Shop that sends chain saws overseas......

[aussie_1968]

Hi,

I am wanting to buy a Stihl MS 260 Pro Chain Saw form the US.
Are there places that you know of, which would/could send it to Australia ?
The postage is expensive ~ $100, I know.

The saw costs $499 in a Sthil shop in the US.
For that price over here in Australia, you can only get an MS 180 C !! :angry2:

Would be great if someone knew a place which ships them.

cheers
Martin

 

[Thorcw]

If you send the money I would be glad to pick one up and ship it to you.

 

[bigredd]

Might look for someone in Oregon because there is no sales tax and cheaper shipping to Australia. If it were me I would get an MS200 or 200T.....much lighter (cheaper shipping) and will just smoke a 260 pro. The 200 has much better resale value as well.

I have both and no comparison. Looking to sell my 260 since it gets no use.

 

[AUSSIE1]

G'day Martin, welcome to the site.

I sent you a private message.

 

[Jacob J.]

I could probably make this happen if need be.

 

[aussie_1968]

heya,

If it were me I would get an MS200 or 200T.....much lighter (cheaper shipping) and will just smoke a 260 pro.

i do not do any tree climbing and i have only cut a tree while sitting in one once.
i need the saw to cut fire wood. would the MS200t not be too small ?
i would like to have a 16" bar and the trees i cut are mostly seasoned
eucalyptus, which are rock hard.
the diameter would be up to ~ 15".

the ms200T has 1.6KW compared to the MS260 with 2.6KW.
would the weight difference be worth it ?

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

There's a REASON saws and parts are so expensive for you.

Better check with customs regulations. The tariff is likely to wipe out any savings, and then some. That's probably why the prices are so high to begin with - import duties.


Way back when I worked in a bike shop that specialized in motocross stuff. We had a couple of New Zealanders come in to buy a TON of high performance stuff, and install it on their bikes. They had shipped them to the U.S. just for this purpose. Why? To get around the import duties. They installed all the new stuff, went for a few off-road rides to dirty things up, and went back, claiming that the bikes were just the same ones they had brought with them. That way, they weren't "importing" any parts, they just took their bikes on a little vacation. They said that all of this expense was still far cheaper than paying import duties to bring the parts in to NZ, and in some cases, was the only way they could get them.

I suspect you've got a similar situation. The whole reason saws are so expensive is the import tariffs, and having someone ship you a saw won't help.

Best to check it out, anyway. You don't want to wind up with a saw from the U.S. that cost you more than a local saw, but hasn't got any dealer support. That's leaving aside any criminal charges that might arise from smuggling goods in without paying tariffs.

 

[bigredd]

heya,


i do not do any tree climbing and i have only cut a tree while sitting in one once.
i need the saw to cut fire wood. would the MS200t not be too small ?
i would like to have a 16" bar and the trees i cut are mostly seasoned
eucalyptus, which are rock hard.
the diameter would be up to ~ 15".

the ms200T has 1.6KW compared to the MS260 with 2.6KW.
would the weight difference be worth it ?

You may want the MS200 (rear handle) saw. The HP ratings are not a fair comparison on the 260 vs 200. The 200 engine has much better throttle response, cuts faster with the narrow kerf bar and rips with a 16" bar. Just make sure to clean the air filter frequently on the 200 because it's small and can cause engine failure if neglected.

The 260 is being replaced with the 261 this year. You may want to wait and see if that saw more fits your needs. It's suppose to have better throttle response, anti vibs, hp and air filtration, but also more weight.

As for import fees, I believe it is best to ship only the power head and chain in an unmarked box (no bar, tools or instruction manual. That way it can be labeled "saw parts" and avoid the high import fees for a complete saw. I suppose those other parts could be sent separately, but might cost less to just buy there.

 

[tdi-rick]

Better check with customs regulations. The tariff is likely to wipe out any savings, and then some. That's probably why the prices are so high to begin with - import duties.


[snip]

No import duties on complete saws, no duties or taxes (ie. GST) on private imports under A$1000 (including freight) if posted, eg USPS. Sometimes sending Fedex or UPS the buggers bung on GST plus brokerage/handling fees.....

5% duty on commercially imported bars (without a saw) and with GB going offshore I'd reckon that will drop to 0% soon too.

 

[aussie_1968]

Better check with customs regulations. The tariff is likely to wipe out any savings, and then some. That's probably why the prices are so high to begin with - import duties.

there are no duties for items less than AU$1000
http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page5549.asp

That's leaving aside any criminal charges that might arise from smuggling goods in without paying tariffs.

i do not think that i would be smuggling, as contents are declared on the box, as well as the price and insurance.
correct me if i am wrong.

what i would loose out on would be the warranty.
considering i am wanting to get a stihl and me only using it for occasional cutting of firewood, the saw should outlast its - only - 1 year warranty - i hope.

 

[MCW]

there are no duties for items less than AU$1000
http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page5549.asp


i do not think that i would be smuggling, as contents are declared on the box, as well as the price and insurance.
correct me if i am wrong.

what i would loose out on would be the warranty.
considering i am wanting to get a stihl and me only using it for occasional cutting of firewood, the saw should outlast its - only - 1 year warranty - i hope.

Myself and others on this site import saws to Australia all the time from the US. As you're aware it's that magic number on the customs declaration that makes the difference. Value will of course be declared in USD$ so ensure you keep track of exchange rates and always factor in a buffer. Never run a fine line on parcel value - nobody I've dealt with has had any trouble writing down the value on a parcel. I got stung recently on a Husky 390XPG and the declared value went over the AUD$1000 mark. Cost me another AUD$260 from memory to get the saw out of custom's greedy little mitts - never again and it was very very painful. Also postage is NOT taken into account with the AUD$1000 value.

Don't stress about the warranty. Unless you have a major catastrophe any repair or service work will still cost less than buying a saw here - happened to me and I was still about AUD$250 better off even after AUD$220 worth of repairs (blown base gasket on a Dolmar 7900).

I don't blame you at all for importing saws mate, we get positively shafted out here on most things foreign.

It's certainly not smuggling and the best guys to determine this are the Aussies like myself, Al, Rick etc who have read the fine print, as you have, on the Australian Custom's website. Nothing illegal there.

If you tried importing an AR15 Assault Rifle then yeah, bad boy

 

[heimannm]

Just in case the guys on the US side don't understand the price differences, here is a photo I took in a shop (Ace Saws) near Mordialloc last month:

$US and AUD were nearly even, within 5% in any case...what could you get at you local Stihl dealer for $1000?

Mark

 

[blsnelling]

Are there any legal concerns for the US guys shipping the saws over?

 

[belgian]

There's no law against importing tools if you declare it a 'reasonable' price. Depending on local regulations the tax (VAT) is charged to the importer, making it less attractive, especially in europe.

There's also no risk to the seller if he declares the goods and value correctly on the shipping document.

Now if you try to declare goods as "used" or "defect" at a low value, then there's a risk customs will get in touch with you.

I imported 2 new saws from the US and on both occasions, customs opened the box to inspect the goods and I was invited in writing to confirm the invoiced value and provide proof of payment (paypal) ! I was glad I imported them by the book.

Customs are not stupid.

PS. I had never problems with vintage saws declared at a low value.

 

[blsnelling]

There's no law against importing tools if you declare it a 'reasonable' price. Depending on local regulations the tax (VAT) is charged to the importer, making it less attractive, especially in europe.

There's also no risk to the seller if he declares the goods and value correctly on the shipping document.

Now if you try to declare goods as "used" or "defect" at a low value, then there's a risk customs will get in touch with you.

I imported 2 new saws from the US and on both occasions, customs opened the box to inspect the goods and I was invited in writing to confirm the invoiced value and provide proof of payment (paypal) ! I was glad I imported them by the book.

Customs are not stupid.

PS. I had never problems with vintage saws declared at a low value.

Thankfully, most saws are less than $1000 USD. It just dictates that you ship any other items seperately so as to avoid going over that value as MCW mentioned.

 

[MCW]

$US and AUD were nearly even, within 5% in any case...what could you get at you local Stihl dealer for $1000?

Mark

Exactly right Mark. You would get an MS660 for the price of that MS390 and the prices in your attached photo are pretty sharp for those saws in Australia. I mean local dealers aren't to blame but when their cost is miles higher than they can import it themselves from the US you know someone, somewhere is ripping someone off. Too many middle men...

A mate of mine just imported a Yamaha outboard from the US and landed it here including all Custom's duties etc for just under AUD$19,000. Best deal he could get from an Aussie dealer was AUD$28,000! Dealer cost was around AUD$27,000 by all accounts. I mean why the hell wouldn't you import stuff? He saved a quick AUD$9,000 and the outboard in question has an activated worldwide warranty.

 

[Teddy.Scout]

I have good luck both ways!
Listed as complete saw, and as parts only!
The Aussie side seem to be more understanding then the US side.
Last package was a week(7 days) to hit the down under from here with priority mail. but was a 3rd more for shipping. There tracking seems to be a bit better as well.

 

[tdi-rick]

Are there any legal concerns for the US guys shipping the saws over?

Not from this side.

Remember the US and Australia have a Free Trade agreement.

As to Marks (Blue ridge Mark) original concerns/warning, once upon a time it was valid, bot countries had closed, protected economies, but both Australia's and New Zealand's economies have had major reforms over the last twenty years. Both are now listed in the top four economies for freedom of business and trade.
No. 1 being Hong Kong, 2,3,4 being virtually a tie between the US, Australia and NZ.

The reason that prices are higher here are usually a case of much lower volumes (we have less than 10% of the US population) freight (literally half way around the world from Europe ) and the price the importers are actually charged by their OS counterparts.

Talking to a Makita Oz head office bloke six months ago they have to negotiate with Dolmar on what they get and more importantly, how much they are charged (pretty much standard business practice, even for units within the same company)
With much, much lower volumes here, the Oz outpost gets screwed on pricing, both unit cost and freight. eg. the 64/7900 HD filter kit lists (retail) at around A$273 here vs the US$77 or so you pay.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

There's no law against importing tools if you declare it a 'reasonable' price.

...

Customs are not stupid.

Yep. Marking it "parts" could get you in a lot of trouble that you can stay out of by just declaring it openly .


Glad you guys are on top of it - I only mentioned it because I hate to see someone get burned by NOT asking the right questions.

 

[mactodd]

Reckon if I sent you guys some saws, you could send me a Falcon XR8?