Hi Guys

If I was shipping large items to Australia , like motor bikes or heavy machinery what would be the best option . Has anyone got any experiance with this and could you suggest any companys that do this type of shipping.

I would be shipping from USA and India

Paul

I guess it depends on the amount and weight of the shipment. I have mates who Import motor bikes from Asia. They fill a whole container to themselves. It is cheaper this way. There are ways to avoid incoming duties. For example you take the wheels off the bikes and import them to Aus as spare parts and not fully assembled items. There are heaps of tricks, but I dont know what they are.

Your best bet is to go and talk to someone that imports american motor racing bits into Australia particularly the drag racing scene of which there are plenty in Oz. There are plenty of people in Australia importing anything from motors to complete cars and as Benny says, the trick is to use a full container which you negotiate with a shipping company such as Kuehne + Nagel. It's much cheaper to have a half filled 18foot container with a shipping company than for example 5m3 with a freight company. The people you speak to (drag racing importers) will also fill you in on the import duties minimization possibilities.
Skippy

You may want to give www.freightquote.com a try. They are a middle man of sorts in that the amount of shipping they arrange gives them huge discounts which they pass on to you. Its all done online and you see the quotes instantly. I use them all the time for LTL shipping in the us and the are usually 1/3 the cost of local carriers. They do intl' too.

Dose anyone have any good contacts in the cheap asian countries (eg China, Tiawan) who can supply cnc componants (new or used) like ballscrews, servos, linear slides, belts, bearings, pulleys etc? Somene who is willing to deal with retail customers over the net/phone, who has reasonable english skills?
I'm not intending to buy anything yet but considering the extortionate prices we pay for such goods here in Australia a good contact would be a real asset for anyone wanting to buy some of this gear.

Cheers
Splint

There's a lot of little shops here in Shanghai selling CNC parts and I'd be glad to help out. Send me a list with photos and I'll return with a few photos and prices next time I am in the market area.

Cheers,
Maurice

Thanks for the kind offer Maurice, at this point in time I have everything I need to build my machine, I shopped around and found the cheapest locally available parts. Thanks for the offer anyway, I'm sure there will be others who will take you up on your offer.

Cheers
Splint

You said it, folks are writing to me. I should stick a web cam on my head and go down there.