Hey has anyone imported stuff from wiggle? Are wheels around the $1200 mark likely to attract import GST or duties or whatever they do?

Yes, I understnad that if the tax payable is more than $50 then they will collect it. But you could get lucky and slip through. When GST was 12.5% the limit was around $400 before you got taxed.

Bugger, that sux. Anyone know how likely you can slip though?

22.6% likelihood.

Say they are 'used'
2nd hand items technically would have no market value.

musta wrote:Say they are 'used'
2nd hand items technically would have no market value.

Wrong! 2nd hand items attract the same GST and duty as applicable to new items. Only exception would be household items imported as an immigrants effects.
You pay for them they have a value.

O ok, that's what I've heard people do to avoid it.

Maybe it doesn't work then.

Several times I have seen the grim results of people trying to slip one past customs - you may possibly get away with it, but they are a looooong way from being idiots and if they do catch you they can fine you and/or confiscate your goods on top of demanding you pay what you owe in the first place. That would make the puny savings you might have made turn into a real expensive set of wheels...

Don't do it.

Generally for overseas shipping an invoice copy is attached as a packing slip on outside of box. It details nature of goods and value. Wiggle aren't going to be in the business of fiddling that.

But....if you have fambly or friends in UK, there is a better chance that if they send it with the nature of the goods put as 'gift'.

This has worked for me, but you do need to factor GST in case of a deeper look by customs.

And, sometimes they just slip through unnoticed. I bought in a $900 box from overseas and it turned up no comments.

From my experience importing brand new car parts I found that things coming in via Fedex, UPS, DHL would automatically incur duty/GST.

For anything that I ever had come in via NZPost I never once got caught by Customs.

I have brought in 2 orders from UK online stores lately, one just prior to GST increase was an $565 order that incurred GST and Import Levy and Biosecurity fees which all items do now of $110.
Second order was $450 worth and did not incur anything even though it was eligible according to the customs site.
I was prepared to pay GST for both items but the new fees they tack on are more than I was expecting ~ $40!

razza wrote:From my experience importing brand new car parts I found that things coming in via Fedex, UPS, DHL would automatically incur duty/GST.

For anything that I ever had come in via NZPost I never once got caught by Customs.

yep I agree. the DHL's of the world make money from processing the clearance. Possible NZPost culture is one of "can't be bothered with the admin hassle and/ or clutter"

cruiser wrote: Wiggle aren't going to be in the business of fiddling that.

I've ordered a few small things with a value of up to $200 and not had to pay anything.
I've only had one big item which I did have to pay for. A mountain bike which cost $1500 from wiggle. All the extras came to about $200. On the Wiggle invoice it said that the item purchased was bicycle tools. The box did contain a multitool for putting the bike together. I was wandering if the reason they put bicycle tools on the invoice is that it tools may have less tax/fees to pay than bikes do. Never looked into it any further to see if that was actually the case.

Yep, done it for $1200 and had to go to customs & pay GST but that was it.