Shipping car parts to Italy- easy/reliable/economical

[Turn7]

I have a friend with a Caterham in Italy.

He often needs parys, but a lot of the UK suppliers just won’t entertain shipping to Italy now.

He wants to get suppliers to deliver to me and then we work out the shipping between us.

None of this large ir bulky, service type items really.

I tried UPS, and the box sat in Italy UPS for about ten days for reasons we couldn’t work out.

It’s possible I didn’t have forms right, I’m not sure.

What’s the best solution to this, and what paperwork is required to satisfy the Italian customs ?

[coetzeeh]

Find a different parts supplier - the major players will all export, it is not complicated at all.

If the parts are delivered to you in UK, VAT will be charged.

[sunbeam alpine]

coetzeeh said:

Find a different parts supplier - the major players will all export, it is not complicated at all.

If the parts are delivered to you in UK, VAT will be charged.

Post-Brexit, of all the different suppliers I use/used to use, only Rimmer Bros have an all-costs-paid system that works reasonably well. Even that can take 10 days or more if there's a hitch in the system.

I've given up on other UK suppliers.

OP - has your friend tried searching German sites? I buy a lot now from OKP but they mainly do Italian marques. Parts from Germany are TÜV certified so should be high quality.

[Turn7]

Ok, for a little more detail, these are parts for a Caterham, and therefore some are very specific to the car.

He also would like to be able to share in the large used Caterham accessories market in this country.

He is happy to pay for these, and then have the parts shipped to my address.

I’m just looking for the most straightforward and reliable method of doing this.

Last year we tried UPS and a box the size a set of brake pads was held by Italian customs for about 14 days….

[sunbeam alpine]

Turn7 said:

Ok, for a little more detail, these are parts for a Caterham, and therefore some are very specific to the car.

He also would like to be able to share in the large used Caterham accessories market in this country.

He is happy to pay for these, and then have the parts shipped to my address.

I’m just looking for the most straightforward and reliable method of doing this.

Last year we tried UPS and a box the size a set of brake pads was held by Italian customs for about 14 days….

Sorry, but there really isn't a simple way of doing this any more.

With respect, if your friend wants to buy in the UK, he's better off buying directly from companies than letting them ship to you (plus he's paying 2 lots of transport). At least the company should hopefully have more experience of filling in all the necessary forms (and less risk of making a mistake which will REALLY delay stuff). The fact that companies are turning away business for this should give you the hint that it's no longer easy.

To give a little more detail from my side, I'm resident in Belgium, sleeping (or semi-active) partner in a business specialing in restoring classic cars.

Prior to Brexit we bought probably 80% of parts in the UK (and I agree that the UK has probably the biggest selection of suppliers and expertise). Now we only buy parts we can't find elsewhere.

If your friend does buy from the UK, 10-14 days will be the average lead time. It won't be held up by Italian Customs themselves, it will be held up by whichever shipping company is involved - they have to collect the VAT and charge an administration fee for doing this.

[Turn7]

That’s seems to be the case….

Biggest issue really is that Uk companies don’t even acknowledge email enquiries from EU now.

Just simply to complicated.

What a clusterfk.

[antonio.cocchi]

Thanks Turn7. The italian Friends is me and from bigger supplier there are minor issues. This time is a parte
by a craftsman made especially for me, those gentleman does not maintain relations with forwarders on the continent so ask me to shop to am UK address.
fk