Hello all,
Has anyone else had a large customs bill on receiving NDT? I had a 9 months supply ordered and have been charged a colossal £96! Really miffed as this didnt happen the last time I ordered. Perhaps sheer back luck? 
Customs Bill : Hello all, Has anyone else had a... - Thyroid UK
Customs Bill
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furcoatnoknickers
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•
It seems to be very unpredictable - in my area, we always seem to be charged even when something is within the normal variation of currency fluctuation but other people hardly ever seem to be charged in other places even when the items are well outside the allowances.
ITYFIALMCTT, thank you for your response. Hmmm ... I wonder if now they have the address will it always happen?
@furcoatnoknickers only been clobbered once at same address I think checks must be random
TSH110 hopefully next time I'll get a bit more lucky! 
I agree with others - very unpredictable. Sometimes, I receive shipments from third countries (outside the EU/EEA) without any problems, and sometimes I have to pay import duties amounting more or less to the price of the product...I guess it depends on whichever customs official gets to clear your shipment.
Bluecat101• in reply to
l always get caught in the South here -unless its sent via Germany then all tax free
Hi
I would quiry it, I have never been charged more than £22. but then again I have never bought more than 3 months supply.
lucylocks I have been informed it's 20% of the cost, sadly correct and very unlucky
20% that's a lot.
I think if you buy the Thai NDT's you get away with not paying customs as they send it differently.
Lucylocks,
VAT is 20% on imports. Some sellers lie on the customs declaration by undervaluing the cost or by stating the goods are a gift. If HMRC don't believe the declaration they will still charge you 20%.
what is NDT
How much was
the value of your order + the cost of the postage + duty
then + VAT on the whole amount?
Does £96 seem appropriate (in a manner of speaking) relative to that? Tho' £20+ might have been the handling charge. Did you get something like a receipt that broke down the charges for you?
gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abro...
TYFIALMCTT I have just been informed it's 20% of the total, so £440 ... it's correct and really unlucky.
I have ordered 3 shipments of NDT from USA & was told at the Royal Mail collection office the payment was for V.A.T,as there is no V.A.T on NDT in USA.Could be codswallop for all I know.What annoys me is the customs charge is £15 something,then RM charge £8 handling fee.I paid exactly the same fees for 100 grains & 200 grains.Odd
Not charged or stopped at customs when I bought from Thailand-luck?
Looks like luck, Naomi8 sadly, I have been informed it's 20% of the total
furcoatnoknickers have just ordered some products from the US and it seems that VAT has to be paid plus customs charge depending on the value. VAT is payable on postage charge as well. This may help:
gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abro...
£96 sounds excessive, what was the value of the NDT?
furcoatnoknickers• in reply to
cinnamon_girl The cost was £440 - I have just been informed that it's a 20% charge which sadly, makes it correct.
• in reply tofurcoatnoknickers
furcoatnoknickers I recently bought some NDT from <not so subtle reference to site deleted> and wasn't charged VAT or handling charge. It really does seem random as to whether you have to pay extra.
Clutter• in reply to
C-G,
24. Do not post advertisements, links or information of any sort whatsoever, on where or how to obtain UK prescription only medications without prescription. This includes online pharmacies who issue 'prescriptions' on the basis of the completion of a simple health questionnaire.
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
• in reply toClutter
Sorry Clutter , thought my wording wouldn't have broken any Rules.
furcoatnoknickers• in reply to
Sorry cinnamon_girl, I didnt mean to get you into trouble.
• in reply tofurcoatnoknickers
You definitely didn't furcoatnoknickers , it was my mistake.
What was the cost of the actual order plus postage?
There is the possibility that a mistake was made in the arithmetic. I would want it itemised and the calculations explained to me before I coughed up £96!
humanbean, The cost was £440 - I have just been informed that it's a 20% charge which sadly, makes it correct.
• in reply tohumanbean
Unfortunately humanbean, you can't collect your order from the post office until you cough up this fee.
humanbean• in reply to
I have a vague memory of having read a post from someone where the fee to be paid was calculated wrongly. I can't remember how that problem was resolved now. I imagine it isn't easy to get money back when they make a mistake.
One would hope that an itemised receipt would be given at the time of handing over the money. I've paid customs charges just once, but it was ages ago, and I can't remember what info I got on the transaction now.
helvellaAdministrator
furcoatnoknickers,
Carriers other than Royal Mail usually have a steeper "customs clearance" charges.
The bill should have been 20% of the value, including postage, plus the carrier's charge. The value is often the amount declared by the sender, but if that is not believed by customs, they can make their own assessment. Any attempt by you to get someone to mis-declare the value, or state it is a "birthday present", is likely an offence in the UK. However, it is obvious that some vendors do this as a matter of routine.
It is very largely a matter of luck whether your package gets noticed or not.
Thank you for that info
Thank you to all who responded to the customs fee. As NT was out of stock, I went for Armour and yes, it was £440. So now calculating 20% as 'helvella' has informed me - it seems correct - (albeit unfair.) This thyroid buisness is bloody expensive malarky
gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abro...
I think you were lucky not to get clobbered for customs duty @2.5% on top. Anyone importing over £135 including postage needs to be aware of this. Whoever works out my VAT/handling charge invariably gets in wrong in my favour all hail Royal Mail 
or not 
I noticed the price of my NDT has gone up too. When I order my NDT I always get the little card that there is VAT to pay every time. In the past I got away with a few but not anymore. The 5 years I've been living here I get stung every time. Then for some reason my bank the last couple of times for another product has been milking it too, £4 for the transfer, then after that another £25 on top! It's happened twice now. Then of course there's the loss of over £100 to the Greek T3 supplier from May. If prices go up further I'll be back on levo!
furcoatnoknickers• in reply to
I know, it is frightening stuff. I ordered extra as I was a little afraid of it going out of stock as did Nature Throid. But I'll be damned if I'll back on that 'just have to go back to bed, I feel so ill 'levo'!
• in reply tofurcoatnoknickers
Where I order from you were limited to 2 bottles of NDT, we usually get 3. I must admit I find the whole ordering and waiting really stressful. I took levo for 2 years and it did absolutely nothing for me, when I took Armour the swelling in my face almost immediately lessened. I like Armour the best but it's so pricey!
furcoatnoknickers• in reply to
Me too. Really stressful - which of course is sooo bad for us anyway! I am with you, I recently switched back to Armour feel so much better than on NT. The price is outrageous - but I'll pay it to function better.
furcoatnoknickers• in reply to
Me too. Really stressful - which of course is sooo bad for us anyway! I am with you, I recently switched back to Armour feel so much better than on NT. The price is outrageous - but I'll pay it to function better.
• in reply tofurcoatnoknickers
I can't see how a change in drug company can cause such a hike in prices . Pretty soon they will go the same way as T3 and no one will be prescribing it. It's pure greed at the expense of sick people.
You should not pay customs charges on medication that is life saving. You should get hold of the post office and complain. Make sure on the customs declaration it says medication. I had the same problem until I looked on the customs and excise website.
• in reply toashquar
ashquar do you have a link please?
Wishful thinking? How do you contest the charges?
gov.uk/government/publicati...
I would be interested ashquar in knowing where it is stated that medicine from outside the EU is not subject to customs/VAT. I would imagine this petitioner would also be interested.
petition.parliament.uk/arch...
My packages containing US sourced NDT always clearly state that the package contains medicine. With one or two fortunate exceptions I am charged.
• in reply toRapunzel
Interesting Rapunzel especially the Petition that sunk without trace and can't help wondering why. <cynical mode>
Pretty certain that suppliers of my T3/NDT meds from various countries didn't actually state the content on the outside of the package.
Desiccated thyroid is, for tax/import purposes, classified as an animal derivative. Thus it is handled the same as leather or wool.
A number of years ago I contacted HMRC and that was their considered opinion.
I have not checked on liothyronine or other non-animal derived medicines.
Crumbs- that is massive and unreasonable. l have just had pay £16 on a months supply of Dr Nuzum's Super EArth Energy which l am hoping will help and that cost about $50. There is always an £8 Royal Mail 'handling' charge which is exasperating, and import/VAT goes on any value over £16 or £18. Camergoon reduced it down from £18. l get the odd T-shirt from Animal Rescue in States and end up with price almost doubled. Nobody cares what we have to pay or if it is medicinal. BUT if the sender is bright and it comes 'via Germany' then extra taxes are avoided. Only happened about 2x and when l ask sender to do this, they say its not up to them
£15 (not £16).
You are not forced to collect the item - then it will be sent back and eventually refunded
Unfortunately, the customs bill.
I always get a customs bill (only missed twice in as many years now). Usually around £31.77 for three month supply, this includes a (new??) Post Office handling charge of around £9ish. It's bad enough I'm forced to pay for meds so I can continue to work but custom and PO handling charges are an insult to injury.
Agree - and seems nothing we can do about it
I bought £175 worth of Dr Lowe's tablets (trying to work by forum rules and not mention -forgive if I get it wrong) from the US a couple of months ago. Started at $181, then went to $221 with US postage. I then had to pay £62 to Royal Mail to get them. Irritating to have to pay VAT on a $40 US postal charge!! But earlier post is correct, you have to pay if its over £135 in value - next time, I'll buy the single packets, lose the 'bulk discount' and hopefully avoid the Customs Charges. There's no exemption for 'medication' or 'vitamins'.
Its all random - sometimes you'll win, sometimes you'll get 'caught'. However if value is under £135 there should be no problem.
You are liable to VAT if the value is over £15 unless it is a gift. Over £135, you are liable to duty (usually 2.5%) even if it is a gift.
I think the reason for values to include postage is that any other approach could result in vendors putting on unfeasibly low prices and high postage in order to avoid taxes.
thanks - i hadn't understood, despite trying very hard !!!!!
Hiya,
Yep, I've had to pay a customs charge too! I buy my NDT from the USA every month but the manufacturer has stopped making my dose in 1 month (30 days) and 100 days supply. So, I have had to buy 100 tablets in a lower dose and 100 tablets in another dose to try and get the right daily dose. This has meant that the cost is more than the £15.00 customs limit and so I was charged nearly £30.00 to collect my meds from the local mail sorting office. This has made it quite expensive to buy my meds and I'm on a limited income due to losing my job to thyroid cancer hence me needing NDT to prevent the cancer returning.
It sucks!!!
TT x
I have been clobbered a few times but not that much! I asked the delivery guy about it the last time & he said that if goods were coming from America there was a way of doing it to avoid paying the import taxes..........I THINK you have to set up a mail box in the US & send the goods to yourself as a gift. Sorry I don't know any more than this.
If you did that, it is possible it would be considered as an offence under UK law. Just as it can be if you ask a vendor to mis-represent the contents or value of a package - or say it is a gift when it is not.
I am not being censorious - just pointing out one possible pitfall.
my thai NDT got send as medication for aquarium fish by suggestion of the supplier. to avoid extra taxes and avoid customs. I live in Australia.
Of course, that would NOT be an offence under UK law.
However, technically, it probably is an offence under Australian law. If you didn't know that was going to happen, unlikely to be an issue. Thereafter, could be regarded as colluding with the company to avoid Australian taxation.
For clarity, I repeat:
I am not being censorious - just pointing out one possible pitfall.
I thought it was funny to, in a not so funny way. they explained, that the NDT might not go through customs otherwise.
btw
I am not ordering the THYROID-s again. 1000 tabs are a lot, even when taking 2 every day it will take almost 2 years to get through it.
that is a long time for just wanting to try out something else!
Thanks for your reply but it sounds a bit tricky so I'll just have to pay the customs charge.
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