Thread: Cocobolo wood

Originally Posted by Anthony Delgado

.....and appreciate your help if you can tell me some more names if possible clients.

I'm not the best one for that as I have only purchased retail timber once from Trend Timbers (who sell pen blanks, btw) - there would be other people who can point you towards the other retailers of timber.

And a correction to my post:

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

TNT Express is usually the cheapest option, and only take 2-4 from LA to here.

should have said 2-4 days from LA to here.

Another sales option could be to put out the call for a member here to act as an agent for you, selling the timber on the forum. Send that person a sea freight shipment of reasonable size (maybe 100 kgs) cut to popular sizes (pen blanks, other turning blanks, blocks for making boxes, perhaps inlays).

The thing with sea freight is that the paper pushers at this end love charging excruciating fees for entering a few lines in a computer (DAMHIKT). The fees can add up to an hourly rate of perhaps $1000-$5000! Shipito don't do Sea Freight (for some reason) but there is another company UStoOz who do, and as far as I know, the fees are all inclusive. Their email address is

[email protected]

and Sarah Madigan is the person to talk to.

Here is a partial quote from her email to me last year with my bold highlights:
Our sea freight rate includes port handling charges, customs clearance, customs brokerage and the local courier in Australia. The local courier company in Australia differs, often it will be Hunter Express. As you can understand, we can't quote quarantine charges upfront because they aren't fixed, usually they aren't even applicable. Generally, quarantine will only inspect our shipments if the items are made from solid wood or used equipment. We are very precise with our customs declarations which usually ensures a very smooth clearance. As you have confirmed that your shipments are <$1000AUD it would be unusual for quarantine to inspect as we use an expedited/online clearance process.

This part:
your shipments are <$1000AUD

is very important. If the goods are more than AUD$1000 then our local Goods & Services Tax of 10% will apply, as well as any applicable Import Duty (probably zero for timber). Now the rub is that even though shipping costs are NOT included in that $1000 threshold, they ARE included if the 10% GST is invoked. There are a couple of other subtleties to this which I can address for you at an appropriate time (i.e. if you decide to do it).

There has been much talk of this $1000 threshold being lowered, but I can't remember where that is up to. CHAPS? Anyone know? Is there something actually changing next year, or is it all like the Barber's Cat?




Fred (Big Shed), I don't think that breaks any forum rules does it?