This is one British person’s experience of importing a jukebox from the USA. The primary reason for writing this is to show that it is not as difficult or expensive as some ‘experts’ would have you believe. I’m not sure if my experience is typical - I see no reason why it shouldn’t be.
Why Import from USA?
I had been looking in the UK for an AMI I200E for some time. The ones I had seen were either completely restored models for about £4750 upwards or completely unrestored ones from £2700 upwards. I wanted an original one that worked and with a reasonable cabinet which didn’t need much re-chroming, if any. I estimated that if I ever found one it would cost around £3750, perhaps more.
Where To Start
I had got to know a few dealers in the States and Canada and I asked them to keep a look out for a working AMI I200E. After a few months one of these dealers tipped me off that there was such a box being sold privately in Texas. I contacted the seller and he sent me scanned photographs of it and a detailed description, including its history. It looked to be exactly what I was after. We agreed a price of $3000.
Arranging Shipping
I had not used a shipping company before but I had seen an advert for international shipping in Jukebox Collector magazine - a company called Craters and Freighters. I sent them the details of the jukebox (dimensions, weight, location , delivery address) and asked for an estimate for doing everything - door to door delivery, crating , US documentation, UK Customs, insurance, payment of all taxes etc for both air and sea passage.
I also contacted someone in Canada who had been looking out for an AMI for me. He had previously said that he had shipped a jukebox from the States to England. He gave me the name of a the British shipping company he had used - Kuehne and Nagel. Through Directory Enquiries I found their number and rang them. I asked them for the same quotes as I had given Craters and Freighters.
Both companies wanted to know if the jukebox would be crated ready for shipping or would they have to crate it. I chose the latter, even though it was expensive (see below) as the seller wasn’t interested in crating it himself.
Having got the quotes I chose K and N. They were slightly cheaper (but not much) but also I felt more comfortable dealing with a British-based company, for two reasons. Firstly because they were closer to hand and on the same time zone. Secondly, because if anything went disastrously wrong then I might have some recourse under British law. I didn’t fancy testing the American legal system.
I also chose to have the jukebox shipped by sea. It was a few hundred pounds cheaper and I was in no hurry for the jukebox. Also, I wanted to stay within a total budget of £3000.
Arranging Finance.
I sent the seller the money using International Money Orders. The maximum value of an IMO is $1000 so I had to send him three. Once the seller had received and banked the money I instructed K and N to commence the shipping process.
A few words may be appropriate here about the sense of what I was doing. (Some of my friends did question my sanity). I had sent $3000 to someone I had never met to pay for a jukebox I had never seen or heard working and , of course, with no guarantee. It does sound a bit unwise, but let me explain.
I think by exchanging quite a few Emails I had gained sufficient knowledge of the seller’s background and his character and he also indicated a passion for,jukeboxes (he had several others). I found it hard to believe that a person like this would ‘pocket’ my money and not send the jukebox. I did consider having the money held in escrow by a third party but all this takes time and money. If the process becomes too elaborate and costly then you might as well forget it. I also believe that if you are to achieve something ‘a little different’ then some trust is essential. It was a leap of faith but I considered the gap I was jumping to be fairly small.
Waiting For The Jukebox
It took nearly a month for the jukebox to be shipped - longer than K and N had indicated. During this period I asked Geoff Young (The Jukeboxman) about the sort of transformer I would need (for 240 volts to 110 volts conversion) and the problem of 50 v 60 cycle supply. A word of warning here. Not all jukeboxes are as easy to adapt to 50 cycle supply as the 50's AMI's. AMI's and Rockola's of this period are mainly rim driven and can be adapted by changing the diameter of the turntable motor shaft. Wurlitzers and Seeburgs (and earlier AMI's and Rockola's ) are gear driven or belt driven and replacement parts will be required. Check this out before you buy. Geoff sent me extracts from old copies of his Newsletter which gave me the answers. I ordered the transformer from him. The cycle problem (the turntable would spin too slowly , if I did nothing) is overcome on an AMI by enlarging the turntable motor spindle. A small spring is recommended for this.
It Arrives
It arrived in a large crate which was so securely fastened it took nearly an hour to open (I didn’t have a crowbar). And then I looked inside and saw a large object wrapped in a protective foil coat. Off that came and there was my jukebox.
I was disappointed by the condition - mainly because the chromework wasn’t as good as I expected ( It has since cleaned up nicely and I don’t anticipate getting any parts re-chromed). I had a quick look inside to see if there were any obvious loose connections, I re-seated the valves , I connected up the transformer and plugged it in. All the lights came on. I loaded a few records and it selected correctly and played - albeit at the wrong speed. It was a working jukebox.
Costs
Here is a summary of the major costs involved. (1999)
This makes a total of £2948.
Would I do It Again or Differently?
Yes, I would do it again. Once you instruct the shippers then the rest is taken care of for you. Finding the right jukebox and a seller you have trust in are the key components here. Also, remember when looking at photographs that you tend to see what you want to see. Get as many photos as possible, from different angles, and close-ups and show them to other people.
Remember, it isn’t worth doing for very cheap jukeboxes (many of the costs are the same regardless of the buying price). Maximum savings are probably achieved on jukeboxes that are at a premium in the UK but not particularly sought after in the States. The AMI H and I 200E seem to fall into this category.
I don’t think I would do anything much different. Crating is expensive but trying to do this on the cheap for a sea voyage just isn’t worth it. I thought freight such as this was shipped in a container - it isn’t. The crate can be exposed to the elements. I suppose I might try an air passage next time.