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Getting caught for import duty more often now?

kevlar

kevlar

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10 Years
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Apr 11, 2013
Messages
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Location
Newport, South Wales
Anyone notice their packages are getting caught more often now for import VAT/Duty? I have had at least a dozen packages from comet get through no problem over the last few years but my last 2 packages I have had to pay duty for :mad: ( one from comet and one from mezel mods ). Have they sudenly become more efficient or have I just been very lucky in the past?
 
probably because the new comet owners arent as "friendly" as Art was when it came to import taxes...... (in Comet's case)

As far as i understood it (and happy to be proved wrong), on parts, those are VAT-able, however not "DUTY-able"???
 
Matt Adams said:
It's going to get worse once we are out of the EU as I guess we will then have to pay vat on stuff from there.
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We still pay VAT on goods from the EU now, just in the originating country instead of the UK. Only if you're VAT registered and buy from the EU is it not charged. I guess when we leave we won't pay VAT to the EU country we're buying from but to HMRC instead when it enters the UK. Most EU country's VAT rates are pretty much inline with our own so it probably won't make a lot of difference. The exchange rate on the other hand......
 
No definitely They have stepped up intercepting packages - most stuff I'm ordering is being opened up nearly all of the tine


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aaronhicksuk said:
We still pay VAT on goods from the EU now, just in the originating country instead of the UK. Only if you're VAT registered and buy from the EU is it not charged. I guess when we leave we won't pay VAT to the EU country we're buying from but to HMRC instead when it enters the UK. Most EU country's VAT rates are pretty much inline with our own so it probably won't make a lot of difference. The exchange rate on the other hand......
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We will still be worse off because there will be the handling fee on top of the VAT :(
 
aaronhicksuk said:
We still pay VAT on goods from the EU now, just in the originating country instead of the UK. Only if you're VAT registered and buy from the EU is it not charged. I guess when we leave we won't pay VAT to the EU country we're buying from but to HMRC instead when it enters the UK. Most EU country's VAT rates are pretty much inline with our own so it probably won't make a lot of difference. The exchange rate on the other hand......
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That's is my new thing I have learnt today :)
 
mark9 said:
We will still be worse off because there will be the handling fee on top of the VAT :(
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Yea you're probably right about the handling fee being added on. Still we are where we, only time will tell I guess.
 
Whatever you do - don't do that - most of the time you pay way over what you should pay. Esp from Marco's I needed two of the same part so I ordered both one via prepay and one via normal and even with the charge the normal was a lot cheaper.
 
I can't recall the last time I bought a non EU package from US or otherwise that wasn't held-up or charged. Never used to be like that and you can imagine how much they sat on £ wise. The admin charge is also very high.
 
I've found most stuff from US gets checked and fees applied, but not so much the stuff from China
 
I don't mind paying the import duty. What grinds my gears is the £15 fee the post office charge on top of the duty. :mad:
 
I haven't noticed any difference recently, I've always been charged depending on what value the sender puts on the customs form.

I even got charged to get my own pcb back which I'd sent off to be repaired.
 
I've always asked the sender to value the goods at 20 bucks and most of they time they've obliged. Even my eli ramp mod for Tron.Remember they're anti-establishment pinball rebels too you know!
 
J.C.Rox said:
I've always asked the sender to value the goods at 20 bucks and most of they time they've obliged. Even my eli ramp mod for Tron.Remember they're anti-establishment pinball rebels too you know!
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That works well unless the package ever gets lost or damaged. Then the payout on whatever insurance may have applied is worth 20 bucks. I like your style though and I often ask something similar!
 
J.C.Rox said:
value the goods at 20 bucks
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With the low exchange rate that now exceeds the £15 threshold. I find everything bought from China appears to be $15 value on the declaration form.
 
To be fair on the sellers, they don't gain anything from marking the packages down, except maybe repeat custom. It is a risk they are taking so it's good of them to do it for our benefit.
Even Comet's new owners have saved me but you can't expect them to do it repeatedly it's too risky for them.
 
Neil McRae said:
I go to the US regularly so if you have orders for small stuff like bulbs happy to grab then for you


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If you bring back stuff like LED OCD boards are you likely to get pulled up over it ?
 
stoptap said:
If you bring back stuff like LED OCD boards are you likely to get pulled up over it ?
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nope, worst case they hit me for vat. I price that in my head so if it happens its no big deal.

I brought back nearly all the parts for my ToM from the USA - legs, coin door, mods (tigersaw) a load of comet bulbs and other stuff without any issues.

Neil.
 
I tend to send my USA stuff to Viabox in the USA, then I forward it to home and in the case of bulbs mark them up as bulbs but at say $25.

So far so good.

Ive also done this with parts, but you have to be happy losing them as of course they will not be covered to the actual amount.
 
Neil McRae said:
nope, worst case they hit me for vat. I price that in my head so if it happens its no big deal.

I brought back nearly all the parts for my ToM from the USA - legs, coin door, mods (tigersaw) a load of comet bulbs and other stuff without any issues.

Neil.
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Think I might get a couple delivered to my hotel when I am on holiday over there in July. :thumbs:
 
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