Transformer stored in garage over summer? and tax question

[langzixinxin]

Hi guys,

A question about how high temperature these toys can tolerate when in box (no direct sunlight).

I am going to move 6 T-chests of boxed TF to Melbourne from overseas. The only place I can put them is garage. My question is can they go through the hottest summer? (over 40 degree sometimes I think?)

Another question is, if I send these toys via boat, will custom charge tax on them?

thx

[BruiseLee]

Toys stored in the garage may depend on how the garage is constructed (eg. materials, angle facing sun etc). I don't have any TFs stored in the garage but I do have some action figures in there and have recently pulled a few out for the Autobub to play with and the figures are fine with electronics still working. My garage however doesn't capture much of the afternoon sun and has a bit of ventilation so it doesn't get as hot as the outside temp.

With shipping large boxes of toys, I've found that as long as its not for commercial use then there should not be any tax on them but you will need to clearly mark that the items are used toys. This was fine for the odd box or so I've shipped.

[Zommael]

Hi guys,

A question about how high temperature these toys can tolerate when in box (no direct sunlight).

I am going to move 6 T-chests of boxed TF to Melbourne from overseas. The only place I can put them is garage. My question is can they go through the hottest summer? (over 40 degree sometimes I think?)

Another question is, if I send these toys via boat, will custom charge tax on them?

thx

I recently had the bulk of my collection shipped from the UK to Australia. It was clear to me on arrival that they had been exposed to high temperatures when shipping: packing chips had melted in some cases leaving residue, yellowing on some older white toys had become worse, and there was a good deal of warping of soft plastic. However, apart from those things everything was in the same condition when it arrived as it was when it left, and those "damages" were superficial. With that in mind I'd suggest that they should be fine in the garage over summer. Just bear in mind that soft plastic may warp, which is always a risk when storing anyway, and be careful with the packing chips you use.

As to customs, as they are your personal effects and not a commercial import, there should not be any import tax charges. However, you probably will have to pay a fee to clear them through the port as customs will still need to inspect them to determine there is not any contraband in with them. This being Australia that means organic items such as rocks and wood as well as the usual firearms, weaponry, and drugs you'd expect.

I would also recommend being careful with the shipping company you choose to use. The company that I used, Movecube, were a bit of a pain when the stuff actually arrived. They would only allow us to collect at certain times of day, were unhelpful when calling to try to get the goods cleared, and were generally a bit useless. A lot of that came about because I was in Rockhampton and had to use a third party removalist to get them from Brisbane to Rocky (in the end a mate ended up helping me) but it is something to bear in mind.

If you have any other questions I'm happy to provide whatever assistance I can from my experience in this thread. :)

[BigTransformerTrev]

Hi guys,

A question about how high temperature these toys can tolerate when in box (no direct sunlight).

I am going to move 6 T-chests of boxed TF to Melbourne from overseas. The only place I can put them is garage. My question is can they go through the hottest summer? (over 40 degree sometimes I think?)

Another question is, if I send these toys via boat, will custom charge tax on them?

thx

I've got my entire collection in 25 140 litre crates in my shed. Had them there for 3 years and we get temps up to 47 in Swan Hill around New Years. Haven't had a single problem.

[Smint]

The stickers may peel off. As long as it's not in direct sunlight i would assume they'd be ok.

[GoktimusPrime]

I've never stored Transformers, but I did store non-Transformer toys in my garage for a few years until I realised the insanity of doing so and decided to give 'em away. No problems with the toys though. :)

[Trent]

remember if you are concerned at leaving toys in a garage or shed or storage for fear of discolouration, etc those same toys sat in a warehouse, which was at the mercy of the heat/cold for god knows how long before they were bought by you. Some toys sit for years before they're sold through the scorching heat of summer and the cold of winter. It's not like BBTS, HLJ, RK or even TRU have climate controlled warehouses.

As long as they are not subject to extreme temperatures, or extreme repeated variance in temperatures, they'll be fine.

[Paulbot]

I've got my entire collection in 25 140 litre crates in my shed. Had them there for 3 years and we get temps up to 47 in Swan Hill around New Years. Haven't had a single problem.

If they can survive that, unlikely Melbourne will ever be hotter.

[langzixinxin]

thx guys for the input.

I guess mine will be just fine.

[DarkHyren]

One thing to look out for, if you have any gun-formers like G1 Megatron etc you will need to make sure to check up on local gun replica laws and make sure you have the right permits etc otherwise customs may seize them.
Have a friend in QLD that got sent an old nintendo light gun and customs seized it for some strange reason (it hardly looks like a real gun at all) so better to be safe then sorry.

[Lint]

It's not like BBTS, HLJ, RK or even TRU have climate controlled warehouses.


Are you kidding? They'd be temperature controlled as a minimum for the people that have to work there. I can't vouch for some of the smaller online stores though...



That aside, keeping them out of direct sunlight is the best you can do. The type of plastic and whether its in contact with other plastic/paints is also a factor but I think most can attest that they have not experienced any negative affects from temperature.