Import duty on item shipped from Asia?

BlueCow1975

Am toying with the idea of ordering a nintendo ds lite from Ebay from a seller with 100% feedback and top seller status who has sold a number of the same items all with good feedback. The package I am looking at is 89.99 and comes unlocked to a specific region and has a 100 games bundle with it as well as a 12 month warranty.

I just wondered if anyone could advise me where I stand on import duty / customs issues and what I may be expected to pay. The item is being sent from Asia. Thanks.

shaun_from_Africa

There won't be any import duty but you will have VAT to pay and a handling and collection fee charged by the courier.
This fee will be somewhere between £8 and about £15 depending on which courier is used.

There are a couple of things to bear in mind and they are:

1/. The 100 game bundle is in all probability made of of illegally copied games, and if this is the case they may not work properly and the shipment could get impounded by customs.

2/ The 12 month warranty will probably involve you having to pay to return the item back to the seller and if they fail to honour this warranty there won't be much that you can do about it.

BlueCow1975

Thanks for the information - really helpful.

forgotmyname

If ebay spot they are selling fakes then they wont be on ebay for long so your warranty could
be very short. Less than the 45 days claim limit.

If its faulty is it worth the cost of shipping it back to them?

I only buy cheap throw away items from china. If it doesnt work chuck it and leave negative.

Cheaper than sending it back for a refund thats possibly less than the item cost.

Just ordered a phone case and screen protector for 99p, Cant wait to see if its going to be used
or straight from the postman to the bin.

soolin

I buy a lot from the Far East but would not buy an expensive electrical item unless I could afford to throw my money away.

Oliver14

There is a reason why it will be cheaper than other comparable listings and its not because its a bargain.

[Deleted User]

I buy items from different countries but I'd never buy an electrical item from Asia or China unless I was prepared to lose the money. There's too high a chance of it being counterfeit.., and its not worth returning an item to such a country. There are so many UK sellers, its just not worth the risk.

Also always check a sellers feedback for items. It will give u a way of assessing the risk.., and make sure u look closely at sellers feedback, not just buyers feedback. Its easy to confuse the two.

The hundred games bundle is likely to be on the hard drive rather than game cartridges (postage costs from Asia would be astronomical otherwise).., you'd need to know how to use them.

BlueCow1975

Thanks folks. Sensible advice as usual. :cool:

Was dithering about it and instinct told me it was not a sensible idea - but then I was romanced by the price and fact that the guy has been trading for over a year with hundreds of positive feedback on the same item.

I have now seen sense and will stick with a dependable UK trader.

mcja

Blue Cow, I posted about this seller (I think) as well as I also thought it seemed to good to be true. Have you found anything slightly less suspect in the UK which is a reasonable price please?

raindancerob

BlueCow1975 wrote: »

Am toying with the idea of ordering a nintendo ds lite from Ebay from a seller with 100% feedback and top seller status who has sold a number of the same items all with good feedback. The package I am looking at is 89.99 and comes unlocked to a specific region and has a 100 games bundle with it as well as a 12 month warranty.

I just wondered if anyone could advise me where I stand on import duty / customs issues and what I may be expected to pay. The item is being sent from Asia. Thanks.

iv seen those auctions & the 100 games are on an R4 card which are illegal to own, buy & sell in the UK. oh & btw all NDSLs are not region locked & will play any games from anywhere in the world out of the box