Doing the old Holiday bike swop trick advice needed.



Martin Wilson wrote:

> What with the exchange rate nearing $2.00 and some amazing prices on
> bikes being available across the pond and the occasional really cheap
> airfares. I wonder if theres a faq anywhere for how to take an old
> banger bike and bring back a shiny new one without being hit by
> customs.


Given the publicity that cheap shopping in the US currently enjoys, I
expect HM Customs are on their guard right now. Go through the green
channel and get caught and presumably they can do a full cavity search
for that extra Dura-Ace STI lever they think you might be carrying ;-)
 
Tony Raven wrote:

> It can vary
> everything to the ticking off I got for going through with a Christmas
> present £10 over the duty free limit to penal tax rates, holding on to
> the goods until you can prove that duty is not due or even confiscation
> of the goods and prosecution.
>

You forgot the full cavity search. Deep and hard. (sorry, Beavis and
Butt-Head Do America is one of my favourite films...)
 
"Tony Raven" wrote...
> mark wrote:
> > The Burlington area would probably offer the best cycle
> > touring within easy reach of the airport, but being furthest north the
> > weather may not be as pleasant. Boston would be a good place to find the
> > kind of bike shops you seem to be looking for, but getting out of the

Boston
> > metro area without renting a car could be rather time consuming.
> >

>
> Boston to Burlington is rather expensive to fly to and only small planes.
>

I'm not surprised to hear that, but I have heard reports of discount
airlines serving Burlington through other airports in the Northeast. Surely
the OP could put together an itinerary from the UK to Burlington w/o going
through Boston?
--
mark
 
Richard Goodman wrote:

> That doesn't stop me from feeling robbed every time I see the difference in
> prices between the US and the UK however. I think VAT and duty is too high,
> and I'm sure it's not all due to duty and VAT - I think manufacturers are
> mugging us too, often.


The USA is the world's biggest economy and the world's biggest market
for premium consumer goods like nice bikes. There are massive economies
of scale with all those customers. They all pay less tax because they
have a crappy-to-the-point-of-non-existent welfare state. That's why
stuff is cheaper over there.
 
On Sat, 04 Dec 2004 00:53:34 +0000, Martin Wilson
<[email protected]> wrote in message
<[email protected]>:

>I wonder if theres a faq anywhere for how to take an old
>banger bike and bring back a shiny new one without being hit by
>customs.


Before you do this, look very carefully at the range of ways in which
Customs and Excise can spoil your day. Seriously. Ask any
businessman whether they would rather cross the local Mafia or Customs
& Excise.

Guy
--
"then came ye chavves, theyre cartes girded wyth candels
blue, and theyre beastes wyth straynge horn-lyke thyngs
onn theyre arses that theyre fartes be herde from myles
around." Chaucer, the Sheppey Tales
 
On Sat, 04 Dec 2004 11:34:15 GMT, Call me Bob
<[email protected]> wrote in message
<[email protected]>:

>"Criminal" from who's point of view?


Ultimately, the Queen's.

Guy
--
"then came ye chavves, theyre cartes girded wyth candels
blue, and theyre beastes wyth straynge horn-lyke thyngs
onn theyre arses that theyre fartes be herde from myles
around." Chaucer, the Sheppey Tales
 
On Sat, 04 Dec 2004 10:10:45 +0000, Simon Brooke
<[email protected]> wrote in message
<[email protected]>:

>Well, the first bit of advice is, if planning a customs fraud, don't use
>your real name when discussing it in a public forum.


How true those words are even today...

Guy
--
"then came ye chavves, theyre cartes girded wyth candels
blue, and theyre beastes wyth straynge horn-lyke thyngs
onn theyre arses that theyre fartes be herde from myles
around." Chaucer, the Sheppey Tales
 
Tony Raven wrote:


> Depends how they got out of bed that morning and how much you try to
> string them along with a story before admitting it.


I must admit, I was assuming that everyone who thought this was a viable
cost-efficient way of getting a new bike (although of course illegal and
not to be condoned, no not at all) would have the sense to immediately
come clean if caught. I agree that taking out a clunker and swapping it
doesn't seem to serve much purpose - by the time they are asking you to
prove that the bike was yours previously, you've already been caught.
I've never had any luggage queried on any trip anywhere, although I am
not a particularly heavy traveller (now I'm in Japan, there doesn't seem
much point going anywhere else...).

James
--
If I have seen further than others, it is
by treading on the toes of giants.
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/julesandjames/home/
 
On Sun, 05 Dec 2004 06:48:14 +0900, James Annan
<[email protected]> wrote in message
<[email protected]>:

>I agree that taking out a clunker and swapping it
>doesn't seem to serve much purpose - by the time they are asking you to
>prove that the bike was yours previously, you've already been caught.


Seems reasonable: if anything it would make it worse, displaying some
measure of premeditation and intent to deceive.

Guy
--
"then came ye chavves, theyre cartes girded wyth candels
blue, and theyre beastes wyth straynge horn-lyke thyngs
onn theyre arses that theyre fartes be herde from myles
around." Chaucer, the Sheppey Tales
 
"Zog The Undeniable" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:41b203ba.0@entanet...
> The USA is the world's biggest economy and the world's biggest market for
> premium consumer goods like nice bikes. There are massive economies of
> scale with all those customers.


Well, ISTM that most bike and component manufacturing is done in the Far
East, the whole world is their market, and their per-unit production costs
are the same whereever they are sold, so 'economy of scale' in terms of
manufacture is not the answer to the differences in local costs. The only
local differences are things like costs of distribution, assembly,
marketing, which, though they are there, are probably not hugely different
in different countries, as a percentage of manufacturing cost ... and taxes.
You could also take software for example, where there is no significant real
'manufacturing' or assembly cost, but here too we see big differences in
price between the US and the UK - or DVDs. The same Hollywood DVD is much
cheaper in India than it is the UK. India may be a bigger market than the
US even, at least in terms of population, but that has got nothing to do
with the price difference, nor have costs of production, which are pretty
much a fixed once-off cost. All it has to do with is what the producers
think the market will bear. For some reason manufacturers seem to think the
UK will bear higher prices than the US. By and large, we have no choice,
but we are being held to ransom and effectively subsidising those places
where they sell their things cheaper.

> They all pay less tax because they have a
> crappy-to-the-point-of-non-existent welfare state. That's why stuff is
> cheaper over there.


It isn't the only reason.

Rich
 
Richard Goodman wrote:
> All it has to do with is what the producers
> think the market will bear. For some reason manufacturers seem to think the
> UK will bear higher prices than the US. By and large, we have no choice,
> but we are being held to ransom and effectively subsidising those places
> where they sell their things cheaper.
>


That's what this Government thought if you remember their "rip off
Britain" investigation. You will also remember that it went very quiet
and fizzled out because they came to the realisation that it wasn't rip
off business but government that was responsible for the majority of the
differences through higher costs on the manufacturers, distributors and
retailers. Higher premises costs (land costs, planning and building
regulations,local rates etc), higher transport costs (much higher fuel
costs), higher taxes, higher import duties and VAT, higher regulatory
and legal costs, higher social costs... They all add up with duty/VAT
adding 32% to the price of a bike over the US ticket price alone (UK
import duty is c15% - to protect our bicycle industry ;-) - vs 4% in the
US).

As has been said elsewhere what you get that back in other ways such as
a free healthcare system.

At the moment there will be a temporary advantage in the US because the
exchange rate has changed quite quickly and there will be a backlog of
stock in the US paid for at the old rate. That will work its way out of
the system though and prices will rise in the US to close to equilibrium
taking all the other factors into account.

Tony
 
"Tony Raven" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> That's what this Government thought if you remember their "rip off
> Britain" investigation. You will also remember that it went very quiet
> and fizzled out because they came to the realisation that it wasn't rip
> off business but government that was responsible for the majority of the
> differences through higher costs on the manufacturers, distributors and
> retailers. Higher premises costs (land costs, planning and building
> regulations,local rates etc), higher transport costs (much higher fuel
> costs), higher taxes, higher import duties and VAT, higher regulatory and
> legal costs, higher social costs... They all add up with duty/VAT adding
> 32% to the price of a bike over the US ticket price alone (UK import duty
> is c15% - to protect our bicycle industry ;-) - vs 4% in the US).
>


Yes, just after posting my message I realised that I had omitted to consider
the factor of local retail costs - and that of course, the Government itself
is responsible for a lot of those costs including through tax on businesses
in various forms - on profit, transport, employee NIC, the contractual
obligations or social costs it imposes on eg sick pay and holiday pay costs
etc. etc.

> As has been said elsewhere what you get that back in other ways such as a
> free healthcare system.
>


Yes, I agreed on that point in my original posting. Ultimately we do get
back some of the extra costs in many different ways. Some of us get more
back than others!

I'm still not entirely convinced that the difference is only due to local
direct and indirect taxation and land prices though, especially on things
like software where there is little or no physical product involved at all.
But indeed, now I think about it and for all I know, the overall cost of our
'social system' may account for the whole price difference. The question in
that case is, are we getting value for money ;).

Rich
 
Richard Goodman wrote:
>
> I'm still not entirely convinced that the difference is only due to local
> direct and indirect taxation and land prices though, especially on things
> like software where there is little or no physical product involved at all.
> But indeed, now I think about it and for all I know, the overall cost of our
> 'social system' may account for the whole price difference. The question in
> that case is, are we getting value for money ;).
>


There are some other factors at play including where you buy and
currency. We all tend to look at the US website prices and we all know
we can find cheaper prices on the web here than in the shops. Also the
US has the advantage that most international commodities such as steel,
fuel etc are priced in dollars so there is much less exchange rate risk
to factor into the pricing equation. Big industry will hedge its
currency and fuel price risks with forward contracts. Small industry
can't and has to build in a bit of a protective buffer in its pricing.
As we've seen with currency movements in recent months, those changes
can hit hard over the period between buying stuff in and selling it.

Tony
 
Martin Wilson wrote:

> Do cheap hotels/motels mind you taking the bike into your room (not
> multistory accomendation)?


Not qualified to comment on the rest of the questions but every year in
Battle Mountain motel rooms and corridors are filled with bikes of every
conceivable variety. Doesn't seem to a any kind of a promble.

--

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
World Domination?
Just find a world that's into that kind of thing, then chain to the
floor and walk up and down on it in high heels. (Mr. Sunshine)
 
Dave Larrington wrote:
>>Do cheap hotels/motels mind you taking the bike into your room (not
>>multistory accomendation)?

>
> Not qualified to comment on the rest of the questions but every year in
> Battle Mountain motel rooms and corridors are filled with bikes of every
> conceivable variety. Doesn't seem to a any kind of a promble.


However, increasingly I've seen "no bikes in the building" rules. On
questioning the reason, usually it comes down to (once you've got beyond
the "because it's the rules" mantra) some safety wallah claiming they'd
be a trip hazard in the event of fire. Of course, these are usually the
same buildings whose corridors are full of trolleys, workmens' ladders,
etc...

R.
 

Similar threads