buying fro usa on ebay?

tashamarie70

i want to buy from usa ebay but am worried what customs ectt are goig to be the item delivered is £35.00 can anyone help ??

ormus

http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageTravel_ShowContent&propertyType=document&resetCT=true&id=HMCE_CL_001454

beware that different goods are rated at differing tariffs. any item over 18 quid, has duty payable. getting the sender to mark the item as a gift usually helps a lot.

frivolous_fay

ormus wrote: »

getting the sender to mark the item as a gift usually helps a lot.

... just a teensy fraud issue with that approach though.

dzug

frivolous_fay wrote: »

... just a teensy fraud issue with that approach though.

And if it's accompanied by an invoice an obvious one

and gifts are not duty free above a certain amount anyway, though you may be just OK at £35

http://www.britainusa.com/sections/articles_show_nt1.asp?d=4&i=41126&L1=&L2=&a=28516

Swan_2

not every package is examined & charged by customs, some get through 'unscathed'

but I think it's always best to assume that you are going to get hit up for VAT/import duty/handling charges, & factor that in when deciding whether or not to buy
and if your goods do arrive without charges being levied, look upon it as a bonus

tashamarie70

how much is a handling charge normaly then?

mrtg0525

Handling charge depends on the carrier used, for example Royal Mail will charge 8 quid according to this webpage:

http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/content1?catId=400044&mediaId=400362

That said, check with the seller first as lots of Americans either don't like sending stuff abroad or will flat out refuse to do so.

Shipping rates from the US usually aren't as bad as ours going the other way but depending on the item, may be a tad steep. Case in point - I bought a guitar on ebay, which would've cost me something like USD200-250 shipping to the UK due to the way the USPS would've handled the valueable goods. Sent it to my wife's address in the US, cost me $30...

Swan_2

tashamarie70 wrote: »

how much is a handling charge normaly then?

it's quite a while since I've had one, although at the moment I have something worth around £28 winging it's way from Amazon.com & I have my fingers & toes crossed
but IIRC the PO wanted about £8 for handling, that was on top of the charge customs had levied

I don't know if that's a standard charge, or if it varies according to value

I'm sure someone more knowledgeable than me will be along soon to give you a more definite answer


EDIT ... cross-posted with mrtg, darn my slow typing

ormus

ive bought loads of stuff from ebay usa and amazon usa. never once been charged for anything other than usual shipping fees.
most items have been books/SW etc and cheap stuff (still over 18 quid though). but ive also bought 200 dollar cameras.
the chances of paying any duty is very small, but it still may happen, so you have to factor that in.

Hintza

Your killer will be the £8 handling charge if it gets stopped. Then add your VAT and possibly import duty (which if anything will only be 2-4% on most items).

So if you can find it here for under +/- £50 probably better buying in UK.

Baby_J_2

I've got something coming from Amazon.com, which ended up coming to just over £22.00 with the postage...do customs include the postage costs in the £18.00? As otherwise, hopefully, I should just miss customs should they look at it.