Custom charges on goods costing under £15

Abbie63

Hoping someone can point me in the right direction. 
I have bought good from's China over the years and most if not all besides 3 that I can remember cost more than £15.  I have checked my order's and nothing I have ordered even from the same store and posted together comes to more than £15
I have been waiting for items to arrive for the past few months which I knew was stuck in customs. This morning I had a grey card with £11.19 charges on it. 
The dearest thing I am waiting for cost £14.98. I went to the GOV site to check what was what and items from a business over £15 will incur custom charges. 
I can't understand why I have these charges. 
I know RM charge £8 handling fees but if the item was under £15 why do I have fees to begin with? I haven't picked up the parcel yet so not sure what item is in there. But nothing but one item cost over £10 
Thank you in advance. 

peter_the_piper

Maybe the full order is in the one package giving a total of more than £15

shaun_from_Africa

It's the selling price that the seller has declared that is important and not the amount that you have actually paid.
If they have inflated the price on the customs declaration then this is the figure that will be used to assess any potential charges.

The dearest thing I am waiting for cost £14.98

As this figure is very close to the £15 limit, it's possible that the exchange rate used by HMRC meant that the chargeable figure was over the threshold.

visidigi

And certain goods are excluded from the allowance....and postage charges are factored in when over the allowance.

Abbie63

I will have a  check on that. It would have been the Yuan but the price they advertised was in ££ . Unless they put $$ on the custom form. I have an invoice from them with the UK price on it. Not sure if that will help. 

Abbie63

Item's I am waiting for is a solar powered fountain which was £9.95 and bottle optics £14.98. Postage was free.  Other items which hasn't arrived and I bought the same time as the 2 that arrived this morning is a silicon phone cover £2.55. I have a feeling that this is what I am being charged for. If so I won't be paying it. They can send it back.  
Thank you for the quick replies. I will pop down the Post office and see exactly what it is. If it is the optics I will pay for them as it is still cheaper than I can get. 

visidigi

they are unlikely to let you see it before you pay. Just note before you go they don't have to show you it before you pay.

Abbie63

visidigi It usually tells you on the packet what it is. I should have a rough idea also with the package size of what it should be. 

DoaM

Will the goods be at the PO? Will more likely be at a delivery centre.
And do they take customs payments there? Or do you have to have paid before going to collect/requesting delivery?

soolin

DoaM said:

Will the goods be at the PO? Will more likely be at a delivery centre.
And do they take customs payments there? Or do you have to have paid before going to collect/requesting delivery?

I think some areas might be different but my held packages go to the mail centre (where I drop my business post) and I can pay when I collect . They will also let me see the package before I pay. They used to only take cash but now have a card machine also. 

custardy

DoaM said:

Will the goods be at the PO? Will more likely be at a delivery centre.
And do they take customs payments there? Or do you have to have paid before going to collect/requesting delivery?

Royal Mail deal with customs charges. They stay in RMs control until paid.