If one is importing a very valuable bike or part into the USA it may be wise to use a freight forwarder-this is the most expensive route but worth the piece of mind-you've got to decide whether the cost is worth it-this may be an economic or emotional decision. Some companies will shepard the bike or parts from door to door and even pack the items, etc.-all for a price-often a very high one.
Other companies ( e.g. UPS and Fedex) are less pricey but provide a lesser grade of service, however, your package can be traced. Furthermore, both have subsidiaries that will charge you for the US import tariff-at the highest rate possible and, sometimes without themselves paying it to customs! The key is to consult the tariff charts and have the sender correctly identify the bike or parts as well as declare their value-this will be the decisive information used to determine the tariff rate . The import duty will not be mitigated by describing the item as vintage,etc. If you receive an incorrect tariff charge ask for proof that the UPS or Fedex actually paid the import duty (they frequently do not!) If the item was incorrectly declared by the sender, you must get a letter from that seller correctly describing the item and be ready for a lot of paperwork to cure the problem.
The cheapest, but most risky, option to use is ordinary postal service-one will almost never receive a US tariff charge, however, items are slow to arrive and frequently cannot be traced .
Another pitfall exists for the private importer-the UPS and Fedex subsidiaries will report the imported items value to the state tax departments of some states (Connecticut for example) and, often several years later, the buyer/ importer receives a sales tax bill-often with penalty and interest.
George
George Hollenberg MD
CT, USA