shipment from Italy

[Spencer Graves]

I am considering the purchase of a sidecar tub for my Smitt-Parri
frame from Italy.
The seller says he must add a 22% VAT in addition to the price. Can
anyone give me some
advice on the VAT as I have heard it might be refundable. Also an idea
of shipping costs
and the name of a suggested shipper would be greatly appreciated.
Spencer

[Guzz...@aol.com]

I seem to remember a friend of mine shipped a race bike to the IOM and when he shipped it home he was charged the VAT. Had a hard time getting a refund.

 

Tim

 

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[Mike Peavey]

Spencer, I’m no expert, but even Stucchi points out that they do not charge VAT for exported items.  If you do business with Marco Valenti, I’m sure he’d be happy to give you scoop on VAT, since he certainly doesn’t charge it on items shipped out of country.

Regarding shipping, you will need both an Export Broker, in Italy, they will handle the shipping and an Import Broker here, who will also handle the trucking to your location when it arrives at the Port.   You will also need someone to crate the tub, but make sure if they are building the crate out of wood, it is certified bug free or, it may be refused at US Border Protection, or if you’re lucky, they’ll only quarantine the shipment, but they might quarantine the whole container, which has happened to me, which will irritate the folks also with freight inside, to no end.  You might also ask the Export Broker for recommendations for packers, i.e. crate builders.

Regarding Export brokers, here’s the contact info for the broker that handled by Falcone this past spring from Vicenza, I don’t know how this all works, if you need someone specifically for the port or if any Italian Broker can handle it.  Maybe send them an email and ask the question. 

Vania FORMILAN
IMPORT/EXPORT Dept.
CENTRAL STATION ITALIA Srl
phone +39 0445 513030   fax +39 0445 518735
e-mail: vania.f...@centralstation4pl.it

Not sure what port it will arrive, but l suspect most Italy comes into the Port of New York and New Jersey and then is trucked to your location.  I use a Boston guy, who you might send an email to and ask the question.  Or just look online for Import/Export Brokers in your neck of the woods.

John Divitto

Dollifff & Company

Boston

jo...@dolliffco.com

617-561-0900 X 15 

That’s the extent of my knowledge

Mike 

[Rick]

VAT should be refundable for US citizens. It seems like with proper documentation it should be avoidable altogether though. I've never had to deal with VAT in any of my European/UK dealings but rules and laws change.
I'd expect the shipping to be high. The chair probably doesn't weigh much but it is pretty bulky, no? I'll bet for the size you'll be paying the equivalent of a several hundred pound shipment. I've used Virgin Air a few times. They had the best rates and were totally reliable as far as my experience goes. Hopefully the seller can get it to the airfreight shipping dock otherwise you will have to pay a local service in addition. Likewise hopefully you can go pick it up at the airport and usher it through customs yourself. Make sure you have you documentation straight for customs and you should have no problems there. Is it used? Make sure it's noted as used.
Oh, and if it's over a certain value you should get a customs broker to handle the customs stuff. I forgot what the threshold is but you'll probably be below it.

Make sure you don't have any coffee packed with it!

Rick

[Jerome Kimberlin]

Must be a new italian scam. No VAT need be charged or collected unless
you are buying the tub in person. The tub will be exported like any
other object and isn't subject to VAT unless it is sold to a person in
the European Union. Perhaps the guy didn't realize that Tennessee is in
the USA :-)

I'd guess the tub is more than 25 years old or costs less than
US$1200. If so you won't have to pay duty here, but you'll have to
clear it through customs. Go online and find the item description and
class number and then you can clear it yourself. The paperwork is not
difficult when it is all in order. Probably would be called sidecar
body parts, but you can be confused in looking it up because sometimes
the class is more inclusive and less descriptive than you would like. I
doubt there will be a specific class for it. Where you start looking
is: http://hts.usitc.gov/ It is there somewhere. Try 8711 seems
to be sidecars.

As someone said, shipping will be a bear and the volume/weight will
determine the cost. I don't know anything about shipping services but
at every Mostra Scambio in Italy there are several companies waiting to
ship your stuff. Possibly a net search will turn up something, such as:

http://www.shippingservicesitalia.com/en/servizi/art-exhibits-and-trade-shows/

Where is the tub located in Italy?

Cheers,

JerryK

[Spencer Graves]

Thanks everybody. Actually the tub would be a new reproduction and
unfortunately
more than 1200. The builder seemed to have taken offense when I said I
did not remember
paying VAT on the many parts I have ordered from Italy.


Fri, 6 Nov 2015 17:33:46 -0800

[hahnda2]

VAT is a sales tax. That sales tax does not apply to shipments made to the US. Just like if you buy something from another state in the US and have it shipped, you don't get charged that states sales tax.

On many European websites they usually have a price with and without VAT.

Not sure why he would be trying to charge you VAT unless he is just trying to pocket another 19%?

You may be subject to an import duty and fees but that is a totally separate issue.

Kevin

--

A bend in the road is not the end of the road -- unless you fail to make the turn

[Mike Peavey]

No doubt his was bummed that his profit margin had taken a 20% hit.

[jimgilbe...@gmail.com]

I have just imported a Moto Guzzi from Italy. No VAT.

[Gordon de la Mare]

Let me trry to explain how VAT works.

All sales of bikes and parts (except crash helmets which are safety gear and don't attract tax) are subject to VAT when sold within the EU.

So if I buy some bits in Italy from a VAT registered company and have them shipped to me in the UK then I pay VAT on the bits and also on the shipping costs all at the VAT rate for Italy.

However if I am a VAT registered business in the UK then I do not pay VAT by supplying my VAT registration number to the seller and the seller ships to me VAT free.

When I then sell those bits on to a UK customer then I charge that customer VAT at the UK rate and pay my taxes to the government on my quarterly tax return.  The seller reports the VAT-free sale on his/her return.

However if the bits are sold to a non-EU customer, businesses or private, then as a VAT registered business then I do not charge VAT on the sale and this gets reported by me on my quarterly tax return.

Not all companies are VAT registered BTW.

The turnover threshold which is set by individual countries via the local rules for whether you need to be registered or not.  In the UK it is around £80k (120k usd) but in Germany it is about a tenth oif that.

So in this sale of a tub to you in the US from Italy the seller does not charge VAT as it is a VAT exempt sale and they would report this on their return.

By charging VAT then it seems that either they do not understand the rules or they do and have decided it is a way to make another 21% margin on the deal by reporting it as a VAT free sale on their financial report and pocketing the difference.

I'll let you decide which option applies ;-)

Gordon

 

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

[Spencer Graves]

Thanks Gordon. very good explanation.

On Mon, 9 Nov 2015 03:47:00 +0000 (UTC)
"'Gordon de la Mare' via Guzzi Singles"

<guzzi-...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
> Let me trry to explain how VAT works.
> All sales of bikes and parts (except crash helmets which are safety
>gear and don't attract tax) are subject to VAT when sold within the

>EU.So if I buy some bits in Italy from a VAT registered company and

>have them shipped to me in the UK then I pay VAT on the bits and also

>on the shipping costs all at the VAT rate for Italy.However if I am a

>VAT registered business in the UK then I do not pay VAT by supplying
>my VAT registration number to the seller and the seller ships to me

>VAT free.When I then sell those bits on to a UK customer then I

>charge that customer VAT at the UK rate and pay my taxes to the
>government on my quarterly tax return.  The seller reports the
>VAT-free sale on his/her return.
> However if the bits are sold to a non-EU customer, businesses or
>private, then as a VAT registered business then I do not charge VAT
>on the sale and this gets reported by me on my quarterly tax return.

> Not all companies are VAT registered BTW.The turnover threshold