Importing an outboard motor

[TWPC]

Has anyone ever imported a new outboard motor on a personal basis, or considered doing so?

Is it an idea even worth considering and if so, what advice would you give?

The selling prices are low, but quite apart from the issues of trust in the supplier and warranty validity, what additional fees will there be? I presume delivery, insurance, VAT at 20% and customs duty.

Example of one site I found: https://nursofyan.com/index.php?id_c...oller=category

Any thoughts on this much appreciated.

[Mattster]

Originally Posted by TWPC

Has anyone ever imported a new outboard motor on a personal basis, or considered doing so?

Is it an idea even worth considering and if so, what advice would you give?

I think you've covered the potential issues, the biggest being warranty IMO. The price differences on bigger outboards in particular in the US can be ridiculous, but make sure you are comparing costs with controls etc so you are comparing apples to apples.

I imported a brand new boat with outboard, sight unseen, from the US to Australia at the tail end of the GFC. The prices were too good to ignore, and I ended up with a top brand 18 ft bay boat on an aluminium trailer with a Yammy F115 on the back for little more than the local cost of the engine alone at the time. The risk of course is that something goes wrong, so the savings have to be big enough to justify, and I also felt that Yamaha were reliable enough not to have to worry too much. Glad to say it all worked out and it was a great boat whilst I had it, and local Yammy dealers were happy enough to service it.

VAT will be payable on the combined cost of the engine + tariff + shipping. I think the crazy 25% retaliatory tariff on US boats is still in force, but shouldn't apply to Japanese built engines.

[TWPC]

Thank you for that info, Mattster: interesting and helpful. Maybe importing from a dealer in the US or Canada is slightly lower risk than from Asia...?

[Mattster]

Originally Posted by TWPC

Thank you for that info, Mattster: interesting and helpful. Maybe importing from a dealer in the US or Canada is slightly lower risk than from Asia...?

I don't have any opinion on that I'm afraid.

I think what it boils down to is whether the savings are worth the risks (known and unknown) and the hassle (considerable, in my case). It still was for me, but boats were very (almost crazily) cheap back then, and the currency rate worked to my advantage. I ended up with something at effectively half the price of buying locally and, perhaps more importantly, of a type (open fibreglass sportfishing boat) that was not easy to obtain locally. I'm not sure I'd do it to save a couple of grand off an engine tho..

[TWPC]

Thank you again Mattster. You're right that there is a limit to the amount of hassle one can endure for limited financial benefit!

[Poly]

Originally Posted by TWPC

Thank you for that info, Mattster: interesting and helpful. Maybe importing from a dealer in the US or Canada is slightly lower risk than from Asia...?

Intuitively it feels like if something goes wrong talking to someone in your own language and where culture is similar that you stand a better chance of resolving it. BUT, there are scammers all over the world, so if something is dodgy rather than just unlucky I don't think it will matter where they are if you are buying remotely.

It can be hard enough getting a local dealer to work on your engine if they didn't supply it, never mind if it was a grey import.

[alistair munro]

According to the Suzuki distributor for Indonesia website they are not an official Suzuki dealer for Jakarta not checked other manufacturers

[alistair munro]

Not Honda either more checking required prices look good at a quick glance but as they say …..

[Mattster]

Must admit I didn't realise your link was to Indonesia - no wonder the prices look good. I'd be super wary - I would have thought if it was a genuine place, the Aussies would have been all over it by now given the prices they pay down there, but all I could find from a quick search was a warning page from the WA govt: https://www.scamnet.wa.gov.au/scamne...r_Websites.htm

Funnily enough, based in Indonesia. I'd steer well clear!

[alistair munro]

The Suzuki distributer for Indonesia would unlikely to have 2 dealers in one city dealer in one city to give him territory especially if he is supplying all makes and has stock ?