We have a Gray Market Kobelco SK135. The machine has been so solid I want to get another Kobelco a bit larger. The teal color makes it clear that it is not a North American versions but other than that the differences must be few because parts have been easy to get. With the dollar stronger than it has been in years there should be good deals out there on grey market machines brought in from asia. Anyone here have experience with a reputable excavator dealer who imports these machines? How complicated is this process of buying a machine from Asia? Are there import tariffs to pay to the US government? If anyone here has gone through this process of buying a machine from Asia, I would greatly appreciate any advice you could offer.
I have been wondering the same thing. Did you ever get the info you were looking for?
I have some good contacts in Japan and China, I could probably help you find and bring in what you're looking for, and no I'm not looking to sell you anything or make a commission, just to be up front. I did import many machines from Japan before the 2008 implosion so I do know some of the "gotchas" and I work with a great customs brokerage, they take great pains to keep me out of trouble with Uncle Sam. First and foremost, depending on the age of the machine you CANNOT bring in anything that does not meet EPA specs for the year of manufacture and the EPA label MUST be intact and attached to the engine. There is no way around this and even if you did manage to get it by customs and border inspectors, if the EPA should for some reason decide to look into a particular import record somewhere down the road the penalty as I recall is up to $30K PER engine with the possibility of prison time and you have to pay to send the machine back overseas! There are of course exceptions to every rule, but government employees tend to get owly when you try to tell them their jobs, it's kind of a no win deal. Always ask about EPA when inquiring about a machine outside the US. Most newer gray market machines, 1996 and up, will not have EPA legal engines. Excavators would appear to have zero duty for import, but you can expect if you are buying a machine from Asia that you will pay something like $500 for a special cleaning fee to meet Department of Agriculture standards, and they do inspect every machine. On top of that brokerage which covers all the filings, fees, port fees and taxes, etc. will run from $500 to $1,000 depending on what's involved, and if there's any glitches. I have had to pay for cleaning a second time after the machine landed in Tacoma, it happens. Usually the Asian dealer will reluctantly refund your money should this happen. That being said, if you want just let me know as exactly as possible what you're looking for an I'll see what my contacts can offer. Keep in mind though that free advice is worth what you pay for it. [email protected] if you wish to email me. That's an L, Lantraxco