I wanted to get my '82 (that's considered "about 1983") Marinoni repainted last winter, but I didn't want to make two trips to Montreal, so I decided to ship it up. The process of shipping through either UPS or FedEx was indeed cumbersome--lot's of forms and confusion. In a moment of inspiration, I took it to the post office, filled out one simple form, paid about $25 postage, and away it went. It arrived safely in a reasonable amount of time (less than a week from Burlington, Vermont) and I was quite satisfied with the experience. I drove up to retrieve it when it was done, and paid no duty going either direction. Of course, the frame never really changed possession, but I don't think this had much to do with anything.
Steve Barner, who still likes his Marinoni better than any of his other bikes, but maybe that's because Guiseppe engraved Jeanne's name into one of the stay caps, Bolton, Vermont
----- Original Message ----- > From: Matthew Grimm <matthewgrimm@yahoo.com>
> To: Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Subject: [CR]Shipping used bikes/parts from the USA: how hard can it be?
>
>
> Hi,
>
> David Bilenkey asked how difficult it is to ship out
> of the USA.
>
> In my experience, shipping items to Canada is simply
> not worth the effort. The customs docs need to be
> letter perfect and even when they are, roughly half of
> all items that I have shipped to Canada are delayed
> and/or held for duty. I have stopped doing business
> with Canadians.
>
> I have shipped items to Germany, England, Japan and
> Italy without any problem.
>
> And I have never heard of anyone having any trouble
> with items coming into the USA.
>
> I'd like to hear what experiences other have had.
>
> Matthew - Shakopee, MN