There are a lot of things that one has to consider when they want to ship their car to another country, and especially the United States. It is a very complicated process as it is not just anything you are shipping; it is your car. So naturally, there will be a lot of steps and things to factor in when you decide to take this step. People have a plethora of questions when it comes to shipping their cars such as “How much will it cost me?” or “How do I contain the car?” and many more. These are genuine questions, for which we have drawn up some of the key things that you should be worrying about.
- The Cost
This is probably the biggest concern when it comes to US car shipping. The answer to this question essentially depends on the location from where your car will be shipped. According to many people who work in the automobile industry, shipping a car is cheapest from a European country such as Germany, which should cost you around $1500. In fact, it is cheaper to ship a car from Germany than it is to ship cars locally in the U.S. such as from Los Angeles to New York.
- How does it happen?
This part is easier than you think. All you have to do is find a company that will ship your car across the international waters in a ship, and you can find many companies by simply looking it up on Google. The tricky part is bringing your car to the port itself. For this, you should have someone in that city that you can fully trust and rely to handle your car and the money. This part is also very stressful, as you have to constantly hope that your car ends up in the right vessel and on the right port. If you are shipping it to a different country, for instance, Japan there will also be the problem of the language barrier. This is exactly why it is important to have a local guy to help you with these things.
Once the car is on the part, it won’t be packed into any kind of container with lots of cushioning. It will simply be strapped on with belts so that it doesn’t move around in the ship. After that, it will take a couple of weeks to some months for your car to get to the U.S..
Picking up the car is a relatively simple task for which you will be needing a TWIC (Transportation Workers Identification Credential) card in order to collect your car from the port. Either you are supposed to have it, or you have to pay someone who has it.
- Paperwork
There is a lot of paperwork involved when it comes to shipping a car. For this purpose, you probably will be needing to hire a broker who works in customs in the U.S., because you will not be able to do the paperwork on your own. This also involves paperwork from the other country from where you have shipped your car. For instance, in Japan, you are required to deregister the car, after which you will be allowed to export it. This is why you need a local guy to help you with the logistics.
- Other things
After this, there will be lots of other things that you will come across such as insurance in case the ship drowns, or in case your car gets damaged on the ship. This will cost you around $400, and we advise you to get insurance because it is better to be safe than sorry.
There is also heavy taxation involved. Just like you have to pay duty on your imports, you will have to do the same for your car. This will be another $300 expense.
You will also have to get the car inspected, for any kind of illegal things such as drugs, and this is something you will have to pay for as well. Some inspections are done on site, while some require the car to be taken to a different location.
