Customs charge for ebay item

GemBlueTopaz1984

The invoice states the below.
£5.98 VT (vat type)
£15.00 DPF (deferment proc. fee)
VAT @ 20% £3.00

Thanks for all you insight guys.

Mandy44

You can't just give back the item they have no idea what was in the package :money:

You'll have to appeal the charges with Hmrc and hope TNT waive the £18 handling fee :beer: Should be details on the letter how to contact them. I've had Hmrc refund on an over declared package where the seller over declared the insurance value. They accepted the eBay details as proof of what it cost, was a fair few years ago though

GemBlueTopaz1984

Hi mandy,

Thanks for your help, it's just so frustrating to get something like this especially for an item that I only bought because of how cheap it was I'm not even using it now as my flowergirl has decided she doesn't want to drop petals she wants a bouquet instead so the basket is useless and now looking ridiculously expensive. On another unrelated note does anyone want to buy a flower girl basket only £23.98 lol.

Thanks

Mandy44

Yep its annoying as TNT pass it on to royal mail to deliver pre payment whereas RM and other couriers like EMS won't deliver until the charges are paid up front so you could query or refuse delivery and it just gets sent back to the seller. Now you have to go thru the hassle , its not that uncommon though so ring tnt 's number and they should tell you how to sort it

martindow

It will be charged according to the declared value. I think it could be declared in Yuan rather than Dollars. 50 Yuan is less than £5 and the symbol is similar to the dollar - Y with two bars across it ¥

I had a similar thing once where I received a demand from TNT for hundreds of Pounds with fees calculated with the wrong currency. I queried it and received an amended invoice a few weeks later.

RFW

GemBlueTopaz1984 wrote: »

Today I received an invoice from TNT for £23.98 for customs charges, can they do this?

Personally, I'd write to TNT, explain the price of the item you purchased and that you have no intention of paying it as it is obviously a mistake. Ask for copies of the documentation from HMRC relating to your purchase.
If there is an HMRC invoice, see what it is based on and where the mistake is.

I certainly wouldn't pay TNT any money as you are most unlikely to ever get it back. It's also worth pointing out that a company as large as TNT will do nothing more than send you a few letters and maybe call you. Stand your ground and say you don't owe it.

The surcharge that the courier companies charge are, in my opinion, unlawful. They're charges that they should be making with the sender who they have a contract with. They've essentially charged £18 for sending a £6 invoice. More often than not it's a charge on people who can spare it, so they pay up, especially when they see HMRC involved.

campdave

Customs are the responsibility of the recipient, they are nothing to do with the sender.

It is possible to get the sender to write on the package that the recipient will do the documentation and pay the customs few which is what those who object should do (or pay for expedited delivery)

martindow

campdave wrote: »

Customs are the responsibility of the recipient, they are nothing to do with the sender.

It is the recipient's first responsibility but companies like TNT often have clauses in their t&c reserving the right to chase the sender for any unpaid bills.

RFW

campdave wrote: »

Customs are the responsibility of the recipient, they are nothing to do with the sender.

I've got no problem with the actual tax charge part, it's the often exorbitant charge levied by the courier that shouldn't be the recipient's problem and are likely unenforceable.
They're often charging five times the amount of tax. My guess would be that this is how they earn a chunk of their profits.

campdave

RFW wrote: »

I've got no problem with the actual tax charge part, it's the often exorbitant charge levied by the courier that shouldn't be the recipient's problem and are likely unenforceable.
They're often charging five times the amount of tax. My guess would be that this is how they earn a chunk of their profits.

It may be, but as I said, you are not forced to use it - you can request that it is stated on the package that the buyer will sort it out and pay it.