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Author Topic: customs tax on USA purchases!!!!!  (Read 13836 times)

Offline fastolfrus

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Re: customs tax on USA purchases!!!!!
« Reply #15 on: February 25, 2020, 09:01:13 PM »
I'm not a gambler so I want to know the total costs of a model/shipment/VAT/Import duties & other handling/administrative costs before I say Jay or Nay to a purchase. That's why I haven't bought from the US for over a decade - after being burnt too many times - and if the UK will head the same direction it will be better to go there once a year with some friends to do some shopping  :D.
We'll see what happens, but the usual habit of governments grabbing money wherever and whenever they can doesn't gove me too much hope for the coming years (ok,  politics, so I'll stop here )...

If you are coming over for a visit and some shopping we have a local club that would welcome you on a Monday or Thursday (if you get to Scarborough) and if you are here with family we have award winning ice-creams and donkeys on the beach. If you're not here with family we have cheaper beer and cheaper hotels than London and the train goes to York (or Leeds if you wanted to look at the Armouries)
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Offline Blackwolf

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Re: customs tax on USA purchases!!!!!
« Reply #16 on: February 25, 2020, 09:55:40 PM »
Interesting thread; here in Australia,at the moment we only get charged customs tax over $1000. Which is good,makes up for our sporadic dollar value.
I have gone over $1000 a couple of times, once before the customs changes,and then about 6 months ago,however that was from a mate ;)
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Offline Duncan McDane

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Re: customs tax on USA purchases!!!!!
« Reply #17 on: February 25, 2020, 11:47:45 PM »
If you are coming over for a visit and some shopping we have a local club that would welcome you on a Monday or Thursday (if you get to Scarborough) and if you are here with family we have award winning ice-creams and donkeys on the beach. If you're not here with family we have cheaper beer and cheaper hotels than London and the train goes to York (or Leeds if you wanted to look at the Armouries)

We're planning to visit BOYL ( bring out your lead ) and stay a couple ( 5-7 ) of days. Nothing in stone yet though. But thanks for the invite! Scarborough is North Yorkshire if I'm correct, Hadrian's Wall is on our bucket list so we'll see.  ;)
Leadhead

Offline mcfonz

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Re: customs tax on USA purchases!!!!!
« Reply #18 on: February 26, 2020, 08:18:06 PM »
I could be wrong as I may well be regurgitating the information slightly incorrectly - but isn't it also linked to contents?

I thought it asked you what is in the parcel? If so, I also believe that some things are exempt from VAT. Someone told me that books are for example. And also strange little oddities in tax laws which mean that a toy batman is exempt but a toy super man isn't (or vice versa).

So there are ways and means of reducing the risk to some degree including getting folks to put gift or a lower value of the contents on the label.
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Offline Dags

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Re: customs tax on USA purchases!!!!!
« Reply #19 on: February 26, 2020, 08:25:28 PM »
including getting folks to put gift or a lower value of the contents on the label.

Sorry to be a killjoy but what you're suggesting is illegal  (certainly in the UK) and the penalties can be severe. I won't take the risk.

Online Daeothar

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Re: customs tax on USA purchases!!!!!
« Reply #20 on: February 27, 2020, 08:02:29 AM »
That limit (the low-value consignment relief) ends across the EU at the beginning of 2021, so packages of any value will have VAT levied on them on import. Theoretically at least.

I wasn't aware of this! Do you have any sources? Probably a way to stem the tide of cheap (and often shoddy) Chinese goods being shipped into the EU?
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Offline dampfpanzerwagon

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Re: customs tax on USA purchases!!!!!
« Reply #21 on: February 27, 2020, 08:48:38 AM »
I've had this issue on a couple of occasions. The last time It happened, I asked for the items to be returned to sender and had my money back.

Tony

Offline Andrew Rae

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Re: customs tax on USA purchases!!!!!
« Reply #22 on: February 27, 2020, 09:15:23 AM »
I wasn't aware of this! Do you have any sources? Probably a way to stem the tide of cheap (and often shoddy) Chinese goods being shipped into the EU?

Could be, I guess. https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/news/new-form-customs-declaration-low-value-consignments_en

Online Daeothar

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Re: customs tax on USA purchases!!!!!
« Reply #23 on: February 27, 2020, 10:26:23 AM »
Blech; even that article has traces of Legalese to it, and searching further, really drags one down into an unfathomable pit of wooly language and ambivalent explanations.

Long story short; from 21021 onwards, there'll be no more extortion-less small orders from overseas anymore: everything will be hit with 21% plus admin costs.

And if I read all of that correctly, as long as we'll stay under €150,-, we get hit with VAT, but no import taxes. Everything above will incur those as well.

So it will become smarter to consolidate orders, as long as they stay under €150,-, to avoid getting hit with those ridiculous admin fees every time...

Offline Andrew Rae

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Re: customs tax on USA purchases!!!!!
« Reply #24 on: February 27, 2020, 12:00:13 PM »
Yeah, customs duty is still only applied at over £135/150 Euro, as is currently the case. The applied duty obviously depends on what the items are, some might be 0%, some more. If you ask a seller what HTS code they'll use for each item, you can search for the tariff online.

Offline Arrigo

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Re: customs tax on USA purchases!!!!!
« Reply #25 on: February 27, 2020, 03:34:58 PM »
Quote
Sorry to be a killjoy but what you're suggesting is illegal  (certainly in the UK) and the penalties can be severe. I won't take the risk.

according to UK law VAT on imports is applicable even on gifts and parcels mailed to one-self. Thus nothing illegal here.  Case point:

1) Friend in Japan sent to London two books to me (actually they were to be give to a friend of mine). She wrote them and these two copies were basically off her shelf. Thus a gift. I had to pay VAT. Technically there was no purchase involved and the VAT was barely legal...

2) Students mailing to herself a box of winter clothes from her home country. She had to pay VAT...

As the declared value... illegal actions are taken on both sides, and sometime the declared value is debatable. I have seen VAT levied on declared value + shipping cost (something that is in clear violation of world postal union rules).  There is also the issue of what the declared value is. It is the value of goods in case of loss or the price you have paid? Considering the shipper is declaring the value, it is a subjective value.

Last bit... I found some of the additional taxes (the handling charges...) objectionable, and sometime outright illegal (I think I have already told this forum of a parcel from Japan kept at the customs longer that it should have been just to increase the handling charge...), but the VAT is not something we should complain too much, considering that we are not paying it at the source (of course the downside is that USA VAT are lower...). Of course when you got VAT levied when you have already paid it... happened to the owner of the local model shop. Delivery from a German distributor subjected to VAT. Reason: Allemagne is not in Europe. He also had the same from UK... same explanation (and it was more than 10 years ago...), United Kingdom is not an European nation. He phoned to his lawyer... I think he got the money back after some years.
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Offline black hat miniatures

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Re: customs tax on USA purchases!!!!!
« Reply #26 on: February 27, 2020, 04:58:00 PM »
I've had this issue on a couple of occasions. The last time It happened, I asked for the items to be returned to sender and had my money back.

Tony

Which behaviour, as a retailer, I am fairly appalled at - customs duties are your responsibility and you have to be aware of them when you order from abroad...

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Offline vexillia

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Re: customs tax on USA purchases!!!!!
« Reply #27 on: February 27, 2020, 05:23:21 PM »
Looking at this thread I'm glad I'm shutting up shop in Dec this year and retiring at the end of March 2021.  It's getting far too much of a hassle.

It's not like I'm counting the days or anything8)


Offline Shahbahraz

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Re: customs tax on USA purchases!!!!!
« Reply #28 on: February 27, 2020, 11:55:36 PM »
Yep, I got caught out. When I moved from Oz, I wasn't able to pack everything for shipping due to time pressures, so a whole lot of stuff was left with a friend for safe-keeping. He sent me a parcel with my own 15mm Early Imperial Roman army in, and I was charged £70 for VAT and handling. This is despite the figures originally being purchased from the UK VAT paid. And no exemptions and no easy mechanisms to get a refund. 
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Offline Arrigo

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Re: customs tax on USA purchases!!!!!
« Reply #29 on: February 28, 2020, 01:31:16 PM »
Yep, I got caught out. When I moved from Oz, I wasn't able to pack everything for shipping due to time pressures, so a whole lot of stuff was left with a friend for safe-keeping. He sent me a parcel with my own 15mm Early Imperial Roman army in, and I was charged £70 for VAT and handling. This is despite the figures originally being purchased from the UK VAT paid. And no exemptions and no easy mechanisms to get a refund.

well, this is violating the spirit, and probably the letter of the law... it is plain robbery based on the fact that individuals cannot afford lawyers for this, but well, this is how treasuries work...