How much to ship a bike from the US to the UK?

Question

Ive seen a classic bike on Ebay in the US and was wondering what the shipping costs are likley to be? I would be interested in the cheapest/slowest option. I guess the bike would be subject to import duty and vat. Would be interested to hear others experiences and any reccomendations.

Answer 1

i haven't had any experience as such but i seen your question,and i wondered the same thing,is there no way that you can email,who ever it is who is selling the item in eBay,they usually put on shipping costs etc,postage,i have seen where people have asked questions from the seller,i suppose they will be set charges to do with shipping etc,and from what destination etc.so the only recommendation would be to contact the actual seller,as he would have to give you that info,good luck.

Answer 2

by weight ? by air via UPS expensive use common carrier like freighter will take longer a bit cheaper! make sure its crated up good use Motorcycle shop for that! There'll be duties i'm sure! ? how much? probably $2,000.00 plus insurance!

Answer 3

Shipping charges will be around £1,000.

Import duty, V.A.T. and brokerage fees will add about 30% to the total cost of the machine, including the shipping charges.

As an example, if you pay £5,000 for the bike and £1,000 to ship it, import fees will add £1,500 to that.  Your 5 grand bike has actually cost you £7,500...

If the bike is less than 10 years old, it will need an S.V.A. test before you can register it (about £1,000 or so, depending on what needs to be done).

Generally speaking, unless the bike is very rare or unusual, it is simply not worth the time, hassle and money.

Answer 4

D&K motorcycles in staffordshire will import it for you for for around £500.

But you have to get to the port where the bikes leaving the US. When it arrives in the UK you will then have to pay import duties and VAT on top of the price of the bike AND the cost of transporting it to the UK.

It's not a cheap business. I've done it once for a GT550 Suzuki but I doubt if I would consider doing it again.