Parcelfarce and customs charge :(

Weazle · 11 Nov 2010 at 14:57

HMRC has a set limit on what £ value they start charging import fees & VAT:
http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channels...pertyType=document&id=HMCE_CL_000014#P35_3251

"andy" · 11 Nov 2010 at 15:22

mjt said:
I think you'll find it's called Customs Duty.

/pedant

no. i actually meant import VAT

Biohazard · 11 Nov 2010 at 15:28

VAT is VAT = VAT

Kutter · 11 Nov 2010 at 16:03

you were just unlucky this time.

KillBoY_UK · 11 Nov 2010 at 16:09

gt_junkie said:
How much did you pay? What were they valued at?

Anything over a basic value of £18ish (double on gift items) will usually get stung on import charges.

Some tend to put things like 'RMA return' to avoid the charges by giving the impression duty was already paid during the initial purchase of the items.

gt

Thing is they tend to just see "$20" as £20 , once Imported DVD which worked out as £12 and they slapped on £8-9 (this was years ago) in charges.

More recently I ordered the first volume of gundam unicorn from amazon.com back in March which totalled to $45 USD (35 for the blu ray and 10 for shipping).

How much did a £27 blu ray cost me in the end with all the charges they slapped on £47 some 70%+ in charges of the value of the product (if my maths are correct lol).

Smallest part of the charge was allay the VAT with PF/RM's charge with about 70/80% of extra charges

AtticusFinch · 11 Nov 2010 at 16:09

Actually

Steve2000 said:
It's a tax on imports. Hence, import tax.

There's no such thing as import tax.

There's: 1. VAT and 2. Customs duty (on certain goods)

ElectroBlaster · 11 Nov 2010 at 16:16

Well im about to be down £22.45 which breaks down as £8.95 vat and £13.50 clearance fee. Can somebody confirm that they open stuff up as they claim they dont? Im slightly annoyed thinking they have been ripping things apart playing with it all.

Also being paranoid but can they go back and charge for any other items that have come to me from the states?
EDIT: old orders I mean

Energize · 11 Nov 2010 at 16:19

When ordering from the USA you should get a friend to send it to you, this avoids the unethical vat charge.

Burnsy2023 · 11 Nov 2010 at 16:20

Energize said:
When ordering from the USA you should get a friend to send it to you, this avoids the unethical vat charge.

How does that help?

KillBoY_UK · 11 Nov 2010 at 16:20

ElectroBlaster said:
Well im about to be down £22.45 which breaks down as £8.95 vat and £13.50 clearance fee. Can somebody confirm that they open stuff up as they claim they dont? I slightly annoyed thinking they have been ripping things apart playing with it all.

Also being paranoid but can they go back and charge for any other items that have come to me from the states?
EDIT: old orders I mean

If Im not mistaken (at least in the USA were 99% of my international stuff comes from) there has to be a extra label on the packaging etc with the value/description of the goods to sales aboard. So them opeing the package should be needed. I've never run into that myself.

Burnsy2023 · 11 Nov 2010 at 16:21

KillBoY_UK said:
If Im not mistaken (at least in the USA were 99% of my international stuff comes from) there has to be a extra label on the packaging etc with the value/description of the goods to sales aboard. So them opeing the package should be needed. I've never run into that myself.

Yes it's a customs declaration and is compulsory for most (maybe all) international packages.

Energize · 11 Nov 2010 at 16:21

Burnsy2023 said:
How does that help?

Without an invoice or packaging they have no idea how much the item is worth in most cases.

ElectroBlaster · 11 Nov 2010 at 16:26

The seller has been really good with proper documents so there shouldnt be a problem. Still its been paid now but I will think twice about buying from abroad

Axis64 · 11 Nov 2010 at 16:28

ElectroBlaster said:
I bought many things from the usa via fleabay and recently bought two video cards. Now I have to pay a customs fee or parcelforce will not deliver the items. I seem to remember threads on this forum ages ago but is there anything I can do about this charge? Am I right in assuming the seller has put on a higher price which has then got HMRC onto it?

Im assuming that the seller has not indicated on the commercial invoice that the parcel is a gift, I know its not but thats why you are charged a customs charge.

I work for Parcelforce BTW

AtticusFinch · 11 Nov 2010 at 16:41

Unethical?

Energize said:
When ordering from the USA you should get a friend to send it to you, this avoids the unethical vat charge.

I would have thought it unethical to avoid an entirely propoer statutory charge?

Energize · 11 Nov 2010 at 16:49

AtticusFinch said:
I would have thought it unethical to avoid an entirely propoer statutory charge?

Not when you've already paid tax on that income, and when that same tax is spent on sending innocent people to jail for things like drug possession and extreme porn, I certainly don't want to be funding that. Besides which many items are simply not available in the UK and as such you already pay a premium for it because the government has driven out manufacturing with high business taxes.

AtticusFinch · 11 Nov 2010 at 16:53

What?

Energize said:
Not when you've already paid tax on that income, and when that same tax is spent on sending innocent people to jail for things like drug possession and extreme porn, I certainly don't want to be funding that. Besides which many items are simply not available in the UK and as such you already pay a premium for it because the government has driven out manufacturing with high business taxes.

Is going on in your head dude?

If you want to buy something from another country, outside the EEA, then that's a choice. The law in the UK states that such items may attract a customs duty. That customs duty protects the retailers of similar items in the UK and/or serves to strengthen and maintain the free flow and movement of goods within the EEA single-market.

If you seek to circumvent a plain and obvious rule, then that is clearly unethical. It matters not the purpose to which any monies generated through the imposition of the duty is put - the actions of a person circumventing the rule is what is unethical.

That is all.

Vonhelmet · 11 Nov 2010 at 17:08

Energize said:
Not when you've already paid tax on that income, and when that same tax is spent on sending innocent people to jail for things like drug possession and extreme porn, I certainly don't want to be funding that. Besides which many items are simply not available in the UK and as such you already pay a premium for it because the government has driven out manufacturing with high business taxes.

That's some extremely pornographic logic.

ajf · 11 Nov 2010 at 17:16

Energize said:
Without an invoice or packaging they have no idea how much the item is worth in most cases.

The sender though has to fill out a customs form for the parcel with the value whether they are a friend or a shop.

Energize · 11 Nov 2010 at 17:32

ajf said:
The sender though has to fill out a customs form for the parcel with the value whether they are a friend or a shop.

And?

AtticusFinch said:
If you want to buy something from another country, outside the EEA, then that's a choice. The law in the UK states that such items may attract a customs duty. That customs duty protects the retailers of similar items in the UK and/or serves to strengthen and maintain the free flow and movement of goods within the EEA single-market.

Charging tax and customs on items not available in this continent does not protect UK retailers and goes against free trade.

If you seek to circumvent a plain and obvious rule, then that is clearly unethical. It matters not the purpose to which any monies generated through the imposition of the duty is put - the actions of a person circumventing the rule is what is unethical.

Our opinions differ I'm afraid.