The validity of courier import charges

RFW

Thinking about import charges, has anyone ever questioned the validity of the courier's surcharge/handling fee?

If I import something I understand that duty should be paid where necessary but the courier charge can often be excessive.

Personally I had a parcel delivered and was later asked by the courier to pay about £15, the actual duty is only about £5. I will pay it, but as I have had no contract with the courier it is likely that the £10 handling isn't a legally binding fee.

It seems as though the charges are just accepted as part of the customs process and never questioned.

paddyrg

Is there any reason why you wouldn't want to pay for the courier company to manage all the bonded warehousing and paperwork for you and to loan you the money for VAT and duty charges (they have to pay before customs release the package)?

Having seen the paperwork and storage charges involved, frankly a tenner isn't bad value IMHO. You can avoid the charges by getting the sender to mark the package clearly that the recipient will manage the clearance personally - but when bonded warehouses charge a tenner a day storage (well, the one a friend's package ended up at cost a tenner a day for over 7 days in fairness) whilst you get the paperwork in order and go to collect the package/arrange for onward transfer, the courier is actually often cheaper!

JasonLVC

As per the other poster, the alternative is that the courier transports the goods into the UK and leaves them at HMRC's warehouse and then you have to drive to the depot, fill in the forms, complete import documents, make payment by cash or bank transfer and then drive all the way back home.

£15 seems a lot only becuase the customer doesn't see or appreciate the alternative, which is do it yourself. The only thing the IOP can do is to check which courier the supplier uses and if that courier is more expensive for clearing goods than another to try and pick suppliers who use your preferred courier.

KxMx

The trouble is I think the flat fee.

It's very good value for an expensive item, yet for something which is just over the limit for charges it's the same and not such good value.

Perhaps if there was a rising scale fee people would be happier paying it?

campdave

KxMx wrote: »

The trouble is I think the flat fee.

It's very good value for an expensive item, yet for something which is just over the limit for charges it's the same and not such good value.

Perhaps if there was a rising scale fee people would be happier paying it?

I doubt the amount of work changes with the price of item.

KxMx

campdave wrote: »

I doubt the amount of work changes with the price of item.

That wasn't my point at all- I said maybe folk would feel happier paying it if there was a rising scale based on value!

All the grumbles I see about it are for low end items and not for expensive ones.

RFW

I wasn't really querying what the charge was for or the work they do for it. It is a rare occasion that the recipient is liable for a fee that they have never agreed to or have a contract for. I rarely choose the courier or know in advance what their handling charge will be.

Can a courier charge what they like, or is there a legal limit on it?

To clarify I wasn't saying it wasn't worth it or that I won't pay it, merely wondering if the charge is a legally valid one. After all plenty of people have been paying various fees in recent years that they are now claiming back.

campdave

KxMx wrote: »

That wasn't my point at all- I said maybe folk would feel happier paying it if there was a rising scale based on value!

All the grumbles I see about it are for low end items and not for expensive ones.

Unless I'm misunderstanding something, it was your point - the work the couriers have to do does not change regardless of the value of the item, unless you are suggesting that buyers of high value items are charged more to subsidise those buying low value items.