Buying a bike from the states | GTAMotorcycle.com

Buying a bike from the states

R

ryareg

Member
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Hey guys,

I'm looking at purchasing a bike from the u.s. I have looked over the importing process and understand that I need to send the u.s all of the info atleast 72 hours prior to exporting. From personal experience with a friend, I know that you can bypass the u.s process but may face a $500 fine if they catch you. I would like to import the bike correctly though. Here lies my dilema...I'm looking at a private sale in Michigan (6.5 hr drive) and have no way of securing the purchase of the bike if I have to wait 72hrs. I am not very comfortable sending a stranger let alone a stranger in another state a deposit for fear of him selling the bike to another person and poketing my cash. Does anyone have personal experience or suggestions how to go about this?

Thanks,

Ryan
 
I imported a few new bikes so I didn't have the problem you're facing. When its a new bike there are usually no surprises.

You either have to make two trips or trust the seller. Express your concern to him/her and ask for pictures (lots and lots of pictures), then fork over a few bucks as a deposit if you're feeling comfortable.

Pro-tip: if you do go ahead with it and ask him to fax the paperwork to the border, call their offices and confirm that they got the fax!
 
Thanks vitamin. I did look the sticky over. I guess I will look again though...lol

Thanks mmmnaked. Already have a bunch of pics/info. From talking to him, he seems pretty upfront but you never know right? Thats a good idea to have him fax it over but will they take the info from him or does it have to come from me? Do you think a deposit over paypal would be best and if so how much do you think would be acceptable? Btw bike is listed at $6000.
 
u didnt look over it well enough. I assume u will be crossin over in windsor. All u need is a copy of the ownership faxed 72 hours prior to crossing which the seller should have no problem providing u with. The fax can come from any party, but the who ever faxes it should keep the confirmation slip because u will need it incase they have a mess at the border and cant find ur fax.

ryareg said:
Thanks vitamin. I did look the sticky over. I guess I will look again though...lol

Thanks mmmnaked. Already have a bunch of pics/info. From talking to him, he seems pretty upfront but you never know right? Thats a good idea to have him fax it over but will they take the info from him or does it have to come from me? Do you think a deposit over paypal would be best and if so how much do you think would be acceptable? Btw bike is listed at $6000.
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Another option would be to bring the bike to the border and leave it in either Buffalo or Niagara Falls, NY until you get it cleared.
 
Not sure about Windsor, but I spoke on the phone with a guy at Queenstown/Lewiston today - they do not require any faxes any more. All you have to do is send them an e-mail with vehicle description (make, model, year) and VIN number, explaining that you will be importing it. I am importing my bike (hopefully) on Friday. So I e-mailed them the required bike info, and 10 minutes later received the confirmation e-mail. The require you to bring a printout of that e-mail along with bill of sale and the actual ownership when you will be taking the bike over the border (yes, you have to wait for at least 72 business hours after you get that confirmation e-mail).
 
cager said:
if this is as easy as it sounds i'm getting a new bike
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I'll post my impressions on the weekend in the main bike import thread. I am pretty much done with the paperwork on this side, and I was really stressed out about it, but after looking back, it doesn't look that bad.
 
tribal250 said:
u cant email lewiston if ur going to bring it thru windsor, just an fyi
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Lol...I meant that I would email the Port Huron border but I found out that only Lewiston accepts emails. It turns out that I have to wait until next week now because the seller had a family emergency and had to travel out of state. I'm lucky I didn't give him a deposit or it would have been a little shady :)
 
ryareg said:
Lol...I meant that I would email the Port Huron border but I found out that only Lewiston accepts emails. It turns out that I have to wait until next week now because the seller had a family emergency and had to travel out of state. I'm lucky I didn't give him a deposit or it would have been a little shady :)
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So Port Huron crossing still uses fax-based system?? Ouch!
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