Shopping for bindings in France via Boise

[spudbumkin]

Call me a hick from Idaho, but can a guy purchase some bindings from a French web store priced in Euros and pay for them with his Visa that uses good old fashioned American dollars and have the bindings shipped to good old Boise? Would the Post Office hold the bindings until I paid duty on the said bindings? What do you think duty would be on said bindings? Would I be put on some double secret watch list and be pronounced an enemy of the state? Does anyone have any experience with situations of this nature? Inquiring minds want to know!

[stuckathuntermtn]

In most instances, it's pretty expensive. And your Visa would pay the price in Euros so the exchange rate would hammer you too.

[gregL]

I've bought boots and bindings from France many times using a credit card and they are happy to do the conversion from € for you. Even better, goods shipped to the US don't have VAT added. None of the EU companies I've dealt with ships USPS, and depending on which carrier and how the goods are described ("cross country" is usually good for no duty) I've had to pay duty sometimes for skis and boots, never for bindings. US customs will send you a bill a week or two after you get the goods via the carrier.

PS I live one state to your west, but I think you should be OK in Idaho . . .

[stuckathuntermtn]

oh, and: http://www.telemark-pyrenees.com/en/...heusaandcanada

[gregL]

In most instances, it's pretty expensive. And your Visa would pay the price in Euros so the exchange rate would hammer you too.

Go here: http://hts.usitc.gov/
Search for item #9506.12

If you bought a pair of Dynafits and they said "cross country ski bindings" on the package they should be duty free. If they are "other" bindings, they COULD charge you 2.8% but it is at the discretion of US customs. At the moment the euro/dollar rate is 1:1.311, pretty decent so long as your card company doesn't charge you a 3% "foreign transaction fee" . . .

[spudbumkin]

Arild posted a link in the Salomon 997/916/900 thread for Salomon 920s at ekosport.fr. One can aquire a pair for 160 euros shipped to the U.S. Thats only around $230! And they're red!!

[XXX-er]

Up here 3 of us got together & placed an order with TP.com to share the cost of shipping & brokerage ect

on Verts /110 brakes/ 110 crampons I figure I save about 230$ compared to paying list

[Hugh Conway]

this was a cutting edge idea in the year 2000

[GeezerSteve]

Boise learns about it 12 years later, ahead of schedule for Idaho.

[PNWbrit]

None of the EU companies I've dealt with ships USPS

That's odd. I always send stuff to France by just popping into La Poste in downtown Seattle sticking a few euros in stamps on the package and saying "merci bien" to le facteur behind the counter.

[that dude who did that thing]

I'm going to make fun of your red bindings next winter. Just warning you.

I buy stuff from Europe on occasion and have run into no problems at all. Which doesn't mean that I am NOT on a double secret watch list, just that if I am I don't know about it, which is pretty much what "double secret" would mean, right?

Shipping tends to take about twice as long as stuff shipped within the U.S. Even the credit card fee doesn't end up amounting to anything, at least on the relatively small purchases I make.

DO NOT attempt to buy wine, beer or liquor this way. An acquaintance of mine tried to do this (ordered several cases of wine from local vintners in the part of France where he grew up) and ended up with lots of questions from a lot of folks who identified themselves mainly with acronynms.

[spudbumkin]

I'm going to make fun of your red bindings next winter. Just warning you.

Jamespio, you have a date! You know, we didn't even make one run together this abbreviated season! Come to think of it, I didn't even make one run with T. Botos either. Ever since Eric took up with the BYRDS, their priorities seemed to changed from sliding to cycling. Let us BBQ soon!

[XXX-er]

this was a cutting edge idea in the year 2000

Yeah I originally did this in 2001, the good news is that 12 yrs later ... it still works

[gregL]

Shipping tends to take about twice as long as stuff shipped within the U.S.

Not always. I ordered skis once from Telemark-Pyrenees on Friday night around midnight and they showed up before noon the next Tuesday. It took REI longer to ship a pair from their warehouse in Kent, which is about 20 miles from me . . .

[Hugh Conway]

Not always. I ordered skis once from Telemark-Pyrenees on Friday night around midnight and they showed up before noon the next Tuesday. It took REI longer to ship a pair from their warehouse in Kent, which is about 20 miles from me . . .

I've had similar experiences. Currency fees depend on your credit card

[that dude who did that thing]

Jamespio, you have a date! You know, we didn't even make one run together this abbreviated season! Come to think of it, I didn't even make one run with T. Botos either. Ever since Eric took up with the BYRDS, their priorities seemed to changed from sliding to cycling. Let us BBQ soon!

I tried to call you a few times on weekends, but you're a smarter man than I and apparently don't carry your phone on the slopes.

Do you ride? If so, let's get together with Botos and do it. He'll leave us in the dust (unless we make him carry the beer).

[XXX-er]

Not always. I ordered skis once from Telemark-Pyrenees on Friday night around midnight and they showed up before noon the next Tuesday. It took REI longer to ship a pair from their warehouse in Kent, which is about 20 miles from me . . .

I ordered boots on a friday, TP said they would go out monday and I got the boots in northern BC by wednesday which is faster than MEC, from the Pyrennes packages go to Toulouse which is close and a major hub for the air carriers