Off topic - ordering from US

[Josiesmum]

Hello

I just wondered if someone could clarify whether customs fees and import duty is due for an item costing £12 plus £7 postage, total £19 shipped from US. When I looked online it said no import fees/duty is payable on purchases under £15 but wasn't sure if this includes postage costs.

Thanks.

[helvella]

If under 15 excluding post then no fees. If over 15 then vat calculated on value including post.

[Josiesmum in reply to helvella]

Thanks for clarifying!

[SmallBlueThing in reply to Josiesmum]

Cripes, I thought it was £18 a few years ago. If over the limit and they'd decided to charge (more likely if it came via a delivery service other than Royal Mail), there could also be duty, depending on the class of goods, plus a fee for collecting the payment.

[helvella in reply to SmallBlueThing]

The HMRC guidance is here:

gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abro...

Duty (as opposed to VAT) is unlikely to be a problem in most circumstances.

[SmallBlueThing in reply to helvella]

Duty was always likely to take the shine off a piece of camera gear, back when I had the eyes and spending power.

Some older allowances are here, all ancient history now: mynewsdesk.com/uk/pressrele...

I've been tracking a package sent to Canada, only £18 value, but the recipient will be faced with a charge because that's over the 20CAD allowance, and there'll be a 9.95CAD collection fee

Not wishing to be political, but life's a lot easier dealing with EU countries.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to SmallBlueThing]

And if you get something from a country not in the EU that people think is in the EU (eg Russia) around the time of Eurovision, you rarely get charged (well, round here anyway)

[Josiesmum in reply to SmallBlueThing]

Yes, I once ordered a supplement from US costing £18 and was hit by an additional £20 charge for VAT, duty and Royal Mail handling fee.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to helvella]

But sometimes the postie doesn't charge you even when they are supposed to. Too much paperwork perhaps. I get charged about 70% of the time for lower value purchases (but over the limit) and about 95% of the time for high value ones. If it comes by mail rather than courier, I've found you are less likely to get charged (even if there is a customs charge sticker on the parcel!).

[helvella in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

Certainly some items get through without charges. I can't remember one which had a payment due (VAT and Royal Mail charge) which didn't collect - usually have to pay before you get it. But they might well have a declaration of value on them.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to helvella]

I had one a coupe of weeks ago. It had a charge sticker for the Royal mail £8 + a couple of quid VAT, but the postie just handed to me and left! I didn't actually notice the sticker until I started to open the box (it was large, I'm just visually challenged).

[Glynisrose in reply to helvella]

Yes they do!

[Rapunzel]

The royal mail 'handling' fee is an arbitrary £8. Sometimes on small orders, it's larger than the duty fee.

I think there should be some joined up thinking in HMRC and in such cases, no fee should be payable, especially where my envelopes clearly state 'Medicine for personal use'...

[helvella in reply to Rapunzel]

Other carriers charge even more!

[Rapunzel in reply to helvella]

Now it's funny you mention that Rod because sometimes when I buy things on eBay ( shoes bags gloves hats more forgiving clothes pretty underwear bigger than a fig leaf...) from the US, I have no option but to use something called Pitney Bowes international. I pay very expensive S&H and the customs charges in advance, 'track 'my item sitting in a warehouse in Arizona for ten days and then three weeks later, often when the tracking tells me the package is still in US, my package arrives. It's muyder !

[Glynisrose]

They get you by charging VAT.

[helvella in reply to Glynisrose]

No "they" do not if the order value (excluding p&p) is less than £15.