twobone Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 Hi guys, Just wanted to share my recent experience with importing tires from the UK. I recently ordered a set of Yokohama A539 tires from Midland Wheels in the UK. These are common tires for Caterhams in the UK and are often used on academy racers. They were drop shipped by UPS to my door within about a week of ordering. When you back out the 7% duty and the 8% GST, they were $455 for four tires. There is no way I could get even close to those prices locally. http://www.midlandwheels.com/Shop/C-52-13.html I was nervous about the idea of shipment from the UK, but it turned out to be a breeze Highly recommended! They also look like they have a very tasty set of wheel options Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancylad Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 Some great prices on wheels on the site..good find.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayseven Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 Awesome find. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
super7guy Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 TwoBone Interested in doing the same for Avon slicks, if possible When you said "back out 7% duty and 8% GST" what is GST? How did the costs break down, tires vs shiiping I paid $125 for 4 slicks from the East coast to San Diego. Thanks, Wayne super7guy7@yahoo.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobone Posted March 19, 2012 Author Share Posted March 19, 2012 The tires were 45 GBP each. Total shipping was 135 GBP for the set of 4. The impression I have is that this firm does so much shipping that they have a special deal with UPS and others. There were no shipping charge surprises from UPS, which was a pleasant surprise. When I contacted other UK tire folks, they were not as eager to ship overseas. Midland tire can get other tires not listed on their site. Duty was 7% and GST is 8% Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobone Posted March 19, 2012 Author Share Posted March 19, 2012 GST is our canadian value added tax. So other than the shipping charge shown on their site, I suspect you will just have any applicable local taxes to you and any federal duty applicable to you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayseven Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 BUT nobody outside the UK has to pay the dreaded VAT, which is high, and often included in price quotes, making the base prices quite attractive for a lot of things. The main problem with all UK suppliers is a widespread unwillingness to phone a courier and get a quote for North America. They want YOU to do it, which is kind of hard when you think about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlumba81 Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 So which wheels did you get? How do you like the Yokohama A539? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobone Posted March 20, 2012 Author Share Posted March 20, 2012 I have not put many miles on the A539s. After doing a burn out to get rid of the slippery glue and compound, they seem good. They do have a nice tread pattern and they feel like they are going to be nice and sticky. I will report back after I get more time on them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Stig Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 BUT nobody outside the UK has to pay the dreaded VAT, which is high, and often included in price quotes, making the base prices quite attractive for a lot of things. The main problem with all UK suppliers is a widespread unwillingness to phone a courier and get a quote for North America. They want YOU to do it, which is kind of hard when you think about it. Absolutely right and VAT is now 20%! When purchasing anything from the UK, make sure they do not charge you the VAT. It does not matter to the supplier other than filing the paperwork differently. That 20% probably covers the shipping. I have purchased a lot of bits and pieces off Ebay from the UK too and generally arrives as quickly as from within the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lgb240 Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 I just bought toyo proxes ra1's from here http://www.tiresdirect.net/ I had been checking for a while, but they always showed out of stock - until last week, when I was surprized that they actually showed product available, so i jumped on a set. toyo must have just made a batch, since the date code puts them at being made in late December, last year. I just had them mounted this morning, and still have a few more things to sort out on my 7 before it's off the jack stands. lgb240 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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