Importing Vintage Engine parts from UK

[merry1]

Hi to all. Is there any restriction on getting old engine parts from UK. Bought a bottom end of Villiers 2T of Ebay but the person I bought it of is worried about sending to Aus.

[Vreagh]

Have sent parts to and received parts from Aus with no problems, although there might be import duty above a certain value.

[R]

There must be hundreds of shops and businesses sending motorcycle spares to Australia from the UK,
so if there was a problem someone would have noticed by now !

As long as the customs form is filled in, and the value declared (preferably correctly) it should all the plain sailing
(airmail, not sure there are ships anymore).
Heavy bits can be expensive to post though, has he got you a quote.

[Mark M]

Here in the UK Royal Mail have a restriction on carrying 'automotive parts', (I think they just call them car parts) which seems to be a blanket ban. I suspect that they are concerned that any second hand parts might still have fluids inside? I thoroughly clean anything I send and obviously make sure it's oil free. Then I describe it on the customs form as something suitably vague; I recently described a magneto as an electrical component for instance. I was rather stumped recently when sending a wrapped siamese exhaust system for an Enfield but my wife suggested 'modern sculpture' and they accepted that!
REgards, Mark

[Rex]

Exactly that, it's a blanket ban to prevent the dummies of the world sending half-full petrol tanks or oil-filled crankcases though the system and damaging other parcels or employees. Incidentally I always use MyHermes and they stipulate the same, so I just write "spare part" on the contents ticket.
The accepting clerk doesn't really want to get into a row with the customer over what constitutes acceptable or not, so just save him/her the trouble and make it vague.