Not a lot of quality auto signs of late on eBay got me looking stateside. Some nice enamels at what seems lower prices than UK. What are the disadvantages from importing? Postage, tax? Any advice appreciated. Best regards, Mark

I have bought a few bits from USA, Oz, Canada etc, Although not necessarily signs. Postage can be a problem, large signs cost quite a bit although in my experience not as dear as sending out from the UK.

Import tax. VAT etc can be a right pain.................a bargain suddenly gets expensive with another 50 quid + £8 collection charge. Some buyers try to get round this by asking the vendor to put a low value on the customs docket. Trouble is if it then goes walkies you cannot claim your full value via insurance.

Also frustrating is sometimes you get charged and sometimes not. This is not dependant on value, age of item, type etc. More probably to do with how many staff they have at a certain post on a certain day.

Overall I have had no actual disasters just frustration and delay and extra costs. My advice would be to factor in an extra 15 to 20% when bidding on overseas items. If you still think its value go ahead, then hopefully once in a while you will grab a bargain.

Lummox

 Sign seeker is absolutely right. i have just got slammed twice. Best thing to do is label it as an antique, value it at £10 and hope for the best.

I have not had an item go missing and you can't really insure antiques anyway.

Cheers

Al.

Many thnak guys for the heads up on this, really appreciate the comments