Help Please

skyeandeviesmummy

Hi

Have any of you ever bought in stock from America. I want to and am finding it really difficult to find any info on what I need to know what import charges are etc. I rang Customs and Excise but they were very unhelpful and Im more confused than ever.
Any advice would be gratefully received.
Many Thanks

Alison_B

I have just purchased some stock from America and would be very dubious about doing it again. My order came to £150 but they wouldn't give me a postal price until after it had gone - something to do with not knowing the weight. I asked around and people told me that they had had heavy items sent for around £30 so I thought that would be OK. My parcel was delivered by UPS which is all they used and took just under a week to deliver. When I received my parcel I contacted my bank and they had taken £50 for postage, then I had to pay another £49 for import duty and taxes.

Bean_Counter

skyeandeviesmummy wrote: »

Hi

Have any of you ever bought in stock from America. I want to and am finding it really difficult to find any info on what I need to know what import charges are etc. I rang Customs and Excise but they were very unhelpful and Im more confused than ever.
Any advice would be gratefully received.
Many Thanks

I'm sure that you are not alone in being confused! I have only come across this briefly in the past, but you will be liable to import duty on items you bring in from the US. Rates vary depending on what the type of item is.

Do you export anything, using the stuff that you have imported? There is a scheme to defer payment of the duty if this is the case.

skyeandeviesmummy

Hi,

Thanks for your responses. I know the postage costs the company has already quoted so that shouldnt be a problem.

I dont think I will export any well not out of Europe I shouldnt think so I wont be able to offset any of the charges. What worries me most is the import taxes and how much they cost and as I run a wedding business its lots of different items all with their own codes which I cant find!!!

How do you get charged the import tax etc is it on delivery or do you have to fill in forms?

Thanks

Alison_B

With mine, UPS told me how much it was when they delivered the parcel and I had to pay it before they gave me the parcel.

martindow

There may be duty to pay which will depend on the item. If you phone the commodity code number line (01702 366077) and say what you are importing they will give you the commodity code number and tell you the rate of duty (typically just a few per cent). It is a good idea to ask the sender to write this code on the parcel so it clears customs without any delay.

When it arrives in the UK you will have to pay VAT on the value of the goods plus the postage charge at 17.5 per cent unless you are importing something zero rated like books.

The carrier will also charge a fee for customs clearance of about 10 pounds. Some carriers like Parcel Force ask you to pay on delivery. Other carriers normally deliver and then invoice you a few days later.

If you allow 20 to 25 per cent in charges that will be about right. Sometimes things slip through without any charges which can be a bonus.

raa_thistle

you can find the codes for individual items HERE

Just type in a general description and choose the most relevant sub-category.