Customs Charges In Us - New One On Me

[Ernie Andrews]

Bought an item from US for $29.99 + Postage.

When I came to pay the seller had added $15 Customs charges saying "No more to pay" intimating I wouldnt have to pay any Customs charges in the UK.

Anyone else come accross this?

P.S Ive asked them to re-invoice me without the customs charges and only to put on the form the actual price of the item I bought and not to add the postage charge.

[soulperson]

yes i have.it seems only the new sellers are doing this.i recently got stung this way.i just didnt notice it in the description.now i wont buy from them when they advertise that they charge a customs fee upfront.we should be able to pick our own choice & sometimes they do slip through unnoticed.very lucky last week.paid $156 for record & the postie just put it thro my letterbox....yipeeee

[Louis]

Same happened to me in the last week.  Record over $100, $29 Import duty.  I decided to pay it, only because I've had 2 recently that required import duty on collection.  It used to be easy buying records from USA, but these add ons plus the increased postage is making it harder.

 

I can see I'll have to start going out again to venues to buy records in the future!

 

Louis

[Ernie Andrews]

Import dutty is paid by the destination country

Export duty is paid by the country sending the thing!

Well thats my understanding

[Hammersoul]

Who`s the sellers so we know who to avoid or plan that when you have a price in mind.

[soulperson]

yes,you are correct

[soulperson]

Who`s the sellers so we know who to avoid or plan that when you have a price in mind.

there are too many to mention.just read the description where it says import duty fees

[Guest]

Just ask the seller if they will send the record by normal plain airmail. 

 

This should cost around $12 for a 45rpm from USA to UK.

 

I have asked a few sellers to do this instead of Global priority and Custom charges included.  They have been happy to do so.

 

Some of the new sellers don't seem know they can just send the record by normal airmail.

[Ernie Andrews]

found this! Interesting - makes our customs obsolete or do they not recognise it!

Buying an item through the Global Shipping Program

In this article

Buying an item

Checkout

Shipping

Tracking

Resolving problems

Eligible countries

Oversized items

Restricted categories

Prohibited items

 

Buying an item

When shopping, you may notice that some items can be shipped internationally through the Global Shipping Program.

The Global Shipping Program makes it easier for buyers in some countries outside the US to purchase items from US sellers. The seller ships the item to a global shipping provider located in the US and the global shipping provider ships the item to you.

Using a global shipping provider enables sellers to offer international shipping at competitive rates and may allow items to ship more quickly. In addition, your purchase is eligible for coverage through eBay Buyer Protection and PayPal Purchase Protection.

When you purchase an item through the Global Shipping Program, you receive international tracking at no additional charge and pay any applicable import charges upfront. There are no additional charges at delivery. You'll see an estimate of the international shipping charges and any import charges in the item listing. The final charges appear at checkout.

Import charges include certain fees, such as export classification, importation risk premium, and variance fees, which are assessed by the global shipping provider as part of the services provided by the Global Shipping Program. These fees are in addition to the customs duties and taxes imposed by country tax and customs officials. For additional information about applicable fees, see the eBay Global Shipping Program Buyer Terms & Conditions.

Important things to keep in mind:

• The charges that you are quoted in the item listing are not final until paid and may change if, for example, you change your shipping address during checkout or if the applicable import rules change before you complete your payment.

• With the exception of shipments to Canada, delivery to P.O. Boxes is not supported by the Global Shipping Program. We also can't deliver to APO or FPO addresses.

Checkout

During checkout, you'll see the final charges which include the item cost, the shipping costs (both domestic and international), and any import charges. The shipping costs include any US domestic shipping fees charged by the seller, as well as program fees, international shipping charges, fuel surcharges, and processing and handling fees.

International shipping charges are calculated based on a number of factors including your delivery address, shipping weight, and package dimensions. A network of shipping carriers is used to provide fast and reliable international shipping at competitive rates.

When you pay for the item through PayPal, you are authorizing 2 payment transactions. The first payment goes to the seller and consists of the item cost and the domestic shipping costs. The second payment goes to the global shipping provider and consists of the international shipping costs and any import charges.

After you've completed checkout, you can review these charges on the Order details page. The Order details page shows the total charges and the payment amounts to the seller and global shipping provider.

Note: The Request total from the seller link is not available for Global Shipping Program purchases. You will see the total, including shipping, after you've purchased the item.

Shipping

After receiving your payment, the seller ships your item to a US shipping center. Professional custom processors at the US shipping center process the package, complete customs forms, pays applicable import charges, and ship the package to the address that you specified at the time of purchase. Items that ship through the Global Shipping Program generally arrive within one week after departing the US shipping center.

Tracking

Once the seller has shipped your item, you'll receive an email letting you know that the item has shipped. The email includes a global tracking number which enables you to track your item as it travels from the US shipping center to you. The global tracking number can also be found in My eBay and on the Order details page.

Resolving problems

The item hasn't arrived yet

If your item hasn't arrived yet, check the estimated delivery date on the Order details page to determine when your item should arrive. Then track your package from the Order details page or My eBay.

If the item should have arrived and you're unable to work out a solution with the seller, you can open a case in the Resolution Center.

You didn't receive an item or the item was not as described in the listing

If you did not receive an item or the item was not as described in the listing, contact the seller. Many issues can be solved with a simple conversation. If the seller isn't able or willing to resolve the problem, you can open a buyer protection case in the Resolution Center. Learn more about what do to if you don't receive an item or it doesn't match the seller's description.

You want to return an item

If you want to return an item, check to see if the seller accepts international returns by reviewing the return policy in the listing. If the seller does accept international returns,

[Chris L]

This is one mighty big rip off !!!!  Sellers can now send their sold item to a US based office instead of directly to the internaional

buyer. Ebay's "Global Shipping" office then re-sends them overseas but of course charges for it, the cost is passed onto the buyer.

Yesterday I bought a record for $30.00 and the guy wants $22.00 to ship it. I've pointed out to him that all he needs to do is post it

directly to me and we both win. However like most Americans, if it's not Canada or Mexico they go into vertigo type spasm. I will

risk a black mark from Ebay rather than pay for a service that's not needed. Very short term view from Ebay's side, overseas

buyers just won't buy low cost items. I wanted to buy some PC software, the cost was $35.00, shipping $12.00, so far so good

but there would have been an "import duty charge" of some $22.00 I pointed out that anything shipped with a total value (cost of

item + shipping costs) off less than $75.00 incurs no duty charge they replied that in fact the "import duty" charge was the service

charge of re-shipping the item and that I could face further import costs at destination.

 

As I said a 1st class rip-off that is sure to backfire in the long term...............

[Chris L]

Import dutty is paid by the destination country

Export duty is paid by the country sending the thing!

Well thats my understanding

 

There's no such thing as "export duty"........................(says he with 35 years of international logistics experience)

[kevinsoulman]

This is one mighty big rip off !!!!  Sellers can now send their sold item to a US based office instead of directly to the internaional

buyer. Ebay's "Global Shipping" office then re-sends them overseas but of course charges for it, the cost is passed onto the buyer.

Yesterday I bought a record for $30.00 and the guy wants $22.00 to ship it. I've pointed out to him that all he needs to do is post it

directly to me and we both win. However like most Americans, if it's not Canada or Mexico they go into vertigo type spasm. I will

risk a black mark from Ebay rather than pay for a service that's not needed. Very short term view from Ebay's side, overseas

buyers just won't buy low cost items. I wanted to buy some PC software, the cost was $35.00, shipping $12.00, so far so good

but there would have been an "import duty charge" of some $22.00 I pointed out that anything shipped with a total value (cost of

item + shipping costs) off less than $75.00 incurs no duty charge they replied that in fact the "import duty" charge was the service

charge of re-shipping the item and that I could face further import costs at destination.

 

As I said a 1st class rip-off that is sure to backfire in the long term...............

just what i was thinking global shipping probably owned by ebay/paypal

kev

[Dazz]

There's no such thing as "export duty"........................(says he with 35 years of international logistics experience)

Hello

Spent most of the day reading about this, so could somebody just help me clarify that if the Import duties are paid with the item charge

and the shipping charge. When the item gets to the UK there are absolutely no more charges to pay  i.e No getting charged £8 for the PO

to not deliver it and having to drive 10 miles to pick it up and also then having to pay Customs charges and VAT on what ostensibly is a

second hand item.

 

Thanks for your help/knowledge

 

Dazz

[Chris L]

Hello

Spent most of the day reading about this, so could somebody just help me clarify that if the Import duties are paid with the item charge

and the shipping charge. When the item gets to the UK there are absolutely no more charges to pay  i.e No getting charged £8 for the PO

to not deliver it and having to drive 10 miles to pick it up and also then having to pay Customs charges and VAT on what ostensibly is a

second hand item.

 

Thanks for your help/knowledge

 

Dazz

 

If a US seller sells you an item for say $50.00 and shipping costs $15.00 then the customs value as far as the UK customs are concerned is $65.00.

For US customs the value is still $50.00   -  so far so good ? The seller pay no taxes or charges if he/she ships directly with the USPS or any other

integrator (DHL, Fedex, UPS, et al)

 

If it's a new or used item the UK Customs will charge an import duty and V.A.T. on that combined value - if a commercial item then the maximum value

allowed is only £15.00 but if it's declared as a gift that rises to £36.00. Here's the current text :

 

https://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageTravel_ShowContent&id=HMCE_CL_000014&propertyType=document#P25_2720

 

The message is clear : 1. Ask your seller to declare the value as low as possible, about $40.00  2. Ask him/her to mark as "gift"

 

Be careful !! (Achtung !!) customs are not silly dic*heads they may well ask you for proof of payment (Paypal, etc.) so you'll need a back up plan for that.

 

If anybody wants specific help then get back via PM.

 

Good luck !!!

Edited January 12, 2014 by Chris L

[Guest]

I think that they only ask for proof of payment 1) if the parcel doesn't have a value declared on it, or 2) if they suspect that the value declared is not correct. I have only ever received a request for proof of payment when the parcel did not have a value declared on it. I don't think they have the expertise to determine the value of 2nd hand records, and in many case, it's not easy even for experts since prices go up and down constantly. Collectors even come here to ask for prices. Therefore, I think that they don't bother to look up prices for records. If it's expensive designer clothes, an Iphone or something similar, then they are likely to ask for proof of payment if they determine that the value declared is much lower than the normal market value. Anyways, I don't think they bother too much about records. Maybe if you receive a batch of 30 records, and the total value is declared at $1, then they might get suspicious.

 

Edited January 11, 2014 by Preben

[Chris L]

I think that they only ask for proof of payment 1) if the parcel doesn't have a value declared on it, or 2) if they suspect that the value declared is not correct. I have only ever received a request for proof of payment when the parcel did not have a value declared on it. I don't think they have the expertise to determine the value of 2nd hand records, and in many case, it's not easy even for experts since prices go up and down constantly. Collectors even come here to ask for prices. Therefore, I think that they don't bother to look up prices for records. If it's expensive designer clothes, an Iphone or something similar, then they are likely to ask for proof of payment if they determine that the value declared is much lower than the normal market value. Anyways, I don't think they bother too much about records. Maybe if you receive a batch of 30 records, and the total value is declared at $1, then they might get suspicious.

 

 

Yes you're right, there's no way a UK customs official would know the value of records (thanks heavens) however if you've bought a job lot of 25/30 they might well question a value of about $10.00.