importing from USA
- Thread starter Joe
- Start date
B3
Senior Retro Guru
That''s a very good question, i've bought loads of ebay in the US, but have yet to pay import duty on anything.
There is a limit to what can be sent as "a gift" something like $100, someone on here is bound to know the exact amount.
Some people have been lucky, some have had to pay stupid amounts, there doesn't seem to be any logical reason :?
There is a limit to what can be sent as "a gift" something like $100, someone on here is bound to know the exact amount.
Some people have been lucky, some have had to pay stupid amounts, there doesn't seem to be any logical reason :?
Joe,
to be exempt from import duty it must a) be marked as a gift on the customs declaration by the seller, and b) be less than £36.00 (GBP) in value, or at least marked as that by the seller. But if you want it insured, that kind of puts the kybosh on that as you'll obviously want it valued higher in case of a claim.
They tax things according to a UK customs value scale.
eg:
My cross bike was a bike catagory and therefore taxed at 14% regardless of whether new or 2nd hand.
So it's value of whatever you are buying + postage + insurance on postage = 1st total then thaht amount is tax ed at 14% (in the case of the bike)...(this is the import duty).
..then (and here's the outrageous bit) that new total is taxed at 17.5% for VAT.
Taxing their own tax - good work if you can get it if you ask me.
Are we off for today btw. What about in the week?
to be exempt from import duty it must a) be marked as a gift on the customs declaration by the seller, and b) be less than £36.00 (GBP) in value, or at least marked as that by the seller. But if you want it insured, that kind of puts the kybosh on that as you'll obviously want it valued higher in case of a claim.
They tax things according to a UK customs value scale.
eg:
My cross bike was a bike catagory and therefore taxed at 14% regardless of whether new or 2nd hand.
So it's value of whatever you are buying + postage + insurance on postage = 1st total then thaht amount is tax ed at 14% (in the case of the bike)...(this is the import duty).
..then (and here's the outrageous bit) that new total is taxed at 17.5% for VAT.
Taxing their own tax - good work if you can get it if you ask me.
Are we off for today btw. What about in the week?
leeww
Devout Dirtbag
Got some Pauls mounts a couple of weeks ago from the U.S. ( http://www.paulcomp.com/thumbmtn.html )
Broke down like this.
$67 for the mounts
$35 shipping
£21 customs
£12 some other charge Parcel force stuck on for handling the customs charge.
This is why I buy from UK or Europe if I can.
The thing that always raises a smile is getting a tracking number and watching how a package can race from Mid-America to the West Coast to the international shipping dept - onto the plane - in a morning then efficiently accross the Atlantic and into the quick sand of the UK postal system !
The tracking information usually looks something like this (based on what I remember of a delivery last year)
June 1st: received Colorado Main airport 8.07am
June 1st: left Colorado Main airport 9.43am
June 1st: arrived California LAX 11.02am
June 1st: move to international shipping 11.53am
June 1st: left California LAX 14.10pm
now we get to the UK. . .
June 1st: arrived London Gatwick 20.16pm
June 2nd: received by UK customs
June 3rd: received by UK customs
June 4th: received by UK customs
June 5th: received by UK customs
June 6th: received by UK customs
June 7th: received by UK customs
June 8th: received by UK customs
June 9th: received by UK customs
June 10th: received by UK customs
June 11th: left UK customs 11.10am
June 11th: received at depot 12.16pm
June 12th: no information
June 13th: no information
June 14th: no information
June 15th: disinterested postal worker attempted to deliver to the wrong address 16.40pm
June 16th: no information
June 17th: no information
June 18th: received at depot 12.16pm
June 19th: no information
June 20th: no information
June 21st: letter sent out to inform you that you were not in when we tried to deliver
etc etc etc . . .
I am just moaning now ! But my advice would always be buy from Europe (to avoid the high customs charges) and if possible avoid our postal system (including Parcel Force) and go for something like DHL on valuable or urgent items.
Broke down like this.
$67 for the mounts
$35 shipping
£21 customs
£12 some other charge Parcel force stuck on for handling the customs charge.
This is why I buy from UK or Europe if I can.
The thing that always raises a smile is getting a tracking number and watching how a package can race from Mid-America to the West Coast to the international shipping dept - onto the plane - in a morning then efficiently accross the Atlantic and into the quick sand of the UK postal system !
The tracking information usually looks something like this (based on what I remember of a delivery last year)
June 1st: received Colorado Main airport 8.07am
June 1st: left Colorado Main airport 9.43am
June 1st: arrived California LAX 11.02am
June 1st: move to international shipping 11.53am
June 1st: left California LAX 14.10pm
now we get to the UK. . .
June 1st: arrived London Gatwick 20.16pm
June 2nd: received by UK customs
June 3rd: received by UK customs
June 4th: received by UK customs
June 5th: received by UK customs
June 6th: received by UK customs
June 7th: received by UK customs
June 8th: received by UK customs
June 9th: received by UK customs
June 10th: received by UK customs
June 11th: left UK customs 11.10am
June 11th: received at depot 12.16pm
June 12th: no information
June 13th: no information
June 14th: no information
June 15th: disinterested postal worker attempted to deliver to the wrong address 16.40pm
June 16th: no information
June 17th: no information
June 18th: received at depot 12.16pm
June 19th: no information
June 20th: no information
June 21st: letter sent out to inform you that you were not in when we tried to deliver
etc etc etc . . .
I am just moaning now !
But my advice would always be buy from Europe (to avoid the high customs charges) and if possible avoid our postal system (including Parcel Force) and go for something like DHL on valuable or urgent items.
Stick Legs
Gold Trader
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Check out HMRC website. Search under Import duty from USA.
Basically there is a bit of a taxation war going on between the EU and the USA over 'unfair' import duty. So anything from across the pond attracts 15% duty over any VAT. Bast**ds.
This annoys me so much as I would like to buy stuff from the US but not if I am going to get screwed over it. I already pay higher rate tax as well. Gits.
Basically there is a bit of a taxation war going on between the EU and the USA over 'unfair' import duty. So anything from across the pond attracts 15% duty over any VAT. Bast**ds.
This annoys me so much as I would like to buy stuff from the US but not if I am going to get screwed over it. I already pay higher rate tax as well. Gits.
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