Help me please...

[bestdressedkids]

Please could anyone explain something on here.
I am new to buying from the USA, and i have just brought some software, and then i got a bill most parcel force for £25.00 the cost of this software was £68, this was cutoms tax or something and parcel force charged me £8 for deliverying it, when i already paid postage.
Does anyone know much on Cutoms and can they explain how it works, as i don't understand it all.
Or does someone know a broker who can help with the shipping and customs side of it.

Please help!!

Claire

[thehoneyant]

Sorry can't help other than this link to HM Revenue & Customs.

http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsP...CE_PROD_008654

[cmc_entertainment]

example: vat = 17.5%
Charge by the carrier = £8 (post office is only £4 i think)
Goods = £68

Non/excluded vatable goods are for prices under £18

So for you this is what is should be in total:

(Goods x VAT) + Handling

68 x 1.175 + 8 = £87.90

[paladinz2k]

Any goods purchased from outside the EC are liable for duty and in some cases VAT. If you have been sent a gift and the value is under £36 you will not be liable, over that amount you will be charged depending on the product. For purchases bought by yourself with a value over £18 you may have to pay duty depending on the product; it may also be liable to VAT. Under that amount you will not be liable.

In future ask the seller to mark the item as a gift on the customs form and to put the value at under £36.

He/She can still insure the item for the correct ammount as the value on the Cutoms form is seperate from the insurance.

[diorella24]

I generally avoid buying if I haven't discussed the overseas postage and how they're gonna mark the customs form.. I wouldn't personally *ask* them to put its a gift as it could be construed as circumventing the vat rules.. but just ask how they intend to do it, a lot of ppl usually put the value at $10 anyway.. just imho (but who am I..)

buying off other auction sites I've had people, for some god unkown reason, falsify a customs form to say the item was worth more than it was.. resulting in a customs charge being slapped on it. I had to refuse the item, go to the sorting office after printing out all my auction pages, send coppies to mount plesant sorting office, write letters.. and then wait 2 weeks for them to decide I was right and not charge me the duties.

Buying abroad can be so much fun ;-)

Oh btw, the £8 charge from the courier service isnt anything to do with postage, its a levvy they charge for the service of collecting your customs payment, processing it, etc. Last time I knew, Royal Mail only charged £4 for processing customs duties paid, so if possible, pick your carrier in future, policies differ.

[cutpricegoodies]

I believe Royal Mail are the cheapest, DHL charged me £10 'handling fee' on top of the vat. The £35 item wasn't such a bargain after all.

I thought the threshold for being charged was £18.

[diorella24]

Hm.. UPS have a 'bill to sender' option.. that's something you could do, share the vat and related charges, split it.. if your seller is a really nice person.

Last time I had something imported, UPS's brokerage charges were £10, so royal mail are still winning.. although UPS have automatic customs cleared features so you dont worry about mt pleasant losing your stuff. Threshold for charges.. I've never come across anything higher than £10.

Anyway.. I meant to say, re brokerage services, that's what the £8 charge is, it's only going to be beneficial for you if you import high volumes to use the services of a 3rd party brokerage firm. No matter what anyone says, "free brokerage" doesn't exist imho.. A lot of brokerage firms are dedicated to one type of product as well.

Additionally, as if I hadn't gone on enough, the exact tax rates you're charged are dependant on the nature of the item, as declared on customs forms, some categories of products have a lower over all rate, some have higher than standard. Anyway, my drivvel on this comes from work experience, not auction related experience, so it might not be wholly relevant. Glad you read this now eh?