I nearly sold my ride! 😱

I am in Malta and I was talking to my friends in the old bike club and telling them that when I get back to the UK I may sell the BMW because I can't see myself using it again this year and next year I'll probably go with the MG on a trip with Mandy. So rather than watch it depreciate it would be the sensible thing to sell it and then buy another one for the next trip.
I heard of a man in Malta who was looking for such a bike so I invited him to come and have a look. He liked it and he was pleased with what I thought was the value And he seemed happy to fly to the UK in July and pick it up from there.
We agreed that he should contact customs people to see what is involved if he should buy it and they told him there would be a registration fee of $3,500 and then vat on top of that so it made it an absolutely ridiculous proposition.
I'm pleased that he did not proceed because I like the bike and want to finish this journey which I resume tomorrow Sunday when I catch the very early ferry out of Malta to Sicily and then head north to somewhere just south of the Amalfi coast where I will stay the night and then continue to Civitavecchia which is just north of Rome where I catch the ferry to Barcelona on Monday night.Okumaya devam et