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Post by Markb on Dec 11, 2007 21:51:36 GMT
Saw your post re visiting colorado to buy, we done this in 04 and my partner saved £1,100.00 on a ASR PRO build compared to Uk costs. Bought from Wheatridge cyclery in denver super easy to deal with. got the bike shipped to park city. on arrival she simply lifted the bike out of box and rode.
shh dont tell customs
stay fast mark
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Post by kneedowndean on Dec 13, 2007 9:44:27 GMT
I'm thinking of doing the same, a brand new Yeti Arc Frame for £400??
I know a number of people who do this every year for to pay for their holidays. So, they pack a rubbish old bike and take it with them, just in case they are being watched going out. Then get rid of the bike in the States and bring back a new complete bike. Sell it and they have made their money back.
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Post by Andrew on Dec 13, 2007 11:14:04 GMT
There used to be a Holiday Company in Moab who you booked a holiday with, and they put you in contact with a shop, so you get there and your new bike is waiting for you.
Unsure if its still running though.
But it would be nice to ride your new bike in dust and heat rather than mud and rain!
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yets
Call me Mr YETI
Posts: 30
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Post by yets on Jan 18, 2008 20:17:37 GMT
I can understand pistols frustration with the situation, but as a dealer we are not making vastly inflated profits on the yeti bikes, its fairly typical margins across the uk industry. the uk is an expensive place, but then that is not the fault of bike shops. the problem as I see it is finding a uk dealer with an ASX, I sold our last one last month for not much more than your US price so I wouldnt go claiming its a rip off in the uk. the other thing that has got me puzzled though is what a thingy Yets mate is, either that or what a pair of idiots. I mean yets has been interested in a 575 for months judging by all his posts, and for his mate to get one at £1100 without him telling his mate where he got it from, something dosent add up in my mind. I mean as a dealer if someone comes to me and wants one 575 then fair enough, but if two people want two then surely that gives you a lot more bargaining power, all I can conclude is that yets needs to get new friends if they treat him like that. or smarter ones. not idiots. people that say thomson is overpriced rubbish are idiots. |
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Post by eddy B on Jan 18, 2008 22:27:25 GMT
Fair enough I'm an idiot that has just finished building a lovely 575 demo bike complete with Ritchey WCS carbon bars, stem and seatpost. Vanilla RLCs, Crossmax STs, Hope M4s, XT/XTR finishing kit, Michelin mud tyres, Yeti saddle. But thats ok, because it rides like a dream, you should try it  |
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Post by oomidamon on Feb 13, 2008 12:50:04 GMT
There used to be a Holiday Company in Moab who you booked a holiday with, and they put you in contact with a shop, so you get there and your new bike is waiting for you. Unsure if its still running though. But it would be nice to ride your new bike in dust and heat rather than mud and rain! That would be Rocky Mountain Adventures and that's what I did - don't think they're still going. It worked well for me, I basically got the holiday for free compared with what my 575 would have cost in the UK. However, I was luck enough to get through customs and if there's a problem I'll have to send it back to the US at my expense - both risks I was willing to take. I take the point about sole importers and bike shops taking a cut, everyone has to make a living, but the pound is so strong against the dollar at the moment someone has to be making a lot of money.... |
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Post by eddy b on Feb 14, 2008 10:04:28 GMT
"I take the point about sole importers and bike shops taking a cut, everyone has to make a living, but the pound is so strong against the dollar at the moment someone has to be making a lot of money...."
Government......
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Post by tribegrandaddy on Feb 15, 2008 10:24:58 GMT
eddy b,s demo bike rocks first person to ride it it was v nice if not my cup of tea would hate to think I had gone all the way to the usa and then found I did not like the bike everybody needs dealers even a tight wad like me dealers have demo bikes offer sound advice and the states is a long way to go if you need some adjustments doing
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Post by Patoche on Feb 21, 2008 7:14:41 GMT
Maybe I'm wrong, but I have another explanation about all this...
Yeti and importers considers European guys as "Milk cows"....
The dollar is very low. How do you explain that a Yeti is nearly twice the price than in the US ? They know that we can pay. And how do they push us to pay ? They just calculate US Price + local taxes + Shipment to EU = EU price - 10%. Since 10% extra price is acceptable for most of us in order local shops can still make business, in order to have a good support... The second idea is to bloack the shipment from the US...
Honestly, I would have preferred to get my Yeti 575 from my local shop, to bring them business. They are as well disapointed about this situation.
Finally, a friend of mine brang me back my bike directly from the US. Cost in EU : more than 5000 Euros. I paid 2600 in the US. If I wouldn't have had this friend, I would have go myself to the US... 2600 would have offer me I guess a nice 3 weeks trip in Colorado... :-))
I can be nice, but I do not really like people to take me as stupid...
Patoche
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Post by Andrew on Feb 21, 2008 8:11:32 GMT
If you buy a bike through the correct channels, then in the UK, there is a lot of duty to pay.
My friend bought a Yeti AS-X a few years ago, from America, when the $$ was about $1.90 to the £, it was thought to be quite high then.
The Bike in the UK could be built up from about £2200, his spec was close to the £2200 model.
He paid for the bike, $2900, so around £1500 at the time. Then there was shipping on top, so that added another $300 - around £155.
TOTAL so far- £1655.
Then he used the bike, went to france, got home and got a Tax bill from the Importing shipper( Fed ex) for
£550 !
Total for the bike with Tax and Import Duty and Fed Ex charge was £ 2205.
As somebody said earlier, if you can get a bike from the USA with no import tax, or get the seller to lie about the value for customs ($20000 fine for this now), of get a mate to do the same, you are onto a winner.
But please don't say that the European Importers and your LBS are making all that extra money.
It is the government, if you can break the law, and illegally import your bike you can save a fortune, but doing it legit is a totaly different matter.
I have Currently imported 4 bikes, all used and all had large Tax's to pay.
The are many ways round paying the tax, collect while on holiday, Value low price, Value as spare parts, Value as Warranty, etc etc
But the Importers cannot break these laws, and have to pay VAT and TAX on every frame.
Andrew
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Post by Patoche on Feb 21, 2008 9:28:20 GMT
Hi Andrew, Thxs for your reply and clarification. You are right, I have to say that I didn't pay the 19.6% taxes. I didn't have to pay as well the shipment to EU (only the one to a US friend since no way to send it straight to EU). But at the end, on a customer point of view, to think that a Yeti 575 frame is 1200 Euros in a US shop, and 1975 Euros in a EU shop is hard to understand. If we consider that the US shops have the same margin than the EU shops. If we consider that US distributors has the same margin than the EU importer + a few taxes more for the importation. If we consider our EU importer gets the same price than the US distributor. French taxes are 19.6%, let's say the shipment is 50 Euros (A container costs nothing) + 50 Euros misc, that makes 1500 Euros. Why do we have to pay 1975 Euros ? What do I miss ? Do the US shops order directly to Yeti, therefore there is no extra charge related to the distributor ? Don't get me wrong, I really try to understand... Thxs, Patoche |
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Post by Patoche on Feb 21, 2008 9:46:37 GMT
Just to clarify, when I talk about Importer, I don't talk about private ones which have to pay the regular US price + high price for shipment as you mentionned...
I talk about the official ones : FMF in France....
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Post by EddyB on Feb 21, 2008 10:01:16 GMT
I think it is Yeti who set the prices worldwide.
So there is not much you/we can do about it.
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Post by Andrew on Feb 21, 2008 10:04:35 GMT
I think it is the same with all products we have, From Cars to Fuel, from PlayStation to DVD's.
We pay more on all these things.
Andrew
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grumpy
New Questions.......
Posts: 8
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Post by grumpy on Feb 21, 2008 10:46:00 GMT
Sounds like there are 2 issues, availability and price. For the price issue there is another option to import, if you can get the company you work for involved in the government initiative of green transport, and run a 'cyclescheme' you can make massive savings of approx 43% ! that's a bike for just over half price, thats if you are in the normal tax bracket, if you are in the higher tax bracket the savings are greater. It's a piece of cake to run, the problem is getting your company to buy into it. The availability issue I don't know the answer to, but I only waited 4 weeks ish from order to custom build delivery.
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