I notice on eBay a significant savings when ordering Lexus parts from UAE. Even with the high shipping cost the savings are appealing. Has anyone else in the states gone this route, and is there a catch (i.e. it warns that there could be extra brokerage and/or custom fees). A new air shock runs around $650 (shipped) as opposed to $1200 from online US parts suppliers. Seems to good to be true. Has anyone else gone this route, and were there extra fees to be paid upon delivery, or problems doing this?

 

Sorry, never purchased from UAE, so no direct feedback. I receive email sales alerts from Lexuspartsnow. I have seen 33% discount on air shocks when the sale is going on. Can’t hurt to check. If you do order from UAE, please post results, pricing and overall satisfaction with process. Thanks.

 

I don't see any extra discounts on Lexuspartsnow, though that was what I was comparing against. I will likely need at least two air shocks, and perhaps more. Since none have failed (only rattling and perhaps leaking), I'm not in a rush. Current plan is to do the front DS which is easiest to access and appears to be source of the rattle. If all goes well with that, I'll order more later. Will definitely report back on how it goes.

 

Bgw70 and I ordered our spare tire conversation kits for our SC 430's through Megizip.net in Japan. They have a warehouse in UAE and when we were ordering it would show if it was being shipped out of the UAE or Japan. We never had any issues with customs or any other item or fee's when ordering from Megizip. When we ordered we would have the parts in 4-5 days. The shipping was very reasonable and the parts cost was way way cheaper then My Lexus Parts. Before you pull order your shock take a look at Megizip.net. I order 2 conversion kits one for myself and one for my son's 05 SC 430 and was extremely satisfied with the cost. Both BG's and mine parts were shipped express mail via O'Hare cleared custom within a few hours and on the way to our doors. You are required to sign for the package. Check them out.

Dennis

 

Thanks Dennis; good tip. I found a site megazip.net which I suspect was what you meant. The prices were good, with a choice of Japan or UAE with the later being far cheaper. I also put their 10% off coupon code in the cart which resulted in:
Cylinder Assy, Pneumatic, Front Lh W/shock Absorber Toyota (48020-50203)I had literally just pulled the trigger on the eBay order before I saw your reply. It came to a grand total of $646.83 with shipping. There were two UAE sellers on eBay and I chatted with both. The cheapest one ($7 savings) said it would likely go USPS and would not even guess on what the extra fees might be. The other said it would be sent FedEx, and he was aware of a past customer with a $1000 order that had to pay $30 extra in taxes upon receipt in the US. He also said I would have it by Monday, and perhaps as early as Saturday which was sooner than the one shipping USPS was promising, so the second guy (triplecreations) got my business. He was also willing to combine orders to save on shipping; shipping was $79 for 1, and he said he could ship a set of 4 air shocks for $198.

After I see how this goes, I may order replacement rear shocks. I think I can manage putting the front one in myself. It should definitely be a learning experience.

 

Follow-up:
The air shock I ordered arrived today in a factory Toyota/Lexus box. It came well packaged and looks to be brand new. There were no additional charge collected by FedEx upon delivery.

I posted some pictures of it and the packaging on another thread (post #19), so will not duplicate it here, except to provide that link for those interested. Any posts related to its installation and the result will be there too.

Link: Do Air Suspension Struts Rattle?

 

Hello. Im doing the same thing from the same seller! Glad to see your feedback!!

 

I've ordered parts out of the USA twice this year using Fedex and both times there were no extra charges at the door but later I received bills for duty and brokerage fees via email.
Hopefully it's a different situation for you.

 

Good illustration about customs duty. A bill for customs can arrive separately weeks later. No way to know for sure, but it's best to assume a duty charge when price comparing. I believe auto parts are likely to be charged as the value goes up and if the recipient is a business address.

 

Amayama has warehouses in Japan and UAE. I've started looking up costs if I get one of these to see how much I can save when all the expensive stuff breaks. I think others have used them with decent luck. I priced out all 8 control arms and they came out to right at $1700 vs Lexus discounted dealers online at $2644. Looks like these over seas vendors are the way to go.

 

I picked EMS - Japan Post shipping (Amayama) when I bought my 8 control arms last year. No duty to SF, CA. Arrived 2 weeks after paying.