customs tax on USA purchases!!!!!

[Arrigo]

Worth noting that if a package has only 0% rated items such as books (and is declared as such) and no duty is levied, Royal Mail shouldn't issue a handling charge. The charge is only issued if VAT or duty has to be paid.

Still HRC charged me for these two books from Japan that were a gift... okay there was also a little handmade pencase my friend put into the parcel...  on the other hand I sent several painted miniatures to friends in Japan, I paid around 30€ for shipping, and my friends never had to pay for customs... okay maybe Japan is more civilized than old Europe or UK...   

[Flinty]

Humm...you makes your choice and takes your chances.

I've had large-ish book orders (one was 10 hardbacks) from all over/outside the EU with no additional charges levied. But the five or six times I've ordered miniatures, I always managed to get charged.

The first couple of times from the States was due to P&P being included, so I then carefully calculated that in the next one - and got charged again as the stated value was bumped, presumably to cover the seller for insurance.
 
The other few times I hovered around the threshold I expected to get hit and wasn't disapointed. I can console myself that I am merely taking up the slack from you dodgers...

I really don't mind the VAT, after all it's taxes like these that (eventually and partially) end up paying for fun things like health insurance, servicable roads and safety through law enforcement.

But now I only order if I really must have something, and once I have factored in this:

I don’t see it as a con or whatever as it’s just another element that I price into the expected total cost.

However, Im fully prepared for some horrendous gouging after the Brexit Trade talks have gone south...

[Andrew Rae]

@Arrigo Might have been a time to fill in a BOR286 form, I guess.

It’s fair to say import laws haven’t kept up with buying practices in the internet age, with what must be a massive growth in business to customer imports. Especially as the onus is on the importer.

[Arrigo]

Andrew it was back in 2014... and I was in UK for just one month and half that summer, then returning in fall. In 2014 I was literally commuting between Italy, London, Shrivenam, and Sandhurst... and I even led a brigade battlefield study... I was still 39 and young! 

[Plynkes]

I pretty much stopped buying from outside the EU a long time ago because of this (with the very occasional lapse when I just had to have something). It's been happening to me for many years. And seeing as we're not going to be in the EU much longer I guess I won't be buying from there either. At least I have the silver lining of being on the same Island as Nottinghamshire.

[fastolfrus]

At least I have the silver lining of being on the same Island as Nottinghamshire.

Until they declare independence...