Royal Mail £8 Internal Post Handling Fee scam?

custardy

wicanspirit wrote: »

Personally, our view is that the matter revolves around transparency of fees. Having just received one of these packages from one of our suppliers with an Import Duty of £0.00, Excise Duty of £0.00, VAT of £6.19, Other costs of £0.00 and a Royal Mail International Handling Fee of £8.00 which was completely unexpected it should have been made clear at the time of purchase that this additional charge may be applicable. We do not blame the supplier either as he may have not known about the additional charge.

Most people are aware that there is a chance of additional charges being applied to imported goods but, as an online shop owner, it is exceptionally difficult and time consuming to present every single charge to the consumer at the time of purchase. This resolves down to the fact that it is incredibly unclear and difficult to locate all this information from the postal supplier, either by speaking to them or digging through their website. Even the staff themselves seem unable to clearly state what fees could be applicable throughout the postage process, although their systems seem to be able to quickly apply the claimed charges - ergo... someone must know the process.

It is our opinion, in the interest of trying to present a clear and transparent shopping experience for our customers, that the fees, handling charges and postage costs that will applied from the time the purchase leaves our hands and arrives in the hands of the customer should be made as clear as humanly possible by the postage supplier. Without this being forthcoming from the postage supplier then this problem will continue to exist and complaints reoccur.

so if the supplier isnt expected to tell,who is?
RM have a set fee. its £8
so whats confusing?

wicanspirit

What we are saying is that it needs to be clearly defined when additional charges will be applied, how it is calculated which package will be charged and which will not. A flat rate fee of £8.00 is not clear enough as it is not always applied, this is where the confusion arises. Therefore the seller cannot define that which is out of his/her control.

However, he/she cannot also just charge a flat fee of £8.00 just in case the charge is applicable as the supplier will then be condemned for scamming. The most the supplier could do is state that additional charges MAY be charged by the postal supplier that are outside his/her control. For many customers though even this is not satisfactory.

It is our considered opinion that greater clarity of how, when and how much the additional charges will be needs to be declared by the postage supplier so that traders can present this as clear as possible to their customers.

custardy

wicanspirit wrote: »

What we are saying is that it needs to be clearly defined when additional charges will be applied, how it is calculated which package will be charged and which will not. A flat rate fee of £8.00 is not clear enough as it is not always applied, this is where the confusion arises. Therefore the seller cannot define that which is out of his/her control.

However, he/she cannot also just charge a flat fee of £8.00 just in case the charge is applicable as the supplier will then be condemned for scamming. The most the supplier could do is state that additional charges MAY be charged by the postal supplier that are outside his/her control. For many customers though even this is not satisfactory.

It is our considered opinion that greater clarity of how, when and how much the additional charges will be needs to be declared by the postage supplier so that traders can present this as clear as possible to their customers.

clear in what way?
you need to check with HMRC as to what is and isnt charged and at what rate
it is HMRC who dictate what is to be charged

Scarpacci

wicanspirit wrote: »

What we are saying is that it needs to be clearly defined when additional charges will be applied, how it is calculated which package will be charged and which will not. A flat rate fee of £8.00 is not clear enough as it is not always applied, this is where the confusion arises. Therefore the seller cannot define that which is out of his/her control.

However, he/she cannot also just charge a flat fee of £8.00 just in case the charge is applicable as the supplier will then be condemned for scamming. The most the supplier could do is state that additional charges MAY be charged by the postal supplier that are outside his/her control. For many customers though even this is not satisfactory.

It is our considered opinion that greater clarity of how, when and how much the additional charges will be needs to be declared by the postage supplier so that traders can present this as clear as possible to their customers.

You can find all that information yourself and as a shopper (or as a business, if you're talking about suppliers) then you have a duty (no pun intended) to do so. Some sites will add a message to the checkout saying something like "Your country may charge additional tax or duty on this package. These charges are out of our control.", but it doesn't seem like you feel even that would help.

How is a US site, for example, ever going to be able to advise shoppers from every country of the tax code in their country? It's for the shoppers to do.

As for the import tax, here's how it works: consignments with product value above £15 should be charged VAT, which will be calculated as 20% of the total price (product value + shipping / insurance). Import duty may also be payable at the relevant rate, but is not charged on consignments worth less than £135 so does not affect most online orders. If there are customs charges, Royal Mail will charge £8. If it's Parcel Force, it's £16. All couriers have their own rates.

vuvuzela

wicanspirit wrote: »

Personally, our view is that the matter revolves around transparency of fees. Having just received one of these packages from one of our suppliers with an Import Duty of £0.00, Excise Duty of £0.00, VAT of £6.19, Other costs of £0.00 and a Royal Mail International Handling Fee of £8.00 which was completely unexpected it should have been made clear at the time of purchase that this additional charge may be applicable. We do not blame the supplier either as he may have not known about the additional charge.

Most people are aware that there is a chance of additional charges being applied to imported goods but, as an online shop owner, it is exceptionally difficult and time consuming to present every single charge to the consumer at the time of purchase. This resolves down to the fact that it is incredibly unclear and difficult to locate all this information from the postal supplier, either by speaking to them or digging through their website. Even the staff themselves seem unable to clearly state what fees could be applicable throughout the postage process, although their systems seem to be able to quickly apply the claimed charges - ergo... someone must know the process.

It is our opinion, in the interest of trying to present a clear and transparent shopping experience for our customers, that the fees, handling charges and postage costs that will applied from the time the purchase leaves our hands and arrives in the hands of the customer should be made as clear as humanly possible by the postage supplier. Without this being forthcoming from the postage supplier then this problem will continue to exist and complaints reoccur.

Sorry, but I completely disagree and I think most people on here would also do so. The supplier has no responsibility whatsoever to present anything regarding customs / VAT / handling charges as it is ENTIRELY up to the purchaser to find out the levels of each for their own country before purchase.

KxMx

I can't believe people still whine/ get caught out about this.

I started getting things from the US when I was 13 and made sure to research all possible charges beforehand!

wicanspirit

To Custardy

HMRC state
3.5 Why do I have to pay a handling fee to Royal Mail?

If customs charges are payable upon importation, Royal Mail charge a handling fee to cover the costs for carrying out customs procedures paying any customs duties or VAT due and collecting it from you. If customs examination is required, or if information is missing from the declaration, Royal Mail open, repack and reseal the package. Royal Mail fees are itemised separately on the charge label and are collected at the same time as customs charges.
All international courier and postal operators charge fees for their services and HMRC does not have any authority over the level of charges they apply
As they are completely separate from any customs charges, any queries about them should be raised with Royal Mail or Parcelforce Worldwide as appropriate.



This can be found at the HRMC website. Sorry, as a new user we cannot set the link in place on this forum, we did try to provide the reference.


The inference is that all goods being imported to the UK would be subject to the checks and charges however, in the real world, it is known that this does not happen and the charges are not applied. Thereby confusion ensues. Hence the previous comments. Does the supplier apply a flat rate charge and then be accused of being a scammer if the charge is not applied by RM or does he/she simply state that additional charges MAY apply and leave it to apparent chance as to whether the customer is charged or not? We're not saying the charges should not be applied but just asking that postage suppliers work with businesses to enable the clearest information to be conveyed to the customer prior to purchase so the customer can make an informed choice rather than being stung at the door.

antrobus

wicanspirit wrote: »

....This resolves down to the fact that it is incredibly unclear and difficult to locate all this information from the postal supplier, ...

Royal Mail charge £8. End of. What's so difficult about that?

P.S. The postal supplier isn't responsible for duty or VAT. That's HMRC.

custardy

wicanspirit wrote: »

To Custardy

HMRC state
3.5 Why do I have to pay a handling fee to Royal Mail?

If customs charges are payable upon importation, Royal Mail charge a handling fee to cover the costs for carrying out customs procedures paying any customs duties or VAT due and collecting it from you. If customs examination is required, or if information is missing from the declaration, Royal Mail open, repack and reseal the package. Royal Mail fees are itemised separately on the charge label and are collected at the same time as customs charges.
All international courier and postal operators charge fees for their services and HMRC does not have any authority over the level of charges they apply
As they are completely separate from any customs charges, any queries about them should be raised with Royal Mail or Parcelforce Worldwide as appropriate.



This can be found at the HRMC website. Sorry, as a new user we cannot set the link in place on this forum, we did try to provide the reference.


The inference is that all goods being imported to the UK would be subject to the checks and charges however, in the real world, it is known that this does not happen and the charges are not applied. Thereby confusion ensues. Hence the previous comments. Does the supplier apply a flat rate charge and then be accused of being a scammer if the charge is not applied by RM or does he/she simply state that additional charges MAY apply and leave it to apparent chance as to whether the customer is charged or not? We're not saying the charges should not be applied but just asking that postage suppliers work with businesses to enable the clearest information to be conveyed to the customer prior to purchase so the customer can make an informed choice rather than being stung at the door.

why would the supplier charge anything?
So the crux of your argument is you want every item checked and charged?
why are you now talking as 'we'
are you representing an organisation?
If its such a trauma for you. simply clea r the items yourself. then you are guaranteed no fee and you will be charged if applicable

mattyprice4004

custardy wrote: »

why would the supplier charge anything?
So the crux of your argument is you want every item checked and charged?
why are you now talking as 'we'
are you representing an organisation?
If its such a trauma for you. simply clea r the items yourself. then you are guaranteed no fee and you will be charged if applicable

Or leave importing goods to people who are prepared to pay the necessary fees.