When you are considering eBay car shipping from the USA, to Europe for example, remember that this is not uncommon. Many collectors and car enthusiasts on the continent find restored, classic vehicles in the United States and wish to enjoy them in a European setting. Shipping-service companies, customs agents, port managers and many others are quite familiar with the details of transporting a valuable automobile from the U.S. to another country.

In the last decade or so eBay car shipping from the USA has become more common as well. In the past, collectors from Europe and other locations around the globe have regularly purchased cars from major classic-car auctions and arranged to “bring them home.” With the growth of online shopping and Web-based auctions, shipping service companies, land transporters, ocean-shipping companies and others have almost seamlessly included eBay car shipping from the USA in their programs.

Used cars purchased from a private individuals and from car retailers can be transported from the original owner’s location to a specific port, safely loaded onto an ocean-going vessel, and delivered to another port to everyone’s satisfaction.

Any major purchase should be made with attention to detail. Before starting eBay car shipping from the USA the buyer should make sure that all the necessary registration papers, title and bill of sale are in perfect order. While this isn’t generally a problem with classic-car auctions and dealers the one-on-one nature of eBay purchases may require the buyer to be even more careful.

Any malfunction in the original purchase could delay or stop eBay car shipping from the USA if the mistake is discovered at a later date. Mistakes of this sort can be very expensive (storage costs, additional legal fees etc.) This may apply to sales tax and other applicable taxes as well as to registration and license fees and so on.

Buyers who are even considering eBay car shipping from the USA should give themselves plenty of time. Several weeks may seem like a long time but even three months seems to be a comfortable minimum. Before a valuable automobile is moved from the original owner the buyer should be absolutely sure that the proper insurance coverage is in place. The insurance should cover the automobile as it sits on the seller’s property, when the car is in transit (driven or transported) and when it is delivered to the final destination.

You may want to start well ahead of time and work with a shipping-service company or what is commonly known as a professional in freight forwarding. Many of these companies have folded eBay car shipping from the USA into their agreements. While they are not ultimately responsible for the proper documentation, taxes and insurance, they can answer many of the questions that buyers and collectors have.

Among other things, you will need to arrange:

• Pick up and land transportation from the seller’s location
• Delivery to the exit port
• Customs documentation and costs
• Arrange for proper shipping – container, covered storage, roll on/roll off etc.
• Off-loading in destination country and land transportation there

As you plan eBay car shipping from the USA be sure to include port/dock fees, short-term storage costs and insurance, and such items as your liability should shipping your car cause financial or physical difficulties for someone else.

When you are moving out of USA, you may prefer to take your car with you to the new destination. Cars are expensive household goods and many countries allow you to bring your cars with you when you are making a permanent move. If your car is at least a year old, you can take advantage of duty free car import in various countries in Europe. This will surely save you a lot of money on moving cars. Many people also prefer to move their antique and collectible cars from USA when they move to a new location.

RO/RO car export from USA is a very popular type of moving service preferred. In this type of moving, cars are loaded in RO/RO (roll-on roll-off) vessels that are specifically designed to carry heavy duty cargo such as cars, bikes, boats and other kinds of automobiles. These automobiles can be driven on and off the ships on their own wheels. As the RO/RO vessels are meant specifically for shipping automobiles, you can be sure that your car is safe when it is moved from USA.

RO/RO vessels are the cheapest mode of exporting vehicles from USA to Europe. Along with your car, many other cars will also be rolled on and rolled off the vessel. This way, a single cargo ship carries multiple vehicles at the same time. In RO/RO cargo, cost of shipping is usually calculated based on total size (volume) of your vehicle. Cargo length and number of decks and lanes in vessel used by the cargo is determined to calculate the cost of shipping. Weight of your car is irrelevant in this kind of RO/RO export from USA.

The moving time when you use RO/RO export from USA may differ from the estimated moving dates. Although, it’s a regular service – the vessel operator may way until required number of automobiles is loaded in the vessel, then it will start sailing in the ocean. Hence, you may have to wait for a few days at the destination without your car until your car arrives. Also, not all moving companies provide RO/RO services because of the investment required. Moreover, certain destinations don’t allow shipping cars using RO/RO vessel services. When you search for exporting your car from USA, you should ask the shipping company about the availability of RO/RO transport to the destination of your choice.

You should buy appropriate insurance for your car when you do RO/RO car export from USA. As your car is moved with other vehicles, chances for your car getting damaged are not high but still possible. Another potential issue is with how careful the port workers are when handling your vehicle. Don’t just settle down for minimal marine insurance and make sure that you have properly insured for the replacement value of your car.

The moving company will help you with all the paperwork required to export a car from USA, but you should ask their help beforehand. Also, you must do a thorough inspection of the car before and after the move to find out whether damages are caused to the car. You should keep the bill of lading in a safe place because without it, you can’t make insurance claims in cases of damages.

There are a number of details that will be the same when shipping a truck to Germany or when shipping a vehicle to many other destinations. A number of individuals and companies have successfully arranged to have a large vehicle transported to Germany from the United States, for example, without having to travel outside of their home area.

In most cases, the most efficient way to accomplish this is to enlist the help of an experienced freight-forwarding/shipping services company. Some of these companies have been in operation for 10, 15 or 20 years and more, providing reliable and safe options for shipping a truck to Germany and many other countries.

When you start your plan for shipping a truck to Germany give some thought to whether the companies you contact are giving you door-to-door service or will be shipping your truck only from port to port. Obviously, there will be considerable differences in time and cost. A complete plan for shipping a truck to Germany should include:

• Completing registration, title and tax forms before the vehicle leaves its current location

• Details for transporting the vehicle on land so that it arrives in time for port/dock shipping. This may include short-term storage at the port facility.

• Secure shipping (roll on/roll off, container etc.) on board the ocean-going ship. *Be sure proper insurance coverage is arranged for the ocean voyage.

• Storage and/or transportation at the destination port. Include time and costs for land transportation in Germany.

While there are no definite limitations or restrictions for bringing vehicles into Germany, you should always make sure the necessary registration and importation documents are in order. Remember these two German details: distances are measured in kilometers rather than miles per hour; there is a motor vehicle tax that must be paid within a short time of arrival. Check to be sure you satisfy the requirements of the Export Control List (especially Item 5400). Be sure you understand the Import Duty cost.

Shipping a truck to Germany (and other countries) requires current photo identification for the person who will be receiving the truck and taking it from the possession of the shipping company or other shipping-service company.

Most of the experienced companies involved in shipping a truck to Germany provide a check list for some details that might be considered “minor.” These include: winterization of the vehicle if applicable; quarter a tank of fuel or less in the vehicle when it is shipped; personal possessions are not part of roll on/roll off shipping but you may be able to send personal items if you have a dedicated container; have marine-shipping insurance in place in addition to necessary vehicle insurance and liability insurance.

As a final note, be sure you have researched any German-government requirements on fuel-powered vehicles. This will help avoid delays when the shipping a truck to Germany.

Most car dealers, auction houses, collectors and transportation companies are familiar with shipping vehicles to Spain and other countries. European buyers and collectors regularly purchase automobiles from U.S. sellers, for example, and have them delivered to the continent, all without traveling overseas.

Among the key elements in making a purchase and shipping vehicles to Spain:

• Make sure the registration, title and tax documents are all in order before the vehicle moves from the seller’s location. You may experience delays if problems are discovered while the vehicle is in transit.

• Settle most or all of the questions about registration, title and taxes in Spain before the vehicle leaves the dock in the country where it was purchased.

• Shop around for insurance that will adequately cover the vehicle at all points along the way. Be sure that your liability to other property is included.

• Get a firm commitment on costs of land transportation, port and dock fees, off-loading charges and so on.

Some people with experience in shipping vehicles to Spain report that insurance has traditionally been easy to obtain. Significant savings are possible, depending on the company and whether you buy it from certain online brokers. You may find that slightly different insurance arrangements are best if you spend six months or more in Spain during a calendar year.

Many vehicle owners who do stay that long take the step of registering and insuring their vehicles in Spain. This may save time and expense arranging foreign-soil coverage from the homeland insurer. In addition, you should find out all you can about “residencia” requirements. Keeping a foreign-registration car in Spain can be expensive and some drivers have been delayed or had the car impounded until all the documentation is cleared.

When shipping vehicles to Spain, pay particular attention to the cost of buying a car in Spain when you are a U.S. resident. Car purchases in this European nation generally carry a heavy tax. Weighing all the options and associated costs is highly recommended. Estimates of the cost of shipping vehicles to Spain from the U.S. are about 1000 Euros but this fee may vary with the details of shipping certain cars. Some companies will charge slightly more or slightly less.

General guidelines for shipping vehicles to Spain state that there is a six-month period for getting the vehicle into the country and getting the Spanish license plate installed. Allow yourself plenty of time to complete the required documentation for shipping vehicles to Spain. This country has a reputation for a complex bureaucratic process, with more forms to fill out than some other locations. But the people in the government and agency offices tend to be quite helpful.

As you begin your plans for shipping vehicles to Spain, be sure to cover the details of Spanish port and dock requirements, fees and taxes. Professional freight companies that specialize in vehicle shipping can answer many of the questions you may have.

It is better to carry your car with you when you move to Switzerland if you intend to use the car in Switzerland. Depending on the car and its age, it may be cheap to bring the car with you rather than buying a new car in Switzerland. If you own expensive cars, you don’t want to discard the car and you should consider shipping the car to Switzerland. Car owners who own rare collectible cars don’t want anybody to handle their car and hence, they too wish to import cars. The cost of car shipping to Switzerland is determined by the type of import, size of the car and age of the car.

You can choose to import your car in RO/RO vessels if you want to save money on car shipping. In this method, your car is driven to the port and then secured to RO/RO vessel safely. At the destination, you can drive the car back to your home. If you want to provide significant protection such as weather shield to your car, you can use container service provided by car shipping companies. The cost of car shipping to Switzerland will be high if you want to use exclusive containers to your car. Maximum protection is given to your car in the exclusive containers.

You should ship your car to major dry ports of Switzerland such as Zurich, Geneva or Basel to make the car import process easier. Other smaller ports require you to obtain necessary permission beforehand in order to import a car. The moving cost for shipping cars to Switzerland is greatly influenced by the import duty you will have to pay.

Cars that are more than six months old can be imported to Switzerland without paying duty fee and VAT as it is considered as your personal item. You can drive the duty free car for one year with foreign license plates and you are not allowed to sell, loan or rent your car during this period. Within a year, your car will be inspected by motor vehicle department and Swiss license plates will be issued after which you have to pay 100 to 700 Francs as Swiss road tax.

Once your car is shipped to destination port in Switzerland, you should contact customs authority who will evaluate the tax amount you have to pay. You must also be prepared to let your car be inspected technically by the officials to ensure compliance with the Switzerland standards. Cars that don’t comply with the standards will not be allowed for use on roads and hence, get help from the moving company to prepare your car for import to Switzerland.

Customs duty is determined based on the weight of the car and capacity of the engine. Non standard accessories must be removed before importing car to reduce weight. 4% of the worth of the vehicle is collected as consumption tax in Switzerland. You also have to pay a 7.5% VAT for importing all cars. You need to get report 13.20A for registering your vehicle in Switzerland and you should pay 15 Francs as a fee to get this report.