Anyone able to explain import charges (USA to UK)?

[freewargamesrules]

So, for those in the know, what about duties on personal parcels? I.e. not items ordered online and despatched to the UK, but sent as a gift or whatnot? Do they come in for duties? I'm sure I've had parcels from friends in Baltimore before which I didn't have to pay duty on. Presumably I could make an order, have it sent to someone in the States, and then have them send it over... (if I asked nicely  )

If the value of the gifts in the consignment (not including shipping and insurance costs) does not exceed £40 (€45, or equivalent in local currency) and the customs declaration is correct, duty and VAT will not be paid on the gifts. If it's more than £40 you will have to pay.

[zemjw]

The official HMRC page is here

Nowadays I make sure that I keep the order under £15 (about $25), excluding p&p. Given the current cost of figures, that comes in about 4 or 5 at a time.

Much as I object to import and VAT, it's the post office handling charge that really irritates me

[Mr.Marx]

I've been deterred from ordering a felt highway from HottzMatts for a long time due to the Post Office's special fees. It almost feels like it would be a good idea to get a buyers club together so save a few quid on postal fees. Probably far more effort and bother than its worth though.

MM.

[Dolmot]

I've been deterred from ordering a felt highway from HottzMatts for a long time due to the Post Office's special fees.

I haven't paid any customs fees for my Hotz items thus far - but that's because I haven't even received yet the order I made in February 2013 or so.

[zorg]

I'm in Germany, not UK, so this may or may not be applicable. However, in my experience, ordering gaming supplies from the US is a gamble. Sometimes, the parcel goes through no questions asked, and with no extra taxes or charges. And sometimes, the customs people open the package, are unable to put all these miniatures and whatnot in their little official tax categories, and then make you pay two or three hours of your life, and a randomly decided tax (I'm actually certain that the last time, they just made a tax up to get things over with).

Since I had to explain to some Cro-Magnon tax bureaucrat what a CCG is, at length, I try to order from EU countries. Which is a pity, as most of Khurasan's stock is damn tempting.

[FramFramson]

Oddly, I haven't paid any customs fees on imported stuff for over a year. Normally this makes sense because there's an exemption for anything under $25 and I was making small buys, but I've made some big orders in the past six months and didn't get dinged once. Not complaining mind you! Maybe the raised the exemption limit?

By the way though - has anyone bought anything on ebay where additional "Import Charges" are listed. Does ebay actually charge you those fees when you pay, or is that just a sort of warning like "You'll probably be charged this much by your own nation's customs"? I've avoided those auctions like necrotic plague, I can't find any clear information online, and I'd really prefer not to over pay for one of those auctions just to find out (they tend to mostly appear on auctions with horribly overpriced shipping anyway...).

[maxxon]

Maybe the raised the exemption limit?

More likely they just happened to miss your packages. The detection rate is far below 100%, though they typically learn to recognize packages from the big online retailers like Amazon.

By the way though - has anyone bought anything on ebay where additional "Import Charges" are listed. Does ebay actually charge you those fees when you pay,

Never seen those on eBay, but it may indicate that the seller is paying the taxes. Courier services (DHL, UPS etc.) offer this sort of service and some distance sellers like to do that because it lets them give the client a fixed price. I once ordered a suit from a HK tailor that came in that way.

But quite frankly it's mostly for the kind of people who pay others to take their car into service.

[pocoloco]

I guess it has been already commented on but the import charges between USA and EU (UK included ) is due to both parties wanting to protect their own economies - eg. guiding people of the great EU block to buy stuff from EU suppliers thus the money stays inside the EU, same goes for the US, too. We poor hobbyists feel the modern day protectionism policy in our wallets 

[joroas]

I don't buy from the US often, and usually in small doses, as not only might they incur taxes but the postage charges of some companies are absurd.  If I need a biggish order I get it sent to a hotel I am at over there and avoid them altogether.

[maxxon]

I guess it has been already commented on but the import charges between USA and EU (UK included ) is due to both parties wanting to protect their own economies

Actually, for the most part not.

E.g. when I pay customs for gaming stuff, it's about 30% extra.

That's 24% VAT and only about 5% actual tolls.

VAT, GST, sales tax... whatever it's called, for the consumer the effect is pretty much the same. It's a tax levied on ALL purchases, with as few exceptions as possible.

When you buy domestically, the seller collects the tax and in the EU it's usually already included in the price.
When you order from abroad, the customs collects the tax directly from you (if the seller also collected it, then they shafted you -- exports should be tax exempt, but some sellers either don't know or don't care to do the paperwork).

But it's exactly the same tax -- no protectionism there.

[Dewbakuk]

-- exports should be tax exempt, but some sellers either don't know or don't care to do the paperwork).

Only for a VAT registered company which most small wargames companies aren't and private sales certainly aren't.

[joroas]

...and if I pay second-hand goods, local tax was already paid on it when first purchased.

[FramFramson]

Never seen those on eBay, but it may indicate that the seller is paying the taxes. Courier services (DHL, UPS etc.) offer this sort of service and some distance sellers like to do that because it lets them give the client a fixed price. I once ordered a suit from a HK tailor that came in that way.

But quite frankly it's mostly for the kind of people who pay others to take their car into service.

They seem to come up on orders where sellers are signed up to the ebay "global shipping program". And the buyer would absolutely not be paying - it's clearly listed as an additional cost, under the shipping charges.

[maxxon]

Only for a VAT registered company which most small wargames companies aren't and private sales certainly aren't.

The global customs system is not built to handle these local exceptions. Basically all incoming imports are considered VAT-applicable with a few exceptions.

You are not tax exempt because the seller might be in his country.

And in the case of importing second hand goods -- yes, the tax was already paid, but it was paid in the wrong country. Your taxman wants his share, and he's not getting it from the seller's country.

I used to run a company that did both intra-EU (that's actually trickier than you think) and global imports. I think I have a fairly good idea how the system works and I'm just trying to explain it.

[Dewbakuk]

You are not tax exempt because the seller might be in his country.

My comment was in reply to export sales from the UK, not import, where yes, you are liable.