MGB: MG Parts Purchase from UK????

Who has purchased parts from the UK,

How much do you save if any?

What carrier is used to ship items from the UK to USA?

Is Moss UK pricing any better than the USA?

I ordered a lot of stuff from the guys of MG Parts UK, who a really cheap and offer great service. I do not know about shipping costs to the USA, but you might want to check their website (do a google search) and I remember there is also information on shipping costs.

BTW no affiliation.

I buy from the MGOC, I only buy stuff that is not available here or is considerably cheaper, for instance, a Moto-Lita steering wheel from Moss is $340 plus shipping, from the MGOC it is about $200 - $230 including shipping. You can save a lot of money if you shop carefully. And don't forget, all prices quoted in the UK include VAT (sales tax), you won't pay that so you can deduct it from the price.

I ordered a steering wheel hub yesterday, Moss price $99, the MGOC charged my card for $46 and change.

The MGB being a domestic car in the U.K. Like the Ford Truck is in the U.S. the parts are cheaper but no by much. Remember shipping will be higher and the U.K. Pound sterling is greater than the dollar.

I ordered my bumper conversion parts from MGOC and the same time I placed an order at Moss.
Both deliveries arrived the same day - I believe they both arrived UPS.

I bought (but have not received yet) a pair of SS oil cooler hoses from the MGB Hive in England. Although the price, including shipping was good my experience with them was not.

Ordered parts and received email stating they don't take AMEX, but neglected to tell me what they do take.

Sent email asking what credit cards they take, received response and ordered parts.

Received message saying parts had shipped.

Sent email asking if they had synchros for gearbox.

Received reply that they do not ship to the States.

Sent email saying WTF I had been told that parts I ordered earlier had shipped.

Received reply stating that when the said "we don't ship to the States" they meant they didn't have the parts.

I asked who I was dealing with in the email exchange and never received a reply.

Told them that would be the last time I ordered from them.

Received a reply stating they didn't have the parts.

My advice, based on my experience, is to avoid dealing with the MGB Hive in England.

Tim

[quote=Tim66]
I bought (but have not received yet) a pair of SS oil cooler hoses from the MGB Hive in England. Although the price, including shipping was good my experience with them was not.

Ordered parts and received email stating they don't take AMEX, but neglected to tell me what they do take.

Sent email asking what credit cards they take, received response and ordered parts.

Received message saying parts had shipped.

Sent email asking if they had synchros for gearbox.

Received reply that they do not ship to the States.

Sent email saying WTF I had been told that parts I ordered earlier had shipped.

Received reply stating that when the said "we don't ship to the States" they meant they didn't have the parts.

I asked who I was dealing with in the email exchange and never received a reply.

Told them that would be the last time I ordered from them.

Received a reply stating they didn't have the parts.

My advice, based on my experience, is to avoid dealing with the MGB Hive in England.

Tim[/quote]

I used to live a few miles from the BHive and used them exclusively, I never had a problem. If you do have problems address correspondence to Sandra, she'll take care of it.

Mike, I told whomever I was emailing that I wanted to hear from Sandra. No reply. Besides, the damage was done and they didn't have the parts so what could she do?

Tim

[quote=Tim66]
Mike, I told whomever I was emailing that I wanted to hear from Sandra. No reply. Besides, the damage was done and they didn't have the parts so what could she do?

Tim[/quote]

That kinda sucks, and I would be very surprised if they didn't have the syncros, the BHive is a big operation. I'll bet Sandra never saw your email.

I've got TR8 parts from Rimmer when no one over here had them. Comes UPS and sometimes a small brokerage fee. Last winter got a nice deal on a 3.45 gearset and Quaife LSD also for the TR8. I scored them on UK ebay. Even with the shipping it was a deal. Ended up about 800 US bucks fot the whole package. You just have to be careful to factor in the exchange rate and shipping.

Mike, not to belabor the point but, I could have called them. But why should I have to spend my money because of their poor customer relations. I actually ordered from them based on a recommendation from a forum member. Again, this was only my experience. As in every dispute of this kind there are two sides to every story. The question was asked and I provided my experience. Like the Dutch should have told the Indians, "Let the buyer beware." :-)

Regards

Tim

Brown & Gammons quality and service are better (IMHO) than the other UK parts. Other firms might be a tad cheaper but in general they are tackier.

The only thing I ordered direct from the UK was front end bushings from Superflex. I don't recall how much the shipping was, but I thought it was reasonable at the time (for small, light parts - shipped in a padded envelope)....not that much different from small items from Moss or VB. They got here quickly too....less than a week from the date of the order.

I've ordered from numerous companies in the UK, have yet to have a problem. I do Ebay from the UK also and have got nothing but quality and a fair price on shipping also, not saying there isn't bad ones out there. But I've had far more negative experiences from US suppliers, most of them have their prices jacked up so high and you get crap as far as quality. JMO.

I ordered $400 worth of parts from a UK supplier. About 3 weeks after the parts arrived I got an invoice from Fedex for import duty charges. Came to about $20. Had no idea these charges were going to be included in the transaction. Been leary about ording from the UK since.

The MGB Hive (www.mgbhive.co.uk) is where i get all my stuff from. Considerably cheaper than the MGOC.

I ordered some wiper blades from Brown and Gammons after getting junk from the locals. The ones I got from Moss were more like plastic than rubber. The blades from B&G were rubber and packaged under the TEX label.

I get quite a lot from England and find the prices are pretty good. The only thing is to avoid heavy items as the postage then gets pretty high.

Got my seat covers direct from UK - about half the price here in the USA. They shipped DHL on a Thursday and I had them on Monday. I did have to pay the duty - about $25, but still a big savings.

have had a very good experience with a couple ebayers over there that I believe are top notch. They part out cars so if you are looking for used parts, let me know and I will give you the ebay ID. I bought a part, told them what else I needed and they shipped it all together in the same box. HOWEVER, if you simply ask up front about shipping and credit info, you can avoid problems. I did have someone try to charge me 180 dollars shipping for a window however lol..... look on ebay.co.uk some really good deals and like usa, some not so good deals.

I used MechSpec when I lived in England and know Dave personally. I've ordered from him since returning to the US and only had a problem getting 1 item, a back ordered Piper camshaft. He did come through eventually and I know it was a factory problem, not MechSpec.

I bring a good amount over from the UK and sometimes the prices are good and sometimes not. If you can buy from the manufacturer you usually do okay. As for shipping, Parcel Force is their equivalent of Priority Mail and it works fine. UPS only has 2 classes of service - Express (a couple of days) and Expedited (3-4 days). Both are very expensive and Express is usually only about 10% more than Expedited. As for paying duty, go on the web and look up the "Harmonized Tariff Schedules." Then look up what you're importing. There's a code number that'll help you with taxes, For example, if you bring in a camshaft and you list it with the HTS code for "valve train parts," you'll pay a 3% duty. But if you use the code for "Cast iron engine parts," you'll pay nothing. Both FedEx and UPS always charge you the highest duty possible. One never knows if any of that goes to the government or if they pocket it.

MechSpec are great suppliers. Their prices are good, parts are always of good quality and service is top-notch.

I've had good luck with UK eBay also. Shipping isn't as much as you may think ($32 US for a complete set of UK spec rear tail-lights, for example - Scotland to Virginia) and the goods generally get here as quickly as if you'd ordered domestically.

Great inforamtion from all of you. I may be looking into ordering some items from some of the vendors over the pond.

I see some of you have mentioned some companies, but is it possible you can post some more that you all have orderd from and had good look with?

Jim,
Over the last 25 years I have ordered $1,000s worth of parts from the UK for my MGBs, MGC and MGTF-1500. I use MechSpec, Brown & Gammons, Steve Curtis, MG Heathrow, MGOC, MGCC and Prestige. Strange, but true, MOSS UK has some items cheaper than MOSS USA and a number of performance items not offered by MOSS USA. Up until about two-three years ago I used The B-Hive, but they started telling me they would not ship to the USA. I have also used Anglo Parts out of Belgium. They are not cheap, but have NOS parts for my MGC that no one else carries.

Dave
1955 MGTF
1969 MGC-GT
1980 MGB

I ordered my chrome conversion from MG Motorsports http://www.mgmotorsport.com/ back in 2003 before Moss came out with theirs.
The owner Doug was very easy to work with.
Cost was around $1000 w/shipping at prices back then. Shipped Airborne and received in 5 days. Import duty was $30.

Not being pedantic, however I would like to pont out there is no conextion between The B Hive & The MGBhive. Some posts used thebhive (US) when refering to themgbhive (UK) and this may cause a misunderstanding. A small thing I know, but one has to make sure. :)
Regards,
Gordon.
The B Hive

While I have had problems[/b] with the [b]MGBHive in England[/b] I have had nothing but [b]excellent service[/b] from the [b]B Hive in the USA[/b].

MGBHive (UK) Thumbs down!

B Hive (USA) [b]Thumbs up! http://bhive.tierranet.com/

Tim

Gordon, I have purchased many parts from you within the past 3 years and have had great customer service, and items were at my door step the following day. That is the way customers like to be treated, so keep up the good work.

Regards

Over the past 30 years I have ordered items as large as complete bodies and transmissions to brake assemblies and tires. If you're looking for a break on price you need to keep up with the exchange rate for the British Pound versus the dollar. There have been many instances in which I have saved quite a bit just due to the exchange rate. On larger, expensive items you need to consider the time, effort, and cost associated with bringing in a large item through customs. I have used both air freight and sea container. Without question the air freight option has been the best way to go. I would also recommend picking up the phone and communicating directly with suppliers in the U.K. The supplier I do the most business with only responds to emails once a week. You will get a much better idea of the service you will receive and the quality of the parts by speaking directly with them, don't just rely on email. Small parcels are generally sent via the Royal Mail Service and is quite efficient. I would particularly recommend Burlen Fuel Systems as an excellent source for all things SU.
As the manufacturer of both the carbs and fuel pumps they stock everything, will make just about anything to order, have an excellent web page, have excellent prices, and service.
There are many small specialty manufacturers in the U.K., like Blockley Tyre, that have filled an important niche for pre-war car owners. I can also recommend going to the MG Car Club website and taking a look at their list of recommended suppliers in the U.K. The MG Owners Club runs a parts business in the U.K. and has virtually everything available for the MGB and Midget owner.

ordered leather seats for the B from Prestige in UK, delivered to NH was $430.00, Moss USA was at $800 plus shipping! I try to deal "locally" whenever possible, but this was too big a difference. Have purchased many times from EBAY overseas, Jumblemaster comes to mind with great results everytime. I wouldn't hesitate if it were much cheaper or just not available here.

I bought my carpet summer before last from England (moulded kit). Even with shipping it was the best price for the color I needed (champaigne beige). I did have to wait longer of course.

Chart One

Ordered aluminum MGC head from B & G because not available in the US; Ordered SC/CR 4 synchro gearset from same as they were 2/3 the cost of US suppliers

All you guys complaining about shipping or cost differential between the US and the UK should try living in NZ!

I try to get relatives to bring stuff in, or if I go over to the UK I'll try to travel light so i have some room in the luggage on the way home.

...of course this can't apply to chassis parts, body panels and engine blocks!

Great inforamtion guys, I am sure this will help others here on the board when thinking about purchasing unique parts that are not available here in the US.

I ordered my wheels from MGOC when the £ was almost $2 and they shipped airmail. Still $100+ cheaper than Moss, and Moss didn't have charcoal.

Hi Jim,

Hi Jim,

I have purchased more than 60 parts off E-Bay's UK site at a cost saving of approx. 50%.

I have them mailed locally within England to my father's address near Manchester thereby saving international shipping costs. I go over to the UK twice each year to visit friends and family and also pickup my parts.
This only works of course if you happen to know someone who lives in the UK and is willing to store your parts and secondly, if you know someone who is willing to bring them back for you.

I suggest you take a look at the E-bay UK website and look under "Classic Car Parts" Type in "MGB" and you will find more than 3500 parts for sale. Some of the sellers do ship to the USA.

Good luck,

Steve

Anyone had experiance with Frontline Costello shipping to the US?

There are so many places to buy replacement parts, US based companies should not be able to dictate premium prices. There are enough of these cars and people who own them to start outsourcing our buying practices in getting away from the MOSS and VB etc, we can all band together as the MG brotherhood and force them to bring down their prices by not doing business with them. I'd be willing to bet that after a few years of sales being down the toilet , it would cause those folks to re-think their business strategy and either bring their prices down or continue to suffer with poor sales. That's the only way these companies will ever bring down their prices, or maybe just a mass boycott of them. They have been sticking it to us for years........