Purchasing Timber From Usa To Oz

[oz tradie]

I want to order quite a few body blanks and highly figured 3/4 tops for future builds, and want to get it from some of the sources in America. (members of this site, most probably)

The thing is, I don't know what is involved.

I had a look on the Aus. customs website, which told me little, although it did make me cross-eyed.

Sooooooo............ has any body either imported via mail or sent from an outside country to Australia ?

Just need to know whether it's viable.

P.S I'm not fishing for deals........ That's why it's posted here and not under classifieds or w/site supplies.

[mammoth guitars]

We ship internationally. You may have import duties to pay. We can build most any blank. Take a look at the site and drop us an email and we will be glad to help.

[Phil Mailloux]

Besides the fact shipping is expensive, you may get busted on fumigation fees ($80AUD), especially if you've got bits of bark on your wood. Like spalted woods for example. I never got hit for it but I heard of some people that were. I ordered wood from the states on two different occasions and had no problems at all.

[fryovanni]

I would think the number one concern would be as Phil mentioned- Be sure the wood is free of live edges, worm holes, spalt etc.... (just clean wood). You have several options for shipping. The price varies a lot depending on speed. Surface parcel (4-6 weeks) is the least expensive, and generally is about $2 lb. If you go for express air it can go up by 3 to 4 times. If you are buying body blanks they will be very expensive when you figure in shipping. Unless it is a rare or highly figured wood I would do everything I could to buy it locally (body blanks are generally 9-15lbs.*+$18-$30/surface (example; Basswood to Limba or Sapele). Tops can be much more cost effective because they are generally lighter per. piece and high figure is more expensive/exotic is more expensive (making shipping more sensable). I would still avoid budget tops as they will not be a bargain when you ship them (shipping surface a 1/4" top will still be +$6-8 and 3/4" top +$10-14). If you bring in Honduran Mahogany or Black Limba be sure there are no worm holes. If you bring Quilted and or Flamed Maple specify no live edge and or Spalt. Be sure you get insurance (cover your bases). It is also a good idea to have the shipment boxed in such a way to limit the value of the packages to less than $200, and marked as commercial samples (this was a request from a fella I shipped to, he mentioned it is better in terms of taxes).

P.S. Maybe Phil or Perry could give you a better break down on taxes.

Peace,Rich

[oz tradie]

Mammoth,Phil and Rich........ cheers for the info and for sharing your experience.

I think I'll only source the highly figured tops from O/seas and source what I can locally for blanks.

That's not to say we don't have a good selection to choose from here, it just seems very limited

when you're talking about the knockout looking tops on offer elsewhere. (eg. quilted maple )

I'll order a few and see how things go with customs, and at the very least, I'll gain experience and

learn the ins and outs of Aussie tax minimisation techniques.

Thanks all,

Stu

[RGGR]

Have vendor ship you the bill separately from the order, and mark the order as "no commercial value, product sample". This way the taxman can't slip import fees on the item.

If bill is attached to order they will use purchase amount AND shipping fee as basis for their taxes. (at least that's how it works in Holland.) Ontop of that the UPS, FEDEXs of this world will slap fee for handling these taxes.

So $25 item in US, becomes ($25 + $10 shipping)*1.20 VAT + $10 TAX collection Fee = $52.

Have vendor mark item as product sample (without bill attached) and item will just be $35.

Vendor officially has to attach bill to export item, but some vendors will help you out on this. Leaves you some more beer money.

[mammoth guitars]

Have vendor ship you the bill separately from the order, and mark the order as "no commercial value, product sample". This way the taxman can't slip import fees on the item.

If bill is attached to order they will use purchase amount AND shipping fee as basis for their taxes. (at least that's how it works in Holland.) Ontop of that the UPS, FEDEXs of this world will slap fee for handling these taxes.

So $25 item in US, becomes ($25 + $10 shipping)*1.20 VAT + $10 TAX collection Fee = $52.

Have vendor mark item as product sample (without bill attached) and item will just be $35.

Vendor officially has to attach bill to export item, but some vendors will help you out on this. Leaves you some more beer money.

This might be ok for something low cost like an Alder blank or some hardware however if its a $250 quilted maple top and you want to insure it - you cannot insure it and state it has no value.

Stu, if you plan to order figured tops verify if it makes sense to order the body wood as well. We offer tops vaccum press glued to the body wood so its ready to go when you recieve it.

[fryovanni]

Have vendor ship you the bill separately from the order, and mark the order as "no commercial value, product sample". This way the taxman can't slip import fees on the item.

If bill is attached to order they will use purchase amount AND shipping fee as basis for their taxes. (at least that's how it works in Holland.) Ontop of that the UPS, FEDEXs of this world will slap fee for handling these taxes.

So $25 item in US, becomes ($25 + $10 shipping)*1.20 VAT + $10 TAX collection Fee = $52.

Have vendor mark item as product sample (without bill attached) and item will just be $35.

Vendor officially has to attach bill to export item, but some vendors will help you out on this. Leaves you some more beer money.

This might be ok for something low cost like an Alder blank or some hardware however if its a $250 quilted maple top and you want to insure it - you cannot insure it and state it has no value.

Stu, if you plan to order figured tops verify if it makes sense to order the body wood as well. We offer tops vaccum press glued to the body wood so its ready to go when you recieve it.

Shipping with no declaired value and no insurance would be nuts given that you are at the mercy of the carrier. I have no issue with calling it a commercial sample, as I can justify that. From the recievers end they would be screwed if the package was damaged or lost (and that risk is real when it goes overseas).

If the item/ items being shipped are not a good deal when the total cost delivered is accounted for- don't buy it overseas. Remember, I don't care who you buy from VIA mail order (myself included). You can't look over what you are buying and hand select the wood. This puts you at a disadvantage. Be sure you think through the costs, local availability, selection, risk and so forth. Weigh these out carefully before you place orders. A few dollars would not be enough for me to order by mail, however I understand in some cases it is a lot more than a few dollars difference. That is just my take for what it is worth.

Peace,Rich

[vaxination]

fryovanni makes a good point that you aren't able to hand select your wood. i live in hawaii and i don't have a good source for most tone woods so i rely on suppliers from the mainland. i once ordered a 5A maple top from a very popular supplier and i got a board that i could barely discern any flame even after wetting with naptha.

however, i do have a couple of suppliers that i use that i can count on that will make great selections for me. in fact, doug of mammoth has "always" sent excellent wood to me. every piece that he has sent would have been something i would selected. i think he understands my situation and selects the wood as if he was selecting something he would use. he is a real pro.

i haven't tried fryovanni's stuff, however, others have posted about his wood and they seemed happy. whoever you go with, just tell them to select as if they were looking for wood for their own project! again, doug at mammoth has done this for me and has been consistent.

[mammoth guitars]

Thanks for the kind words vaxination.

We go to the lumber yard and hand select our body woods and in some cases we are looking for pieces that fit a customer's order request. This is a very tough process during the summer months in Georgia but it is a must to provide great quality.

[fryovanni]

Thanks for the kind words vaxination.

We go to the lumber yard and hand select our body woods and in some cases we are looking for pieces that fit a customer's order request. This is a very tough process during the summer months in Georgia but it is a must to provide great quality.

You know that is what makes Mammoth's bodys and parts a great bargain. The prices are a fair bargain to begin with, but you are getting more personal attension than you would get from most any other dealers. When you think about the price of fuel, time spent selecting, tool overhead, time machining, time glueing, sand paper (or wear on a belt), time to surface sand, not to mention packing for shipping and order processing. The small amount of markup sure is going a long way. Top it off with customers that are very happy. That is a company that is working hard and getting it done right (very rare in todays slam and jam market).

Peace,Rich

[vaxination]

yeah, thats a big plus for me. i often buy boards from ebay (mostly from a canadian supplier) and i end up planing, resawing, gluing up and surface sanding. however, when i need to get a project going right away (a build for someone else) where i don't have the particular woods in my own stock, i like to call mammoth because i can get quality pieces and all the prep work is done (planing, resawing, glue up and thickness sanded) at almost the same price that one would pay for rough sawn pieces.

however, i have to admit though, that i often enjoy doing the prep work myself.

[RGGR]

Nothing beats hand selection. No question. But sometimes some woods are hard to get a hold off, meaning you have to order abroad. The internet is for some vendors a great tool to display their woods.

For your regular Alder, Basswood, Mahogany body blank you should be able to find that locally. If not, you simple have to search harder. Call up local luthiers and see where they get their supplies.

For some figured top and so....it's a different ball game. These can be packaged fairly sturdy, and shipping costs don't go through the roof.

[oz tradie]

That's my situation right there, RGGR. It's only the figured tops I will have to order from elsewhere.

I've got a good lumber yard just down the road from me that sells great stuff for body and neck blanks,

(utile,& fijian mahogany,walnut, cherry, blackwood, birdseye maple, ash, kauri, etc.) but unfortunately they don't stock the highly figured gear.

. And really, why would you stock all of that 'drooly gobsmack' stuff when you had little to no market for it? kudos to them I say.

And there's nothing better than picking through a stack and finding the timbers with your name written all over them. Must be a throwback to the old caveman days of hunt and kill.

cheers,

Stu

[RGGR]

And there's nothing better than picking through a stack and finding the timbers with your name written all over them. Must be a throwback to the old caveman days of hunt and kill.

Hahaha.....I hear ya. I tend to go by my woodsupplier on regular basis to check if they have some new treasures. Trouble is...... buying wood goes much faster then finishing guitar, and every new piece eventually will lead to new guitar (or WOD, if you are DRAK!!)

But nothing better then going for piece of Bubinga and walking out with light Swamp Ash, or going in for Alder, and ending up with great piece of Limba.

I sometimes have the feeling the wood picks me instead of the other way around.

[fryovanni]

And there's nothing better than picking through a stack and finding the timbers with your name written all over them. Must be a throwback to the old caveman days of hunt and kill.

cheers,

Stu

Hunt and Kill

It is a LOT of fun looking for treasure. Something about finding that fressshhhh stack of untouched boards just gets the anticipation going. A quick glance down the edges and ends and bingo! I see that wide board that looks to have a bit of familiar flash on the edge (sure enough at the bottom of the pile). 10 minutes of manhandling 8/4 and the holy grail awaits(well unless it has a big split down the middle of the board ).

Then of course there is fort knox (Gilmer). You are surrounded by tempting prizes, only question how much gold ya got to spend .

Peace,Rich