Advice - package delivery from America

Norman_Conquest

Norman_Conquest

Well-known member
Hi,

I am after buying some 'wedgies' to help with my woodturning - they allow you to recreate the same angle time and time again when cutting segments on a table saw. They take out all the measuring. I have looked to see if anyone in this country have copied them, but haven't found anyone so far.

The item costs $49.99 - could you tell me if I would pay taxes, duties, customs fees or any other charges on these and if so, how much?

I am trying to work out if they are worth my while.

Thanks in advance.


https://www.segeasy.com/toystore2.htm
 
You won't be charged any taxes in US. It will all depend how vigilant UK customs are on imports.... The other way round, I have never been charged anything by US customs.
 
I just sent my son's clothes over to him as he's started university back in England, cost me a fortune in taxes on arrival (for clothes mainly bought in England in the first place :mad:)

If I wasn't stranded here because of the Presidential Proclamation regarding UK nationals entering the States I'd offer to bring you them back at Christmas.
 
if you got someone in the states to send you then as a gif, is there still taxes? im sure youd be ok if it was sent as not sold?
 
Wilf said:
i get vinyl records sent over from america - postal costs are through the roof (privatised) - the sender has to fill in a value of contents declaration - and its affixed to the package - when the post office get it here - they drop a card in the letter box to collect from the sorting office, as if its valued over £15 (i think it is) - i have to pay an import tax.
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Roughly Wilf, how much does it coast you.
 
Wilf said:
i get vinyl records sent over from america - postal costs are through the roof (privatised) - the sender has to fill in a value of contents declaration - and its affixed to the package - when the post office get it here - they drop a card in the letter box to collect from the sorting office, as if its valued over £15 (i think it is) - i have to pay an import tax.
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I do too, I get charged £12 clearance fee from Parcelfarce plus 20% VAT on the value of goods declared.

I call them Parcelfarce because on 2 occasions this year they failed to send me the letter telling me what fee to pay - meaning they returned the parcels to the US marked 'unpaid fees'.

It cost me $75 per parcel to resend them. Did Parcelfarce offer any compo for their error, to which they admitted? Well what do you think :mad:
 
If you import anything from the USA there's a lower limit of £135, below which you do not pay Customs Duty.

However you do have to pay VAT on the goods, and the packing and shipping costs, and the insurance costs too.

So as rough guide, if your goods are $50, and the packing, postage and insurance are $50, then the VATable amount is $100, which is about £80 at the current exchange rate.

VAT on £80 is £16, assuming your goods are taxed at the normal rate.

So your $50 purchase will cost you about £96. If the shipping costs are less, then your tax will be lower too.
 
Wilf said:
i get vinyl records sent over from america - postal costs are through the roof (privatised) - the sender has to fill in a value of contents declaration - and its affixed to the package - when the post office get it here - they drop a card in the letter box to collect from the sorting office, as if its valued over £15 (i think it is) - i have to pay an import tax.
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Are you sure you can't get these records here in the UK?

There are loads of suppliers of US imports which won't cost you all this extra time & money
 
Wilf said:
A double LP costs around $45 postage (it does vary , its a big old country) - if i pay £30-50 for the record - ive paid between £12 & £15 Import tax.



when i was a teenager, Alan Fearnley had a special American Imports Section, with the corner of the sleeve clipped off - it was all so much easier back then. :giggle:
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I tend to go for the slow delivery option (up to 4 weeks) at $12.
 
red_harrington said:
Are you sure you can't get these records here in the UK?

There are loads of suppliers of US imports which won't cost you all this extra time & money
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I've been getting vinyl from the US over the last 30+ years. I seem to be able to get much cheaper and better quality 60s / 70s records.
 
I imported a watch many years ago and was charged a fortune. I later found out that if the item is second hand or is being returned from being serviced, then some fees won’t apply. I think you pay VAT and import duties. Could be worth asking if the seller will put this in the declaration.
 
It depends - they *usually* select shipping containers at random....

You may hit lucky and have to pay nothing, but obviously you may not be lucky as well
 
Juninho10 said:
It depends - they *usually* select shipping containers at random....

You may hit lucky and have to pay nothing, but obviously you may not be lucky as well
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Every item imported by postal firms and courier companies is dealt with individually. If you say you are importing 2000 pairs of shoes in a container the customs people might miss the fact that there's actually 2200 pairs in there but they don't release anything until either you or the carrier has paid whatever tax is due. If the carrier pays it on your behalf then you'll have to pay the firm before they hand the goods over.

With individual packages sent by post or courier the customs people here usually take the valuation shown on the customs declaration. Occasionally they might check but it's pretty rare because these firms trade on being honest with the customs people. They won't knowingly understate the value of goods for that reason - it's fraud.

Goods sent by individuals to individuals using a courier or post firm are subject to more checks because people do understate the value on a regular basis. Customs people do know the value of a diamond ring or a Rolex watch. However if your item is some specialist item like a machine part or something esoteric then they'll probably just accept the declared value. You can sometimes save a bit of tax on US goods by having them shipped to a friend in the US then onwards at a lower declared value to the UK. If the goods get lost or smashed you are done for though, because the insurance value is the declared value. You can't claim $1000 for an item declared at $100.
 
That was how I got round things when I purchased another watch. The watch was shipped with the description "precision instrument", which wasn't untrue! The value was lower than its true worth, and the watch was sent in a separate box to the original box and papers. Bit of a faff on but saved me a fair amount on buying from UK!
 
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