We just shipped 1/5 of a container worth of stuff over to La Rochelle, France in preparation for the launch of our boat in October. Included in that shipment are a couple of new
sails that we had made in
Florida.
On the
advice of the company we're using to do some
work on our boat, we are working with an import agent who specializes in these sort of things. I have been told by this agent that we won't have to pay customs duties or VAT as they will temporarily import the shipment with the specific status "temporary admission in the EU territory". This works for us as we also leaving France and the EU immediately after the
work on our boat is done.
There will be a customs fee and charge for the agent but it is far less than 20% of the value of our shipment. Our stuff is on it's way to France right now so I can't say 100% for sure that this will work, but working with an agent who does this thing regularly has been a lot easier than trying to sort out everything on our own.
You can send me a PM and I'll share the contact info for our import agent and hopefully he can help or point you in the right direction.
David