When I was in Aussie I brought a lot of parts for my BMW off the internet from USA with no problems. But now the security scare has skyrocket the postage for small items.
Just check for NZ customs duties and GST on the relevant websites before ordering.

[bistard]

I have peuchased alot of bike accessories etc from
www.indysuperbikes.com
Jump on the website,search,find what you want,ring them with credit card,as NZ is not a shipping destination on there computer,but will process manually
Will arrive in about a week

[98tls]

Your on the right path buying overseas........ive bought an endless amount of stuff with no problems at all..........so much cheaper and a hell of a lot more choice.

[roogazza]

Had trouble myself finding 'used' stuff. Headers for the bandit are like looking for "Rockinghorse Shit" !!! I found Cycleworks in the Hutt valley are able to make stuff reasonably close on price to imported items, by the time it gets here ? Gaz.

[vifferman]

I've bought stuff, but if it's a site that doesn't sell outside that country, you'll have to have it delivered to someone you know and get them to forward it.

I've not had to pay any import duty yet, but that may just be luck.

So far I've only bought small stuff that's easy to post / courier, like camchain tensioners, throttle position sensor, sundry bolts and fasteners, cushrubbers, etc. But there's other stuff I'm tempted to get, like a windshield, rear hugger, etc.

The advantages are you can buy stuff that's unavailable here (like common Honda parts!) or stuff that's much cheaper (like common Honda Parts!)
Example: the cush rubbers were unavailable here, even by indent order, and were >$85 (they couldn't/wouldn't give me a price). From the US, they were US$19, and available ex-stock. Only problem was the two online shops I tried didn't do international orders. So, I got a friend in the US to buy them, and he sent them to my hotel when I was visiting there. (Otherwise he would've mailed them here).
Another example: Camchain tensioners were $265 each, and were shit, so I wanted APE manual ones. There's only one agent here, and he wanted NZ$165 each for something that was US$49. I found someone in the UK who sold me two brand new tensioners AND a brand-new TPS (NZ retail ~$300) for less than $300, shipped. In a week. (Compared with 3 weeks ex-Japan for the Honda dealer).

Disadvantages are:
- It's hard to return summat if it's not right or damaged
- You may get pinged for duty
- The goods may get lost
- You'll have to pay by credit card or PayPal
- You're not supporting local businesses.

[vifferman]

Also after colored bolts and bits as well, anyone know of places that sell these?
Jeff - there was someone on TradeMe selling the coloured fasteners some time back (see "soux" who's selling various anodised bits), and I've seen them in the shops too.

[dawnrazor]

Double check NZ customs website (google it, its the first option), but I seem to remember that there is NO duty on imported parts for motorbikes...you will have to pay GST. Although if the value is reasonably low you usually get away with that also.

Be specific with postage, sometimes paying a little extra for fedewx or similiar is WAY better then waiting for WEEKS on surface mail (usually the freepost option!).

You can find some great deals on US sites like
http://www.motostrano.com/ and
http://www.58cycle.com/

again google is your friend, as long as you know EXACTLY what your looking for, you can save heaps, especially from the states 'cus the exchange rate is favourable to the KIWIdollar and the mass market forces prices down in the US. I saved over $1000NZ on bike gear last year from motostrano and that was including paying GST!

[Nutter34]

I've brought in different exhaust cans and crash knobs etc in from the US and Italy, the odd bit from the UK, usually all cheaper landed than I could get them here. Some stuff I couldn't even get here without having to wait ages for. If you need it and it's not somethiong you need sizes for, I'd recommend it no worries.
That said, mates have bought helmets and leathers from the States for heaps less than they would cost here...

As for supporting local business. I feel sorry for the shops that lose business. I think it stems from the distributor. For one, you can't get anything from them because they wait for bulk orders and then after that, everyone has a take. New Zealand is small, so no-one orders in bulk anyway, so it's really a catch 22 situation...

With the advent of the net, there is NO reason anyone has to wait more than maybe two weeks for anything, from anywhere, depending on what you want to pay for shipping, of course...

[Finn]

It's absolutely fine. Just don't deal with private people or companies that look dodgy. Let's face it, we get ripped off on just about everything here so if you can import it, do it!

[surfer]

I've bought a fair bit of stuff from the states from different places for my xs650. There is a better selection and I have had no problems with it being sent here. Usually courier cost is added to the product cost but no import taxes. Also the customer service either via email or telephone is great, really helpful if you have concerns.

[slopster]

Customs will only charge if dutys and taxes add up to over $50 so that means if the total price including postage is over $400 you will have to pay gst.

[jonbuoy]

Still get shafted on the freight - can cost more to ship than they are worth and still end up being cheaper than buying from OZ/NZ, US companies seem to be good to deal with - they actually read their emails and are keen to ship overseas.

[Guitana]

I brought some gear in from the states a while back and it got here faster than the parts I ordered locally figure that one out!!!!!!
Lazy Kiwi bastards!!!

[Smokin]

I have bought bike parts including cans and alot of paintball gear in from the states.

It's been an absolute breeze with most of the stuff, I would have the majority of orders delivered within the week with the odd exception being 4 days, The longest I've had to wait was three weeks but the tracking number still said it hit our shores on the 5th day, customs I guess.

I have been lucky so far and havn't had to pay any duty or GST, I was a bit worried I'd get hit over the last paintball shipment as it was quite expensive but it came through without a hitch in four days.

Have a good look around ebay, Some great bargains to be had and alot of stores selling there that ship world wide.

Try to avoid Western Union as payment as their fees can be quite high and really takes a fair chunk out of the savings you could be making.

[pritch]

I've had a good run with overseas companies I have bought stuff from.

If you don't know anything about likely suppliers I'd suggest you start with the Internet group for the type of bike you own, or check the US cycle mags and see who advertises in there. KB has some good hints too, recently somebody had a good experience with these guys:
http://stores.ebay.com/THE-Rider-Superstore_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZQ2d999QQftidZ2QQ tZkm

[Dave Lobster]

Most shops I deal with abroad are more than willing to send two invoices. One 'cheap' one with the goods, and the real one separately.
No GST or import on anything..

And it's good for their repeat business.