If i import from america...how much

David _b

David _b

David _b

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N Ireland
Hi

Im looking a few bits for my car, just small gauges and the items come to about $110, and maybe another $25 say for postage (guessing the postage bit, small item so would i be close?)

How much will i get charged for import duty and any other things that i may get put ontop ?

Thanks
 
I haven't ordered from US but it's probably the same amount. When the DS first came out I imported it from Lik-Sang(Hong Kong) the total for the products was £140 and I got charged £40 at the door which works out at 22% extra.
 
manoz said:
They would also have to undervalue the product iirc though I forgot what the limit was.
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£145 is the limit, then you pay duty on top.

That limit is the total of all items in a shipment, not each individual item. I think there is a list on the HMCR site of what duty is paid on which items.

For instance SLR Camera bodies are duty free, but lenses carry a 22% duty (or something like that).
 
shadow4509 said:
But if the company or person were to "accidentally" mark the customs form "gift" then you wouldn't get charged anything. ;)
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If the rules are properly applied, and the sender shows up as a company, it won't qualify as a gift since the sender MUST be a private individual. There's a raft of other rules the "gift" must qualify for as well. You might be lucky and have it go thorugh anyway, but it's is luck if it does.

David _b, there's no easy way to be sure of the actual cost in advance. The general rule (unless excise duty is also involved, like on booze, tobacco, etc) is that you add up the cost of goods, postage, insurance, etc, and then apply a duty rate to that total according to the commodity code the goods fall into .... and there's tens of thousands of commodity codes, with rates from 0% to >70%.

Then, having worked that out, you add VAT (on most items) at 17.5% on that previous total (including the import duty, so yes, you pay VAT on mport duty).

Then, in all likelihood, you pay a flat charge (£10-£20 typically) for "handling".

It is certainly true that many goods get charged duty at 3.5% because, for many low value postal gifts that's a flat rate applied instead of the commodity code rate. In which case, duty and VAT will amount to about 22% and probably that flat charge on top of that. So a decent guess would be 22% plus £15.

But you'll only know for sure when the goods arrive .... with the Customs bill.
 
iBankAllDay said:
Yeah I'd say 22% too. Theres a guide on the HM Revenue & Customs website, in this document car tyres are listed as a common good and charged at this percentage:

http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channels...ent&id=HMCE_PROD_009989&propertyType=document
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There is no point in using that document as those duty rates and descriptions are far too vague. Guages are not tyres either.

Call the National Advice Line on 0845 010 9000, tell them a good description of the goods and they will tell you what duties are levied.
 
Biohazard said:
There is no point in using that document as those duty rates and descriptions are far too vague. Guages are not tyres either.
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Yes, quite. There's one rate for leather handbags and another for non-leather ones, and so on. The factors that distinguish between one good and another can be very fine.

Biohazard said:
Call the National Advice Line on 0845 010 9000, tell them a good description of the goods and they will tell you what duties are levied.
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Well, you'll get a guide, but not a definitive answer, unless you can provide very specific details of the item, and even then, it's not an answer you can guarantee, since it's the officer at the time of goods being imported that makes the final (subject to appeal) assessment.
 
hm i just imported 2 items, some Nismo bits and pieces @ $100 and got charged like £18 VAT inc customs fee

also an apexi air filter, got hit for £20 inc customs clearance fee...
 
I have bought quite a few things from the US and I’ve never been charged anything for import duty, so I suspect its only randomly charged on some parcels, so you may get lucky.
 
Geoff said:
Yes, quite. There's one rate for leather handbags and another for non-leather ones, and so on. The factors that distinguish between one good and another can be very fine.

Well, you'll get a guide, but not a definitive answer, unless you can provide very specific details of the item, and even then, it's not an answer you can guarantee, since it's the officer at the time of goods being imported that makes the final (subject to appeal) assessment.
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No you'll get a non legally binding classification if you are non VAT registered.

However, even at this stage you will get the correct information unless you are stupid or lying. Niether of which will help you.

It has nothing to do with the Officer assessing the goods, its down to the UK Tariff of Duties in which the goods will be listed under a Commodity Code.

This commodity code then relates to any VAT involved, Duties levied and licences or special import controls. Officers cannot pick and choose, they have to go by the book (well the three binded folders that make up the tariff).
 
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Or you can call the Commodity Code Clarification Helpline on 01702 366 077.

They will ask for a VAT number, just say your private registered trading under a freight agent and that you are trying to get the commodity codes yourself..

They should be ok with that.

If not, tell me what the goods are and I will look myself if I have time.
 
Redrum said:
I have bought quite a few things from the US and I’ve never been charged anything for import duty, so I suspect its only randomly charged on some parcels, so you may get lucky.
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Really shouldn’t have said this because I have just had a bill through the post from Fed-Ex for £30 in taxes for a £35 purchase I made :(
 
at a guess

($135 + 10% duty) + 17.5% Vat..

Depends on the item but it'll be somewhere around that.. There's a pdf list on the customs website for *** exact duty

here we go

Where the value of gifts is below £290 per consignment a flat rate of duty of 3.5% will be applied, but only if it is to your advantage.
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so it'll be (if they find out the contents or it's stated on the package)

135 + 3.9% = 140
140 + 17.5% = £165

wich is about £87
 
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Biohazard said:
No you'll get a non legally binding classification if you are non VAT registered.

However, even at this stage you will get the correct information unless you are stupid or lying. Niether of which will help you.

It has nothing to do with the Officer assessing the goods, its down to the UK Tariff of Duties in which the goods will be listed under a Commodity Code.

This commodity code then relates to any VAT involved, Duties levied and licences or special import controls. Officers cannot pick and choose, they have to go by the book (well the three binded folders that make up the tariff).
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It's often down to which category the officer decides the goods fit in, because (due largely to the size of the list) it's not always clear which category applies. I speak from extensive personal experience. I'm not saying this should be what happens, because clearly which category goods fit into should be definitive. I'm saying it's what does happen - both on import by post and in person.

I've had exactly this discussion with officers at airports when importing goods personally, and I've even shown them the documentation from the last time I imported a specific item, and more than once, the answer has been (and I'm paraphrasing) ...

"I don't care what code it was given last time. Maybe a mistake was made last time. But my decision is that I'm classifying it is xxxxx. You can appeal if you wish. Take it or leave it".
 
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