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Import dirt bike, issues & info, before you buy do your homework!!!

Many people get trapped in the bike importation process, buying a bike or bikes online from overseas can be a really costly exercise, as John Warrener did in this article below.

Trail bike that cost $2500 to import from the USA

Rosemarie Lentini & John Rolfe

John Warrener bought a trail bike on ebay but, to his surprise

buying online wasn't the problem.

It was the administrative run around from the department of

infrastructure that cost him 2500.00 dollars. On October 9 My

Warrener, 51 bought a second hand trail bike online from a private seller in the us for $2000.

The labourer from Windellama near Goulburn, emailed the seller

before making a bid and asked about possible import fees.

The seller said there would be a small cost from unloading the bike once in Sydney.

Mr Warrener admits he didn't check until after he bought the bike that he needed Department of Infrastructure approval.

It proved a costly oversight.

When his bike arrived on December 11, Mr Warrener said Customs stored it until his application - received by the department on November 10 - was assessed.

The application form said this would take 17 days and he would be liable for storage costs.

But the timeframe blew out to more than a month, with Mr Warrener calling and repeatedly being given "the runaround".

When he finally got his bike on January 4 - well beyond the department's processing target - he was charged $2500 for storage.

"I bought the bike for a cheap Christmas present and it turned into a $5500 nightmare," he said.

"Really double check everything you're doing because once you check that button (on Ebay) to pay, you're locked in."

The department gave a typically bureaucratic response when Public Defender quizzed it about the delay: "The department's target service standard is to advise applicants (on their application) within 15 working days of lodgment of the application and all necessary supporting documentation.

"The department's service charter is expressed as a target. The department acknowledges that in peak periods the target may not be met. Currently, the department is experiencing an upturn in demand for imported vehicles. This has resulted in application processing times extending beyond the target service standard."

Mr Warrneer said the department should be more "accountable" for its decisions, especially when they involve substantial amounts of money.

"Not even letting me get my own quote for the storage - that doesn't seem right," he said.

Article as per Daily Telegraph

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