Importing amps

Has any1 from australia or elswhere attempted importing amps from uk/america?

I was thinking of buying a laney amp here in london and taking it back with me to australia (i'd be saving 400 aussie dollars even with the ludicrous shipping charge).

What are customs like, do you get import duty or is it not regarded as an import if you're sending your own stuff over>?

AFAIK, if they think it's new they sting you; if they think you've brought it with you from Australia and are coming back with it, then you're ok. If you bring it yourself and you declare it you will have to pay GST, unless that's been changed in the last couple of years or so. If you ship it over you will probably have to pay a customs handling fee.

maybe i'll just bite the bullet and buy it in aus, and know that it won't be broken and will be under warranty

Nah, don't reward your government for taxing you out of existence. ;)

You can give customs a call or an email. They might even answer you!