Import VAT from good abroad

benedictoveract

Dear all,

My wife has ordered a journal and printed book from Japan through an official website (not a reseller or online bidding site). The items are valued at £85 total. We have received a retention letter from parcel force with a demand to pay import/duty of £189.93. Given that this is over double the original item price and one is a printed book (which we maybe naively understood was not subject to import fees) we are at a loss of what to do. If we pay it, how likely are we to receive any money back following a complaint?

Best wishes.

sheramber

Import Duty details here
https://www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad/tax-and-duty

If the charge is incorrect then you can claim a refund.

benedictoveract

The charge is obviously incorrect, but it seems the actual likeliness of refund is an entirely different issue.

Keep_pedalling

Sound like either the sender declared the wrong value on the paperwork, or the value was stated in yen and someone this end mistook that for £s.

SuperHan

This sounds like a mistake. A printed book should be zero rated for VAT, so no VAT charge on import of this. It's below the customs duty threshold, so you shouldn't expect any customs duty either.

As others have said, it looks as though it has been incorrectly declared on some of the paperwork. You should be able to get a refund if it turns out you have overpaid.

benedictoveract

Thanks all. Does anyone have any success stories in this area?

We thought perhaps they stupidly misread the amount in Yen as GBP, but even then the value they have charged us makes no sense.

00ec25

have you read Parcelforce's own page about charges? Take note of the storage charge if you delay payment

https://www.parcelforce.com/help-and-advice/receiving/how-are-customs-fees-calculated