Need Help Importing Goods!

[cbonanni]

Must drink more coffee before posting so early in the morning !!! I am bringing my motorcycle down , so I have that on the brain. BTW , I did bring my bicycle in a box on Delta and paid , $75.00. Left the box in Baggage claim , and pushed it through customs , no problem. Did not even want it x rayed !! But is is a used US$ 350.00 bicycle.

 

[PaulWolffe]

Hey Paul, if you are bringing in a used bicycle you won't need a temporary permit or a customs broker. If you enter with your passport on a 90 day tourist visa you shouldn't have any trouble if you follow Philip's advice.

Some airlines used to sell special boxes for bicycle transport and some used to require them, but I'm not sure about their availability or regulations today. You will probably be charged excess and/or oversize baggage fees and they could vary greatly from one airline to another.

If you have temporary or permanent residency in Argentina you might get charged an import fee of 50% of the "value" of the bicycle. The best way to keep that figure as low as possible is to have a receipt for the bike with a price on which you hope to pay the customs fee if it is charged. In spite of a receipt the aduana can and will make their own valuation of the bike. If they know the cost in Argentina is $20,000 pesos they could charge you an import fee of $10,000 pesos, regardless of the price on the receipt.

In general used goods (especially clothes) are not subject to import fees. I think they would charge anyone (including tourists) who tried to bring in a "used" flat screen TV, but a used bicycle should be exempt if you have a 90 day visa. Don't show the receipt unless it's absolutely necessary. Insist the bike is only for your personal use while in Argentina and you will take it with you when you leave. The further "back in time" the receipt is dated the better. You can say you only brought the receipt with you to prove the bike is yours if there's ever a question about ownership...or a need to make an insurance claim when it is stolen.

I would think twice about bringing a bike that cost $20,000 pesos in Argentina to Argentina. Your bike would be an instant target for goons who would not hesitate to knock you down and ride off with your bike, not caring how badly you might be injured. I've seen bikes here that cost $2,000 pesos with all of the insignia painted over to make them less desirable to thieves. That would certainly make your bike worth less money as well.

Thank you Steve,

I have an Argentine passport, my wife, although she has DNI, she will be leaving with her British passport. I was thinking about pretending she's coming to ride with a bike and I jack her bike later lol.
But she's an Argentine national now, wouldn't that show upon return? sighs, I don;t know what to do, should I spend 600 pounds and risk getting my shit confiscated by the afip or should I rather put 10k pesos more and buy it here safely?


Has anyone recently brought a bike over?

I have a friend of mine who buys stuff on ebay constantly and always gets his parcels, but he says he has a friend working high up in correo argentino, I don't know if that's why or is it that goods bought through ebay can get in fine.

If anybody managed to get some big goods in as of recently, please let me know.

 

[PaulWolffe]

Must drink more coffee before posting so early in the morning !!! I am bringing my motorcycle down , so I have that on the brain. BTW , I did bring my bicycle in a box on Delta and paid , $75.00. Left the box in Baggage claim , and pushed it through customs , no problem. Did not even want it x rayed !! But is is a used US$ 350.00 bicycle.

I'm trying to buy a used trek bike, slick, but used, some scratches here and there, least thing I care about is the paint this toy has fox suspension, continental tyres and disc hydraulic brakes, titanium components etc, all for £600.

When did you bring your bike over? was it too long ago or just now ish?

 

[PaulWolffe]

Cbonnani - I believe the OP was talking about a bicycle not motorcycle. And really - 20.000 pesos for a bicycle here??!! That seems outrageously high or am I missing something?

Anyway, if you're a tourist and it's used (ie, take it for a ride or two before bringing it here), you won't have any problems bringing it in. If you're a resident, just be prepared to pay 50% tax on anything over $300 USD value. (So at 600 pounds, that's 960 USD maso). Worst case you'll have to pay about 330 USD in taxes. BUT, if you are traveling with your wife, that entitles you to 600 duty free which puts you 360 over the limit which would be $180 USD in taxes - not so bad...

I'm not a tourist, I've been living here for 20 years, and the bike I need is a professional bike. My current bike must be around the 12k pesos, and, although I love it cos I won 3 tourneys with it, It's getting old and squeaky now, I need a new ride that can handle rally races.

this one, for example, is pretty hot, but blatant daylight robbery, 26.500 pesos for a hardtail, no way, no matter how s-works it may be.
http://articulo.merc...shimano-xtr-_JM

That what you say about duty free sounds great! didn't think of that.

Today the man at the bike shop got me worried a little, he said I wouldn't be able to bring anything in, he said he almost brought himself a bike from italy last month and didn't dare to do it. Idk if he was talking crap or telling me the truth.

Like I said, wife will leave with the british passport, but she's an argentine national now, won't she be getting a lot of crap upon return in January?

all ideas, suggestions and comments are more than welcome