Buying a bike in USA and importing to Germany

So... have chosen the road bike of choice and was going to buy it in the USA when I go over on business in a couple of months. It works out about 30% cheaper to buy it over there than here.
I was just going to bring it over as luggage and stick it in the hold, but someone mentioned tax and declaring it when I get back into MUC. I'm not sure of the implications of just bringing it over. Do I have to declare it (I know I should officially) but will I get checked? What do I have to pay if i declare it?
Value of the bike is about $1500. has anyone else 'imported' expensive things this way?

Thanks for help!!!

8LGM

PS thought about using the search function but interaction with others is more interesting!

Take it out of it's box, ride it round a bit, through some mud puddles, put a few scratches on it, then bring it over as a used bike (think it has to be more than 6 months old...not too sure tho)

I brought my bike (not new, though) over with me on the plane. I just got a big-ass box from the bike store, took apart the main pieces, threw it in, taped it up, and checked the baby in at the airport. It was an extra $50 for an oversized check-in.

How many of you would bring the bike over? See this EU proposes an increase in duty-free allowance.

I've got a hard shell bike case that you can borrow if you'd like. As Timmeh said just dirty it a bit and they'll never know the difference. I didn't have to pay extra to bring my bike back in the case but that was before most airlines dropped size and weight constraints.

Don't forget to include local sales tax on the cost of the bike.

@DW, thanks for the offer, sounds like a great idea... am looking to get a TREK and my company is based close to State College PA, not sure what the tax is there, but I was aware of it... somehow feeling less worried now having just read the thread that PES linked above... cant wait for the snow to go!!

The decrease in duty has NOT yet been ratified.

Pennsylvania has a state sales tax of 6%. Sometimes shops will let it slide if you pay cash, however.

@PES,
I know it isn't ratified yet, but in the other thread someone spoke of bringing over 2 cannondale bikes... so, I only want 1 bike!! No , serioulsy I get the impression from what has been said, as long as I dont bring it over still in the wrapping with the price tag attached then I shouldn't have too many problems...

Good luck man!

I should also mention that if you buy a bike outside of PA and have it shipped to your hotel/coworker's/whatever you won't pay any sales tax. If you can find it dirt cheap online in another state and the shipping isn't too bad then go for it - plus it will come ready for the plane ride (after you've opened the box and throws some dirt in of course).

Ya, tell us what model TREK it is and let TT fine the best price! We have nothing else to do.

Well, here is the web link

http://www2.trekbikes.com/bikes/bike.php?bikeid=1444000&f=3



It is the OCLV carbon 2100...
If you can get me a better deal even better... Augustiner on me

I bought my current bike in Dallas hours before getting on the plane.

I paid the bikeshop $25 for packing/bikebox to break it down and pack it nicely in the bikebox, all protectively wrapped and taped. I think I would have spent half a day, it took them the better part of an hour. It was amazing how small the bike became in the bikebox. The money spent was well worth the time and peace of mind.

As for the airline, different airlines have different restrictions.

Lufthansa counted the bikebox as one of my two major pieces of luggage allotted for typical trans-Atlantic passengers, but that condition may not always apply (the ability to count a bikebox as one of your luggage pieces).

Actually, I did this with both bikes at different times.

One of the times, they weighed both my one big suitcase and the bikebox together and then charged me for excess weight of like $30.

I hope that helps. I think it is best to get on the phone with them and get them to commit to terms somehow.

Also, I never had the forethought to get my brand new bikes dirty before packing, but I would definitely do that now.

ps. I own only Treks. Good choice. You and Lance Armstrong.

Yep, that was me that brought the 2 Cannondales over. However, it was summer and lots of people fly into Munich during the summer for summer tours. My boyfriend took the time to 'dirty up' his bike but I didn't bother. People who love their bikes rarely let them get dirty(ha, ha).
I had no problem getting them in. It also helps when you fly if you are not on a direct flight into Munich from the States. Normally we have a stopover somewhere else (like Paris) - the customs agents seem to be almost non-existent. God, I hope these customs people aren't scouring this site looking for ways that expats like me smuggle stuff into the country.

@tomasino
Never thought I'd see the day when I am mentioned in the same sentence as Lance Armstrong!!

@KK, thanks for the tip, my flights are never direct but my point of entry into Europe will be MUC... I usually have to flt State College to Washington or Pittsburgh, then transatlantic to MUC...
Still am feeling confident so will give it a go, with additional mud as well!!

By the way, the last bike I purchased in Dallas was the Trek SU200 (see picture - cheaper bike than what you have above).

It retails here (I just called) in Europe for €690.

In Dallas, it cost $295, and no tax, because I was able to prove my Europe address.

[img]http://www2.trekbikes.com/images/bikes/medium/su200e_navy.jpg[/img]

I would do the opposite, actually, and not call them at all.

I fly with harps sometimes. The first time, I phoned the airline (Aer Lingus on that trip) and asked them what to do about my harp. They advised me to go with a shipping company instead of trying to check it as luggage. Long story, but that was a disaster. I didn't get my harp for a couple of days after I arrived in Dublin, and the shipping was very expensive.

Now I just show up with it at the check-in desk. Most of the time, they don't really know what to do with me (nor do the check-in people have the time to mess with it), so they just send me to oversize luggage to drop it off. It's never cost too much that way, and I think it's been free once or twice (especially if I only have one other small bag.)

The key is, they need to think your bike is used and not new, and you're not bringing it over to sell it.

@ cinzia, actually that makes sence to me as well, am certainly not going to use a freight forwarder, I think I'll just ride it around for a bit and check it in with DW's bike carrier

Hi 8,

once your bike is in Munich, I would recommend you to buy a VERY good lock (maybe insurance is not a bad idea either). A friend of mine had a super expensive bike and got stolen here in Munich (she went to work and when she left the office her bike just wasn´t there). The police told her that these kind of bikes get stolen very often...yes in Munich...

If I were groundcrew, I would definitely not charge you for your harp, on the odd chance that you might just be an angel.

Anyway, having flown bikes a couple times, I kind of feel one can always stay anonymous and just call to ascertain if there are strict policies or allotments for bikes, leaving nothing to chance. Which I just did. (I'm homebound with a cold anyway, this was a fun distraction.)

Anyway, the groundcrew at Lufthansa said you can have 3 pieces of luggage each not to exceed 23 kg individually.

The bikebox does qualify as one piece of luggage.

If you have a normal Trek 2100 it will weigh 19.8 pounds, so I think you are in there, by a mile.

Also, she said on LH you have to "book" the space a "few days ahead".

(I remember doing this, I have lots of notes in an insurance file since one of my bikes was a replacement bike which my insurance paid for (via Haushaltsversicherung) because the bike before was stolen out of the stairwell of my apartment house.)

If you are on a different carrier, here are some random notes:
http://www.biketourgear.com/index.php?opti...&id=20&Itemid=1
http://www.primetravels.com/traveltips_5.shtml
http://www.eurowings.com/en/2960.htm

Anyway, good luck, and happy cycling.

It's not a bike, it's a carbon-fiber sculpture made out of bicycle parts. Carbon-fiber sculptures aren't excess baggage.

Hey, it worked for me once flying to a race in Cali. You may have to win a staring contest at the airline check-in counter, however.

Maybe this was mentioned earlier but if you don't borrow DW's case, get it packed in a Cannondale or Specialized box. If customs gets really suspicious and opens the box, you can say you always travel with your bike but use any old bike box you can find.

Or, get a fake invoice made up, showing you bought an older, used bike.

Etc.

Etc...

I do know that delta doesn't charge extra for large items, esp. golf clubs because they get a lot of golf groups that are VIP's etc. But the DO charge an extra $100 for a bike. Box required. They were sticklers about it and even though I could have gotten my bike for about $150 less than I paid here, I would have had that extra hassle, and I get a two year guarantee on the bike since I bought it here.

I've brought the bike with me on flights quite a few times. It never even occured to me that customs might stop me on the way back to see if I was trying to smuggle a new bike into the country or EU. Mind you, that was into Dublin (non Schengen) so all the flights arrive into the same baggage collection hall. By the time you go through customs, they don't know if you're coming from the US, Spain or Kuala Lumpur.

I reckon if you and your bike box/bag look a bit dirty and disheveled, they'll assume you're coming back from a cycling holiday. Mind you, if you arrive back in a suit, with a big roller suitcase in one arm and a laptop over your shoulder as well as the bike, then it might look a bit different.

Dont take it too seriously.. He talks shit most of the time!

I also bought a bike also a Trek, also in the Dallas/Fort Worth area) and brought back with me (TREK 7500FX, 2003 model). I rode it about 100 miles in the 2 or 3 weeks before I came back to Germany. I did not have to pay for taking it on the plane (I can't remember with which airlines I flew, normally I fly Lufthansa, but I think it was either British Airways or US Airways). I did not have to pay Zoll or anything else when I got in. One good thing though, was that they did not transfer my bike when I changed planes, so they delivered it from Munich to my apartment (I was living near Ulm at the time) so that was actually nice that I didn't have to bring it back in the small car.

Boxing it up cost around 25 or 30 dollars which is what I did for lack of time. If you have a hardshell case or you get the box when you buy the bike AND you know a little about working on bikes, you could do it yourself and save that money as well...