Shipping a Bike to Mexico
 

I've searched the threads on shipping, of which there are many that are good and useful, however I could not find one on the specific subject of shipping a bike to Mexico.

I am looking to ship a bike one way, to keep in our condo in Puerto Vallarta. I have an FM3 (permanent visa).

Has anyone shipped a bike to Mexico? Did you use an airline...which one? Did you use UPS or DHL?

Any hassles with Aduana (Customs)?

My other option would be to buy a bike down there. The best and closest I can find is a shop that is a Specialized dealer in Tepic which is only about 65 miles from PV.

Any info' or suggestions??

No experience with Mexico per say but I have friends in shipping to similarly corrupt Caribbean countries. In these countries, you usually have to pay an "insurance" fee to make sure your shipment does not get "stolen" while being processed in customs. You would also need to pay an "expedition" fee if you want the shipment any time in your life time.

I would think you would have a lot less hassle if you take the bike with you when you fly or to ride it across the border.

If you have a permanent visa you might be able to get a duty waiver for your personal belongings so you don't need to pay VAT and duties on them while brining them in. Contact the Mexican Embassy or a consulate for info.

In my experience bring bikes over boarders it's much easier (and cheaper) to take them with you (on the plane, car, train, etc) than to have them shipped.

Thanks to both of you. Yes, I think if I do take bikes with us we will definitely take them on the plane. Alaska charges $50 per bike.

I'm also awaiting an email from a lady in PV that specializes in helping gringos with immigration and customs issues.

And finally I am still considering buying bikes down there, probably ones that I wouldn't cry over if they got stolen.

UPDATE: We are now back in Mexico.

We were told by our immigration agent that it would be expensive if we brought new bikes in by plane. However, if we had brought them down on an RV or car we PROBABLY wouldn't have been charged very much if anything, especially since we have permanent visas.

In the end we opted to buy bikes down here. We bought a Trek 4300 for me and a Trek 3700 for my wife at a LBS here in Puerto Vallarta. We had to pay a premium over what they would have cost in the states. I figured that if I took the online retail price of the bike in the States and to that added the duty (about 17%) plus $50 for shipping it came out almost even with what I paid for the bikes down here, especially if I throw in Washington State sales tax on the purchase of the bikes in the States.

So, it would seem that we avoided the hassle and uncertainties associated with shipping bikes down here by buying them here. Plus, we established a relationship with the LBS, which is worth something. Another factor is that we might have bought the wrong kind of bike. I was originally thinking of getting a road bike but once I got down here I realized that only a minority of the roads are suitable for road bikes. There's a lot of cobblestone, pot holes, dirt roads, gravel roads etc. that you need or want to take in addition to the paved roads. A mountain bike just gives you more flexibility as to where you can ride.

As to why the bikes cost more here....bikes like Trek and Specialized are imported to the US from Taiwan. These probably went to a distributor in Texas. They were then purchased by a Mexican distributor in Monterrey. And finally, the LBS bought the bikes from the Monterrey distributor. You can imagine the profit-taking at each transaction. There are other lesser known brands of bikes here for less money, but as we know you usually get what you pay for.

AFAIK the import taxes on good imported into Mexico are also quite high.

You should have gotten one of the bikes (trikes) with the cart in the front... :D