llamatron Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 I am thinking of buying some boots from an american company. The website says I will have to pay all the customs charges etc. How do I get a rough idea of how much they will be? The boots are ~£90 I have look on the HM customs website which seemed to say goods under £130 were not charged customs duty but what are the other charges? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mecky Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 I imported some stuff from the states last year. There's a website with the relevant stuff, I just can't remember what it is at the moment. The stuff I bought cost around £90 but I had to pay around £12 customs I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purdyamos Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Anything that costs more than £18 but isn't marked as a gift is charged for, as I recall. I got caught out a few months ago, the cost only went a shade over the limit too. The chap at the sorting office had a good grumble with me when I picked it up, he has to deal with shocked recipients all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llamatron Posted January 13, 2011 Author Share Posted January 13, 2011 I imported some stuff from the states last year. There's a website with the relevant stuff, I just can't remember what it is at the moment. The stuff I bought cost around £90 but I had to pay around £12 customs I think. That would be fine, just hoping it won't be £50 or something ridiculous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purdyamos Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 3.1 How are import charges calculated? Charges are calculated by UK Border Agency (UKBA) staff at the postal depots where the packages are received. However, in some cases special arrangements are in place for goods purchased on the Internet (see paragraph 3.4 below). Value Added Tax (VAT) - Import VAT is charged at the same rate that applies to similar goods sold in the UK and applies to commercial goods over £18 in value, and on gifts that are over £40 in value. The value of the goods for import VAT is based on the: basic value of goods, plus postage, packing and insurance, plus any import (Customs or Excise) duties charged. Customs duty - Customs duty becomes payable if the goods are over £135 in value but is waived if the amount calculated is less than £9. Customs duty is usually charged as a percentage of the value of the goods. It's VAT not customs duty, that's the technical difference. From here (I haven't read through it all): http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageImport_ShowContent&propertyType=document&id=HMCE_CL_000014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Star Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 It should just be your VAT, but an additional fee seems to come into play too - I bought a load of fabric over from the states a few years ago - it seemed so dirt cheap, I bought over a hundred quids worth of stuff, but felt stung by the VAT and a additional payment I had to make (@£40) - I have also bought other things before and since, and paid nothing... Guess if i you are unlucky it's flagged and you have to pay and if it's not you don't? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 In addition to the import VAT on the price of the goods plus postage, you'll also be subject to a Royal Mail handling charge, which was £8 the last time I checked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert_Baehr Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 HM Customs have (or used to have) a book detailing the charges on imported items. If - as you say - there is no import duty on an item under £130 and the boots cost about £90, then if the Post and Packing was another Tenner, you would be looking at £20 VAT plus any 'handling' charges the Post Office or Customs office impose. (AS others havve said ...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Glypta Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 It should just be your VAT, but an additional fee seems to come into play too - I bought a load of fabric over from the states a few years ago - it seemed so dirt cheap, I bought over a hundred quids worth of stuff, but felt stung by the VAT and a additional payment I had to make (@£40) - I have also bought other things before and since, and paid nothing... Guess if i you are unlucky it's flagged and you have to pay and if it's not you don't? There are rather a lot of taxes and fees to add to a personal import. Customs take the purchase price plus freight costs and charge an import tax depending on the type of goods. This tax is usually only about 2 to 5%. To the new total they add VAT at 20%. The total tax will be paid on your behalf by the importers (probably Royal Mail). They will add their fee for this service and send a bill. Once this is paid the goods will be delivered. On occassions the package can slip through without any additional charges. It doesn't happen very often. You just need to ask yourself "Do I feel lucky"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llamatron Posted January 13, 2011 Author Share Posted January 13, 2011 ah the royal mail website was much easier to follow than the hm customs one. It says the packet will be liable for import vat+handling fee. just need to find out what import vat would be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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