Customs fees

[A80Avant]

Does anyone knows what the percentage for customs fees is for items arriving from the US?

If for example an item is declared as 300$,what would the customs fee be?

cheers
vasilis

[Rusty]

If I remember from last time you get charged VAT at 15% on the whole lot including customs fees plus any fees from the shipping agent for paying those fees and The VAT. I was a bit p'd off last time I got whacked over £20 on some parts labelled at $50 or so. Most of this was fees to pay the fees

[madpugger]

http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageVAT_ShowContent&id=HMCE_CL_001454&propertyType=document

Looks like VAT at 15% plus customs duty, whatever that is. I think I had to pay £70 on $600 - $700 the last time i bought.

[A80Avant]

i just found that site and it says something about 3.5% of flat rate if the price is lower than 290GBP.However i think that is customs duty and then on top of that you get the 15% VAT i guess.

In Greece it is about the same 15%,but i have heard that if things are undervalued and less than 1-2Kg they simply dont bother....

i think i will send VEMS there and then to the UK.

[aelred]

Some of us get reduced value invoices in order to pay less duty and tax on import, but customs can alter the value of the goods as they see fit for duty purposes.
I had to pay £350 pounds duty and VAT even though the invoice with goods was only for $600-700 as customs believed the value on the invoice accompaning the 3 sets of rods was well under declared. I suppose it depends a lot who the custom person is at the time also and how many items you are sent from the USA.

[madpugger]

you could always get is as a 'warrenty replacement free of charge'?

[mcandmar]

The last item i ordered from the US was $160, and they want me to pay eur46 vat which is ******* ridiculous. Looks like 21.5% vat on the total amount inc shipping costs.

[madpugger]

The last item i ordered from the US was $160, and they want me to pay eur46 vat which is ******* ridiculous. Looks like 21.5% vat on the total amount inc shipping costs.

VAT in Ireland is 21.5% is it not?

[GazzaG60]

get it marked present, return, replacement or something like that.

[terrybullwon]

you could always get is as a 'warrenty replacement free of charge'?

Yes but, You need proof of something going out in the other direction if they catch you.. I done this 10 times at least and then the last time i was called up and asked to prove it was a returned part

[madpugger]

sent as test sample?

[Jamo]

Low value order and alternate receiving address

[terrybullwon]

alternate receiving address

Thats the key Jamo

[Ross]

What's this loophole Jamo? I've always done alright by getting the value written down, not sure how my huge box from 034 got through at $400 value

I did have a small shipment massively over-valued once, charges almost as much as the item! I went nuts at DHL, had to send some proof but they quickly wrote up a new request at singificantly less but still stupidly high with all their damn fees...

[Jamo]

I reckon they make custom charges up, the ones I have received today for 2 packages which one is 10 times in value are nearly the same ( cheers a4kquattro )

I've now got to run to Royalmail depot and then *fan fare* the Parcel Force depot

I'll try not to rip parcel force a new hole