Lead Adventure Forum
Other Stuff => General Wargames and Hobby Discussion => Topic started by: flags_of_war on 22 November 2014, 07:07:06 PM
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I don't order much from the US but I've finally been hit with my first customs and Postage fees today. Ordered from Virtual Armchair General and got charged an extra £13.98.
Now the customes fees i wouldn't have a problem with but £8 postage fee is beyond a joke. Handling fee for what? The Royal mail website can't tell you exactly what or why they are charging for just that they are.
It's put me off ordering from outside the UK sadly >:(
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Yep, the 'handling fee' is sickening.
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Unfortunately, it is what keeps me from ordering direct from UK and Euro game companies. Global Economy only works when it's Asian imports, it seems.
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Sadly you've gotta box clever when ordering from the US and really enter into a partnership with the seller to try to minimise charges. I've been lucky enough to get some sellers to mark the contents as gifts and to cooperate as regards the weight of parcels, to avoid such nasty stings. But it's a pain in the bum to do and you can't blame a seller who isn't prepared to jump through hoops like that.
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I think they may also be committing a fraud??!!
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I think they may also be committing a fraud??!!
Yep, also affects insurance etc on packages if it's been taken out.
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Get them to mark the package Toys.
Toys are not subject to import duty. However they may be subject to VAT, which I think is levied at 16% on imports.
Or keep your purchase less than £15, because they don't bother with less than £15
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Yep, subject to VAT. Anything Customs puts a charge on (no matter how small) incurs the £8 'handling fee'.
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Isn't it illegal to charge for collecting tax?
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Yep, also affects insurance etc on packages if it's been taken out.
I think they may also be committing a fraud??!!
Yup. Like I say, you've gotta have a good deal of trust!
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This is straying dangerously close into politics, so please restrain yourselves, folks. Furthermore, I'm not really keen on that whole incitement to commit customs fraud thing, so please watch it. ;)
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I paid 25£ post and pack from iron wind then got a nice 25£ customs charge on the packet, never again im told there hitting everything now with this bull shit, no more USA sorry too much like giving the government money for nothing but being twats
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For the UK, the relevant paragraph is here (http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageImport_FAQs&propertyType=document&columns=1&id=HMCE_PROD_008654#P39_7232)
The £15 limit is excluding p&p, so make sure the sender doesn't put the p&p on the customs slip. I very carefully bought stuff under the limit one time, only to be hit with VAT, duty and "handling fee" because the sender had quoted the price with p&p on the slip >:(
If I do think about buying something from abroad, I generally just convert the dollars to pounds, as by the time duty, VAT etc are added, it's pretty much the case :( I then ask myself if I still want it at that price. Sadly, I'm sure we all know the answer to that question ;D
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You're lucky in the UK, here in Denmark the handling fee comes to roughly £18! No problems with paying VAT on goods ordered outside the nations boundaries, but the handling fee just seems like extortion. The other problem is if sending through the standard postal services, it come via the national post service, so they have pretty much a monopoly on it.
@Flags of war: As the UK is part of the EU, you don't have to pay extra VAT on posted goods from the EU, so no handling fee, so no worries about ordering from the EU too.
This has stopped me ordering from both Khurasan, Rebel minis, and Splintered Light, even though I'd love some of their stuff.
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This has stopped me ordering from Khurasan, Rebel minis, and Splintered Light, even though I'd love some of their stuff.
It's in the producer's interest to find out the best (legal) way to identify their product on customs forms and to fill out those forms properly in order to meet the needs of their customers.
A forum like this is the perfect place to discuss and compare best-practices in order to make them available as a resource to benefit everyone.
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It's in the producer's interest to find out the best (legal) way to identify their product on customs forms and to fill out those forms properly in order to meet the needs of their customers.
A forum like this is the perfect place to discuss and compare best-practices in order to make them available as a resource to benefit everyone.
The problem is it's rarely Duty that is the issue, it's VAT and there is no avoiding that as almost everything can be taxed that way. The marking on the box/form is largely irrelevant.
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A forum like this is the perfect place to discuss and compare best-practices in order to make them available as a resource to benefit everyone.
That was my hope I dare say. Though, I'm not sure that correctly filling in the forms would dodge the handling fees.
A better solution is the willingness of companies trading overseas to use other postal services like GLS, DHL, etc. As they, whilst require that you pay the necessary extra VAT, don't charge handling fees for don't so.
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That was my hope I dare say.
I think it would be helpful because the thresholds and criteria for 'extra fees' are so fluid around the globe.
A better solution is the willingness of companies trading overseas to use other postal services like GLS, DHL, etc. As they, whilst require that you pay the necessary extra VAT, don't charge handling fees for don't so.
Case in point. It's this sort of courier company that hits us hardest in Canada, charging ridiculous extra fees for processing very small amounts of duty. Even if duty is not due, they will interpret it as so and hold your parcel to ransom.
Maybe a reference document is just pie-in-the-sky thinking. :'(
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I think it would be helpful because the thresholds and criteria for 'extra fees' are so fluid around the globe.
Case in point. It's this sort of courier company that hits us hardest in Canada, charging ridiculous extra fees for processing very small amounts of duty. Even if duty is not due, they will interpret it as so and hold your parcel to ransom.
Maybe a reference document is just pie-in-the-sky thinking. :'(
Exactly. Anything that comes through regular post to Canada is fine. Technically customs of 15% applies for anything over $20, but I haven't been charged that in about a decade, in spite of receiving items marked over that loads of times, including twice getting items with a marked value over $200+
But if someone sends you anything via courier, oh forget it. You'll pay through the nose to receive it here.