I've just ordered a small item from US seller and asked them if they knew what duty I might encounter as they have sold many times to UK. They were unsure, but said none of their previous customers had said they were hit with high tax. What I can't understand, as the item is a present for myself and only cost £12, is why I would be charged anything anyway? If I visited US and bought the item and returned home with it I wouldn't be asked to pay anything - so not sure how things work. I would like to order other things but don't want to spend a fotune!
The threshold for tax and import duty for any item coming into the UK from outside the EU is £18. Your item shouldn't be affected.
Being fair to your seller, though, they cannot be expected to know the tax thresholds of all the countries they sell to.
It is always up to the buyer to find out before bidding. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OP you might or might not be charged, the item cost is not the only price factored. Sometimes customs add the price of postage into the equation, they do occasional spot checks by opening the package and then charge how much they feel the item is worth.
The problem is as soon as the item is determined to be subject to taxes you have to pay a handling charge, duty charges can be appealed though for Royal mail I had to pay more money to cover administration when making an appeal.
I did buy about 7 month's ago two identical lightning boxes from the USA (both same price and description), both under the threshold. First one got through no problems, the second was hit by customs and handling charges nearly doubling its purchase price.
Sid, if the item was under £18, why did it get hit? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#3 No idea why it was hit, I suspect a different customs/Royal Mail person on the second one factored the package postage into the items price (it was metal). From memory the handling and customs/VAT charges nearly doubled its price.
I could have appealed, though with the administation charges and paperwork it was not worth the effort for the amount of money involved. I don't think you can appeal the handling charges, which in my case made up the majority of the additional expenses.
Got hit the same way for bike parts - the handling charge (and you're right, you can't reclaim that) was two-thirds of the overall fee. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
. banemeck #0: >>>> What I can't understand, as the item is a present for myself and only cost £12, is why I would be charged anything anyway? <<<<
As a previous post said, the threshold for import duty on items imported by post is at present £18. If you can convince the Customs that it is a gift (from somebody else) the threshold is £36.
>>>> If I visited US and bought the item and returned home with it I wouldn't be asked to pay anything <<<<<<
There is a higher import duty threshold for personal travellers- I think currently £145, but you can still be most definitely hit by customs duty on personal imports coming back through a UK airport from the US.
>>>> A UK shopper weighed down with bargains (from the US) may attract the unwelcome attention of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise when returning from the US. The warm glow to be had from securing a bargain could fade in double-quick time if import duty has to be paid. People are allowed to bring in £145 worth of shopping from the US into the UK, this limit is non-transferable. If the £145 limit is breached customs can insist on the payment of import duty and VAT.... <<<<
I have been charged duty for items valued less than £18 (from memory £14). To quote from a large carrier.
"What is the value for Duty? Customs assess the amount of Duty to be paid based on the declared value of the goods plus the transport costs to the country of destination".
Im debating buying a guitar from the US its working out at £550 (selling in UK for £1400) if i purchase it would i just have to add VAT @14.5% for import duty or will there be more charges to face?
VAT is 17.5%, no? I'm a bit out of touch. In short you should expect to pay about 30%. Still looks like a bargain, but be careful who you buy from. If it looks too good to be true....
Yer sorry, it is 17.5% not 14.5% slip of the keys there, thanx for your advice. its still looking like a good price and is a Very reputable seller (nearly 2000 positive feedback and 0 negative/neatural) how did you get the 30% figure?
30% is normally not far wong, to be sure you need the rate of duty and that fills a book about a foot thick. Take a read of this, scroll down for some practical examples.
Hi Everyone, USA here! This was explained to me early on in shipping internationally by our postal office that customs in the receiving country is responsible for determining duties (or other taxes). It is also illegal for us to mark something as a gift when it is not.
The US has no control over what charges you will incur however, a better understanding and usage of more reflective customs codes may help buyers minimize costs.
I think that we all have a tendency to describe the product based on an auction title or very generic description, thinking it is best to be vague... but I can say that when a customer knows what is more reflective of their countries codes that it can expedite processing & provide a better understanding of costs you may be charged. A good example could be costume jewelry versus fine jewelry. Faux pearl and real pearls very different in costs!
Our post office has a list of category codes that is useful for items coming into the US, I would imagine your postal service may have something similar.
The last time I purchased something from the states the retail price was around $50, the postage was around $20 (so the total was approximately £40) and after getting stung for import duty the item cost me a total of £89 at this end. If you can get the company you are buying from to post the invoice seperately you may be able to claim that it's a gift ?
If its things like motorcycle parts yopu are buying and you get stung for duty, you may find that it is just as cheap to buy here if the item is available, problem is you wont know until you try.
Hi again, just to let you know that i bought the guitar from America. Invoice total was $250,it arrived a week later and the courier asked for £40.20 for import tax. so thanks for all your help!
Help Is there any one who could give me advice. I bought a pair of walking boots from the USA 03/09/06. cost $44 99 postage $29 by USPS The seller advised me that they had left the USA on 06/09/06 they have not yet arrived. Is it normal to take so long and will I be liable import duty.
Vat/Import Duty is due on any item over £18.00 in value but it's down to chance whether your item is selected by UK customs or not.
Did your Seller give you a tracking number ?
If you paid with Paypal they should have given you a tracking number. If so just go to Royal Mail web page with the number and see if you can find out where the item is .
Your Seller is covered for £500 Buyer Protection and you have 45 days to make a claim with Paypal for item not received.
So plenty of time yet for the times to arrive.No need to panic yet .
. >>>> eekhorn; #9: you should expect to pay about 30%..... <<<<<
>>>> Mr. Music: #16: just to let you know that i bought the guitar from America. Invoice total was $250, it arrived a week later and the courier asked for £40.20 for import tax... <<<<<<
I am watching this camcorder on e-bay which is approximately £251, from USA but not sure how much would it cost me on taxes/duties plus postage. I have tried the seller and they don't seem to know much. Can anyone help?
The seller has informed me that the camcorder has PAL and NTSC syetems so that should be ok. Also he is going to send an adaptor to convert 220 volts to 110 volts.
Does the auction not state what Worldwide shipment is ? Most strange if the Seller has said they will ship worldwide and then NOT give a postal rate.
But I'm pretty confident that 30% should cover duty and VAt.
Not all parcels that are imported are stopped/examined by UK Customs.It's very much a random thing.
you parcxel could get through without any extra charge but cost in an extra 30% and then if the item gets through without inspection then you're that much better off
The seller had stated that for international postage I need to contact him on the given number which I have tried few times but may it is still early morning there and no one is in the office!!! I will try again after lunch.
I hope I am one of those not checked ones and save 30%...!
. >>>> #21: I am watching this camcorder on e-bay which is approximately £251, from USA but not sure how much would it cost me on taxes/duties plus postage. <<<<
For more info on UK import duty see link in #11 above.
HI I GOT MY BILL YESTERDAY FOR A ITEM I BOUGHT FROM USA PURCHASED ITEM WAS £114. BILL READS IMPORT DUTY NIL. EXCISE DUTY NIL.V.A.T £19.15. PARCELFORCE CLEARANNCE FEE £13.50. TOTAL £32.65 JUST TO GIVE YOU'S SOME IDEA OF COSTS TA STEVE.
Also he is going to send an adaptor to convert 220 volts to 110 volts.
#23 - you still have to find out a little more information since while it is true that most US devices do operate on 120v while I understand that most UK ones use 220, there is more to it.
US A/C current (both 120 & 240 v) use 60 cycle current while the UK uses 50 cycle. A device that wants 60 cycle current will be very unhapy with 50 cycle and vice versa.
The converters designed to allow use of US devices in the UK reduce the voltage and increase the cycle rate since only doing one of the two would be worthless. - - - - - - -
I bought pair of shoes from USA on 03/09/06 They were sent by USPS on the 05/09/06. By using the tracking number given they should have left the US at 10.05 that day. Parcelforse done a track for me and there record show no parcel arriving in the UK with the tracking number given. The question is,if the parcel had gone into customs would it show arriving in the UK or not.Or do they not show ring until it as cleared customs.
Your seller has full Paypal protection and so ,in the case of non receipt you can claim against your Seller for a full refund through Paypal.(I am assuming that you paid by Paypal).You have 45 days to claim from Paypal from the date of Payment so keep an eye on the date/time limit and don't let the 45 day limit pass.
I don't know about whether tracking numbers show arrival in the UK or if they refer to passing through UK customs (perhaps someone else will know that ) but the link below is one the gives International Posting services tracking links ,perhaps that will assist you .
You may get a Security Certificate expired on this link but I've used it many times without problem and it is a link to an Ebay Members Me pages (that posts regularly on the Paypal and Postage Board)
Interesting discussion.... With a lots small shops using ebay they now looking for bigger & wider markets, so they are advertising outside of the own country! like a USA shops are advertising not in dollars but UK stiring. If the invoice is marked in stiring passing customs will this still be liable to import tax!
How is the buyer to know! they even reduce the postage!
The Customs Men (bless!! ) Look at the invoice /customs receipt and use the value quoted whether it be in Sterling or US dollar or yak's . They then convert it to the equivalent in their own local currency .
They either accept or decline what is written and inspect the parcel if they so choose.
I have had items going into Canada where the value is marked (genuinely ) as £4.00. Canadian Customs have decided NOT to accept my value ,opened the parcel and revalued it at £20.
It seems that a Customs Officer has the power to interpret their own Countries rules and regulations as they see fit.
Import/Export is a lottery but one ,I have found , to be well worth taking part in .
But what about the poor customer who buy the good in stiring thinking hes buy from a shop in the UK but it turn out the trader is in the US, then the poor guy get hit with customs!!! in most case the shops i've seen don't say anything about import costs at all!
(they can end up in a sales trap... being charge for good been returned! due to refusal of collection!)
Who is really at fault??? trade for not stating import duty charges!(who is not able to say as he can't say what the finial bid will be!) or customer for not loooking at traders location! Like a lot ppl they just arn't really aware of these costs!
As a seller I stipulate in all my auctions that Duties,Levies and Taxes on point of Import Entry are the responsibility of the Buyer.
That makes it perfectly clear to any Bidder that I am selling the Item delivered via normal postal methods (not Courier or Carrier) and that Duty and Local taxes , *if* due, are the responsibility of the Buyer.
On the other hand ..SOME buyers have to take share of any apportioned blame.
Some Bidders just DO NOT read the auction description or content and just bid . They do not see the item location .nor where the Seller is registered.
So .. in the case of this discussion I'd really have to say that both Buyers and seller err.
Paypal ..well.. differing opinions regarding Paypal depends upon which camp you are in.
Auctions usually display Paypal Protection (or not). Amount of Buyers protection is displayed Right hand side of the auction page underneath the Sellers feedback.
If you use Paypal (and providing you make a claim within 45 days of Payment ) CAN cover up to £500 of any loses. But the £500 logo has to be displayed for this amount to be refunded (in the auction as previously mentioned above).
If the £500 is NOT displayed then it reverts to Ebay Standard Protection only which means you can only get a MAXIMUM of £105 refunded ( £120 minus £15 admin. costs)
If you fund the Payment through Paypal using a Credit Card then you may be able to claim more than £500 but not through Paypal but using a Claim against your Credit Card company.
If you pay by Western Union then ..forget it .. NOTHING will be refunded
If you deal off ebay through a fake Second Chance Offer -then forget it ..As Above ,your money is gone ..lost .
Buyers CAN protect themselves ,they only need to employ caution and not be driven by the 'bargain light' flashing.
Who is really at fault??? trade for not stating import duty charges!(who is not able to say as he can't say what the final bid will be!) or customer for not looking at traders location! Like a lot ppl they just arn't really aware of these costs!
If a US seller is selling worldwide it is absolutely impossible for him to say what taxes and duty will be applied by the buyers own country, even if he knows the final bid price. In the EU alone the VAT varies between each country, the duty rates fill a book 5 inches thick, and if you want it, you have to pay for it.
A regular on the US boards.....Buyer is refusing to pay taxes and expects me to pay them.....Along with.... buyer charged back via paypal, did not take insurance!
The standard answer is that the buyer knows full well about these taxes and is trying it on. This is bull.Once you get over to them that this really is a buyer who had no idea that there were taxes, the next posting tells you this is not the sellers problem.
Well, it is, or they would not be crying on the boards!
I would say 90% or more of US international sellers problems would vanish if they had a clear warning and disclaimer regarding import taxes, and a clear statement of what they will and will not do regarding the information on customs forms.
Next, if they could only get in to their heads the fact that insurance is for sellers, so giving buyers the option of insuring the seller is pretty stupid. Then, if they could only understand that cheap shipping equals slow shipping, and that buyers have a limited time to protect themselves via paypal. And who can blame the buyer for being jumpy when the seller has "NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR LOSS IN THE POST" written large in their TOS?
Most international "buyer problems" are in fact self inflicted by the seller.
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