Buying a bike in Germany any advice?
Discussion
So I have found a classic bike I might want to buy in north east Germany.
Its a private seller.
Does any one have any experience of this?
What is the actual procedure for buying a second hand bike in Germany?
What do I have to do re paperwork for importing it, I think there is5%vat to pay. The bike is more than 40 years old.
Are there any companies that buy it for you and transport it back?
Basically any advice welcome.
I have read online various guides, but none seem totally clear.
Its a private seller.
Does any one have any experience of this?
What is the actual procedure for buying a second hand bike in Germany?
What do I have to do re paperwork for importing it, I think there is5%vat to pay. The bike is more than 40 years old.
Are there any companies that buy it for you and transport it back?
Basically any advice welcome.
I have read online various guides, but none seem totally clear.
Nice
Stevemr said:
So I have found a classic bike I might want to buy in north east Germany.
Its a private seller.
Does any one have any experience of this?
What is the actual procedure for buying a second hand bike in Germany?
What do I have to do re paperwork for importing it, I think there is5%vat to pay. The bike is more than 40 years old.
Are there any companies that buy it for you and transport it back?
Basically any advice welcome.
I have read online various guides, but none seem totally clear.
Do you plan on riding it back to the UK, or shipping it?Its a private seller.
Does any one have any experience of this?
What is the actual procedure for buying a second hand bike in Germany?
What do I have to do re paperwork for importing it, I think there is5%vat to pay. The bike is more than 40 years old.
Are there any companies that buy it for you and transport it back?
Basically any advice welcome.
I have read online various guides, but none seem totally clear.
My plan at the moment is to drive there. Buy it. Then take it apart enough to fit it into the car and drive home. So bodywork off. Forks off. Swing arm rear wheel etc off. Then strap frame with engine into car and rest goes in round it.
What I am specifically not clear on is the actual buying process in Germany. I am take cash or do a bank transfer, but I don’t know what exactly the documentation I need to get done to make it mine.
Or exactly what documents I need for uk customs etc.
What I am specifically not clear on is the actual buying process in Germany. I am take cash or do a bank transfer, but I don’t know what exactly the documentation I need to get done to make it mine.
Or exactly what documents I need for uk customs etc.
Stevemr said:
Yes I did see Beams post, thought about asking him for more details, but didn’t want to derail his thread. He seemed to get someone to collect it. Interested to find out more.
Sorry for taking my sweet time in getting to this. My process was bought from a dealer > they arranged shipping with a well-used service and I think preparation of legal/customs documents with the german equivalent of DVLA > the transporter then organised exportation stuff with one company on the german side (this may have been continuous with the same outfit the dealer used) > transporter also organised importation stuff with another company for the UK side as well as providing me information of what I had to do at my own end to make the process a smooth one...
This involved getting things like an EORI number, loading a CDS account with enough cash to cover the import duty and fees then using that EORI number to authorise the company dealing with UK side of importation permission to pay the fees with my account balance when customs clapped eyes on the bike. I actually loaded my account with much more than enough so in the process of getting that refunded - funny how in such a digital world where they utilised digitised processes at every step that they then only want to send you a bloody cheque and make you apply via post first.
This is an extremely rough description of the process involved and I will dig out the emails of all correspondence and details of services used to help you as soon as I can. My shipping guy was actually held up for several hours when he got to port because another bike he was bringing with him had a 900cc engine in it instead of 750cc so they wanted a proper look at it and other bikes to make sure all above board. Something to consider if your plan is to dismantle the bike but your plan may well work as you can declare the import after it is in the country though I am sure I have read that you must do so within 14 days and face a fine that increases per day undeclared.
Hope this helps somewhat!
Thank you for the detailed reply.
It all sounds complex, even buying it through a dealer and getting it shipped.
What a mickey take refunding by cheque as well.
By the time you add up the costs, I think it would be worth buying the bike I had in mind. And it would be a good adventure going to Germany. But by the time you factor in the hassle factor, maybe not.
The bikes rough as well, which is what I want, but it’s pretty hard to tell exactly how rough from pics, and it’s a long way to go to then find out it’s no good.
Good luck with your project.
Thank you again for taking the time to reply.
It all sounds complex, even buying it through a dealer and getting it shipped.
What a mickey take refunding by cheque as well.
By the time you add up the costs, I think it would be worth buying the bike I had in mind. And it would be a good adventure going to Germany. But by the time you factor in the hassle factor, maybe not.
The bikes rough as well, which is what I want, but it’s pretty hard to tell exactly how rough from pics, and it’s a long way to go to then find out it’s no good.
Good luck with your project.
Thank you again for taking the time to reply.
I imported a bike from Italy, it was all quite straightforward however this was before Brexit so I don't know how much of a complication that may have caused.
Mine was a private sale, I flew over and paid cash. Fortunately I was able to store the bike at my Sister's house (lives near the seller) which made things much easier.
It was originally my intention to ride it back but I was put off due to the complications of insurance/tax etc. plus that it was old and not been run for some time so a 1,000 mile journey may not have been the most sensible idea. I also considered driving over to get it but due to the costs involved, I got it shipped by Chas Mortimer: https://www.chasmortimer.co.uk/
Once here first step was register for NOVA to asses if any tax/VAT was due (unsurprisingly this seemed to be the most important part!) in my case no tax was due but you can't proceed without this and IIRC there is a time limit on how quickly you need to do this after arrival.
I then got an MOT and valid insurance (on the frame number) along with the Italian registration document, filled in the DVLA form, sent off these documents along with the admin fee plus 12 months road tax and was issued with an age related plate and V5 in around a week.
All in, I was surprised at how simple it all was but, as above this was pre-Brexit so maybe more complex now?
Mine was a private sale, I flew over and paid cash. Fortunately I was able to store the bike at my Sister's house (lives near the seller) which made things much easier.
It was originally my intention to ride it back but I was put off due to the complications of insurance/tax etc. plus that it was old and not been run for some time so a 1,000 mile journey may not have been the most sensible idea. I also considered driving over to get it but due to the costs involved, I got it shipped by Chas Mortimer: https://www.chasmortimer.co.uk/
Once here first step was register for NOVA to asses if any tax/VAT was due (unsurprisingly this seemed to be the most important part!) in my case no tax was due but you can't proceed without this and IIRC there is a time limit on how quickly you need to do this after arrival.
I then got an MOT and valid insurance (on the frame number) along with the Italian registration document, filled in the DVLA form, sent off these documents along with the admin fee plus 12 months road tax and was issued with an age related plate and V5 in around a week.
All in, I was surprised at how simple it all was but, as above this was pre-Brexit so maybe more complex now?
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