Buying industrial parts from the US: a guide for international buyers

Plants outside the United States often run American-built machines, or need a discontinued part that is easier to find in the US surplus market. Buying across a border adds three questions to the usual ones: how you pay, what arrives on top of the price at your door, and whether a part built for North American power will work on yours. This guide answers all three. The same stock we sell on eBay – 270,000+ parts in stock across 45,000+ listings – is available to international buyers here.

How an international order works

1. Find the part by searching its part number, or request a quote for anything you can't find.
2. Check out as usual: choose your country, enter your address and pay for the items by card in US dollars (USD).
3. We pack and weigh the order, then email you the international shipping price with a Pay & ship link.
4. Pay the shipping quote and the order ships. We prepare the export and customs paperwork.
5. On delivery, the carrier or your customs office collects any import duties, taxes and brokerage fees.

Paying in US dollars

Prices and payments are in USD. International cards are welcome; your bank converts the amount and may charge its own fee for doing so. No US sales tax is charged on orders shipped outside the US.

Shipping is quoted after packing

International rates depend on the packed size and weight and on the destination, so we quote them for each order instead of guessing at checkout. Delivery times depend on the carrier and on your country's customs, so we don't promise a delivery date. Insurance and signature confirmation can be added at checkout.

Freight and long lists

For pallets, heavy items or a quote before you order, use the international quote form. For a whole list of part numbers, send it as an ISO list, RFQ or BOM and you get one official written quote in under 24 hours on business days for the parts; international shipping is quoted separately.

Duties, taxes and paperwork

As the buyer, you are the importer. Your country may charge import duty, VAT or GST, and the carrier or a customs broker may add a brokerage or clearance fee. None of these are included in our prices or our shipping quote. Your customs office or broker can tell you the likely duty for a given part before you buy.

We fill in the customs declaration truthfully: the contents, the value you paid and the country of origin. We can't mark goods as a gift or declare a lower value. We follow US export control and sanctions laws: we don't ship to sanctioned countries or regions or to restricted parties, and we may cancel and refund an order we can't lawfully ship. See our shipping policy and terms of sale for the details.

Check voltage and frequency before you buy

North American plants typically run three-phase power at 208 V, 240 V or 480 V (and 600 V in parts of Canada), at 60 Hz. Much of the world uses 230/400 V at 50 Hz. Many industrial parts are rated for both, but not all, so read the nameplate in the photos.

Motors

A motor's speed follows the supply frequency, so a 60 Hz motor runs about one-sixth slower at 50 Hz. It also needs a proportionally lower voltage to stay within its design – a motor rated 460 V at 60 Hz generally expects about 380 V at 50 Hz. Many motors carry separate 50 Hz and 60 Hz ratings on the nameplate; use those, or ask the motor maker. Our guide to motor nameplates and VFD sizing explains each field.

Coils, transformers and power supplies

AC coils on contactors, relays and solenoid valves are rated for a voltage and frequency, such as 120 V 60 Hz or 110 V 50 Hz / 120 V 60 Hz; a coil on the wrong supply may hum, chatter or overheat. Transformers designed only for 60 Hz can overheat on 50 Hz unless they are rated for both. Many switch-mode power supplies accept a wide input range such as 100–240 V AC at 50/60 Hz – the label says.

Drives

Most drives accept 50 Hz or 60 Hz input, but the voltage class must match your supply. A 480 V class drive may or may not cover 400 V; check the input range on the nameplate or in the manual, and set the motor's frequency and voltage in the drive's parameters.

Certification marks and local rules

Labels show which markings a product carries. UL Listed and UL Recognized marks (and cUL or CSA marks for Canada) are common on parts built for North America; the CE marking is the manufacturer's declaration that a product meets the European Union requirements that apply to it, and UKCA plays a similar role in Great Britain. Many industrial parts carry several of these; older parts built for the US market may carry only UL or CSA marks. Whether a part is acceptable at your site is decided by your local rules and inspectors, so check the marks in the photos against what your installation requires. Surplus parts come with no manufacturer warranty; see our condition definitions and our guide to surplus part conditions.

Other ways to buy

• Local pickup in Princeton, TX, by appointment: choose Local pickup at checkout and we text you to schedule a time.
• Sourcing: if a part isn't on our shelves, our sourcing network of 5M+ parts may find it – ask us to source it.
• Terms you don't know? The MRO glossary explains the abbreviations on labels and listings.

Every item we stock is photographed, so you can read the nameplate, voltage and markings before you buy.