VAT & Duty for delivery

Nicky321

My daughter placed an order online for wedding shoes from an online retailer and paid an additional Expedited Shipping of £ 11.11, at the time of ordering shipping was at a special offer reduced rate.

Today she has received a text message from DHL saying

"DHL would like to deliver a shipment with Ref 524845925, however, £17.00 is payable for duty & vat. Please make payment at www.dhl.co.uk/payments."

Has anyone else had this problem?

unholyangel

I'm guessing they were purchased from outside the EU?

Nicky321

I assume so. I cannot find any info as to where they are based, only

Company Overview
Founded in 2007, JJ’s House is the global leading online retailer for wedding gowns, special event dresses, wedding party dresses, and accessories. Customers can browse the vast online selection and choose their favorite dresses with great satisfaction. JJ's House prides itself on exceptional customer service, high quality and affordable prices.

whatmichaelsays

It would appear that they've been bought from outside the EU, as suggested above. (The phrase 'expedited shipping' suggests from the US).

Anything imported into the UK from outside the EU (over a certain value - about £9 I think) is subject to VAT and/or duty.

DHL, like most couriers, will pay this to HMRC on your behalf as and then reclaim this from you (usually with an 'admin fee' added). They do this to prevent HMRC delaying the package until you pay them directly.

This might help more: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/post/internet.htm

Spank

About us page says lowest price starts at $79 & the testimonials are mostly from US customers so I guess they are American or Canadian.

mije1983

The contact us page gives details as:

ReadMob Technologies (HK) Limited
9B, Amtel Building, 148 Des Voeux Road, Central, Hong Kong

Also, from the FAQ:

3. Are there any additional fees involved in shipping?
In some cases, your destination country may charge customs duties or other taxes. We have no control over these charges as customs policies vary widely from country to country. Please check with your local customs office for further information.

Nicky321

thankyou for the replies.


So there is nothing she can do? she will have to pay the extra £17 to take delivery of the goods? Shouldn't the retailer advertise this duty on their website?

mije1983

Nicky321 wrote: »

thankyou for the replies.


So there is nothing she can do? she will have to pay the extra £17 to take delivery of the goods? Shouldn't the retailer advertise this duty on their website?

As above, they do state there may be customs charges.

If she doesn't pay the money, she won't get the goods. It's likely that they won't be returned to the sender and DHL will sell them to recoup the costs they have incurred. If that happens, then she will have no goods and no money back either.

bod1467

Nicky321 wrote: »

Shouldn't the retailer advertise this duty on their website?

They do - see the post above yours.

whatmichaelsays

Nicky321 wrote: »

thankyou for the replies.


So there is nothing she can do? she will have to pay the extra £17 to take delivery of the goods? Shouldn't the retailer advertise this duty on their website?

It's incredibly difficult for retailers to keep track of taxation policies of every country that they sell to. As mentioned above, the site has a disclaimer about import taxes in their T&Cs.

And at the risk of causing alarm, these aren't designer goods that you've ordered by any chance are they?

The Who.is information has a lot of missing and blocked data - throw a Hong Kong warehouse into the mix and it's not a good sign.

Nicky321

Thankyou for all the replies and advice.
The above replies where posted as i created my post, and no, they aint designer goods .