Thread: UK purchases from USA - Take note.....

Originally Posted by Pabs

Hi All

Anyone from the UK, that wishes to purchase items from the USA, must be aware of the following, as I found out the hard way ...... :

CUSTOMS WILL CHARGE YOU IMPORT TAX. I have been charged quite a lot for it too....

Just make sure you budget for this and think about it before you order stuff!
Dont want you to be on a tighter budget like I am now

If it is computer components there ois no import duty to pay.
You may however goet charged VAT at the full value of the product+the full value of the shipping.

Can't remember the name of the site, but there is a site where you can select the current from country, and too country, and the type of product (beware, some of these are very obscure, and not a good decription of what you want to bring in) and it will give you a % that is charged as duty for bringing into a country (part of an international agreement, otherwise you could get goods sent to a friend in an EU country that doesn't charge import duty, who the forwards to you because duty/VAT is already paid on goods within the EU).

I had UPS try to tell me that I had VAT and Duty to pay for a PSU I ordered from Canada, phoned their office, they said who told you computer components have no duty on I bluffed "HM C&E" she asked me to put the courier on, and I just ahd VAT to pay, after a 10 minute wait while she checked my story.

Care to tell us how much Customs charged you? What did they put it down as being? There are different prices for different items being imported.

I'll be going with the carnetix once my touchscreen arrives.

Chewiee

I just received my Carnetix PSU, Customs stung me £7 ish, that's just 17.5% vat, and the post office charge me £4 handling charge! Errr, I thought that's what the stamps were to pay for! Grrrr!

Having said that, it's a lovely bit of kit. Even the glow plugs and starter crank on my diesel shogun doesn't cause so much as a ripple on the screen or beep from the pc.

Originally Posted by tankslappa

I just received my Carnetix PSU, Customs stung me £7 ish, that's just 17.5% vat, and the post office charge me £4 handling charge! Errr, I thought that's what the stamps were to pay for! Grrrr!

Having said that, it's a lovely bit of kit. Even the glow plugs and starter crank on my diesel shogun doesn't cause so much as a ripple on the screen or beep from the pc.

Nah, the £4 is for them handling the VAT collection, and payment to the VAT man, not handling the package. UPS tried that one too.

What if you had it shipped to one of us Stateside and we sent our good buddies in the UK "presents"?

Sucks though, I know my uncle built me a PC in Canada. Was a PITA to get everything together and then send it down to me. He had to have paperwork on all the stuff. But that WAS back in '99... I don't know how things are now. I just build my own.

Well, I was charged £13.00 total. Not sure how they came to this figure, but cant be arsed to argue with them. I wont get anywhere.
Still cheaper than the opus anyway.

Actually, i just looked at the box.... lol

£8.10 vat, £4.00 royal mail clearance fee.

However, it states than anything with a value of more than £18.00 are subject to customs. I have ordered loads of stuff from the US before and I have had no charges until now!

But hope this just points out to the UK purchasers what the total cost is more likely to be.

Originally Posted by Pabs

Well, I was charged £13.00 total. Not sure how they came to this figure, but cant be arsed to argue with them. I wont get anywhere.
Still cheaper than the opus anyway.

There is ways around import duty, that might not be 100% legal but do work.

If you buy somthing second hand, just get the person who is sending the item to claim it is broken, then when you pick the item up say you are repairing it to be resent, then when it comes to return the item just say it was BER <beyond economical repair> and throw it away

Did I just say that???

Damn



You will still have to pay a small charge, think its like fixed to 10 quid,

I dont aggree with paying VAT etc on goods that are bought in america, when they have already paid tax on that item anyway, if its a new item then all you can do is get it marked as a gift and take your chances,

Well, when the sender HAS to send it as "other" and not gift, such as this PSU from carnetix, there is no way around it then! Ahh well.