Importing classic cars has its reward, but if you get hit by huge import costs, you might find yourself facing thousands of dollars in unexpected storage fees and or quarantine cleaning costs.
That’s where Platinum® Freight Management’s customs brokering services can potentially save you thousands of dollars.
And here we have a classic example:
If you’re going for an inland tour from Sydney or Gosford in New South Wales, you might consider taking a ride in a convertible Cadillac from the lovely township of Maroota in the Hawkesbury region. You might also consider holding your wedding there.
If that’s your plan, we suggest you contact Joe and Rosemary Fenech who own JNR Classic Cars at Maroota.
They have a stable of three 1961 Cadillacs – two four door and one convertible, as well as two Pontiac Firebird convertibles (1967 and 1969).
But how did they get these classic cars to the farming region of Australia?
The answer is that they did their research and made the decision to purchase these vehicles in the USA. The Fenechs organised the papers for the USA, and knowing the complexities of the paperwork, they asked Peter McRae, Sydney customs brokerand CEO of Platinum® Freight Management in Australia to organise the import process at the Australian end.
“Peter is fantastic. He knows all the problems that can occur when you are importing from overseas. He knows which department is interested with the import, what could hold the cars up once they arrive in Australia, and gets all the paperwork done before the cars land,” Joe Fenech says.
“I recommend him to anyone importing goods to Australia. He knows the legal requirements that can apply and he will save you thousands of dollars, plus his fee is very reasonable.”
Joe Fenech has a practical example of how Peter helped him.
He first ensured that the car’s VIN number was submitted to the Department of Infrastructure and Transport. He then checked whether the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) would require the vehicles to be cleaned. The importers of most secondhand machinery coming into Australia have to prove that the machinery has been thoroughly cleaned before arriving in Australia. That doesn’t mean a quick run through a carwash in the foreign port. The cleaning must be thorough.
In Joe and Rosemary’s case the cars did have papers saying they had been washed in the USA, but Australia’s quarantine service (now DAFF, which has taken over the responsibilities of the previous Australian Quarantine Inspection Service – AQIS), required a much more thorough cleaning, including the engine and deep into the floor.
But Platinum® Freight Management already knew upfront that the cars would almost certainly need to be cleaned for DAFF. So, instead of the cars sitting in Customs and then in the sea freight depot for a couple of weeks waiting for all the paperwork to be done, Peter enabled them to be in and out of the DAFF cleaning facility before JNR Classic Cars faced up to $1,200 just in storage fees at the sea freight depot. If there had been any further delays that could have doubled or tripled in a very short period of time.
There is no way a local business could have organised this so fast, because customs brokers like Platinum® Freight Management, can have the paperwork organised in 24 hours, as they have direct computer links with Customs and DAFF. If a member of the public chooses to do the whole process themselves it takes at least three days to attend the Customs office, DAFF and the depot.
Joe and Rosemary organised a tow truck to get the cars to their garage in Maroota after the cars were released from DAFF.
You can imagine the sight for school kids and car enthusiasts as these beautiful cars appeared on the roads of the small village of Maroota!
For brides and grooms, Year 12 students going to their formals, and people looking for the best way to drive through this old sheep station region, there are now Cadillacs and Pontiacs waiting to take you for a drive of a lifetime.
And for importers, there is an easier way to save you potentially thousands of dollars by using a customs broker like Platinum® Freight Management.