UK: Buying lashlights from abroad..

I have seen in a couple of threads on here and elsewhere that sometimes the postal companies sometimes open packages and ask for extra import taxes/shipping etc when items are being posted to the UK from abroad. Is this true/likely to happen and if so how much is it and can i avoid it?

Thanks

kris994 said:

I have seen in a couple of threads on here and elsewhere that sometimes the postal companies sometimes open packages and ask for extra import taxes/shipping etc when items are being posted to the UK from abroad. Is this true/likely to happen and if so how much is it and can i avoid it?

Thanks

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Hi a lot of these threads lead no where to be honest, why? because the ground has been gone over time and time again usually in the cafe forum.That said I will answer your questions.

1.Yes it is all true,customs officers check what value is on the customs form.you will be charged fees for anything over £18.00 usually,and there is no way to avoid the duties,it's the law.
If you want to avoid them I suggest don't buy from overseas outside the EU I hope that helps

It's just a price we pay for the priviledge of living in a small, cold, unpatriotic and badly governed version of the US. We have better chocolate though! :twothumbs

Tom

There is another option - PM sent

Inova his head said:

It's just a price we pay for the priviledge of living in a small, cold, unpatriotic and badly governed version of the US. We have better chocolate though! :twothumbs

Tom

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lol I just split tea!!! BTW even the chocolate is badly governed these days.

I've bought loads of stuff from abroad, usually US and some from Hong Kong and never had a problem. I know you are allowed up to a certain value before you get charged, but the reality is that customs or the carriers cannot scrutinize every single package. There may also be other triggers for suspicion like regular packages from the same place or too much arriving at one address which will warrant special attention. It's a gamble really and as long as you do not actively seek to avoid import duty or encourage others to help you do it you won't get into trouble. My way of looking at it is that if I get charged, then I've had enough other deliveries without issue for it to even out. Just in case, I have money put aside for this event so I can just pay them off and put it down to experience.

Re: UK: Buying flashlights from abroad..

Tomcat! said:

I've bought loads of stuff from abroad, usually US and some from Hong Kong and never had a problem.

It's a gamble really and as long as you do not actively seek to avoid import duty or encourage others to help you do it you won't get into trouble.

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+1. It's often very random what they catch, but it helps if it's sent to a home address rather than a business/work address. In my experience my work shipping details seems to attract more import attention (and the subsequent import £££) than my home deliveries. Other than this vague advice I'm not sure how much we can speculate on methods of avoiding international import duties

Re: UK: Buying flashlights from abroad..

BenjiBot said:

+1. It's often very random what they catch, but it helps if it's sent to a home address rather than a business/work address. In my experience my work shipping details seems to attract more import attention (and the subsequent import £££) than my home deliveries. Other than this vague advice I'm not sure how much we can speculate on methods of avoiding international import duties

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You can't because it's illegal and the moderators will rightly pull you up on it.

Always be wary of a broad selling flashlights...:thinking:

HitecDrftr said:

Always be wary of a broad selling flashlights...:thinking:

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Unless of course she's the light of your life!:laughing:

It's not just the customs fees, the post office or parcelforce also add a ' handling fee' so you end up paying even more!
I suggest ordering from either the UK or within the EU as you won't get extra charges.

Its really down to luck of the draw.
I have only been hit a couple of times with Custom charges
all high-end items ...... £40 was the most I have had to pay.
Everytime it was items shipped from the US
With Hong Kong never ..... yet

HOT NEWS FROM THE BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7727717.stm
Internet shoppers get duty break


Designer shoes may remain above the threshold

Internet shoppers will not have to pay customs duty on items they have bought for less than £105 from outside the EU.
The change, which comes into force on 1 December, extends the duty-free limit for goods bought online from £18, HM Revenue and Customs says.
The move will benefit thousands of consumers who buy items such as DVD players from the US, which have a 14% duty rate.
VAT will still be charged on most items that cost more than £18.
"Whether you are looking to get your hands on the latest computer game, designer clothes or DVDs, it is important to be aware of the law on customs charges, especially as this is about to change," said Doug Tweddle, of HMRC.
Different levels
Many items, such as CDs, have previously been dispatched separately in order to avoid the import duty.
Import duties vary and are not charged on all goods, but are charged on items such as CD players (import duty rate of 9.5%), DVD players (14%), silver or gold jewellery (2.5%), or imitation silver and gold jewellery (4%).
Items such as mobile phones and books are already free from import duty charges set by the EU.
"If you are buying goods from countries outside the EU, it is in your interests to know what the rules are," said Mr Tweddle.
"For example, some websites do not always make clear there is duty or VAT to pay, while others may misrepresent or undervalue your goods to try and avoid paying charges."
If goods were found to be wrongly declared, they could be seized and the customer penalised, he added.

jezzyp said:

VAT will still be charged on most items that cost more than £18.

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Note that your still have to pay VAT and probably also the custom processing fee.

There..... :sigh: :sigh:

Yep that's an all too familiar sight,what really gets me is you pay vat on the shipping cost too i.e the total then parcel force add there fees on top.

That said,if it makes anyone feel better I received a parcel with that red sticker plain as day,I never paid them a penny haha the one that got away :naughty:

Also I have found parcels with company names on them will get attention first,as opposed to plain wrapped parcels.

"...said Mr Tweddle."

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very British

Wow - the Brits really get screwed over don't they?

Here in NZ we can import almost anything (as long as it's legal) and customs wont stop the package unless the value exceeds NZ$400. If customs stop a package worth over $400 then the recipient has to pay the 12.5% GST before they release the package - i.e. NZ$600 package, costs NZ$75 in GST, maybe a couple of extra dollars as some sort of admin fee, but not the sort of thing in serious sam's picture. Geez - why do they need to stop a package to collect 11 pounds in GST, it can't really be worth it surely?

The interesting thing here is that the NZ$400 limit is per package - I can have thousands of dollars worth of packages arrive every year and never have to pay tax on any of them. In fact this year I have had a lot of overseas order arrive (Givi Windscreen for my scooter, 3 Jetbeams, 1 Fenix, 1 Olight, DVDs from Amazon, drop-in from Malkoff, batteries from AW, batteries from Thomas Distributing, T-Shirts from despair.com, Cloth for a poker table, digital camera from B&H, etc) and I have not paid a cent in tax!

KiwiMark said:

Wow - the Brits really get screwed over don't they?.....

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We do!

Well you (we) did OK when it was $2/£1. Now I'm not so sure...

(As an ex-pat Brit my life is now priced in $$$, but the current exchange rate is good when I want to import things from the UK )