does anyone know any good italian internet dealers

[paulandmonster]

looking for colnago and campy dealers through internet in italy

[Polyglot]

Bike dealers in Italy work on a different basis than here in the US. They depend on stock availability of the manufacturers rather than on their own stock. Ideally, you should get somebody to go into the shop on your behalf and get a price quote, then order and get delivery. You'll get cheaper "real" internet dealer prices from people in Switzerland than in Italy.

[cadence90]

looking for colnago and campy dealers through internet in italy
I'm Italian. If you're looking for lower prices you won't find any there. The 2 largest internet shops are shockbike.it and bikeonline.it, but there aren't any bargains there.

bellatisport.com, in Switzerland, has good prices on Campa, but I believe Total Cycling and Pro Bike Kit in the UK are still generally less expensive.

For Colnagos, I believe the best prices are through maestro-uk.com (at least they were).

The issue is that for overseas purchases (certainly on a Colnago) you won't have a U. S. warranty: the component or frame will have to be returned to the original dealer. Not a big deal on a stem, but on a C-50....

[1centaur]

Check comobike.com as well.

[whitecda]

Not Italian. Swiss, but very near the border. (Just down the road from Stella Azzura for example.) Good service! Used them for some odds and ends previously. http://www.bellatisport.com/

[BlackTiBob]

On Campy groups, would there be any import taxes/ duties/ tariffs due in the US?
How much?
Does it make any difference if it comes from the Italian dealer or Swiss or UK dealer?
Make any difference on which company they use for shipping?

Thanks

[srenda]

Bob

This is basically what I could figure out from onlien research. DOn't take it as gospel, I could be wrong. As an aside, I ordered a Campy Centaur 2009 group from Total Cycling.

Basically, groups are 'supposedly' exempt from US import duties (enforced by DHS/Customs). Now complete bikes, saddles, wheels, pedals, handlebars are not exempt and will be assessed a tariff.

For specifics, see the Harmonized Schedule online. I say supposedly b/c if you do enough Googling there are people out there who have gotten dinged for gruppos, like the one I just bought, b/c the retailer mislabeled the package, which is what Customs will use to decide whether to search and assess a particular shipment. But these seem to be more rare, although I haven't gotten my group yet.

Lastly, make sure you confirm how the overseas supplier will ship the goods. If they use DHS, FEdex or DHL and Customs does assess a tariff, the American companies will then assess another 'fee' on top of that. That is they basically upcharge the consumer b/c they paid your duty up front, and then they stick it to you again by asking for more money. Technically, you are only responsible for the tariff, but you just have to be willing to give sh*t to the UPS guy. There are others that ship to the US using the equivalent of the USPS, and since these packages are eventually routed through the USPS, that is Uncle Sam, no additional fees are heaped on.

That is my limited understanding after 4 hrs+ of Googling. Now I may be wrong and if I get home tonight and there is a customs tariff on my new group I will be pissed. Then again, I paid $630 for the group, so even if I get hit for $50, that is still a lot less than buying Campy in the US.

Cheers,
Scott

[BlackTiBob]

Your info is helpful.
Please post the outcome, if you get dinged for tariff even though that's not supposed to happen.

What was approx shipping charge from Total Cycling?

thanks again

[srenda]

Flat fee, $15 or so.

[cadence90]

I have found customs tariffs to be extremely random.
I've been charged for crankset sized packages, while on the other hand I bought a couch, 3 chairs and a lamp from a very cool modernist dealer in the NL, 2 huge boxes, and I wasn't charged a penny.

I buy and then ship many components to a friend in Brazil, usually USPS: sometimes he gets charged incredible fees, sometimes none. Now I use old marked-up boxes and beat the hell out of them: he doesn't get charged anymore.

The problem with USPS is that once out of US territory the package becomes the temporary "property" of the host country's postal service, so you can kiss any insurance claim goodbye, because the 2 services fight over who's possession the parcel was in at the time of damage. It's a no-win scenario.

Shipping to Italy I only use DHL, because they have their own customs agents and delivery fleet, so it's all DHL from door-to-door.

[Dave]

The flate rate fee is 15 GDP or about $26 and more if the order won't fit in one flate rate box.

http://www.totalcycling.com/index.php/delivery.html

[soulspinner]

Not Italian. Swiss, but very near the border. (Just down the road from Stella Azzura for example.) Good service! Used them for some odds and ends previously. http://www.bellatisport.com/


11 speed groups are cheaper than 10 speed! :)

[paulandmonster]

thanks this has been a big help and with the dollar getting stronger prices are droping. i really find the price difference between us and europe ridiculous

[Polyglot]

This is basically what I could figure out from onlien research. DOn't take it as gospel, I could be wrong.

Basically, groups are 'supposedly' exempt from US import duties (enforced by DHS/Customs). Now complete bikes, saddles, wheels, pedals, handlebars are not exempt and will be assessed a tariff.

For specifics, see the Harmonized Schedule online. I say supposedly b/c if you do enough Googling there are people out there who have gotten dinged for gruppos, like the one I just bought, b/c the retailer mislabeled the package, which is what Customs will use to decide whether to search and assess a particular shipment. But these seem to be more rare, although I haven't gotten my group yet.

This is not correct! There is no harmonized tariff code for a complete component group. Each component has its own tariff code which is applied to the value of that particular item alone. If you do not individually break down the value of each element, customs by all rights should apply the highest of teh various tariffs to the whole delivery. Go here: http://hotdocs.usitc.gov/docs/tata/hts/bychapter/0810c87.pdf and check out the codes from 8714 onwards and you will see the duty rates on all bicycle related items. Many items are indeed duty free but others are dutied at up to 10%. Beyond this, unless you indicate a customs broker yourself, whatever carrier you use has the right to also ding you with brokerage charges.

All that I have written above is the way things should officially work, but reality is often quite a bit different and it often happens that people can get away with things that the rules shouldn't let them get away with.

BTW, any product sold in Europe must be accompanied by a 2 year warranty.

[srenda]

Just wanted to let everybody know my Centaur Group arrived in one week from the UK, no tariff at all. Package was labeled "derailleur and parts thereof". Sweet!

[BoulderGeek]

Not that anyone asked my opinion, but I wanted to give another bump for Como Bike in Lago di Como, as well.

They took amazing care of me, prepped and shipped my bike back to the US. The amount of time they spent with me while I was just browsing and asking about local rides was amazing.

An "if I win the lottery" dream of mine would be to head back there and pick up a new DeRosa King from them.