Jon, try this link to the U.S. Customs Service duty rate database.
If you check this out, you will find that "Bicycles with both wheels attached" are 5.5%, but bicycle frames are 3.9%. I had a contraversy with DHL on a Caygill custom frame from UK earlier this year, as they paid the complete bike rate and tried to collect it from me. I have just ordered a Bates custom frame. This time I will ask the seller to clearly state on the shipping order that it is a bicycle frame without wheels. I'm debating also asking him to mark the U.S. Customs category code on the box. This would make it less likely the higher tarfiif would be incorrectly collected. However, a lot of stuff seems to come through without any duty, and placing the code on the package may just make it too easy for inspectors to make sure a duty is charged.
http://dataweb.usitc.gov/
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Houston, TX
> Hi. Does anybody know how much duty is on a new frame and/or bicycle that
is
> shipped from Great Britian? If so, please contact me off list. Thanks. Jon
>
> Jon Cowden
> relocated to Carpinteria, CA