Thanks for the kind words, Pexio, and the great information! I had a similar experience when I purchased my Thorn Low-Loader Mk. V front racks (love 'em!). The amount I saved in VAT just about equaled the postage fees; a very nice surprise and -- yes! - no Customs duty on them as they were "parts". The bicycle itself is wonderful, and I keep casting admiring glances at it myself and petting it occasionally!
It'll be a good 'un, I know, and it'll take a long time for the "new" to wear off. It has been 22 years since I last purchased a bike, so this is a Big Event for me.
The bike arrived 11 business days (weekdays) after I was notified of dispatch by Thorn, so it was pretty much right on schedule. It was handled by four carriers, according to the paperwork, stickers, and envelopes on the box: Tuffnells in the UK > TNT @ US entry > FedEx @ Houston > home delivery by UPS to me here in Oregon. I was prepared to pay about USD$300 in customs fees, but was grateful when Tuffnells tendered the bill a week after arrival for "only" USD$139.73. This included Tuffnells fees for negotiating the customs payment for me, and the bill was to reimburse them for the principal fees and their secondary fees, which were reasonable and I paid them online through their secure server -- no Social Security number needed. My proof of payment is an emailed receipt and my VISA billing (they also accept PayPal or you can send a check by post). Apparently, my Sherpa never saw a Customs inspection; it would seem the Tuffnells/Securitas x-ray certificate was sufficient in lieu of inspection. Based on how my Miyata 1000LT was heavily damaged by TSA inspection after a flight home from Europe, I'd feared the worst from a Customs inspection. The TSA told me no compensation was possible, and I'd heard the same about US Customs incidental damage, so it could have been costly if US anti-terrorism efforts had been directed toward my innocent new Sherpa.
I had been especially concerned about the Customs duties and fees. I spent most of a year as an undergraduate studying international tariff policy in depth, so I was already familiar with the basic tariff schedules. It appeared I might well be charged the full 11% in duties and perhaps even a bit more, thanks to the Sherpa having 26" wheels, for which a special fee can be assessed. Also, others' experience indicated I should expect the billing to arrive about 90 days after purchase...just in time for Christmas and really poor timing when one is in a holiday gift-buying frame of mind. After all, shipping worked out to about USD$627, and then I had the 3% credit card conversion fees atop that and the unfavorable exchange rate at the time, which didn't help much. I had expected to spend about USD$1000 to get the bike here atop the actual purchase price. I am really grateful it worked out as it did to be a bit less than that.
In my later telephone conversation with Robin, he mentioned the difficulty in achieving reasonable shipping rates compared to some other, larger firms in the UK. Perhaps we can all think of something to ease this burden on Thorn and future foreign customers. I've been looking at DHL's rates and it appears they might actually be less expensive while still providing good service to all. I think Tuffnells use of four contract shippers in my case may have added to the actual cost of delivery. That, and I am located in the NW corner of the US, so there was the additional matter of getting the bike to me from its (air)port of entry. I wasn't able to track the package because I wasn't Tuffnells customer, so I have only the package stickers and envelope contents to go on for how it was handled between there and here.
I plan to write up and post a timeline with suggestions and costs for prospective US buyers based on my 2011 August purchase/September delivery to me here in the Pacific Northwest. Things went pretty much as I'd hoped, but it would have relieved much of my angst to compare notes with a recent buyer so I'd know what to expect for sure in terms of delivery and customs arrangements. Even if prices should change, it will represent a recent purchase and another data point for prospective buyers and hopefully prove helpful.
Best,
Dan.
