{"id":235,"date":"2022-04-21T16:08:27","date_gmt":"2022-04-21T06:08:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dtrecumbents.com.au\/DTRecumbents\/Blog\/?p=235"},"modified":"2022-05-27T12:50:08","modified_gmt":"2022-05-27T02:50:08","slug":"importing-a-recumbent-into-australia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dtrecumbents.com.au\/DTRecumbents\/Blog\/importing-a-recumbent-into-australia\/","title":{"rendered":"Importing a Recumbent into Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"

So, you have seen the trike of your dreams on the internet. It is overseas and the manufacturer doesn\u2019t have a dealer or distributor in Australia.\u00a0 Maybe you could import it\u2026\u2026\"Airfreight<\/p>\n

That is possible, but it is not quite as straight forward as buying something on Amazon or eBay with one click to your credit card.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s go through some things to consider before you make that decision.<\/p>\n

Importing Rules<\/h2>\n

You do not require a licence to import goods into Australia. Some goods themselves require permits, but these are usually the logical things like weapons, drugs, and organics etc. There are no restrictions on Bikes, Trikes or their parts.<\/p>\n

(Freight carriers have some restrictions on the carriage of dangerous goods like batteries, so it may be wiser to get your e-kit retro fitted in Australia)<\/p>\n

Cost<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Trike Price \u2013 Most of the time your price will be in a foreign currency, the most common being USD (United States Dollar), EUR (Euro) and GBP (Great British Pounds). Get your exchange rate from one of Australia\u2019s big banks, eg. Westpac<\/a>, Commonwealth<\/a>, etc. Just Google it.\u00a0 DO NOT USE THE RESERVE BANK RATE as this is not what is available to the public. Your bank will usually also charge a foreign transaction fee.<\/li>\n
  2. Freight Price \u2013 Your seller will give you that, but be prepared for a shock, especially if your trike is coming from the USA. In this Covid19 era, we have seen international air freight prices double in the past 18 month. As a rough guide, don\u2019t expect to pay anything less than A$1000 for a trike to be airfreighted to Australia.<\/li>\n
  3. Import Fees – This is a bit Hit and Miss. Sometimes the goods are screened by ABF\/Customs to go straight through, sometimes they are identified as needing an Import Declaration<\/a>. If your Trike is coming with TNT, FedEx, DHL, or UPS they will be in contact with you if a Declaration is required, and advise that they can do it for you (for a Fee). TAKE THEIR OFFER or engage a Customs Broker. It is not worth the hassle to try and do it yourself. They will send you a bill, you pay and the goods eventually arrive.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    If you do need to do an Import Declaration, there are a wide range of import fees applicable. Most are covered on page 12 of the Import Declaration Guide<\/a><\/p>\n