Parcelforce 'Clearance fee'

IZZY_HAMMO

Yes I totally agree but I have read the hmrc website and it clearly says that gifts under £40 are NOT subject to vat ,as this is being incorrectly charged vat its also incurring the charge from parcelforce
I tried to phone the number for the border agency thats printed on the front of the charge and its terminally engaged ,in fact I think its off the hook so these people cannot be contacted and it seems they can ,without being challenged levy vat on anything,parcelforce really dont care as they are being paid twice to deliver my parcel,once in the usa by my relations and agian by me to get my incorrectly charged parcel back from them
Seems like they have the upper hand or do they ????
Please I need help

IZZY_HAMMO

thank you shaun i've posted and then just read what you said,so if my relations send a parcel but not express and the gift is below the £40 limit ,the postal charge will not be included ??

lovinituk

You can write to the Border Agency with proof of value and request a refund of the vat paid - it can take a long time though. Last time I claimed back overpaid vat it took nearly 3 months for them to process it and pay up.

You might struggle to get the PF fee back though.

IZZY_HAMMO

how are these people getting away with this ,surely in this day of people shouting rights from the rooftops,this rip off has never been highlighted ,I cant believe this goes on
If I sent an empty box from the usa and expressed delivered it ,would I incur vat

---

on nothing ????

shaun_from_Africa

IZZY_HAMMO wrote: »

so if my relations send a parcel but not express and the gift is below the £40 limit ,the postal charge will not be included ??

Postal charges are included in the total price for both gifts and non gift items for VAT purposes.

VAT calculations.

Import VAT is charged at the same rate that applies to similar goods sold in the UK and applies to commercial goods over £15 in value, and on gifts that are over £40 in value. The value of the goods for import VAT is based on the:

• basic value of goods, plus
• postage, packing and insurance, plus
• any import (Customs or Excise) duties charged

So the bill you received for VAT was correct as the value of the item + the P&P was over £40.

thank you shaun i've posted and then just read what you said,so if my relations send a parcel but not express and the gift is below the £40 limit ,the postal charge will not be included ??

You are getting a bit confused on the charges.
There are 2 possible charges payable to HMRC when importing to the UK from a non EU country.
1/ VAT which is liable on all goods over £15, or £40 for gifts (P&P is included in this figure) and

2/ Import duty which is liable on goods over £135 in value. P&P is included in this £135 but not if the item is a gift sent by a standard mail service.

adrianjones_2

I just had to pay £17.99 Import VAT and Clearance fee=£25.99 to get my parcel of used car parts from USA that I paid about £30 for plus £30 postage! I'm a private individual and the parcel was marked GIFT, so I'm sure something is not right there.:(

custardy

adrianjones wrote: »

I just had to pay £17.99 Import VAT and Clearance fee=£25.99 to get my parcel of used car parts from USA that I paid about £30 for plus £30 postage! I'm a private individual and the parcel was marked GIFT, so I'm sure something is not right there.:(

you're right.
not many folks get car parts as gifts

shaun_from_Africa

adrianjones wrote: »

I paid about £30 for plus £30 postage! I'm a private individual and the parcel was marked GIFT, so I'm sure something is not right there.:(

Of course something is not right. It's called attempted fraud.

If you paid for the goods then they do not qualify as a gift and you were lucky that HMRC didn't impound them or return the shipment back to the sender.

To qualify as a gift:

• It must have been sent from a private person outside the EU to a private person(s) in the UK.
• The Customs Declaration must be completed correctly (see link below).
• It must be for the use of either you or your family.
• There must be no commercial or trade element and it must not have been paid for by the recipient either directly or indirectly.

QuackQuack_2

I had this once with a Lego set of all things. Irritatingly ordered through Lego themselves. I seem to recall the charge was either 10 or 20 quid, and the item itself was worth 25.

I told PF to stick it up their backside and return it to sender - something they end up having to do at their own cost (granted small and insignificant) and was refunded by the vendor shortly after. I had no problem paying VAT on it, or a couple of quid in admin - but not the amount they were asking.

I guess they know people want their items and are desperate enough for the goods to pay it. If people just said "No, return it" a bit more often - being that it is usually trivial to get refunded for the purchase - perhaps they would look at the level of fee they charge and make it a bit more realistic?

custardy

QuackQuack wrote: »

I had this once with a Lego set of all things. Irritatingly ordered through Lego themselves. I seem to recall the charge was either 10 or 20 quid, and the item itself was worth 25.

I told PF to stick it up their backside and return it to sender - something they end up having to do at their own cost (granted small and insignificant) and was refunded by the vendor shortly after. I had no problem paying VAT on it, or a couple of quid in admin - but not the amount they were asking.

I guess they know people want their items and are desperate enough for the goods to pay it. If people just said "No, return it" a bit more often - being that it is usually trivial to get refunded for the purchase - perhaps they would look at the level of fee they charge and make it a bit more realistic?

or do the clearance yourself since you see it as an unreasonable fee