Import Duty

[whereismy record]

I recently bought another record form the states and it was delivered the record cost me $2,000.00 last week. However this morning I have been sent a bill from Fed ex for £255.83 is this justified? This seems nothing more than a rip of....has anyone else been charged the same in the past..

 

 

 

[Quinvy]

One of the reasons I have stopped buying records. You must contact every seller well before the auction ends, just to make sure they will send the record as a gift and with a low declared value. Otherwise this is what happens.

 

Some are happy to oblige, some aren't.

[John Reed]

Sounds about right.  Convert the dollars to sterling at say 1.61, then take 20% of that for VAT which comes to about £248.  Add around £8 the carrier charges for paying this to HMRC on your behalf and you get around £256

Edited October 17, 2014 by John Reed

[Rick Smith]

Some sellers refuse to alter the cost on the shipping label which is a bit annoying and can make what was a good buy a pricey or average one.

I get them delivered to a relative in Atlanta and then have relatives bring them back. Bit frustrating if no ones coming and going for months.

[Wiganer1]

if uve got ure record tell em bollox

[Guest Ivor Jones]

I got whacked today with an import duty surcharge, total of £13……..So, an extra £13 on top of the cost of the LP I had purchased. When I opened it the LP was pretty scratched up !  Nice…...

[Chalky]

If the seller marks a package as a gift and a low value it affects any insurane claim if the postal service or courier damages it.

[Iancsloft]

Theres enough rare 45s in the UK to buy stuff E Bay..

[Andy Rix]

Did somebody recently advise on a thread about getting UPS or FedEx, can't recall the detail, sent for about $26 that's tracked ... a bit like UK recorded delivery, where you can put a low value cos you know it's tracked so should arrive ... and you won't get stiffed

 

Andy

[Quinvy]

In all the years I have been buying records I have never had one go missing and the only ones that have been damaged were the ones that weren't packed properly by the seller. 

 

The problem with the seller paying massive amounts of money on postage with insurance, and then us paying customs charges is this:

 

When you open the package and discover that the VG+ record that you paid a small fortune for is in fact G+

 

What do you do then? Send it back right?

 

So you send it back, the seller has lost a fortune in unnecessary postage and insurance, and you have lost the customs charges that you paid to get the package.

 

This has happened to me on more than one occasion. 

[Guest julesp1905]

I recently bought another record form the states and it was delivered the record cost me $2,000.00 last week. However this morning I have been sent a bill from Fed ex for £255.83 is this justified? This seems nothing more than a rip of....has anyone else been charged the same in the past..

 

 

 

Unfortunately Her Majesty charges you to import goods from outside the EU

[whereismy record]

I had asked the guy to make as gift and not put value but he refused as he had done it before and now has a dispute with a guy in Italy.. As for import duty its a an old record, for personal use and another money making by the government and only started happen over the last couple of years as bad as this. The thing that baffles me is two weeks ago I had another record more expensive through Parcel Force and it was £75 still pissed me off more than a third less??? 

 

Like the other person above I have never once had a record go missing (hope I have not cursed myself now)..

 

I now have the record now they can try and get the money!!

 

D 

[Chalky]

In all the years I have been buying records I have never had one go missing and the only ones that have been damaged were the ones that weren't packed properly by the seller. 

 

 

That maybe so but it only takes one expensive record to go missing or get damaged and then you will wonder why you put gift and low value on it.  We read about mishaps and records going missing all the time.

[Quinvy]

I had asked the guy to make as gift and not put value but he refused as he had done it before and now has a dispute with a guy in Italy.. As for import duty its a an old record, for personal use and another money making by the government and only started happen over the last couple of years as bad as this. The thing that baffles me is two weeks ago I had another record more expensive through Parcel Force and it was £75 still pissed me off more than a third less??? 

 

Like the other person above I have never once had a record go missing (hope I have not cursed myself now)..

 

I now have the record now they can try and get the money!!

 

D 

That's very unusual, they normally want the money upfront. If they get heavy just put a scrap 45 in the parcel and say you don't want it.   

[Frankie Crocker]

Yes, most unfortunately, such are the legalities of the sale. As mentioned above, ship the records to a connection in the States and collect them later or have them forwarded without the full insurance cover. Best to not bid with dealers who insist that you be levied with a tax, dealers who probably pay no sales or income tax anyway making the whole transaction an act of hypocrisy. Best to buy only from accommodating dealers offering optimal terms - blow the funds on tax-free records from flexible dealers and by-pass the surchargers.

[Zoomsoulblue]

I recently bought another record form the states and it was delivered the record cost me $2,000.00 last week. However this morning I have been sent a bill from Fed ex for £255.83 is this justified? This seems nothing more than a rip of....has anyone else been charged the same in the past..

Not sure if this helps but I import classic cars from the states - if its over 30 years old you pay 5% if its under its 20% - what you could have done and yes its a risk is to get the seller to say the record is worth $2 then you pay tax on that

[JON WILLIS]

I think that anything over GBP 30.00 or USD 50  you will get charged VAT. They changed the value's a few years ago. When they started stiffing everyone with VAT charges..

[Ian Seaman]

currently it's anything over £36 will attract VAT & Import duty for gifts sent between private individuals, it's £15 for business, anything over £135 will get an import duty gift or not.

[Guest Garry Huxley]

if uve got ure record tell em bollox

 

But don't forget Bet Al Capone wished he had paid his taxes

[Guest soultanforreal]

This is a bloody joke. Nominal value usps track priority and you be ok at the end of the day it is only worth what we pay to us converted not the public at large to them 10p so have no guilt. Most top us dealers understand the ones who do not sell cheap ie ujima 212 recently. I have never had any go astray and top dealers package well divs dont and wont do it I will not buy unless they do it but check before you bid

[Chalky]

currently it's anything over £36 will attract VAT & Import duty for gifts sent between private individuals, it's £15 for business, anything over £135 will get an import duty gift or not.

 

Don't forget for some unexplained reason the postage is included in that £36 and £135.  Another back door tax aimed at screwing every last penny put of us.