[baz]

Hi Guys

Ive ordered four MRC sound decoders from America at £15 pounds each, total bill £67 with shipping. Arrived home from work today and found card from Royal Mail to pick up item from sort depot, but there will be £18.48 customs charge. This seems a bit excessive, how do they work out this charge and has anyone else had a similar experience?.

I was once charged for a second hand item I won on EBay which was £20 pounds from Gurnsey and the duty was £41 pounds. I could have bought item brand new for £35 in town. Fed up with charges don't the goverment get enough of my money as it is.

Regards Baz

 

[Bilbo]

Had the same thing happen to me when I bought some TCS decoders. The 1st time they came with a courier firm and I was not charged and the 2nd time via Royal Mail and they stung me for a similar amount - It really isn't worth buying from the USA if they add the customs charge on at that level.

 

[poliss]

If you had bought the decoders singly you would not have had to pay duty.

For purchases bought by yourself with a value over £18 you may have to pay duty depending on the product; it may also be liable to VAT. Under that amount you will not be liable. http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalW...008654#P36_4692

The page that shows the duty etc. is http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalW...tyType=document

 

[dwb]

There's a notice up in our local RM sorting office which advises that there is a handling charge for anything with a customs involvement. IIRC it's about £8. This is probably included in the total you have been quoted and so explains the high charge you mention. If it doesn't, you're in for a nastier shock when you get to the counter

David

 

[alanb]

If you do not want too much of a shock, do not have your supplies sent from the states by UPS.

The post office is a lottery. I have had four parcels in the last year, from £35 to £75, and all have come through without payment. One was in December.

I ordered a Prodigy Advanced 2 and assumed it would be sent by post.

It was sent by UPS. You will always pay with UPS, and they charge £11 for the privilege of charging you. They also add import VAT on the cost of the item PLUS the cost of carriage. They will deliver after phoning you to accept the charge, and you pay on the doorstep.

Alan

 

[baz]

Thanks for the quick response, I will know better from now on.
I will try to keep it at a low price or go UPS.

They have included a handling charge of a pound so hopfully won't have any more to pay.

Many Thanks Baz

 

[Brian Considine]

That's the price you can pay for trying to evade paying VAT.

 

[baz]

Don't mind paying VAT but £18 seems a bit on the dear side to me.

 

[neil_s_wood]

QUOTE (alanb @ 26 Jan 2008, 06:18) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>If you do not want too much of a shock, do not have your supplies sent from the states by UPS.

The post office is a lottery. I have had four parcels in the last year, from £35 to £75, and all have come through without payment. One was in December.

I ordered a Prodigy Advanced 2 and assumed it would be sent by post.

It was sent by UPS. You will always pay with UPS, and they charge £11 for the privilege of charging you. They also add import VAT on the cost of the item PLUS the cost of carriage. They will deliver after phoning you to accept the charge, and you pay on the doorstep.

Alan
This is my experience too. Whether I have had items delivered to here in Ozz or at home in the UK I have found UPS to be the worst possible method of delivery as it can often double the end cost. I have chosen not to buy from some delaers who only offer UPS as an overseas delivery method. You will most definitely be charged extra if you use UPS.

 

[upnick]

The limit for customs charges in the U.K. is set at £36.00 so any order below that should be ok i brought in some couplers from the U.S. and got caught with customs paid 43.00 in duty and the GRRRRRRR...... post office to levy their charge, once caught never again.

upnick.

 

[poliss]

The limit for gifts is £36.00. For purchases it's £18.00.
HMRC says, if you purchase goods from suppliers marked as a gift and if the declaration is found to be false or misleading you may be liable to financial penalties or criminal prosecution.

 

[Sol]

QUOTE (poliss @ 26 Jan 2008, 11:10) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>The limit for gifts is £36.00. For purchases it's £18.00.
HMRC says, if you purchase goods from suppliers marked as a gift and if the declaration is found to be false or misleading you may be liable to financial penalties or criminal prosecution.

OK but if the supplier labels it as a gift, why would I be liable? Surely the supplier is liable if they mislead Customs?

 

[80class]

I can only echo what has been said about UPS. Avoid them like the plague! A few years back I ordered a Lenz set 100 from one shop in the states and one decoder from another shop. The set 100 came through surface mail. Total customs charge: £21. The decoder ($17 worth) came via UPS two days later with a nice bill of £42. After a lot of questioning, it turned out UPS had made a mistake, but they refused to back down so I didn't pay the money and the decoder was eventually destroyed by RM. Lovely...

I still buy a lot of stuff from the US and now that I won't use UPS I haven't been hit with any unfair charges.

Rob

 

[poliss]

Sol, you are liable because you are the importer. If you don't like paying the taxes then take it up with your MP.

 

[Sol]

Poliss, OK but then we are lucky Down Under. We could import upto £200 ($500) & I believe it is now £400 ($1000) without incurring any Customs charges.
The reason was, so I was told, is that it was not worth their time & costs to do the paperwork for this amount of money.

Some models are about the same price here in Oz either imported direct or via local shops, others are far cheaper to import & others items, the only place to get them is from overseas.
At least when we purchase from the UK, we do not have VAT to pay so that saving pays for postage.

 

[FALCON 53]

Evening eveybody (UK that is). After reading some of the post's on this topic , i just felt that i had to add my two penny's worth.
As a coincidence it just so happened this morning that i received a letter from Parcelforce informing me that they had a parcel (from the U.S.A.) waiting for me at their local depot.
Unfortunately it could not be released until £20.89 V.A.T & £8.00 Parcelforce clearance fee had been paid

. Grand total £28.89.
I too, like others on this forum have previously purchased from the US before without any charges to my goods (value appx £100, as is my latest purchase). Even the previous postage rates have been very reasonable

.
But this time i had my doubts about this latest purchase (diffrent supplier)

shortly after i received my first e-mail informing me the postage on my purchase had risen from $25 to $49 (no explanation).
Day 2 into the purchase and i was e-mailed again to say my goods had been dispatched. Day 3's e-mail, they had left the US and were on route to the UK (17 Jan). Oh well at least a quick service me thinks

. Waited all week still no parcel. Yesterday (25 Jan) new e-mail. Your parcel is awaitng UK customs clearance (no mention of charges). This morning (26) i received the above letter.
Guess who the courier was ? Yes thats right good old UPS.
Well i now have my goods, but what have i learnt ?
If you see items on the web in the US that seem to be to cheap to be true, then they probably are just that

 

[Brian Considine]

It seems that UPS are being flamed for playing it by the book. At the end of the day other carriers will follow, the technology will catch up & duty and/or VAT will have to be paid on everything - at least, that way the playing field will be a little more level.

 

[poliss]

It does seem that some people complain about cheap imports from China and some people complain about paying customs charges. Which ones are right?
I'd go for just having income tax myself and abolishing all other taxes.

 

[80class]

QUOTE (dbclass50 @ 26 Jan 2008, 20:22) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>It seems that UPS are being flamed for playing it by the book. At the end of the day other carriers will follow, the technology will catch up & duty and/or VAT will have to be paid on everything - at least, that way the playing field will be a little more level.

My problem with UPS is that they don't "play it by the book". They seem to make up a random amount that you have to pay. That is why I will never use them again and I know I am far from alone in this opinion of them.

If you are going to buy from abroad, make sure the goods won't be carried by UPS and then you know that best case you will pay nothing, worst case you will pay the correct duty/vat plus the £8 charge.

Rob

 

[neil_s_wood]

QUOTE (80class @ 27 Jan 2008, 07:43) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>My problem with UPS is that they don't "play it by the book". They seem to make up a random amount that you have to pay. That is why I will never use them again and I know I am far from alone in this opinion of them.

If you are going to buy from abroad, make sure the goods won't be carried by UPS and then you know that best case you will pay nothing, worst case you will pay the correct duty/vat plus the £8 charge.

Rob
I agree with Rob on this. There doesn't seem to be any direct relation between the value of the goods and the extra charged. e.g. I had a carpet delivered from India to Scotland a few years back and the "tax or duty" charged was the same as the cost of the carpet.