Just found this...

 

With all the issues, this may help to take some of the shock away from when postie arrive..

 

 

 

              https://www.dutycalculator.com/new-import-duty-and-tax-calculation

 

 

 

  Jon

five free go's then they want to charge you to use it 

Albania and Montenegro on the list, but no Serbia...   bloody hell - where i live

  On 10/10/2013 at 16:44, JON WILLIS said:

Just found this...

 

With all the issues, this may help to take some of the shock away from when postie arrive..

 

 

 

              https://www.dutycalculator.com/new-import-duty-and-tax-calculation

 

 

 

  Jon

A very useful link.  Sadly it'll never take away the shock of the additional £8 handling charge from Royal Mail, especially on the occasions when I'm incurring less than a quids worth of import vat on an item.

All the companies charge different rates, UPS is a min. of £11.00 Brokeridge charge for putting paperwork to Customs.

Just got charged £11.13 (£3.13 Vat + £8 handling) for a package valued at $25.

Anything over £15 now attracts VAT and the extortionate £8 handling fee.

I thought cut off was £22 so queried if value of package had been read in £s rather than $s

Was told now £15 and to ring up if wanted to complain....

Oh wait, its an 0845 number....that'll probably cost me another £4 to moan about the £8 handling fee they charged me to invoice me £3.13 VAT for a package that's only about £2 over the threshold.

You couldn't fuckin make it up if you tried....

  On 14/10/2013 at 14:57, Mace said:

Just got charged £11.13 (£3.13 Vat + £8 handling) for a package valued at $25.

Anything over £15 now attracts VAT and the extortionate £8 handling fee.

I thought cut off was £22 so queried if value of package had been read in £s rather than $s

Was told now £15 and to ring up if wanted to complain....

Oh wait, its an 0845 number....that'll probably cost me another £4 to moan about the £8 handling fee they charged me to invoice me £3.13 VAT for a package that's only about £2 over the threshold.

You couldn't fuckin make it up if you tried....

Ay Up Mace

 

Truly Rip OF Britain again ? 

 

I Bet you don't get a refund m8     

 

atb Kev 

Edited October 14, 201311 yr by Kev John

Just used that calculator and if you include the cost of shipping it gets added to your total product value!!!!

As it happens, I only got charged for the product value without the shipping, and $25 worked out as £15.65 on current exchange rate ..... so I effectively got charged £11.13 for 65pence above threshold.

Not gonna phone the fcukers, won't get anywhere so what's the use.

Can't complain really Kev, only ever been hit a few times, but it is that £8 handling charge that's really takes the p*ss, especially as I had to drive an 8 mile round trip to pick it up.

Had to wait till their 2 hour lunch was up as well....cavier and quails eggs no doubt!!!

  On 14/10/2013 at 15:22, Mace said:

Not gonna phone the fcukers, won't get anywhere so what's the use.

Can't complain really Kev, only ever been hit a few times, but it is that £8 handling charge that's really takes the p*ss, especially as I had to drive an 8 mile round trip to pick it up.

Had to wait till their 2 hour lunch was up as well....cavier and quails eggs no doubt!!!

I'll Bet you'll get your money back & more when you sell it on M8 

 

atb Kev 

Ask the sellers to put a low value on the customs sticker.  The records are expensive as it is, without all these extra costs!

  On 14/10/2013 at 18:07, solidsoul said:

Ask the sellers to put a low value on the customs sticker.  The records are expensive as it is, without all these extra costs!

You can ask but there's no guarantee the seller will agree.  I've just got one from a seller who didn't want to oblige, £7 odd vat + the usual £8 "handling".  To be fair in this case I was still OK with the total price even though the handling charge still makes my blood boil every time.

  On 14/10/2013 at 18:35, tiberius said:

You can ask but there's no guarantee the seller will agree.  I've just got one from a seller who didn't want to oblige, £7 odd vat + the usual £8 "handling".  To be fair in this case I was still OK with the total price even though the handling charge still makes my blood boil every time.

 

The more informed and larger sellers usually 'play the game' but it has become a lottery with a lot more items being charged. Makes buying from the US increasingly less attractive!

Just got a package containing a CD and a 45 to use for mastering a forthcoming 7" release   and the guy put a $50 value on the package! FFS! Luckily customs seemed to ignore it. Seems like they're very hit and miss.

every package for a week now, has had about £10 fee, 3 have gone back, two I kept and swallowed the fee because I had to have them, but its now got silly, I just cant justify buying from the USA, or anywhere overseas at the moment... Not unless I actually want to make a loss... :( :(

Its a sodding joke this country. Taxed left right and centre for everything we do.

£16+ charges on a £30 lp (£44 with postage). Why is postage taken into account when calculating this figure? B*stards!

£8 handling fee wtf? I wouldn't mind but I have to go and collect the f*cking thing, they do less handling than they would if they delivered it.

Seems to be a new campaign on now by HMC&E……got two grey cards today….went to collect - feck it two cheap rekkids $25 and stung both times…..  

Don't the Post Office inform you (by delivering a card?) that a payment is due? then they collect the fee and pass it on to the relevant agencies?  they need to employ people to that so why would they (now a privately owned company) do that for free?

The PO have charged an £8 collection fee for ages, not just post privatisation…..it's nothing new, but there is a concerted campaign on to collect import duty…..

I received a record today that had been posted from Lafayette in the States on October 15th - it was posted with tracking fortunately and myself and the guy that posted it to me have been following its progress around most of the USA with interest!  -It eventually returned to New York for the third time and left on the 3rd of January to arrive today - must have been a new year resolution by US postal service to get it out of the country!! Worth the wait - Phillip Mitchell - Little Things at bargain price of 3 dollars plus 3 months shipping!!

  On 08/01/2014 at 21:48, Steve G said:

The PO have charged an £8 collection fee for ages, not just post privatisation…..it's nothing new, but there is a concerted campaign on to collect import duty…..

I know that - I was making the point that they are even more likely to charge now - And whether the import duty is right or wrong I don't understand how it can be said that the PO is not doing anything for the £8.  

On a slightly different note in the last few months I've had a lot more parcels from the USA which just need a signature, no fee to pay.  In fact I've had a card through today so this means a trip to collect from the sorting office.  These always have post it notes stuck on with hand written "special delivery".  Strange thing is that often, when the postie at the counter scans the bar code on the packet, he doesn't even ask me to sign anything.  When I questioned this I was told that scanning the barcode was proof of delivery in these cases.  When I asked about the sticky "special delivery" labels I was told it was all to do with revenue ie Royal Mail get paid more for delivering these items.  The bottom line is that there is a definate drive within RM to increase revenue and the folks sorting the parcels are clearly being much more vigilant as to what the labels/CN22 etc say on them.

  On 08/01/2014 at 22:19, Mike Lofthouse said:

I know that - I was making the point that they are even more likely to charge now - And whether the import duty is right or wrong I don't understand how it can be said that the PO is not doing anything for the £8.  

 

Agree with the principle of "£8 for what"? It is a long standing overcharge by PO. But the decision whether to charge import duty / VAT is determined by HMC&E not the PO. I have NEVER had a PO delivered parcel with import duty to pay, without the £8 stuck on top. HMC&E determine the duty at their warehouses (my one is at Bracknell or somewhere) which everything coming into the UK goes through, unless you use a specialist like FedEx / UPS who are "trusted" to collect on behalf of HMC&E. Got stung with one of them too.......Parcel received before Xmas, no duty, then a letter arrives this week "You owe us xxx - pay immediately" - a nasty shock to the system and post Xmas bank balance I can tell you!

  On 10/10/2013 at 16:44, JON WILLIS said:

Just found this...

 

With all the issues, this may help to take some of the shock away from when postie arrive..

 

 

 

              https://www.dutycalculator.com/new-import-duty-and-tax-calculation

 

 

 

  Jon

 

 

Thanks for posting, I always ask seller to value record(s) at under $50.00, most have done so.

They charge us £8, which is probably more than the postie earns in an hour for a few minutes work. The process of giving the HMRC there bit is done electronically and probably takes five minutes maximum. So for ten minutes work tops, and on top of the postage costs they charge £8.

And why do customs include the postage as the value?

I doubt I will buy any more from the USA as I personally think I pay enough taxes without this extending to my hobby.

  On 09/01/2014 at 09:02, Chris L said:

Thanks for posting, I always ask seller to value record(s) at under $50.00, most have done so.

 Chris, read my post #6.....not sure if you have higher level of allowance over there but for U.K. limit is now £15 and should inc postage costs (which is $12+ from US) so effectively contents of package should not exceed approx. £7 !!!!

 

However...I just rechecked with that calculator link and seems if contents exceed $23 value + $13 post then a customs charge is added....defionately read somewhere it should inc cost of shipping but cant find that info now.....

Edited January 9, 201411 yr by Mace

  On 09/01/2014 at 10:56, chalky said:

They charge us £8,

 

Just out of interest I wonder what the postal services/couriers in other EU countries charge.

 

Anyone out there enlighten us on that?

 

MB

  On 09/01/2014 at 11:47, MBarrett said:

Just out of interest I wonder what the postal services/couriers in other EU countries charge.

 

Anyone out there enlighten us on that?

 

The handling fee in Sweden is 100 SEK = £9.25.

 

Two times during the past week I've had to collect packages where the customs fee was about 70 SEK and the handling fee was 100 SEK...