Since April 2021 prices have gone up 16.6% with strong demand for used vehicles.

It is no surprise that we have seen an increase in people looking to get in on the action and find vehicles to sell to our buoyant UK market.

However, some markets such as the USA have seen a slowdown in used car prices with the Manheim wholesale index suggesting a slowdown in pricing. Therefore, purchasing a car abroad and importing it to the UK can give you a double-win on low purchasing costs and high resale.

So how do you get involved in buying, importing and selling cars from countries such as USA or Dubai here in the UK?

Firstly we need to find cars for sale. Checking Autotrader.com / eBay USA can be a great start. You also have the auction houses such as CoPart with depots across the world (we see a lot from USA and Dubai) which have some incredible prices on cars.

Obviously from these markets the cars will be LHD, luckily there is a strong market for LHD cars here in the UK especially with people who frequently visit Europe, also from European buyers seeking UK cars.

Alternatively you can look into RHD markets such as Hong Kong, Australia, South Africa etc. However, in order to test & register a RHD car in the UK it is much easier if over ten years of age (it can be impossible to import a newer RHD car unless you are bringing it back as a transfer of residence). This is to protect our UK market from newer grey imports.

So how do you price everything up? Well first get the best rate for your payment abroad. This is always best by using an FX broker such as SMCFX. They will beat the banks rates at over 4% which can make a big difference to your overall margins.

Next we need a price for all the shipping, testing, insurance, taxes and registration costs – where do we even start?!

Luckily Ship My Car offer a fully turnkey solution (if you wish, or they can just collect & ship your car). All you need to do is visit their website and try the instant car shipping calculator on the homepage. It prices everything from collection through to road tax costs and works for all years, makes and models of imported cars.

So there you are. Importing a car from abroad and shipping it to the UK for sale can be as straightforward as buying a car from UK auction. Perhaps not as quick, but the margins can be extremely interesting indeed.

The post Making it easy to import a car for sale in the UK appeared first on Car Shipping and UK Import Specialists.

Even in the midst of a global pandemic, there are thousands of people currently moving out of Hong Kong with many looking to the UK to relocate.

We have seen a large increase in the volume of interest in car shipping from Hong Kong to the UK as a consequence of the mass migration.

As a result we have opened a new route to the UK at lower costs to enable larger numbers of people to benefit from bringing their vehicle with them when they move abroad here.

Here we look into the how and why you should think strongly about bringing your vehicle back to the UK with you.

Why ship your car when moving from Hong Kong to UK

The UK and Hong Kong are similar in that we both drive on the left hand side of the road and have right hand steering, therefore bringing a car to the UK from HK is very easy in terms of practicalities in owning a HK vehicle in the UK:

• Residual values stay high as buyers are not phased by steering wheel being on the wrong side like a European import
• Toll booths, drive through restaurants and parking meters easy to use as steering wheel on correct side.
• Rear fog light is generally present and on the correct side for UK road rules

This means it is very easy to use your HK car in the UK as it is the same as purchasing a UK equivalent here when you arrive.

EU Approvals are often found on vehicles built for the HK market. For example the Teslas we import from there have e-markings on the VIN plates meaning no issues with things such as conformity for electrical safety.

Financial incentive

Selling a car in HK before you leave can often leave you short changed. Trade-in’s at dealers or a quick private sale mean you will likely receive less for you vehicle than if you had more time to do so.

Bringing a car to the UK as part of your transfer of residence means you pay no tax or duty on the import (providing you meet the requirements of having lived in HK at least 12 months and owned the car at least 6 months).

“Better the devil you know” – it can be true that buying a used or even new car can start to cost you in terms of servicing and repairs. If you have owned your vehicle in Hong Kong you will know exactly the history of the car and not have to double pay servicing.

How to ship my car from Hong Kong to the UK?

Well the easiest way is to use our all inclusive import package. You can get an instant quote for this for any make / model from www.shipmycar.co.uk/quote – this will immediately tell you the costs of shipping, testing and registering a car in the UK

You have two options on shipping from Hong Kong to the UK, firstly is by container.

Container Shipping Hong Kong to UK

A container is generally seen as the safest method of shipping a car from Hong Kong to the UK.

Your vehicle is loaded with another car so you share the container costs. The car can be fully loaded with personal effects and they are unloaded directly at our facility in Milton Keynes.

Roll-on-roll-off from Hong Kong

We can now also ship by RoRo. This is currently a much cheaper method due to the global shipping crisis. The vehicle must be fully empty of personal effects, but is loaded onto a huge car ferry.

RoRo vessels are unloaded in the UK and then cars transported to us in Milton Keynes for testing and registration.

If you would like to find out exactly how much it is going to cost, you can do so here in just a few seconds:

The post Huge increase in Hong Kong to UK Shipments appeared first on Car Shipping and UK Import Specialists.

This usually means you are provided with a new, slightly later arrival time for your car to arrive in the UK.

So why is that and what is the reason?

Transshipment is when a container is taken from one vessel, and placed onto another.

This can occur when a direct route does not exist or a split route is cheaper / anables a car to ultimately arrive at destination quicker if there are no booking on direct routes.

However, in 2021 the UK has suffered from the fallout from Brexit and Covid combined, and so many vessels are simply unable to offload in the UK as there is no capacity for the larger ships.

They therefore take the containers elsewhere first and then head to the UK on smaller, feeder vessels.

Often the containers are unloaded in ports such as Antwerp or Rotterdam and then sent on to the UK as soon as possible.

As we load cars into containers using R-Rak technology, the vehicles are perfectly safe despite additional movements.

Our container tracking (so long as the shipping line feed accomodates) also will update with new routing and transshipment details for your car shipment to the UK.

The post What is Transshipment? appeared first on Car Shipping and UK Import Specialists.

Export Delays

Ports around the world are struggling with congestion meaning it is taking a lot longer to get containers onto vessels.

The congestion is due to a number of issues but mainly the imbalance of containers across the world. Usually container shipping & logistics is an extremely well oiled machine, when things stop however, it quickly goes south.

In the last year obviously Covid has created port slowdowns, but also the number of vessels has decreased for Covid precautions and staff shortages.

Trade issues with China between the EU / US and Northern Africa have left containers inn places where they wouldn’t usually build up.

We even had the Ever Given getting stuck in the Suez canal to add to the shipping industry woes

Timescales for clearing customs and loading onto a vessel out of the USA for example have increased from around 2 weeks to around 4-8 weeks in some cases.

Port Congestion

Congestion in the UK has been a problem since Brexit but even now in July 2021 it is still a huge issue with many vessels simply skipping the UK, unloading in Europe and then bringing containers back to our shores on smaller feeder vessels (a process called transshipment)

The USA has seen huge port congestion at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in particular with around 40 cargo vessels at any one time anchored off the cost waiting to unload.

Why?

Well a lot of it has to do with demand. People have been buying a lot of stuff and having it imported. Plus, they have not been exporting much. The UK is importing a lot of goods, yet has reduced many exports.

The USA has an imbalance of 4:1 on imports to exports, the highest levels ever recorded. Meaning ports are under the strain to get containners unloaded.

Getting containers unloaded has been difficult with many workers off due to Covid, or who have changed jobs due to the pandemic.

Even haulage has suffered with many container lorry drivers switching to other driving industries with better hours and pay e.g. Amazon

Car Shipping

So how does this affect the car shipping process?

Well it does have an impact, and we try to keep anyone looking at shipping a car as informed estimate on leadtimes as is possible at the time of making a booking.

In general we are looking at a few extra weeks overall for the shipping. Not ideal, but your car will arrive as close to the ETA as we can give.

Our live container tracking system in our client portal works even if a shipment is transhipped so you can keep track of where it has been and where it is next to visit.

DVLA Delays

The DVSA had their moments with IVA testing suspended but we can appreciate they didn’t have much choice when Covid showed up.

The DVLA almost got back to normal, then they decided they were not happy with the working conditions at Swansea and started industrial action that has been going on for weeks now.

They are now up to around six weeks to register a car, we can ship a car from Australia in less time. All the while the people waiting for their registrations are left without a vehicle.

We chase as much as we can on timings of each application.

The post Car Shipping Delays appeared first on Car Shipping and UK Import Specialists.

These permits are obtained by an organisation called ITAC (hence why they are known as ITAC permits)

If you are shipping a car with us, our local agent there will assist obtaining everything for you.

These are the steps needed prior to exporting the car:

Request Police Clearance

Current owner will need to go to the local traffic department in order to provide a stamped police clearance request document.

Documents required for this are the original registration documents and some proof of ID. Step one of shipping the car complete!

Micro Dotting

Many new cars already have this completed, otherwise you will need the vehicle micro dotted at a roadwothiness centre

Police Clearance Obtained

With the obove complete, permission to export can now be obtained from the Police Clearance Centre

For this you will need all the details of the vehicle, bill of sale if recently sold, and passport copies

ITAC Permit

ITAC will then issue permit to export the car for shipping.

For an instant quote for exporting a car from South Africa and shipping to the UK, please visit www.shipmycar.co.uk and use our instant quote system

The post Exporting from South Africa appeared first on Car Shipping and UK Import Specialists.

Even the base model C8 is going to be as fast as the current C7 ZR1 with 0-60 times expected to be under three seconds.

The C8 is not an improved C7 however, in fact it only carries over one single part from the previous model.

While there will be a UK right hand drive model it can still be advantageous to import one to the UK from the USA if the spec is not available or you expect to drive onto the continent.

The engine is an all-new build known as the LT2 and is now visible through the rear hatch window

The roof is fully retractable and hardtop which only ends up weighing 77lbs more than the coupe version.

The quality and finish of the interior from the images looks to be of exceptional quality

We are very excited to see what the interior looks like in the flesh, with the wrap-around driver’s panel catching our eye immediately

The 1LT has a starting price of $59,999 with the 3LT rising to $71,945

If you are looking to ship / import a Corvette C8 into the UK, please enter the details below and we will price everything up including car shipping, UK import costs, IVA testing, DVLA registration, import duty & VAT all in seconds:

The post 2020 Chevrolet C8 UK appeared first on Car Shipping and UK Import Specialists.

• Exchange Rates – if you have been looking to ship a car in 2018 you will have noticed just how volatile the exchange rates have been, from a UK GBP point of view this has mainly been down to Brexit and the uncertainty of how the UK will leave. We have assisted many clients to ship a car they have recently purchased by keeping our costs low to counteract the falling value of pound sterling. For those clients we have helped relocate to the UK, they have been helped by the falling pound in terms of us being able to move their foreign savings to the UK at the best rates
• Car Shipping Container Haulage – moving containers has been difficult as we approach the end of the year. With delays at UK ports and over worked hauliers it has been much harder to accurately forecast the date of unloading cars here in Milton Keynes – costs have also increased due to tighter time restrictions on unloading containers
• Car Shipping methods – with a growing number of shippers using metal racking systems, such as Transrak’s excellent R-Rak system, we have been able to ship, load and unload vehicles much safer and faster than ever before. We have expanded our UK car container devanning service through investment in equipment and IT systems
• Car Shipping and HMRC – the HMRC Car Team who handle NOVA entries had a much longer processing time over the last few months although they appear to be getting back on top of it again now which is helping throughput of cars shipped to the UK
• Car Shipping and DVSA – cars under ten years of age needing an IVA test have been experiencing long delays due to closures of IVA test stations and lack of trained DVSA staff
• DVLA Registration and imported cars – this has been the longest and most severe issue in regards to car shipping. The processing time of a V55 application can now be over six weeks (if Australian) which has been causing a large backlog of cars shipped needing storage. The DVLA have stated they have been needing to request further information from foreign driving agencies and then await responses – we have been trying to ascertain just what this further information is

So 2018 has not been without its challenges for car shipping. 2019 will no doubt have its own issues in regards to car shipping, mainly from new HMRC import systems, Brexit decisions that will no doubt affect import costs / testing requirements and potential trade barriers or partnerships with US / EU / UK.

At ShipMyCar we will continue to invest in further IT improvements and efficiency improvements to help us deal with external, third party delays to ensure cars shipped are shipped, tested and registered as quickly as possible

The post Car Shipping 2019 appeared first on Car Shipping and UK Import Specialists.

A below correspondence from Maersk Line explains their situation

Please be advised that as of yesterday 5th June 2017, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and
today 6th June 2017, Yemen cut diplomatic ties with Qatar.

Consequently, DP World Jebel Ali and Abu Dhabi Terminals no longer accept cargo to/from Qatar
ports (including transshipment cargo). In compliance with the above guidelines we are ceasing
cargo acceptance between Qatar and the above countries with immediate effect.

Further to above, we have temporarily closed bookings for cargo from rest of the world that
transship over Jebel Ali. We are working on alternative solutions to ensure movement of your
cargo in compliance with above guidelines. We expect to communicate these solutions to you over
the coming 48 hours.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to your local sales or customer service
representative. You will find contact details of our local offices on www.maerskline.com

We are monitoring the situation for all car shipments to/from Qatar and will contact you directly should you be shipping a car with us that may be affected

The post Qatar Diplomatic Ties Cut – Shipping Consequences appeared first on Car Shipping and UK Import Specialists.

The new form is called the ToR01 and replaces:

• Import and Export: bringing personal belongings to UK from outside the European Community (C3)
• Import and Export: bringing your pet to the UK from outside the EC (C5)
• Import and export: import of private motor vehicle from outside the EC (C104A)
• Import and export: import of private vessel from outside the EC (C104A Vessels)

You can bring in your belongings or vehicle free of duty and tax so long as you:

• are moving your normal home to the EC
• have had your normal home outside the EC for a continuous period of at least 12 months
• have possessed and used them for at least 6 months outside the EC before they are imported
• did not get them under a duty/tax free scheme
• will keep them for your personal use
• do not sell, lend, hire out or otherwise dispose of them in the EC within 12 months of importation, unless you notify us first and pay duty and VAT on disposal.

Belongings include clothing, furniture, portable tools of trade, pets and other household and personal effects, but not alcoholic drinks or tobacco products: you will not get relief on those unless they travel in with you and qualify for the duty-free allowances

The post ToR01 to replace the C104A Form appeared first on Car Shipping and UK Import Specialists.

In this article we will price up a car from the USA to purchase, ship to the UK and then register ready to drive. We will use an example of a 1965 Mustang that is currently for sale at Beverley Hills Car Club (www.beverlyhillscarclub.com) – we have assisted many clients over the years from BHCC and have always been exactly as described and the guys there are a pleasure to do business with.

There are of course other places to source your classic car, for example www.ebay.com (click USA site when asked) and www.classiccars.com

The vehicle we are using in this example is listed at $16,750 which at today’s rather poor exchange rate of $1.22/£ is coming in at £13,730 – so first let’s discuss how you can save some money on transferring the payment to the US seller.

Car Shipping Quote
This is where we come in, we have spent many years developing our Instant Car Shipping Calculator – it will price up all US transport, customs, shipping, marine insurance, unloading, UK taxes and duty, testing and registration and works for all makes/models of vehicles from classics to brand new vehicles.

Try it out here: Car Shipping Quote

Paying for the car
Before paying for the car we always recommend doing some basic checks to minimise the likelihood of fraud, buying from a reputable and recommended dealer such as Beverley Hills Car Club is strongly recommended but make sure you keep yourself safe by taking into account the following: Avoid Car Shipping Fraud

The main aim of transferring funds is to get the best possible exchange rate as a small fluctuation in rates can make a big difference in how much you have to pay, the banks will give you one rate but using a broker can save a lot of money and even make the transfer to the USA quicker. Our sister company SMCFX can manage the transfer of funds to the seller at the best possible rates, far better than a bank (save on average £200 on transferring $10,000 for example) – sign up quickly and easily and use our online portal here: www.smcfx.co.uk

Instructing us to proceed
We have developed a fully online Client Portal area that can be accessed here once you have received a quotation from us: ShipMyCar Client Portal

This is a secure area where you can accept the quotation from us and complete our short application form online. We take payment upfront and the remainder of any additional costs / upgrades on completion.

What next?

Once you have made your booking with us, our experienced team get straight to work on securing the collection from the seller and making the booking at the port ready to receive your vehicle.

Your Client Portal will be immediately updated with a checklist where you can see all the documents that we require and a handy upload facility to provide the required documents directly to us.

Your Client Portal is the main point of all updates. Anything that happens along the way we add to your Client Portal. You can see photos of the car, online container tracking and more as well as authorising any works later along the process which we will discuss shortly.

The upload facility allows you to review all required documents and upload them directly from a computer or even directly from a smartphone.

Tracking your Car
Many container providers allow us to track the container in real-time. If this is activated for your container then you will be able to watch it travelling to the UK in real-time through the Client Portal. If not we will provide tracking to follow the vessel itself on a third-party website.

UK Arrival
On arrival to the UK we will provide you with the exact amounts that customs will require (if applicable) for customs clearance. As you would have already had an estimate of these on your original quote they should not come as much of a shock and for our example 1965 Mustang they will be 5% of vehicle value.

You will have the amounts required emailed to you, and also made available to review in your Client Portal. We provide you with HMRC bank details and a reference number for you to simply transfer the funds to them through online banking.

In our example case it would be 5% of $16,750 converted to UK pounds sterling at HMRC’s current exchange rate so around £650 in this case.

Collection / Workshop
Once customs have given the OK for collection of the container it will be moved to our warehouse in Milton Keynes for unloading and if applicable (and most popular) into our huge workshop for full UK testing and registration service.

In this example we have opted for our full import package. On arrival our team will check the vehicle in and notify you if any damage has occurred and how we plan to rectify this in the very rare case that it has happened.

Our technicians then carry out the appropriate modifications to your vehicle in order to pass the relevant UK IVA / MOT test requirements. In this case, the car is a 1965 model and so it will just need new headlights with clear sidelights and then for an MOT to be carried out. All of which would have been outlined and priced in your instant quote you had originally received.

What if it fails testing?
Let’s say the Mustang failed on a few items, not to worry, our team our very experienced in working on all imported vehicles from classics to modern day supercars. We will price up any repairs required, list them in your Client Portal and you can simply authorise them with a click of the mouse. This then gets our office into action to order the required parts ready to be fitted.

Our technicians will take photos of the issues which will be view-able in your Client Portal.

We can carry out all kinds of remedial work from simple MOT failures such as worn brake pads through to welding / engine rebuilds. No work is carried out without first explaining the issue to you and quoting clearly for the work required.

Further information no our workshop can be found here: Milton Keynes Workshop

DVLA Registration and Final Costings

We then register the vehicle for you, print the number plates (in this case on classic black / silver plates) and fit them to your vehicle. Any optional upgrades you requested will be carried out prior to collection such as servicing, tracker / alarm installation or valeting.

We have partnered with car insurance specialists Elevate Insurance, we can have them contact you for a quick imported car insurance quote

So how much did the whole process cost? Let’s take a look:

So all in the car cost you less than £17,000 – and that is an all inclusive turn-key shipment where you did not have to lift a finger (apart from to click the mouse). That included the cost of the car, all the US transport, shipping, marine insurance, unloading, UK taxes, testing, registration – the whole lot.

Even though the UK’s decision to leave the EU has hurt the value of Sterling, you can see that there are still some great cars out there and bringing them over to the UK is still a very cost effective way of owning the car of your dreams. Please try our instant quote system today at Car Shipping Quote.

The post Importing a classic car from the USA to UK appeared first on Car Shipping and UK Import Specialists.