Buying from the USA

[africanpete]

Hi

About to place my order for more toys from the US but need advice on shipping, customs and also any tips you might have that I can use to get past the red tape easier, only legit tips please.

The box/crate will be about 80" x 40" x 30" and will weigh around 350 lbs max

Any help will be greatly appreciated

Thanks
Pete

[wingman]

In theory you're liable for both VAT and import duty.  If you look up the HMCE website you'll find documents showing what import duty is for various items.

[Guardian.]

get the sender to have it sent as a gift, nothing to pay then.

[Eeyore]

get the sender to have it sent as a gift, nothing to pay then.

Don't you beleive it!

....... ask me how I know  

Cheers
 8)
Eeyore

[Guardian.]

works 99% of the time though, take it yours got tugged!

[Eeyore]

:( More than once, too.

Have you any idea the import duty on cutlery - it's bad!

On small stuff you can get away with it, but a box that size will recieve the full scrutiny of not only the US Customs, but HMCE, too. If it ain't properly documented the Yanks won't let it out.

Cheers
 8)
Eeyore

[Silvery Thing]

get the sender to have it sent as a gift, nothing to pay then.

On such a large crate you would not stand a chance :(

[Guardian.]

WHAT YOU SHIPPIN, HOPE ITS NOT ILLEGALS.

[africanpete]

WHAT YOU SHIPPIN, HOPE ITS NOT ILLEGALS.

LOL, no, not illegals.  It's the box that my new TJM winch bumper comes in, the sellers are also putting into the box a full OME suspension set up, SS brake lines and loads of other parts that will be wrapped up carefully, I hope!

I suppose my next move is to phone HMCE?

Thanks for all the input thus far

Pete

[africanpete]

Bloody Hell :twisted:

Which form do I use?  There are hundreds on that web-site, don't know where to start

Help Please
Pete

[Smego]

Get them to put the value as $50.99

[Guardian.]

just being nosey, but how much is the carriage on that from there?

[africanpete]

Will let you know as soon as a carrier is finalised.

[Range Rover Blues]

Don't use the Useless Postal Service.  My air springs were sent carriage and duty paid (yes you will pay less if they are samples and lower valued, but then you don't get as much insurance) but UPS still charged me £60 fees when they arrived.

[SteveGoodz]

Don't use the Useless Postal Service.  My air springs were sent carriage and duty paid (yes you will pay less if they are samples and lower valued, but then you don't get as much insurance) but UPS still charged me £60 fees when they arrived.

That's most likely duty applied by HMCE, which UPS have already paid in advance on your behalf and they are simply recovering it from you. All international carriers do it the same way. The alternative is to send you a letter asking for payment before HMCE will release the goods from quarantine ~ takes much longer.

Paying duty up front is a mugs game as HMCE don't allow you any credit for what you've already paid when deciding what you have to pay. Indeed, whatever you pay for shipping (including any pre-paid duty) is added to the value of the goods and duty calculated on the gross amount.

On the point of getting the value reduced on the import documents to reduce the duty. If HMCE feel that the value shown is too small they will check the normal retail value of the goods and use that to calculate the duty.

The bad news for the OP is that goods from the USA are scrutinised closer than from any other country  :shock:

[UDTrev]

I make no comment, I've had 'fun' importing an LED lightbar from the US of A  :x  :x  :x

I brought and the muppets sent to the wrong length  :x

I returned it and the company went bust  :x

Eventually Fedex returned it  :D

I sold it here - hi Big Rich :D

Then Fedex charged me £21 for customs duty on what was still my property at the time  :x  :x  :x  :x

I can't really complain though, I never got charged duty on the original import, and haven't seen any bill for duty on the 2 shorter bars I have just imported  :D  :D  :D

[doctorvaltar]

What you might want to think about as well if you're buying form the States in Dollars that you are getting the best exchange rates.

Banks on the whole will charge a lot of money to exchange pounds into foreign currency, typically 5%. Currency specialists tend to be able to offer private individuals the commercial wholesale rates. If you need any advice on this, drop me a PM thats what I do for a living.

[lambert]

Possibly being thick but would it be viable to ship your car out for a motoring holiday, have all the bits fitted then bring it back. Would that not bypass the whole duty thing as it's already your property?

[africanpete]

Hi guys

Thanks for all the replies, as it turns out it is going to cost me a fortune in shipping costs and duties which really P***** me off

I cant believe that even when trying to buy from another country you will still get screwed over with UK postage and duties, how do you explain parts, spares and accessories in the US or just about anywhere else for that matter being 50 - 60% of the UK price

We are getting shafted every which way we can!

[S188]

Would it be possable to ship it through another EU country?  Maybe through one that has less import taxes from the US, then once its inside the EU and an EU country is happy with the import it should be alright to move around to other parts of the EU, ie the UK?  I'm sure theres a loophole there somewhere, but I wouldn't know how to exploit it.  Any ideas?  (stuff from the continant certainly atracts less heat than stuff from the paranoid USA when it reaches the british ports.

[V8MoneyPit]

Would it be possable to ship it through another EU country?  Maybe through one that has less import taxes from the US, then once its inside the EU and an EU country is happy with the import it should be alright to move around to other parts of the EU, ie the UK?  I'm sure theres a loophole there somewhere, but I wouldn't know how to exploit it.  Any ideas?  (stuff from the continant certainly atracts less heat than stuff from the paranoid USA when it reaches the british ports.

The legal declaration of value for duty relates to the final destination. It is quite likely that the package will pass through a European hub before coming to the UK anyway. But the duty applied should be UK rates. Whether there is any way round this, I couldn't say.

[lee celtic]

Ship to a mate in southern Ireland then get the ferry over and pick it up thats how most of the jap imports get  into the uk without duty