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Import duty

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SumpMagnet:
I work in the import/export carrier business.... it's a minefield sometimes...but actually very simple.

Legally...failing to declare the true value of godds is an offence. HMRC can confiscate and destry the items if they choose. US firms have been prosecuted for deliberately marking down values to evade tax, and as a result...they play fair. The Chinese simply don't care. They are not pursued in any way by the Chinese authorities, so do as they please.

One thing to watch though....if your goods get wrecked in the post....you will only be able to claim the declared value. The carrier picks up the compensation bill, and if it says $1 on the import paperwork...guess what you are going to get. You could complain...of course...But as the contract for post is with the sender, not the recipient... you have no recourse. Then sender would have to admit to an offence to get their money back.

My rule of thumb..NEVER ask for a mark down, never tick a box for it or give any indication you asked for it.

If buying from the US or similar, and the option to do it with included pre-paid import dutry...it's worth it for smaller items. You will get a £13 handling fee if your item is stopped. Pre cleared items are not stopped.

Of course...HMRC cannot stop everything....and only sample a percentage of goods coming in. They focus on destinations more likely to be high value goods.

Trigger:

--- Quote from: Oddjob on May 29, 2020, 08:20:37 PM ---With E-Bays GSP all expenses are covered. No charges from the post office for handling as it's pre-paid. However it seems they overcharge on import duty, I was watching a part the other day $25, postage was £30 but import duty was another £11. I messaged the seller and said we don't pay import duties on items less than £135 so where are the charges calculated from, I got a message back saying GSP or nothing, I chose nothing.

--- End quote ---


Yes, you will not be charged import duties under a listed value but, you will still pay VAT and a handling charge over about £10. You must also take into account that the item is charged at the exchange rate of entry and not at the exchange rate of the day you payed so, a item that you paid for that was under the threshold may not be under the threshold when calculate any charges  ;)

Bryanj:
What pisses me off is if they charge duty(tax) they then add up the value+postage+duty and charge 20%vat on the total so you pay tax on a tax!!!! And then post office add £8(parcelfarce £12 i think)

SPR:
I have a USA forwarding address which is great for buying items that won't ship directly to the UK but also lets me consolidate parcels and then just pay one set of postage ... yes you still pay the duties and tax but it works out cheaper than individual purchases

Simon

MrDavo:
When i got into photography, I bought a telephoto lens which cost more than the camera, from an eBay seller in Hong Kong with a guarantee of no duty or VAT. When the package turned up I was alarmed to see it marked as a faulty part being exchanged, then I realised this is how they did it.

I bought a new, comfier seat for my HD this week, after a ride out (to check my eyesight) showed that either the padding in my butt or in my seat isn’t what it used to be. Sadly, new ones are NLA from Harley, and the only ones for sale this side of the pond are used. I found the seat I wanted for sale, new, in South Carolina, at a good price, the kicker was the international carriage and Duty, via GSP are more than the seat. I think it was the same when I bought a complete set of shells for my CB750 from Yamiya in Japan.

This week I have been tracking the seat and watching it head north, by UPS truck, to Erlanger, Kentucky, where it has reached the international shipping centre, and gone through customs. I have had parts from the US stuck there for an age before, pre virus, then one day out of the blue, you notice it’s in East Midlands Airport, next to Donington Park. How many cargo flights are happening now I don’t know, the skies round here are practically empty.

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