Buying Keestar Sewing Machine 441 Directly From China..

[korokan]

You didn't understand. You still will need a broker and file customs forms regardless of the duty. Find out what those charges are. You WILL pay fees to the customs and fees to the broker but no duty.

Cya!

Bob

Yes . I will do that tomorrow. Thanks for pointing this thing out..

[korokan]

Yes . I will do that tomorrow. Thanks for pointing this thing out..

UPS custom Brokerage fees imports

will have to inquire the exact fee

Edited July 9, 2014 by korokan

[BDAZ]

My other company exports 5-6 shipments a month from Europe. We have a speial deal on fees but if UPS screws up they can bill as much as $150 on a $200 duty free item.

Cya!

Bob

[Anne Bonnys Locker]

There is no warranty on an imported machine.

The importer owns the warranty and you will be the importer.

You will also have to manufacture your own linkages for the motor and presser foot lift.

The table supplied at that price is very basic.

You will still need a roller guide and additional feet.

It takes a day to check everything out and set it up properly so if a mechanic is going to visit your home - and he needs to know how to set up an imported 441 - then you will be paying hundreds.

[oldtimer]

I bought a no name JUKI 441 clone from a Chinese company, built a machine from chinese parts, i e motor , speed reducer and all. IIt was perfectly functioning from day one, no extra set ups needed, I have used it in my saddlery for more than a year, and I get a smile on my face every time I use it!

[DrmCa]

FWIW, I recently bought a plasma cutter directly from China. It works fine and cuts well without wasting too much consumables, but the power switch stopped working after 2 or 3 uses. It simply does not want to stay off. Guess that is how they are expected to work under the communist regime. Ended up pulling the plug from the wall to turn it off.

But the ebay seller was nice and shipped me 2 or 3 spare power buttons free of charge when I contacted them.

Having said that, buying directly from China is a hit and miss game. Once a few years back I bought some overstock notions from a company in Ningbo and it was good quality. But similarly looking stuff at the local fabric and notion suppliers may be utter crap. Also had to throw away some computer hardware that simply did not work as expected or was outright DOA.

[mikesc]

The Chinese ( like any industrials who make OEM ) build to the "price point" that the companies that buy from them negotiate and then set..

They can and do build very high quality..if the buyer is very good at negotiating and willing to pay for quality build..iphones and the top end Samsungs and nearly everything electronic that you have( including whatever device you are using to post and read here ) are probably made in China..

If the most common use of a particular sewing machine that they make is not for sewing leather, then they are not going to set up a special production run for just one machine to sew leather, but they will set up a side run for someone ( like the dealers here ) who are buying tens or hundreds per month..and even then "getting the machines right" will take a few trips to China to iron out little things, and some tweaking when they arrive to whoever the importing dealer is..plus only the dealers keep the spares on hand, and their contacts at the manufacturer are the ones who speak and read and write and understand English..The dealers also do all the customs stuff..goods are shipped according to what customs agents call "points" each item is a "point"..

An example from garment importing ( applies to any importing of any objects or goods , from anywhere, to anywhere )..


Let's say I want a manufacturer in China to make me some women's jackets..as long as the style is identical for each, and as long as the material is identical for each, then whether I buy 1 or 100 or 1000..the agent charges me for "1 point" ..at ( X dollars ) to clear jackets through customs..so let us say I pay $150.oo per "point"..I bring in one jacket, I pay $150.oo ( plus whatever duties or taxes there may be on one jacket , depends on the materials, condition etc etc etc )..If I bring in 100 jackets ( all the same, apart from their sizes ), I'll still pay the customs agent $150.oo plus 100 x whatever duties or taxes there may be on one jacket..and if it is 1000 jackets, then I pay the customs agent $150.oo ( plus 1000 times whatever duties or taxes there may be for 1 jacket )..and if I'm bringing in 100 or a 1000 jackets, I'll also be bringing in plenty of spare buttons and zips etc that are used in them so as to have the ability to replace and repair ( or give to my "final customers" in the pockets ) ..Now..if I also want them to take something that they already make, say a jacket, but change it to my specifications ( say make the sleeves 3/4 length and use a contrast lining, and widen the lapels , and make 50 in denim and 50 in metallic silver finished lambskin )..the I'll have "2 points" ( one applies to denim jackets, and one applies to lambskin leather jackets )..so for 100 jackets shipped, I'll now have to pay the customs agent 2 x $150.oo ( plus whatever duties or taxes there may be on one jacket, and the duties and taxes will not be the same for denim as for lambskin )..the more your items differ, the more complex and expensive it can get..

It is quite possible, even probable that sewing machines for textile are considered by customs as different from those for leather , and thus attract different rates of taxes and duties upon import..It is late here now , so I'm not going to look it up..but as a "f'rinstance"..women's denim jeans do not attract the same taxes and duties as men's denim jeans ( women's denim jeans are considered to be a "fashion item" and men's denim jeans are "work clothes" ..men's motorcycle leather pants do not attract the same duties and taxes as women's leather motorcycle pants..and then there is / are "gloves"..and and and....

The dealers here will know what I mean..their "markup" is not just "profit for box shifting"..it is for what they know, the sweat and the late nights and travel and phone calls and visits etc etc ( and orders that the "manufacturer" got wrong on the way to getting it right ) , their "backup" stock of spares, and all the other overheads..

Their headaches as importers, dealers, manufacturers, are what gives you your peace of mind..

[BDAZ]

Another issue is that there is a range of QC available from the Chinese. Who is going to get the best quality machines, a foreign importer buying hundreds or even thousands of machines a year or Joe Bloggs buying one. If there's one that is dubious, guess who get it!!

My experience with Toledo is that they earned every penny of the markup. I had the bearing on the speed reducer fail on a new machine and I had a replacement days later at no cost and very little down time. If you live in BFE (If you don't know what BFE is or have never been there..congrats!), then a direct import may be your only option. 

My attitude is that I am in the leather products business, not the sewing machine set up business and it costs me money if my machine isn't performing.

 

Bob

Edited April 14, 2016 by BDAZ

[dikman]

I too bought a plasma cutter some time ago. There are many for sale on ebay, locally and direct from China. I ended up buying one from a company in another state, turns out the owner went to the trouble of finding a factory in China who could build to his specs and had excellent QC. He regularly visits to follow up production. I found that the power cord was too short for my needs (I suggested to the seller that they consider making them longer) so opened it up to change the cord. I was pleasantly surprised at the build quality, it was very well put together. As Mike SC said, they can make excellent gear.

[DrmCa]

We both probably bought the same machine CUT50? Mine too has a short cable. I was able to replace it with a cable from a donor microwave oven.