RM / Parcelforce & import duty

Arg

Parcelforce pay it, and then charge you a fee for the process of doing so (and having a customs provision locally to them to allow expedited delivery of your goods).

Something which wasn't asked for and nice little earner for themselves.

custardy

Arg wrote: »

Something which wasn't asked for and nice little earner for themselves.

well the free option is there for all

visidigi

Arg wrote: »

Something which wasn't asked for and nice little earner for themselves.

It was asked for, by default. As Custardy says, the option is there to avoid it, if you wdon't the default processing route applies.

Gracchus_Babeuf

One word of advice: never, ever use EMS for delivery into the UK. You will be taxed regardless of what and how much is declared on the customs slip. Use a service equivalent to International Signed For, which goes through the Royal Mail network instead of Parcelforce. Express (EMS) parcels that go through Parcelforce are deliberately targeted by customs and will face charges regardless of what value is declared - not so with the Royal Mail network. These bast**ds of HMRC are a law unto themselves. I've been hit a number of times and overcharged for items that should have avoided duty altogether. They automatically assume (incorrectly) that anything going through EMS is high value.

zax47

andrew-the-cat wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. Just for clarity the seller states on the ebay listing that the item will be marked as gift, I didn't request it, I just bought the item.

Off to Parcelforce office now to pay my £25.37 bill

Contrary to the popular myth, marking the item as "gift" does not negate the liability for VAT and/or duty - it merely raises the threshold at which it applies from £15 (total of goods value plus shipping costs) to £40.

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/post/buying.htm#4

Scarpacci

Gracchus_Babeuf wrote: »

One word of advice: never, ever use EMS for delivery into the UK. You will be taxed regardless of what and how much is declared on the customs slip. Use a service equivalent to International Signed For, which goes through the Royal Mail network instead of Parcelforce. Express (EMS) parcels that go through Parcelforce are deliberately targeted by customs and will face charges regardless of what value is declared - not so with the Royal Mail network. These bast**ds of HMRC are a law unto themselves. I've been hit a number of times and overcharged for items that should have avoided duty altogether. They automatically assume (incorrectly) that anything going through EMS is high value.

I have had plenty of parcels sent through EMS where the consignment value was below the threshold and I have not once been charged customs duty incorrectly on these.

Did you contact Parcel Force to figure out how HMRC were assessing your parcels and find out where their value figure was coming from?

eggbox

Gracchus_Babeuf wrote: »

One word of advice: never, ever use EMS for delivery into the UK. You will be taxed regardless of what and how much is declared on the customs slip

I think it may just be a matter of luck as I've received several items through EMS (most around the £200 value) and never been hit by anything?