Parcelforce 'Clearance fee'

jonnyd281

Yes they do - they have paid the VAT and import duty and as custardy says (and the ex postie bit kinda points out he knows what he's talking about) they can return it to HMRC. If you don't want to pay the import charges, VAT and handling cost then buy the stuff from UK based suppliers who will pay the VAT and charge it as part of the cost.

esuhl

jonnyd281 wrote: »

Yes they do...

But what they do is very different from what they are legally allowed to do.

This page on the Consumer Focus website says that, "there appears to be some uncertainty that a postal operator may be acting illegally if it retains an item in order to claim its clearance fee. Consumer Focus is investigating this and the cost of the fees set by the postal operators."

I think it's outrageous that ParcelForce should charge a fee at all when, surely, Customs examinations are an expected part of the delivery of packages. When I post an item, I expect the postage fee to cover its transit to its destination. ParcelForce should factor the administrative costs of Customs examinations into the standard postage fee. But that's a separate issue...

custardy

esuhl wrote: »

But what they do is very different from what they are legally allowed to do.

This page on the Consumer Focus website says that, "there appears to be some uncertainty that a postal operator may be acting illegally if it retains an item in order to claim its clearance fee. Consumer Focus is investigating this and the cost of the fees set by the postal operators."

I think it's outrageous that ParcelForce should charge a fee at all when, surely, Customs examinations are an expected part of the delivery of packages. When I post an item, I expect the postage fee to cover its transit to its destination. ParcelForce should factor the administrative costs of Customs examinations into the standard postage fee. But that's a separate issue...

which is why couriers offer services which include all customs fees
however if people dont use/offer this then they are subject to fees
I'll bet if you wanted ot buy a widget from abroad and one store charged $20 shipping and another $30 you would go with the $20
this is why sellers dont usually offer that more expensive option and have warnings you will be due customs
factoring in customs into costs would hit people who are ordering for example goods with no duty to pay

do you think its "outrageous" that HMRC dont offer direct payment?

bristoldad

Getting back to legal, if we all refuse to pay anything lets see what Parcel Force does then.

custardy

bristoldad wrote: »

Getting back to legal, if we all refuse to pay anything lets see what Parcel Force does then.

leave all the items at customs

jonnyd281

bristoldad wrote: »

Getting back to legal, if we all refuse to pay anything lets see what Parcel Force does then.

Quite simple they take it back to HMRC and you then have to collect it, or it is returned to sender or destroyed. You are not paying VAT on the Parcel Force handling charge you are paying it for the item you are importing.

bristoldad

But if Parcel Force is kind enough to pay the VAT for us and cannot stop us taking our parcels does this mean they will stop interfering when they start racking up a bill?

custardy

bristoldad wrote: »

But if Parcel Force is kind enough to pay the VAT for us and cannot stop us taking our parcels does this mean they will stop interfering when they start racking up a bill?

so you want your items left with customs then?

jonnyd281

bristoldad wrote: »

But if Parcel Force is kind enough to pay the VAT for us and cannot stop us taking our parcels does this mean they will stop interfering when they start racking up a bill?

You are aware that evading import duty and VAT (which is what you want to do) is a crime? in exactly the same way as walking through the green channel with 20,000 fags is when you come from outside the EU.

esuhl

jonnyd281 wrote: »

You are aware that evading import duty and VAT (which is what you want to do) is a crime?

But it's also illegal for ParcelForce to hold your package as a lien. And if ParcelForce have paid the VAT and duty for you... you can hardly be prosecuted for evading duty/tax. If anything, ParcelForce will have a claim against you to settle your debt, and you would have a claim against ParcelForce for their criminal actions in holding your package illegally.

That's my understanding of it, anyway.

custardy wrote: »

I'll bet if you wanted ot buy a widget from abroad and one store charged $20 shipping and another $30 you would go with the $20

The comparison isn't quite that simple - in reality one would have a postage charge of $30, while the other would be $20 to $40 depending on whether the package was stopped by customs. The rational way to act would be to consider the probability of the additional fee being incurred. If the odds are less than 50%, then it would make sense to opt for the $20 postage; if over 50% then the $30 postage would be better value.

But, I don't like gambling - I wouldn't buy fruit from the supermarket if I was told that any fruit that had been inspected by customs would attract an additional fee, and I may receive a letter in a few weeks demanding extra payment! I'd want to know there and then what the price was!

The same could be said of tax and duty itself, but since you can calculate in advance how much you are liable for, you can factor that in to the price. If your package isn't stopped, you've got a bargain!

custardy wrote: »

do you think its "outrageous" that HMRC dont offer direct payment?

By direct payment, you mean that I should be able to pay HMRC themselves rather than ParcelForce? I don't think it's "outrageous", but I do think it would result in a fairer (maybe even legal) system.

As I understand it, ParcelForce have no right to hold on to your parcel to ensure they are re-imbursed for customs fees, so it seems crazy that they should just pay the fees and hope you pay them back. Obviously ParcelForce think it's pretty crazy too and so act with criminal intent by holding packages illegally.