I had better come clean on this . It's me the buyer! I really should have bought the wheels when I bought the tyres (probably didn't have the dosh at the time)
To clear up a couple of points.
1) It is possible to send from France to UK without paying import duty (although that may end when C&E get their software sorted, originally for july, wait and see). I know this 'cos I have done it (a bicycle with a whole load of tools and accessories). It is also possible to send from UK to France (my english daughter has, to her french sister!)
2) Back in the days beloved of Brexiteers the french were very lenient on import duties on secondhand items. I would expect this to still be the case within certain limits
bollox
Unless they are particularly special rims, I would suggest it would be cheaper to buy new ones in France. They are going to be very expensive to post cos of the size. Royal mail won't do it*. I dread to think what DHL would charge. I recently wanted to send something to the UK. It used to cost me €10, now the same item is €55.
Basically anything international is now very expensive, and very convoluted. But that's fine, that's what people wanted apparently...
J
* Max size: Length + width + depth no more than 90cm with no single side longer than 60cm
What's special about these rims is that they stopped being made a certain time ago and I like them. Equivalents are undoubtedly available in USAnia for a price. Equivalents in Europe are heavier and/or wider which is sub-optimal. Other than that what makes them special is that they aren't! No offset drillings, no tubeless ready, no disc only, no reinfoced spoke beds - just an old-fashioned rim for a bicycle wheel (and 650B!)
When I sent the bike to Cat
https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=119043.0 DHL were not the best carrier (partly because the office staff in Limoges were not able to look at a bike box and say that it wouldn't be accepted). When I went looking for carriers because the DHL on-line booking (the only way they seem to work) wouldn't accept the box dimensions I ended up using Packlink to find a carrier. I can't remember if UPS were the cheapest but they were the one I chose and I can't complain at the service although yes the price was steep (but in plain pandemic restrictions the option of transporting the bike myself was simply not available without £2000 of quarantine hotel expense).
Re Import duties. As I understand it I am the one liable so that's my choice.
Is the sending urgent?
Where in France?
Not really, but if I post to person in UK who can later bring to France it could take a year for that to happen and if I pay £20 to post UK or £50 to post France you got to wonder if it's worth it...
I will have to see what the post office say, they may suggest it is a billionty pounds to post anyway.
The sending isn't urgent at all (other than one of the rims might be urgent to someone else that I don't know) I am just future proofing. OTH after 18 months of closed borders, who's betting on when cross-Channel travel will be normalised again! My 18 month old grandson will probably be old enough to bring them over himself all alone by the time that happens!
I would check on Packlink for a quote, it isn't binding.
