# Chainsaw Purchase in the USA



## wobbly (22/4/13)

Hi Members

I want to purchase a Sthil chain saw in the US and import it to Australia (they are half the price over their) but I need a forwarder to purchase the unit for me and arrange packaging and posting

Dose any one have details of someone/anyone/organisation etc that I can contact to arrange this for me.

The Sthil retailers I have seen on the web do not take phone or internet orders to supply out side of their particular area

Cheers

Wobbly


----------



## Bizier (22/4/13)

You wanna get some Carhartt pants while you are at it?


----------



## razz (22/4/13)

http://www.priceusa.com.au/index.html


----------



## andytork (22/4/13)

If they are really half price I would be interested in one. From what I have seen price is within $100. Which wouldn't make it with it 

Please post link to what you are interested in


----------



## Mardoo (22/4/13)

Bulk Buy!


----------



## Ducatiboy stu (22/4/13)

Mill motor


----------



## wobbly (22/4/13)

Andytork

Check out this web page where the price of a Sthil MS311 is quoted as $479 and the same saw in Australia is $1099

http://www.stihldealer.net/productdetails-dealer-_acdaaa-prodid-826.aspx?__utma=77907798.1324577065.1366551713.1366552628.1366623001.4&__utmb=77907798.7.5.1366623033700&__utmc=77907798&__utmx=-&__utmz=77907798.1366623001.4.4.utmcsr=bing|utmccn=(organic)|utmcmd=organic|utmctr=Sthil%20MS311%20chainsaw&__utmv=-&__utmk=222199646


----------



## Ducatiboy stu (22/4/13)

I had a Still MS310 on the farm. Awesome saw


----------



## andytork (22/4/13)

Pretty cheap 

I would go the MS 441 C-M STIHL Magnum (20") for $919

Funny, I was looking today and thinking f**k it and going buying one locally for $1700+, spent all weekend with cheap-ass chainsaws messing around with oil concoctions to get the bar lubricated enough, continually tensioning chains etc

Guessing the weight in the of the 441 is probably 10kg, can TNT that for about $100.

If you find an easy / cheap way to ship let me know. What's the rules for chainsaws in hand luggage ? Got shed loads of Qantas points , could nip to California and pick one up


----------



## TheCarbinator (22/4/13)

andytork said:


> What's the rules for chainsaws in hand luggage ?


Make sure there is no petrol in it at all before checking it in.
I knew a guy who tried to check his RC car in and they knocked him back just because of the tiny bit of fuel in the fuel tank.


----------



## Florian (23/4/13)

I have dealt with and can recommend shipito.com, have also dealt with others (mostly for non brewing related stuff) but found those the easiest/cheapest/most convenient. 

Once you sign up you need to pay a deposit of $8.50, which is their fee for forwarding your mail, you pay the actual shipping costs later. 
They give you an address to where you sent your items, once they arrive photos get taken FOC to identify your package.
More precise pics can be taken on request. 

Remember if item value + shipping cost is above $1000 you get hit with customs duty and GST, with shipito you fill out your own customs declaration which might help with that issue if you're game, I'm not. 
They ship with USPS, DHL, TNT and a few others, choose the cheapest.

Priceusa.com must be the most expensive freight forwarder, the only time I'd use them is if I want to use their return protection, which covers return costs back to US for faults during manufacturers warranty, but she only offers that for products that tend not to break down during that period, so pretty much useless for my needs. They also won't let you buy in your personal name which again might cause trouble with warranties, ATO etc.

One thing to consider is that when you order items from California and get them sent to CA you get hit with a local sales tax, so check first. Shipito ships mainly to CA, but they also have depots in Oregon and Hong Kong, so make sure you get that right.


----------



## andytork (23/4/13)

Oregon is $919

Also checked UK, where it is £611.25 (or around $909 AUD), with 70 odd shipping gives me
$1019.38 Australian Dollar (of course would negotiate it under the $1000 or buy it without the chain)


Pretty sure i could know $20-$30 off the shipping by sending via a family member, but for that I wouldn't hassle them

Also seen some pretty rotten comments abouts the MS311, being a cheap, offshore built unreliable saw. Many pro's singing the priases of the 290 instead

For my needs I need a bigger saw, being a bigger guy don't care about weight, all the trees I cut have already fallen over so precision is not key, brute force and ignorance is what I am all about (m ay even go a 660 with a small 20")


----------



## Ducatiboy stu (23/4/13)

My MS310 ( the model before ) that i owned for 8 yrs was bullet proof. But it was actually made in Germany.


----------



## Josh (23/4/13)

Florian said:


> Remember if item value + shipping cost is above $1000 you get hit with customs duty and GST, with shipito you fill out your own customs declaration which might help with that issue if you're game, I'm not.


This is wrong. You only pay GST and Duty if the cost of goods is over A$1000.

eg If the chainsaw costs A$980 and shipping is A$240, you will not pay GST and Duty.


----------



## Florian (23/4/13)

I stand corrected then, thanks for clearing that up. 

The shipping costs (and more) get taken into consideration when establishing GST, that's where I had it mixed up. 

http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page5549.asp


----------



## TasChris (23/4/13)

Worth being aware that some Australian retailers will not honor warranties for genuine Stihl saws imported from the US.
Also there are quite a number of cheap Stihl and Husqvarna rip offs that can be bought from ebay and the like, avoid them like the plague

PS: saws are like sheds, get the biggest you can afford/handle


----------



## Florian (23/4/13)

Good point on the warranties. 

I'd hazard a guess that 99% of manufacturers won't honour their warranty when the product has been taken out of the country of purchase, unless they specifically promote an international warranty.

Some US retailers offer products with 3 year warranty (two years more than the manufacturer) and even cover postage costs to and back from the US in case of a genuine fault for their international customers, but I doubt you'll find a retailer that offers chainsaws with those conditions.


----------



## wobbly (24/4/13)

Made an inquiry of a US retailer selected at random on the web for likely costs including packaging and postage using the USPS to ship me a Sthil MS 311 saw just to see where it would lead and got the following response 

"We cannot ship Stihl out of the country as per our agreement. We can only sell over the counter. However, once the tool leaves the store it is out of our control".

Also checked the Sthil German web site and the same chainsaw in Germany is selling for 739 euros (or $959 us) It's $1099 in Australia as indicated previously

Makes you wonder a bit about price gouging doesn't it 

Cheers

Wobbly
Not sure what went wrong with the font size!!!!


----------



## andytork (25/4/13)

Anyways, If they won't sell online for postal (which the UK people will, I have had conversations with them to confirm postage etc) buy a husky instead, just as good. A few arborists I know prefer them to Stihl every day of the week


----------



## pk.sax (25/4/13)

A little analogy but, bought a Leica compact years ago when I shacked in Germany. It was 600 euros local, including amazon.de. It was 600 usd on amazon.com (basically 450 euros).

Difference, the us model was made in Japan and the European stock made in Germany. For something like that, no problem. Depends what ur buying and where he components are made and put together. Mexico?!


----------



## lael (26/4/13)

Josh said:


> This is wrong. You only pay GST and Duty if the cost of goods is over A$1000.
> 
> eg If the chainsaw costs A$980 and shipping is A$240, you will not pay GST and Duty.


I don't know what it is supposed to be, but I've definitely been hit by this. Ordered items less than $1000, shipping put it over and was charged customs and GST. And it's kind of hard to argue when the customs officer / freight company is holding your goods and won't release it unless you pay. Just be prepared that it might happen, and if it does, it will be hundreds of dollars. Still worked out better for us, but was painful.


----------



## Crunched (26/4/13)

Not sure about hundreds of dollars - I bought my mrs an engagement ring from the US and customs picked it up and charged me about 16% (GST, duties and other charges), but I was expecting that. That was hundreds of dollars but only due to the large price I paid for the ring. A $1000 saw shouldn't cost more than $150~ in GST/duties etc. Obviously do your own research though and don't take my advice.

On the saw - that site seems seriously cheap, seems too good to be true. Are they really an authorised stihl dealer?? I was just contemplating buying myself an MS362 - that site lists them for a heap less than I can find here. I've seen heaps of chinese knockoffs that use genuine clutch covers and bars to make the saw look legit, so I'm skeptical of anything this cheap..


----------



## Crunched (26/4/13)

Reading the reviews of some of the saws listed on their site, the reviewers that mention where they bought their saws from didn't buy them from this site.. Hmm, weird..

EDIT: They are listed as an authorised dealer: http://www.stihlusa.com/Locator/Search (Search for postcode 93657 and they are the first result)


----------



## andytork (8/5/13)

Anyway, for anyone who is interested.

I bought a MS 441 C Magnum. After shopping around got it locally. As part of the deal I got an extra bar, extra chain + free first service ($78).

Probably paid $300 more than I would importing it, but it now has a warranty (and how much is a new bar, chain etc). 

This is a full pro saw and is by far the best saw I have ever used

Now,

Has anyone any experience with the higher end home, chipper / mulchers and log splitters ?


----------



## Mace (8/6/13)

Tree stuff will send Husqvarnas direct into Oz. members on another forum I'm on have had them sent in successfully. Freight cost is about $100 on a $459 Husky 455 via FedEx. Works out about $300 less than retail here. Warranties will not be honoured here, serial nos have US identifier, as do Stihls. 

Worth the risk IMO.


----------

