whats happens when shipp arrives?

[PHATR32]

does anyone know exactly what happens when the boat arrives? what do customs do? and when do you get to see the car?

st eve

[RBN1]

heh thats exactly what I'm trying to work out. Also a itemised list of things as far as paper work goes would be great.

Anyone know? You'd think that the importers would provide a dummies guide as far as the process goes.

[druzilla32]

yeah thats exactly what i want to know also.

my car arrives this thursday and i would like to know what happens after??? do you think i sould book my car in for complience yet?

[PHATR32]

well if anyone has expoeriance with it, it would be great. im planning on writing up a basic guide, including complaincing for perth people so anyone info would be great!

steve

[pentae]

druzilla32: if your car arrives on thursday you should have booked it in for compliance about 2 weeks ago

[PHATR32]

im not planning on compliancing this year, ill be doing most of it myself during the holidays, and get pros to do the harder bits e.g side intursion bars.

steve

[someonestolecc]

There are fat threads in this forum about this already!

[PHATR32]

really? ill check again then.

thanx

steve

[PHATR32]

i just checked again and i cant find anything usefull.

steve

[cowie165]

There are fat threads in this forum about this already!

I searched but got sick of picking out one or two posts in massive threads that get off topic quickly, so I emailed DEH and Customs directly.

I have a reply from a Customs Information Officer with the forms required and a few guides on manual customs entry for home consumption. Basically, your agent should do all the work for you, that's why you are paying them. It seems the forms are submitted electronically.

Your CA should be able to arrange a truck/tow to the AQIS cleaner, and your complier should be able to organise a truck/tow from there to the workshop. If you're in Sydney, you can prob do the sly and drive to Hobbs like most guys. If you're on the Kiwi vessel like pretty much everyone else here, we'll have to play it by ear.

Hey if there's an SAU member in Brisbane who is going to see their car, perhaps we could (ask very nicely and) organise one person to drive all these cars to the cleaners, rather than 8 or 10 guys all paying $120 for a few hundred metre tow. Meh...just a thought. Appreciation could be expressed in beer? I dunno.

Your CA will still need a few things like the letter to the DEH (unless you're doing it yourself), the original B/L, and the Import Approval. You do not have to attend customs clearance.

For more info, either post or ring your CA. Don't bother emailing them - past experience says the reply takes a few days and only half your q's are answered. Get them on the phone and grill them until you have the info you need!

Mark

If you want me to forward the Customs or DEH email history (sorta useful, but I'm an information hog) then beam over a PM. Cheers.

[cowie165]

And to get back to PHATR32's question, check out "Your car coming into Oz". Lucien and other guys seemed to be able to have a 5 min look at the car during the customs clearance. You can't remove anything from the vehicle, apparently. After that, it'll be all yours once the cleaners are done and AQIS signs off the clearance.

Car arrives => CA starts paperwork and car is entered for customs clearance => clearance done, pay CA => AQIS inspects (inevitably knocks back car) => cleaner does a token spray and steam clean, pay exorbitant fee => AQIS re-inspects, says good to go => you now have the car and need to get it either home or to compliance workshop.

This is put together from what other guys have posted and what I've learned myself. I've never done this before, so if you see a glaring error, pls feel free to correct the post.

Cheers

Mark.

[lwells]

Mark,

Actually, it goes more like this if you are using a customs agent (edit: this is how it works at the Glebe Island docks in Sydney):

CA starts paperwork and car is entered for customs clearance => clearance done => car arrives => AQIS inspects (inevitably knocks back car) => the car is released to you => you drive/tow the car to the cleaner => cleaner does a token spray and steam clean, pay exorbitant fee => AQIS re-inspects, says good to go => you now have the car and need to get it either home or to compliance workshop.

AFAIK, most of the 'paperwork' is all electronic. Nobody actually attends anything, except for the AQIS people. I was billed for all the customs and AQIS stuff (including re-inspections) before the car actually arrived.

You should be entitled to inspect the car when it lands, however I was not able to do that as CGL basically couldn't be stuffed organising it. Would never use them again (although I doubt others are much better).

The one chance you have is the bit I put in bold: the car will be released to you to deliver to Hobbs for steam cleaning. If you have anything loose in the car -- paperwork, parts, whatever -- this is your chance to grab it before someone else does.

Lucien.

[cowie165]

AFAIK, most of the 'paperwork' is all electronic.  Nobody actually attends anything, except for the AQIS people.  I was billed for all the customs and AQIS stuff (including re-inspections) before the car actually arrived.

You should be entitled to inspect the car when it lands, however I was not able to do that as CGL basically couldn't be stuffed organising it.  Would never use them again (although I doubt others are much better).

Lucien.

Dude do you have copies of your paperwork? Reason I ask is if it is all electronic, then I assume a fax machine works too (unless there is a dedicated Customs system) and if CGL are rubbish then I'll give it a go remote control cause I'm rubbish at it too but why pay for someone else? The customs guy emailed me what I think is all the forms, but I'd like to check their titles against the titles of the forms CGL submitted on your behalf.

If no-one actually has to attend the docks, I should be able to arrange it all myself you think?

I will be unable to inspect the car, and just want to make sure that you CGL is right in that you don't have to personally attend clearance.

What are your thoughts now that it's all done and the dust has settled?

Mark

Btw I love the idea of paying for AQIS re-inspection before it even arrives... hurrah for pessimism! Not that they'd (CGL) be far off on that assumption...

[lwells]

Here is a list of the charges from CGL:

$4275.91 -- Customs Duty / GST

$123.50 -- Quarantine Permit

$1052.85 -- Overseas Air/Sea Freight

$92.73 -- Port Service Charge

$150.00 -- Air Conditioning/Compliance

$35.00 -- Shipping Dock Fee

$50.00 -- Delivery Order Fee

$150.00 -- Agency Fee

$25.00 -- Customs Entry

$45.00 -- Quarantine Attendance

$45.00 -- Customs Attendance

$55.00 -- Customs Examination

$55.00 -- Quarantine Examination

$88.00 -- Quarantine Re-examination

If you don't use a customs agent you do have to personally attend. However, if you use a customs agent, you don't. I have no idea whether they actually attend, though I very much doubt it.

My thoughts? Hmmm. Much the same as before. If you don't have a couple of days off, and you don't mind being fleeced for ~$500, then use the broker. You will probably get your car released faster with a customs agent too (since the likelihood of mistakes is smaller). For me it made sense: I was very busy at the time. If you have the time, don't mind running around and want to save some cash, I would try it myself.

LW.

Edit: A few other points. The list above doesn't include the Hobbs charge (~$210 from memory). My biggest compliant about CGL was Colins complete and utter lack of communication skills. He would often completely disregard my questions via email, forcing me to re-ask them four or five times. He didn't bother to tell me that I had to pickup the documents from him which cost me ~$70 is emergency courier fees. He didn't bother to inform me that steaming cleaning hadn't been arranged. His excuse was 'as per our previous conversation on this matter' which, of course, never occurred.

[predator]

my thoughts: just use a broker, the docks were ages from my place, and taking days off work would have just cost me money anyhow.

Faxed them the import approval, my drivers license, the jap dereg papers.. and my importer sent them and me the "bill of landing", but I knew when the ship was pretty much arriving anyhow (arrived dead on schedule).. so I just tracked it on the little kiwi car little "where is your boat" now thing until it hit the shore. I waited a day or two then gave them a call to see the rough clearance time or any issues. They were happy to take questions on the phone and I would always use a phone rather than email in this situation.

Aircon was simply a matter of a typed letter, faxed thru, again with another copy of drivers license for the customs agent to forward to DEH.

I didn't get to see the car until it arrived delivered in my driveway as organised, or they would have sent it to whatever compliancer I had nominated (and organised a couple of weeks b4 the boat arrived). To go through customs after landing took about 7 working days.

I don't really see the point of rushing to see it before hand. If stuff is going to get stolen, it'll get stolen at some point along the process.

As point of reference to llwells, ignoring freight and duty charges.. charge of $914.23

Mine was $816.. Without being charged the $150 for the aircon - works out pretty similar actually. Mine also did include the car carrier fee somewhere for transferring it down from the docks to the goldcoast.

[lwells]

I don't really see the point of rushing to see it before hand. If stuff is going to get stolen, it'll get stolen at some point along the process.

You can't remove anything from the car if you view it during the customs inspection: your not allowed to touch it. The only reason to attend would be for interest sake or to take photos as evidence of parts on the car so you can make a claim latter should things go missing.

Although its not stictly legal, I would remove anything and everything when the car is released to you to be towed (*cough* driven *cough*) to Hobbs for steam cleaning. Their entire operation struck me as completely shoddy and I would be less than shocked if things went walkabout while your car is there waiting for its incredably thorough cleaning.

I was told numerous times that they were "run off their feet" and couldn't possibly clean my car because they had just had a load vehicles arrive. Funnily enough when I dropped off my car the AQIS inspection people had just arrived and there was all of about ten cars for them to check. Its just a ploy to get you to ask them how things can by sped up, to which the answer is slip an extra $50 their direction.

Not only that but their premises is a joke. Its utterly insecure: anyone could walk off the street and get to the cars if they knew where to look. Oh, and their cleaning is a joke too.

LW.

[Dash]

Hey steve

Are you using UCB as your customs broker?

If you are fax your air con exemption letter to Bill now as I was held up

a day or so waiting for approval.You will need it before your car will clear.

My car arrived on last months boat and was all pretty straight forward.

Boat docked fri/sat

Car cleared by thursday(no cleaning required)

Delivered to my door friday morning before work :wassup:

As for trying to clear it yourself for me it simply wasnt worth it.

I make more money going to work than I would of saved.

Also found Bill really good to deal with kept me informed of how everything was

going (by phone too!) and the charges were only $700 or so including Port charges etc..

The broker I brought the car through could take a lesson in customer service off him!!

[Beer Baron]

my thoughts: just use a broker, the docks were ages from my place, and taking days off work would have just cost me money anyhow.  

Faxed them the import approval, my drivers license, the jap dereg papers.. and my importer sent them and me the "bill of landing", but I knew when the ship was pretty much arriving anyhow (arrived dead on schedule).. so I just tracked it on the little kiwi car little "where is your boat" now thing until it hit the shore. I waited a day or two then gave them a call to see the rough clearance time or any issues. They were happy to take questions on the phone and I would always use a phone rather than email in this situation.  

Aircon was simply a matter of a typed letter, faxed thru, again with another copy of drivers license for the customs agent to forward to DEH.  

I didn't get to see the car until it arrived delivered in my driveway as organised, or they would have sent it to whatever compliancer I had nominated (and organised a couple of weeks b4 the boat arrived). To go through customs after landing took about 7 working days.  

I don't really see the point of rushing to see it before hand. If stuff is going to get stolen, it'll get stolen at some point along the process.

As point of reference to llwells, ignoring freight and duty charges..  charge of $914.23  

Mine was $816.. Without being charged the $150 for the aircon - works out pretty similar actually. Mine also did include the car carrier fee somewhere for transferring it down from the docks to the goldcoast.

predator can you tell me the name of the customs agent you used in Brisbane?

Thanks,

Richard

[PHATR32]

hey just,

yeah im using ucb too. Bill has so far been pretty good. i faxed him my aircon letter and id last week, so i assume he's sorted it out. ive yet to receve the bill of landing.

how did you pay for it all? i dont wanna rock up with $5000, do they acept chques?

steve

[PHATR32]

also, is the steam cleaning place near the freo docks?

steve