Importing a Motor

[ChrisHoover]

I'm curious if anyone has bought a motor from Germany and had it shipped to the US. Was it a hassle? Did it take long?

[Matt Monson]

Originally Posted by ChrisHoover

I'm curious if anyone has bought a motor from Germany and had it shipped to the US. Was it a hassle? Did it take long?

The country is kind of irrelevant. The competence of the seller is really what matters.

Yes, sea freight takes a long time, sometimes over a month. Air freight will be under a week but 2-3 times the price.

Customs is a day or two if it's declared and handled properly. You will be asked to buy a one time bond and sign a POA. All totally normal.

[HaroldMHedge]

As Matt said the declaration (Harmonized System, HS, Code) is very important to get anything through Customs.

[rattlsnak]

If the shipper declares it as an airplane engine, it will get through customs much faster and cheaper.. (or so I've heard..

[skinnerd]

I bought a 911 engine out of Australia a couple years ago.
It took around 3 months from what I remember.
Came on a boat.
The shipper organized most of it getting to the US.
Once here, it was a bit of a pain to get it through customs and pay everyone that had their hand out...and there were a few of those.
Lots of tracking down folks and paperwork to get done.
Not for the faint of heart.
But when the engine finally showed up at my garage in Oregon, the prior PITA was all worth it.

[Jack Olsen]

I did it many years ago, from Germany. It's so long ago that I don't remember a lot of the details, but it was mostly uneventful. I think it might be better if it's labeled as 'engine parts,' as opposed to a full engine.

As others have said, a lot will depend on the seller and how they set it up. Hopefully, you'll just have to confirm where it gets delivered.

[ChrisHoover]

Thanks all for the comments. It is appreciated.