Import duties on carbon fiber?

Does anyone know if there are any US anti-dumping duties on Carbon Fiber Technologies? Also, what’s the deal with standard customs fees and the import limit before things get complicated—like, are there any special discounts for people just bringing stuff in for personal use?

🙂🙂🙂🙂

You have fundamentally misdirected your inquiry by posing it on this forum.

Look, Douglas Fox, quit playing games and acting like you know it all! You’re talking about ordering a carbon fiber frame or some random carbon bike part from overseas like it's some huge philosophical debate. Just look at the price tag of what you want to buy, give US Customs a call, and ask them straight up: "Hey, if I buy this stuff for this much money, am I going to get hit with import duties, and how much will it be?" Is it really that hard to just get an answer?

If you think I missed the mark, then you guys really missed it by paying three times more for carbon frames. This isn't even directed at people who haven't bought anything yet—it's for the ones who already did. I don't have the Customs hotline number or know how their process works, so I figured I'd ask someone who actually knows. Here's the deal: the brand on the frame doesn't matter; big global companies just slap their stickers on them and markup the price. I'm not an idiot! Since the US has those 48.5% anti-dumping duties on Chinese imports, I wanted to check.

http://miracletrade.en.alibaba.com/p...cle_frame.html

In this picture, it’s $360 unpainted and $410 painted, among other options. Shipping is $160 for two bikes. You'll see these same frames in the US for $1,100–$1,200. Some mechanic at a well-known local shop told me they once imported a whole container of frames for $90 a piece because their boss went straight to China to grab them personally.

Jeffrey Hall5 said:Look, Douglas Fox, quit playing the intellectual. You want to order a carbon fiber frame or some high-end component from overseas? Stop overthinking it. Just look at the price tag, call US Customs, and ask them point-blank: "If I buy this item for X amount, what am I looking at in terms of duties and fees?" It isn't exactly rocket science, is it?

Well, when you're dealing with US Customs, it actually is that complicated. The question remains valid.

Who actually needs carbon?

Steel is real.

It’s a fair question, I just have no idea how it plays out with our Customs agents.

I don't think they're exactly saints either, so expect them to screw you over just as much as those guys over in the European Union. They'll probably just call up some buddy in another state and ask why he's charging a certain rate for this or that.

Unless, of course, you've got some kind of inside track with someone at the border. But honestly, around here, finding a connection at Customs seems easier than finding a decent meal. Sadly enough.

For anything coming from outside the European Union, you're looking at customs duties ranging from 5% to 15%. Honestly, whether it hits the low end or the high end doesn't even really matter in the grand scheme of things...
So, here's the breakdown:
Price plus shipping, then slap the customs duty on top, and finally add that 23% sales tax.

And look, finding a frame in China isn't some massive discovery. The only real difference between those and the big-name "branded" frames is the warranty coverage.😉

Why on earth would carbon get its own special customs treatment?

Dennis Collins38 said:Why on earth would carbon get special customs treatment?

It doesn't.
There aren't any customs duties on bikes here in the US, regardless of where they were manufactured.
You just pay the sales tax plus shipping costs and whatnot.

Angela Hall44 said:The only real difference between those and actual "name brand" frames is the warranty. 😉

And plenty more besides. We're talking low-end carbon here—often weighing in over 1300 grams, and hitting nearly 2kg if you're looking at a time trial model.
Common issues pop up with the bottom bracket and the fork crown or headset.
But for that price? There's really no reason to complain.
The guy probably has 50,000 of them sitting in some warehouse somewhere in China.

Most of these are just OEM parts for various bike companies. Whether they stamp out a frame that looks slightly different from what their actual client ordered isn't their concern, as long as the check clears.
If you want your own custom carbon line, get ready to shell out about $5,000 just for a new mold.

@Charles Chavez5/">@@Charles Chavez5 - I won't go through and quote your entire post here, but I’d say you’re "partially right"... though it would be pretty silly to spiral into a total tangent right now...

Thanks for the heads-up. I can just put it on my wife's card, no biggie. The European Union is hitting Chinese carbon fiber with a 48.5% dumping penalty and Vietnamese stuff at 36%. Just wanted to confirm we don't have those same issues here in the States.

Charles Chavez5 said:And there’s plenty more to it. We're talking low-end carbon here—usually weighing in over 1300g for a chrono and hitting near 2kg for others.
The real headaches are the bottom brackets and the headset/fork crowns.
But hey, at that price point, you can't really complain.
That guy probably has 50,000 of them sitting in some warehouse somewhere in China.

Most of this stuff is just OEM for big bike brands. They don't care if they stamp out a frame that looks slightly different from what their client actually ordered, as long as the check clears.
If you want your own custom carbon line, get ready to drop about $5,000 just for a new mold.

They build frames for all sorts of European Union companies. Nobody cares that they have their own lineup because they aren't peddling knockoffs—it’s actually the opposite. They sell genuine parts without the branding or under a different name. Now the only trick is finding a supplier you can trust. Best bet is paying only after the goods arrive. Plus, I need to find another one since shipping costs the same for two bikes.

Douglas Fox said:They basically frame everything for European Union companies. Nobody cares about their own specific product line because they aren't selling knockoffs—it’s actually the opposite. They sell genuine frames without branding or under different names. The only real question is finding a reliable supplier. Ideally, you'd want to pay upon receipt of the goods. And I need a second one, since shipping costs are calculated for two bikes.

If you're ordering two at once, you might run into trouble. That looks like commercial importing rather than personal use; usually, only a business can clear multiple units through customs easily.
Here are some reliable suppliers for single frames depending on what you're looking for. Avoid Alibaba; it's a minefield of scammers.

Carbonzone on eBay
Dengfu bikes
http://www.flyxii.com/
Gotobike.com Hongfubikes
Hongfubikes (via eBay anybaby8088) $135 shipping
Wenzhou sunday
Yishunbike.com
http://www.cyclingyong.com/ this guy has Pinarello Dogma style frames for cheap—obviously copies.

Avoid others at all costs. These are the proven ones. Just shoot them an email and see. You won't get COD unless you're a massive buyer; you'll have to pay upfront and deal with whatever happens. Most of them will honor complaints and refund you if you negotiate properly.

Here is a link to a forum where this is discussed extensively. You can read opinions from people who have actually bought this stuff.http://forums.roadbikereview.com/sho...d.php?t=225409

Thanks for the heads-up. If you ship two bikes under two different names in one package, does that actually work? Just a word of warning though: don't mess around with knockoffs. Customs can—and will—seize and destroy them on sight if the actual brand files a claim. Plus, you'll get slapped with a fine for buying counterfeit goods. I actually heard a segment on the radio yesterday about how easy it is to screw up and end up losing both the gear and your cash through online shopping. Honestly, paying $100 for something you know is worth $400 is basically just admitting you were trying to buy a fake.

If you’re looking at prices here in the States, you really ought to factor in an extra 50% just to cover shipping and everything else...

That’s pretty much my rule of thumb, honestly; I always calculate things that way, even when I'm sourcing parts for a car, so it’s a safe bet to assume it'll land somewhere in that ballpark...
Bicycles shouldn't be any different, though, and if you're lucky, you might even be able to pass two of them through customs as personal items...

I’d definitely suggest sticking with PayPal, though I suppose even that isn't a total guarantee against headaches...

And please, whatever you do, try to steer clear of those big courier services, because they’ll probably end up hitting you with even steeper fees than you expect...
Given the sheer size of what you're ordering, there might also be some issues with bearing duties or something similar...

I’m not sure about trying to squeeze two identities into one box; someone eventually has to be the legal owner on the invoice. If the shipment value exceeds, say, $1,600, it might require a customs broker to file a formal entry, though that isn't always a guarantee.
It would be smarter to just order them one at a time, spaced out by two weeks, rather than dealing with the headache of having two different names on a single package.

Why would I even bother with courier services? I'll just swing by customs and pick my stuff up myself—if they even let me. Besides, if I'm paying through PayPal, who am I supposed to pay anyway?

Douglas Fox said:Why would I bother with courier services? I could just pick the item up myself at Customs and Border Protection—assuming that's even allowed. And who am I supposed to pay if it goes through PayPal?

You pay the Chinese person for all shipping costs, but you owe the US government for the sales tax. Someone will show up at your door to collect the tax and those other minor fees before they hand over the bike. A Chinese person has nothing to do with American tax obligations.

It's basically like this:

For any orders totaling more than $53, you're looking at both Customs and Border Protection fees and taxes.

With a 23% tax rate and customs hitting up to 15%, you might end up paying an extra 38% on top of whatever you actually bought.

Depending on how big the package is and the shipping method used, the mail carrier might just drop it off at your door along with a declaration you pay right then and there, or maybe you'll just get a notice saying you have to head down to the local post office to settle up.

That's the deal for standard shipments.

As for DHL or FedEx, they play by their own rules since they're such massive corporations; they tend to tack on brokerage fees and other nonsense that, I guess, they shouldn't legally be able to charge according to $1667 regulations, but nobody ever seems to stop them.

If you want my advice, I'd probably never order through DHL or FedEx.

And if everything stays under $1667, as long as Customs and Border Protection can't prove you're buying things in bulk—like, say, 100 identical items—it's considered for personal use, so they shouldn't really be charging those extra service fees.