Thinking of buying a secondhand earthmoving machine from Asia? Then make sure you factor in all the additional costs, because you could be hit up for $4,000 just for cleaning the machine when it arrives.
Increasingly earthmoving companies are buying secondhand excavators, diggers, dozers and other machines from Asia where top branded secondhand machines are selling at discounted prices compared to Australian based machines.
However, earthmoving business owners are being caught out by massive customs and quarantine costs – which might still make it worthwhile, but importers should check the risks first.
Example: Importing an excavator from China
Generally, the price they are selling for is low enough to easily absorb the shipping costs and a good customs brokerage can generally organise to reduce the import duties from 5% to zero because the machines are not manufactured here in Australia. But the potential cost traps include cleaning and storage.
The Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) will inspect the machine on arrival and in most instances direct it for a steam clean; as you can imagine the machine has intricate parts and those parts need to be cleaned thoroughly and the costs can easily top $4,000.
Additional costs are incurred by the Quarantine Accredited Premise (QAP) who are accredited by DAFF to undertake the work. Another cost is the fee for moving the vehicle by truck from customs to the QAP. A broker can pre-clear the cargo before it arrives into Australia but once it arrives, the machine will be inspected and either be released, sent to the QAP or in the worse case scenario be re-exported.
Brokers are connected to Customs and DAFF electronically and receive virtually instantaneous responses in regards to the status of cargo.
Platinum® Freight™ has customs cleared earthmoving equipment Australia wide… click below for information relevant to your state or territory:
- Customs Clearance Sydney
- Customs Clearance Melbourne
- Customs Clearance Fremantle
- Customs Clearance Adelaide
- Customs Clearance Brisbane
Ensure you receive hassle free customs clearance in Australia and call 1300 882 877 today to find out how Platinum® Freight can help you.