Import tax and duties

sundays

I dont know where to post this , so apologies if its in the wrong place.

Im trying to buy some boots from the US, at the end they give me the option of purchasing the duty and import tax of around 66 pounds, if the boots are under 200 pound is this correct or should i not pay and see what happens on delivery .

vuvuzela

I always try and estimate around a third for VAT, duty and clearing fee.

Miss_Havisham

I would wait until they arrive. Not every single parcel is actually assessed for duty/vat etc by the Royal Mail (no idea how they select) I have quite a few parcels sent from the US and I would guesstimate 1 in 3 are charged. Perhaps I've just been lucky.

Also I'd be worried in case they didn't pass on the duty correctly to Royal Mail or whoever collects it on behalf of HMRC. Looking at the amount they've quoted you, they're not offering a discount so I don't think there would be any benefit to paying up front.

Miss H.

custardy

Miss_Havisham wrote: »

I would wait until they arrive. Not every single parcel is actually assessed for duty/vat etc by the Royal Mail (no idea how they select) I have quite a few parcels sent from the US and I would guesstimate 1 in 3 are charged. Perhaps I've just been lucky.

Also I'd be worried in case they didn't pass on the duty correctly to Royal Mail or whoever collects it on behalf of HMRC. Looking at the amount they've quoted you, they're not offering a discount so I don't think there would be any benefit to paying up front.

Miss H.

you are assuming its Royal Mail.
given the OP is being offered prepay,its more likely a courier.

bris

The bill does seem about right, paying it may speed up the process to receive it quicker. The vat is 20% and the last time I looked boots were 8% but that may have changed in the last couple of years, clearing fee can vary so around 10 to 15 quid for that.

Scarpacci

Which retailer is it? I'm always interested in ones which allow you to pre-pay. I find it a lot better to pre-pay when ordering from Amazon.com. My orders are usually over the customs threshold but not of a great value (£30 or so), so being charged the £8 Royal Mail fee on top of VAT is best avoided. More times than not when I've pre-paid the fees, they've refunded them in the end anyway as no charges were assessed. With them sending it via courier, I also get the item quicker for a small fee.

I would see who the delivery courier is. If it's DHL, who have a reasonably small handling fee for consumers (£1.50, I think), then I would probably not pre-pay. Also, see what the store's terms of conditions say in cases where they over or under estimate the fees due. I know Amazon will refund if they charge the customer too much and will not charge if they underestimated the tax due.

sundays

thanks guys - great help, this is the suitation.

ive been trying to get some genuine ugg boots for less than uk prices , anyway there is a retailer in miami called " Journeys" who are seeling them for approx 130 pound - they are the real mcoy as ive checked with Ugg themselves.
Sadly there are so many fakes it has become a nightmare to find real ones out of the UK. Every site says they are genuine , the material is but the brand isnt.
Real ones are in fact the ones made by Decker and sometimes stated as made in China, all the copy merchants use that statement to make you think Deckers made in china is fake in fact its not.

I do have to pay 30 pound shipping fees on top of the price.

The big department stores such a Bloomindales etc dont ship as their Ugg contract prevents them doing so to the UK, so finding this company is a bit of a find and i should save around 100 pound overall.

anyone know of anyone else i could also price against.

custardy

sundays wrote: »

thanks guys - great help, this is the suitation.

ive been trying to get some genuine ugg boots for less than uk prices , anyway there is a retailer in miami called " Journeys" who are seeling them for approx 130 pound - they are the real mcoy as ive checked with Ugg themselves.
Sadly there are so many fakes it has become a nightmare to find real ones out of the UK. Every site says they are genuine , the material is but the brand isnt.
Real ones are in fact the ones made by Decker and sometimes stated as made in China, all the copy merchants use that statement to make you think Deckers made in china is fake in fact its not.

I do have to pay 30 pound shipping fees on top of the price.

The big department stores such a Bloomindales etc dont ship as their Ugg contract prevents them doing so to the UK, so finding this company is a bit of a find and i should save around 100 pound overall.

anyone know of anyone else i could also price against.

also bear in mind you have no UK cover for faults
return shipping could wipe out your savings
plus a compny replacing a use item with new can leave you liable for customs again

sundays

im replacing some old ones so am happy with what ive chosen, i think i will ring them first to be sure that is the cost.

funny all the way to the end its in dollar then switches to sterling.

Coopdivi

If they cost £130, shipping is £30 and taxes etc. are £66 then you're going to have to pay £226 in total. Wouldn't it be as cheap to buy from a reputable UK stockist especially as you'd be covered by British consumer laws including the Distance Selling Regulations if bought online?

Which style of Uggs are you looking for?