Importing goods from the US

[UrbanRacer]

Right, i'm about to buy a PCIII from the US, the dollar is mighty low at the moment and i can get a brand new PCIII for £131
Without a doubt it will get stopped in by customs and i will have to cough up tax on it. how much should i expect to pay? and is their anyway to get around those w*nker delivery companies levying another f*cking charge on top even tho they have been paid already?

**edit** asking for the item to be sent as a gift is out of the question as this will invalidate the insurance, its also illegal for the sender to avoid paying tax

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

TBH I'm not sure, but I'd be interested to know as I may be doing the same soon.

You could ask the poster in the US to declare it as a gift. Doesn't this get round it?
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[Itchy]

gift only works up to like £18 for yourself and £36 for others,

you have to rely upon luck for things to get through without getting charged
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[UrbanRacer]

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

TBH it's 280 + P&P for a UK PCIII, so whatever you get charged you'll still have saved.
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[UrbanRacer]

[The Tot]

Does this only apply to the US, since i had to import quite a fair bit of stuff for my ZXR250 form Oz, and i didn't get taxed one bit. I'm not particularly sure how import duty works, since i was under the assumption that it's 20% value of goods + 17.5% VAT? I think sparks deals with US imports for his stunter - crash cages, so he might be able to give you a pointer. Ebay goods have always been marked as goods for me, even though they were $80+ in value. OR, lets see if we can get McGee to smuggle stuff over in february? Could be an option- and pay him the cash instead/beer/weed?
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[trevoriv]

Depends on what the seller and customs class the item as. Can't find the rate for motor spares/parts but it could come under computing for which there is no inmport tax. Most of the electronic based items have import duty rates of less than 10%.

You will have to pay 17.5% VAT regardless though. And also a handling fee for the UK courier normally around £8-15 per item.
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[Ichy]

I've brought stuff from all over the world and never had to pay customs or a courier? I'm now waiting on an exhaust from the States that retails for £300 in the UK, cost was £130 with delivery. Even if I have to pay another £50 its still a bargain.

[Dom]

If you can persuade the seller to send it as a 'gift' then it won't be taxed, from what I understand.
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[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

[Dom]

Thou shalt not post until reading the full thread. Oops.
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[UrbanRacer]

Dear Liam ********

Thank you for using our website.

Please accept my apologies for the delay in my response.

I appreciate you concern regarding the Parcelforce clearance charges and I will attempt to clarify them for you. Parcelforce clearance charges are made in accordance with the Universal Postal Union, and indeed the UPU Parcel Post Manual does refer to "Presentation-to-Customs charge” (our Customs clearance fee). Unlike most other couriers in the UK, we do not charge for Customs clearance, except when an item attracts Import duty, Excise duty or VAT. Then and only then do we charge a Customs clearance fee. This is set at a single level (regardless of goods value or duties raised) to cover the expenses incurred in the extra handling of dutiable items. This fee is currently £8 for none guaranteed services and £13.50 for express items and covers; the segregation and presentation of all items for HM Customs, the provision of secure facilities in our Coventry sorting centre to enable them to inspect and provide Customs clearance (which will include opening and repackaging of some items), dealing with the relevant HM Customs paperwork, paying duty and taxes to HM Customs so that parcels can be released, as well as the collection and administration of due payments from the recipient. The fee only reflects the additional costs incurred over and above the delivery of the item, and we do not seek to profit from this charge. Indeed our major competitors in the UK charge significantly higher amounts for Customs clearance fees on dutiable items imported to the UK. The Parcelforce charge is an integral part of the service agreement that is held with all postal administrations and indeed a fee of this kind is charged by all postal administrations on delivery when Customs duties have not been prepaid. The charges are pursuant with section 89 of the Postal Services Act 2000, and as such we have the right to recover our costs. Customers do have the right to refuse to pay the duties and charges, in which case the goods will be returned to sender, at our expense. Hopefully, this explains our charging arrangements, how we advertise the detail, and highlights that we are in a highly competitive marketplace whereby customers can readily choose the carrier they wish to use. Charging of such fees is widespread within the parcel distribution industry and our charges are at the low end of competitive rates. When you take delivery of the goods, there will be a red label attached to the parcel, advising you of the way the charges are broken down. If you feel the charge may be wrong, you can query this with customs. The customs helpline number is 02476 212800. HM CUSTOMS AND EXCISE Siskin Parkway West Middlemarch Business Park Coventry CV3 4PF