I copied this photo from the company I purchased it from. I’m excited about it, and can’t wait to get it delivered. Which I’m guessing should be sometime in march.
first off, the only place I could find this was over seas. it’s not available anywhere in the America’s or Europe that I could find. I exchanged emails with a few different Chinese companies before settling on the “” company. The sales manager (CEO?!?) worked with me, answered all my Questions, made me the best deal, and was just a nice guy over all. Buying stuff directly from China is quite the adventure.
- they don’t generally take visa… it’s usually T/T which is a teletype transfer or the equivalent of a wire transfer. I talked my guy into using PayPal and I reasonably paid the fees for it.
- I still don’t know anything about the freight. He sent me a picture of my crates after I inquired into the shipping / freight process. so I guess I’ll learn soon enough since it’s crated up and ready.
- While Alibaba.com seems like a good idea, it’s really lacking functionality. it’s kind of like an international manufacture / wholesaler eBay, but not nearly as easy to use. I ended up working my deal over email.
- I ended up buying it for just under 700USD including freight and fees. I’m half expecting to get a bill from customs. Or at the very least to get the evil eye from my Tax Accountant. but it beats building one of these from scratch.
Anyway, I’ll post more pictures as I get them. for now I’m just excited to get the process started. It will be nice to thresh wheat with a machine designed for it.
*Update 20170217*
Well, this has been a big cluster of an adventure. I believe we’re finally moving forward. Finally. But I’m really not sure how much it’s going to cost me in the long run…
Problem #1 US Customs. Before you can load your item on a boat, or within 24 / 48hrs (24 officially) prior to departure, you have to file an ISF (International Security Filing) document with CBP (Customs and Border Protection). The data needed on this filing isn’t necessarily the easiest to come by. Since I don’t have a company or Tax ID number I’ll have to use my SSN. *frown* But… It can be done.
Problem #2 Customs Brokerage. You can hire a brokering agent in the port of entry to represent you and your cargo when you can’t physically be at the port. This is great, and while the fees are… well… somewhat reasonable, it’s still nice to know you can use their services. The devil is in the details though. Between security bonds, and all the various bits of information needed (like the laden bill, or the “Stuffing” origin which is where the containers are filled, to the harmonized product type…) it’s a real pain really…
So… with the language barrier finally crossed I hope, My China manufacturer seems to have the two crates on their way to the ship. At which point he’ll be able to provide the two final bits of data necessary to file the ISF document. Then, when the broker in California finally receives the product, they should forward it to the Oklahoma City Customs office and I can receive and pay the duty there.
Hopefully. More to come as the process matures.
-Tobin
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Ok, so here’s the final update. I did receive the final bits of data necessary to file the ISF. I contracted with a company in L.A. who filed it for me. In total, the freight, filing, fees, etc ended up being just shy of $600. I picked up the crates yesterday at a warehouse here in OKC, after getting a customs release from the customs office here in OKC. I didn’t owe any duty, so that was a bonus.
I assembled and tested the thresher last night and it appears to be the real deal and ready for business. I have a few engineering updates I think I want to add, but otherwise I think this will end up working out well. Below are a few pictures I took last night. I’m glad to have done with it!
-Tobin
