Getting rig sent over seas

[scottm 0]

high I'm new to the forum and skydiving in general, i have 20 jumps and I'm hooked on it
my question is if anyone can recommend a good freight service for parachute gear?
i live in Australia and have been searching classifieds in the country for ages but have been unable to find a good second hand rig to buy, yet come across plenty on the Dropzone classifieds
would like to find out how difficult it would be to buy a rig in the states and get it sent over
cheers

[Travman 6]

What are the classifieds you are looking at? Rigs in Australia are typically advertised on the APF site, skysurfer, mailing lists such as Skarsy and some various retailer sites.
In my experience word of mouth tends to be the best way to get gear, but I jump at large DZs. Have a chat to the riggers and instructors who can recommend the correct gear and will be able to keep an eye out for things that come up.

[Squeak 17]

Quote

high I'm new to the forum and skydiving in general, i have 20 jumps and I'm hooked on it
my question is if anyone can recommend a good freight service for parachute gear?
i live in Australia and have been searching classifieds in the country for ages but have been unable to find a good second hand rig to buy, yet come across plenty on the Dropzone classifieds
would like to find out how difficult it would be to buy a rig in the states and get it sent over
cheers

I've had stuff sent here from OS and when I was in the USofA last I sent my rig home vis FedEx, but you can also use UPS, USPS and DHL.

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[scottm 0]

I've been checking out APF classifieds nearly every day and missed a few good deals, but I've found a couple really nice rigs on DZ site and thought i might see what would be the process in buy one and having it posted, i looked at a couple postage services but don't really know what weight and size an average rig is to get rough idea of cost and what would be a reliable postage service in the first place
I'm just really keen to get my own gear so i thought i'd check all avenues instead of just waiting for one to come up in australia
thanks for reply

[milehigheric 0]

I just bought a rig from DZ as I couldn't find anything to suit my fat gut down here. I used UPS with no dramas, think it was around $230 AUD for shipping (received in 5 days, I wanted it quick).

I would suggest to use a rigger or reputable shop to inspect the gear and organise shipping. I used chuting star as the middleman and have no complaints! Even if the deal is awesome, if they are not willing to use some form of escrow I would back away. Also, be sure to factor in import tax into your budget. You will pay 10% GST plus an import fee once it arrives in Australia so it depends on how much you declare....You are only insured for what you declare however, so you are taking a risk undervaluing your items. I declared my rig (cost 4K) as 2k and it slid through no dramas, import tax came to around $340.

[strife 0]

I would have thought GST would only be applicable on a new rig not a second hand one ?

[milehigheric 0]

If you can prove you have owned the item for over 12 months you are exempt from GST. Otherwise the fat man wants his money on anything imported over $1,000.

[strife 0]

thanks didnt realise that, yeah just read it, second hand goods subject to assessment

[Squeak 17]

Quote

If you can prove you have owned the item for over 12 months you are exempt from GST. Otherwise the fat man wants his money on anything imported over $1,000.

That's correct but it should ONLY be GST you are paying, Parachuting equipment does not incur import duties ONLY GST..

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[milehigheric 0]

Ill throw up what I paid a week ago, hope it helps

Customs charged me....

-Customs Entry fee of $55.20
-GST of $268.45 ($2,499 declared value)
-Security fee of $9.95

In regards to shipping, I used UPS Worldwide Saver ( http://www.ups.com/content/us/en/shipping/time/service/worldwide_saver.html with a package weight of 27 lbs. Shipping cost me $249 AUD but there are certainly cheaper options....I think the cheapest quote I had was around 180. For the 5 day delivery I paid the extra however.

Total cost of import = $582.60 AUD

I found even with the associated fees on importing, it still brought the total to something around what you would expect to pay down here for the same gear. Nothing beats buying local, but sometimes it is not possible...I would buy overseas again if I needed to.

[scottm 0]

thanks every one for the replies, got everything i needed to know and more, defiantly made it easier to make a decision thanks heaps

[Travman 6]

I bought a rig in Australia and sent it back to Mirage to have the harness adjusted. They sent it back via UPS. Australian Customs lost it and it took them over two months to find!

[adventurechick 0]

Hey Scott,

I ship out all of the containers for Velocity Sports Equipment and am always pricing shipments. I have found that by far the cheapest way to ship to Australia is via DHL. UPS and Fedex were charging me at least $200-$300 more!

Hope this helps.

Warm Regards,

Gail Lovelace
Velocity Sports Equipment