buying a bike in the uk and shipping by sea to thailand

[rijit]

I'm thinking about buying in the uk either a dawes galaxy or Raleigh cromoly road bike, lower end of the decent bike range, shipping it over to Thailand door to door by sea, and this is up to 30 kgs the first quote is £150, and bringing the total price up to around £750, good value?

good brands for Thailand if i wanted to sell it? or would i be better buying in Bangkok? cheers all

[billphillips]

A little more cash and you could get one with an engine in it, purchased locally.

Seriously though, you still will need to pay an import handler in BKK and import tax of some serious% of the deemed valuation. Probably better to buy an alternate brand locally.

[kkerry]

Is it possible to buy one on your next visit to the UK, ride it a few times and bring it back with you as baggage? Might avoid you being held to ransom by customs.

[NeverSure]

I looked into having a bike shipped from the US to Thailand and the duties scared me off. Good bikes are way overpriced in LOS, but OMG the import costs as an alternative...

Edited February 28, 2015 by NeverSure

[rijit]

cheers folks

A little more cash and you could get one with an engine in it, purchased locally.
Seriously though, you still will need to pay an import handler in BKK and import tax of some serious% of the deemed valuation. Probably better to buy an alternate brand locally.

Is it possible to buy one on your next visit to the UK, ride it a few times and bring it back with you as baggage? Might avoid you being held to ransom by customs.

I looked into having a bike shipped from the US to Thailand and the duties scared me off. Good bikes are way overpriced in LOS, but OMG the import costs as an alternative...

someone mentioned on another thread recently they've reduced the tax , but havnt seen that officially

what i was thinking was buying it and using it for a while then shipping in my girlfriends name and to her house in bangkok

would that avoid tax?

trouble is with bringing it with u on the plane you've only got 30/2 kgs and with my camera gear and laptop

i'de be well over weight, and when haven't looked into excess baggage charges recently but they used to be a touch ridiculous

failing all i'de buy in bangkok

Edited February 28, 2015 by rijit

[rijit]

hmm just looked up the emirates excess baggage, circa £ 110/$175 us for one extra piece not to exceed 32 kgs,, not 2 bad value.

[rijit]

whoops nope thats to North America, buzzed the emirates and it's 600 £ for 15 kgs

[moonoi]

I'd buy locally, you'll get a bike with a decent spec here for that kind of money from any of the big brands like Giant, Trek or Merida. Specialized is overpriced here.

Tax for personal import on a complete bike is 30% plus vat at 7% and is calculated on the total value including shipping.

If you want a specific frame, I'd order that and ship as the tax comes down to 10% duty plus 7% vat, and buy all the components locally.

The reduced tax seems to be only available to shops, if you're interested in a Canyon, Peak Procycling in Bangkok will order it in for you, but requires a 50% down payment and they will just charge you the 10% duty on top of the EUR price.

Best way as mentioned before is to bring it in yourself when you fly in, to avoid duty and tax. Some airlines have a free sports equipment allowance up to 15kg, would be worth checking it out, just in case.

Another thing to consider is, if you buy a brand of bike unknown in Thailand , and want to sell, it's pretty much impossible and if you do, you won't get much for it.

[rijit]

just out of interest what are the well known and resellable bike brands in thailand.Is Dawes or raliegh well known and u reckon u can buy a decent cromoly bike say for 35000 ?

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Ozgur]

Before I bought my bike what I commonly saw on olx.com were Giant, Merida, Trek, Specialized, Bianchi etc. most Thai people really care about the brand and ignore other brands that are actually famous and good quality outside of Thailand. Those brands are not sold much here just because having no better marketing.

I am very new to cycling so I trusted a friend of mine's guidance and bought new Merida Scultura 400. I really liked the bike and it comes with Shimano 105 series. The price was reasonable and same at almost every shop I visited.

[h90]

cheers folks

A little more cash and you could get one with an engine in it, purchased locally.

Seriously though, you still will need to pay an import handler in BKK and import tax of some serious% of the deemed valuation. Probably better to buy an alternate brand locally.

Is it possible to buy one on your next visit to the UK, ride it a few times and bring it back with you as baggage? Might avoid you being held to ransom by customs.

I looked into having a bike shipped from the US to Thailand and the duties scared me off. Good bikes are way overpriced in LOS, but OMG the import costs as an alternative...

someone mentioned on another thread recently they've reduced the tax , but havnt seen that officially

what i was thinking was buying it and using it for a while then shipping in my girlfriends name and to her house in bangkok

would that avoid tax?

trouble is with bringing it with u on the plane you've only got 30/2 kgs and with my camera gear and laptop

i'de be well over weight, and when haven't looked into excess baggage charges recently but they used to be a touch ridiculous

failing all i'de buy in bangkok

Girlfriend or yourself does not make any difference in tax.

Be careful on sea shipment, there can be large fees on the port and for custom clearing. Usually on our imports (not bikes) only over 100-200 kg seafreight makes sense, else air is cheaper at the end.

[moonoi]

The only steel framed bikes here are either low end machines from the likes of LA Bicycle and Turbo Bicycle (local manufacturers and cheap as chips).

For more performance/quality the main brand that sells and is very popular here is Surly, but you won't find anything for 35k, cheapest is around 42k from memory.

Raleigh has an importer (funnily enough it's the aforementioned LA Bicycle), but never seen any of their bikes for sale around Bangkok, not sure if anyone else has ever found them.

The only time I can think that it might be worth to import your own machine, is if you have long legs and need larger frame sizes (58 and above), even then I'd only bring the frame in, and fit it out with locally sourced components.

Edited March 1, 2015 by moonoi

[MaeJoMTB]

Bicycles are 30% more in the UK than in Thailand.

(Uk sells near RRP, Thailand discounts RRP by 30%)

Get yourself a Trek, Merida, Bianchi, Giant in Thailand and save yourself a load of money.

(unless you're very tall, bicycle sizes are limited in Thailand)

Also if you import another make, you will need to import the parts if you need repairs.

Edited March 1, 2015 by MaeJoMTB

[moonoi]

I looked into having a bike shipped from the US to Thailand and the duties scared me off. Good bikes are way overpriced in LOS, but OMG the import costs as an alternative...

If you're talking Cannondale, Colnago or Specialized, I'd agree, but the other brands are very competitive on price, certainly the 2015 model year Trek, Giant and Merida bikes you couldn't buy in Europe for less than here.

A Dogma F8 frameset (a real one, not a Chinarello) is similar to slightly less than Europe as well (depending on exchange rates). I don't know how it compare to the U.S. though.

[steve187]

My BIL brought one of those big wheel bikes over with him on the plane from Virginia, no questioned asked, i had a go the other day takes a lot of pedalling

[CNXBKKMAN]

I wouldn't buy a bike in the UK and send it too thailand by sea. Slow expensive and taxes to pay. I have brought bikes over from the UK on emirates, Etihad and Qatar airways. You get 30 kg bag allowance and the bike in a box comes in at 15-20 kg of your allowance and no charge either. If it's a nice bike especially one that you can't get hold of in Thailand that's the way to go. Otherwise buy locally here as has been stated previously Trek, Merida, giant, Bianchi are all cheaper in Thailand the the UK. 30 % sounds about right too.

If you are after a steel tourer type bike Trek 520, all Surly models(and cheaper than UK too), Araya and Louis Garneu (give them a google I have never seen them in the UK but they are nice) can be bought here. I have seen the latest Giant All road type bikes too. A bike I would really liked to own was a Cinelli Bootleg Hobo at Velocity bikes in Chiang mai. I think it was 45k , Columbus cromoly steel tubing, looked great, came with front and rear Tubus racks( 100 quid each in the UK) and was my size 56cm. Very nice bike but I already have a specialized tricross so I was never going to buy it. It was a great bike though.

[Puwa]

The way I see it, the exemption for bikes carried in is one of the few loopholes in Thailand's absurd customs regime, and I try to make use of it every chance I get.

If the UK has a good secondhand market like the US does, you can pick up a late model for half price or less and, with the right airline, bring it here for free. For example, last year I picked up a 2008 Specialized Enduro for $1200, original MSRP $3800. It looked practically showroom new and had some tasty upgrades (Juicy Ultimates and an X0 rear mech). Korean Air just counted it as baggage, no charge, and CNX customs waved me through. I recall seeing a 2010 Enduro frameset only at one of the local shops for 80-90k baht.

A bit of flexibility, some good luck, and good timing can make for excellent value.

[parafareno]

In my country Giant 2 Trance costs 1800 eur, in Thailand 2100 eur, so if I buy it I will just bring it via airplane.....They told me it costs only 100 usd for a bike ......158 x 158 x 158 cm.....

[impulse]

In my country Giant 2 Trance costs 1800 eur, in Thailand 2100 eur, so if I buy it I will just bring it via airplane.....They told me it costs only 100 usd for a bike ......158 x 158 x 158 cm.....

Gotta be careful there. A Trance in one country may be outfitted completely differently than a Trance sold in another country. May not even be the same frame.

I don't know what Giant (specifically) does in Thailand, but lots of companies tailor their offering to the specific market and try to use locally sourced components to reduce shipping and importing costs.

[impulse]

The way I see it, the exemption for bikes carried in is one of the few loopholes in Thailand's absurd customs regime, and I try to make use of it every chance I get.

If the UK has a good secondhand market like the US does, you can pick up a late model for half price or less and, with the right airline, bring it here for free. For example, last year I picked up a 2008 Specialized Enduro for $1200, original MSRP $3800. It looked practically showroom new and had some tasty upgrades (Juicy Ultimates and an X0 rear mech). Korean Air just counted it as baggage, no charge, and CNX customs waved me through. I recall seeing a 2010 Enduro frameset only at one of the local shops for 80-90k baht.

A bit of flexibility, some good luck, and good timing can make for excellent value.

All good points. But if you really want to see a great second hand market, look at TVF classifieds and Craigslist and Bahtsold and OLX here in Thailand for people who are leaving the country and need to liquidate.

Granted, the selection isn't as wide, but the prices can be astounding if they have to sell this week or give it away the day before their flight leaves.

I bought 3 of my 4 push bikes that way, and didn't pay more than 50% of the new cost for any of them- all in excellent condition.

[MaeJoMTB]

But if you really want to see a great second hand market, look at TVF classifieds and Craigslist and Bahtsold and OLX here in Thailand for people who are leaving the country and need to liquidate.

Granted, the selection isn't as wide, but the prices can be astounding if they have to sell this week or give it away the day before their flight leaves.

I bought 3 of my 4 push bikes that way, and didn't pay more than 50% of the new cost for any of them- all in excellent condition.

I bought a nice Giant Cross 3200 Hybrid for 5,300bht from OLX, another 1,000bht to get it in shape.

(saddle 300bht, grips 200bht, tires 180bht each)

And then a Trek 4300 MTB for 4,000bht from Facebook ChiangMai s/h, again another 1,000bht to make it good.

(crank bearings 500bht, brake cables 100bht each, pedals 200bht)

Good bikes at $175 each ......... why buy new and worry about it being stolen?

Edited August 6, 2015 by MaeJoMTB

[parafareno]

In my country Giant 2 Trance costs 1800 eur, in Thailand 2100 eur, so if I buy it I will just bring it via airplane.....They told me it costs only 100 usd for a bike ......158 x 158 x 158 cm.....

Gotta be careful there. A Trance in one country may be outfitted completely differently than a Trance sold in another country. May not even be the same frame.

I don't know what Giant (specifically) does in Thailand, but lots of companies tailor their offering to the specific market and try to use locally sourced components to reduce shipping and importing costs.

I dont believe that, Giant is too well known company to do that, you dont see a chinese Harley Davidson sold in Thailand........Thailand just jacks up prices for every product that is not made here....everything is more expensive that comes from outside, look at Harley Davidson, at least 40 % more than in Europe

[parafareno]

I hate regular cheap bikes, I have Marin here in Europe, 15 yo, if you look at it you would give it only 2 years.....but it is a helll to ride without the suspension the new bikes have now.

I love suspension, otherwise I dont want to ride on road, forest...but if I would have to be careful about my bike not being stolen, I rather not buy one...........

I will just use scooter instead and go to fitness anyways

[moonoi]

In my country Giant 2 Trance costs 1800 eur, in Thailand 2100 eur, so if I buy it I will just bring it via airplane.....They told me it costs only 100 usd for a bike ......158 x 158 x 158 cm.....

Gotta be careful there. A Trance in one country may be outfitted completely differently than a Trance sold in another country. May not even be the same frame.

I don't know what Giant (specifically) does in Thailand, but lots of companies tailor their offering to the specific market and try to use locally sourced components to reduce shipping and importing costs.

I dont believe that, Giant is too well known company to do that, you dont see a chinese Harley Davidson sold in Thailand........Thailand just jacks up prices for every product that is not made here....everything is more expensive that comes from outside, look at Harley Davidson, at least 40 % more than in Europe

It is true, you can check it yourself by going to Giants regional and international website. You'll find that the spec for the same model between U.S., Europe and Asia/Australia are different. Sometimes it's only the model of saddle used, sometimes it can be a completely different groupset.

Also to truly compare prices you need to go into an LBS in Thailand to get the true price, depending on model you'll get between 15-25% discount from the list price.

[CNXBKKMAN]

I hate regular cheap bikes, I have Marin here in Europe, 15 yo, if you look at it you would give it only 2 years.....but it is a helll to ride without the suspension the new bikes have now.

I love suspension, otherwise I dont want to ride on road, forest...but if I would have to be careful about my bike not being stolen, I rather not buy one...........

I will just use scooter instead and go to fitness anyways

If you have a good bike it will never be stolen for most people anyway. Your good bike is what you use when you go for a ride. Not many people in Thailand will ride a Giant Trance to the cinema and have a pizza afterwards whilst the bike lis ocked up outside for 4 hours. You use a more normal bike, an old second hand, hard tail Trek, like mentioned above that can be bought for 4-5k baht.

[impulse]

Or do what a friend ended up doing in China. Take a great bike, and spray paint it (poorly) with damp proof red primer to make it look like a rusty POS. Spokes, wheels and all...

Edited August 8, 2015 by impulse

[Tonto21]

I don't understand some of the statments..... Bikes bought in Thailand are more expensive for the same make & model than bought outside.

OK, I will concede that this may be true for some and not all top end stuff.

I have bought 2 bikes and just ordered a 3rd, all 3 have been at the time of purchase cheaper, with the same spec. The first a Miranda Sub 40, 5000 Baht cheaper than in UK, the second, Trek Fuel 5.5, 30,000 Bhat cheaper than the UK and my new one, (on order) a Santa Cruz 5010 CC...... 68,000 Baht cheaper, same model....same spec. That's with the bike on sale in the UK.

I haven't posted this to brag guys, where are you guys buying your bikes in Thailand? Or have I missed the point and your all talking about high end road bikes, fancy makes I've never heard off?

I live in Chiang Mai...... Are they cheaper outside BKK?

Edited August 26, 2015 by Tonto21

[moonoi]

I don't understand some of the statments..... Bikes bought in Thailand are more expensive for the same make & model than bought outside.

OK, I will concede that this may be true for some and not all top end stuff.

I have bought 2 bikes and just ordered a 3rd, all 3 have been at the time of purchase cheaper, with the same spec. The first a Miranda Sub 40, 5000 Baht cheaper than in UK, the second, Trek Fuel 5.5, 30,000 Bhat cheaper than the UK and my new one, (on order) a Santa Cruz 5010 CC...... 68,000 Baht cheaper, same model....same spec. That's with the bike on sale in the UK.

I haven't posted this to brag guys, where are you guys buying your bikes in Thailand? Or have I missed the point and your all talking about high end road bikes, fancy makes I've never heard off?

I live in Chiang Mai...... Are they cheaper outside BKK?

Trek, Giant, Merida are all the same or cheaper price than US/Europe.

Cannondale is US MSRP + 10%

Canyon is EUR MSRP + 10%

Specialized on average is 30-40% more expensive depending on model.

Colnago, if it's a master or v1-R approx same price, maybe a little less, but if it's a C60 then almost double the price.

Pinarello about 20-30% more expensive depending on exchange rate.

Those are the ones I have experience with when hunting for a new bike. If I'm looking at a premium brand, I'd probably look to bring it over myself.

Any of the big brands, with the exception of Specialized, I'd buy locally as it is similar price or cheaper. Only go for Specialized if you get a good deal on an end of line model ;-)

The biggest issue here is if you need larger sizes (L/58 or above), you're going to struggle to find something you want in stock and will probably have to special order in (if they are willing to do so), taking 3-6 months for delivery.

[MaeJoMTB]

Just bought a Trek 1.1 road bike in BK ......... 15,000bht = 280gbp. (discounted, mail order)

Same bike in the UK = 500gbp. (discounted, mail order)

56cm, delivered next day by EMS.

Edited September 22, 2015 by MaeJoMTB

[ianf]

just out of interest what are the well known and resellable bike brands in thailand.Is Dawes or raliegh well known and u reckon u can buy a decent cromoly bike say for 35000 ?

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Why not buy a Planet X online? From the UK. Crazy people spend 2000$+ on a Specialized, Trek, Colnago frame (and so on), when they really are overpriced. Look at the prices that PX can market top-line frames for and you'll see the difference. I have 5 Planet X track bikes here that I use on the velodrome when coaching kids. I also have a Campag equipped Planet X Road Bike. Superb. Or try alluminium. Don't really need Carbon.