FedEx invoice

Johny86

Dear All

I purchased some dresses and a pair of imitation bangle from India. The items were delivered by FedEx and I did not have to sign any documents. After few days later they have sent me an invoice of £94.14 and asking me to pay it. On invoice it says advancement fees £12, original duty £23.36 and original tax £58.78 = £94.14. The original value of the shopping was £245.37 including delivery fee. Take away delivery it was £213.28. The shipping weight declared by the retailer was 6.90 KG but FedEx billed weight is 9.50KG on the invoice so there is a dispute. I find this absolutely ridicoulos that I have to pay another £94.14 as so called tax on top of what I originally paid. The only reason I shopped abroad is to get a reasonable and affordable price. Now it seems like very expensive shopping. If I am going to pay that much then whats the point? So my question is by law who is responsible for paying tax? Seller or buyer? (seller based in India). If the buyer is responsible then where do I stand in terms of law if I refuse to pay FedEx invoices as I have not signed or agreed on any documentation. If I knew in advance there is charges involved I would not have recieved delivery at all. I strongly believe FedEx are trying to rip me off. Please advice what should I do?

Sandtree

if its an imitation bangle, what is it really? A giant hola hoop?

The law is that the importer (ie buyer) is responsible for the payment of all duty and taxes on importation. To save you the complexity of dealing with HMRC couriers do all of this on your behalf and are entitled to charge a nominal fee for having done so.  Duty is based on what the items are, their source and value. VAT is typically 20% ontop of everything including the duty.

One of the reason that overseas items are cheaper than they are in the UK is because you have to factor in the taxes for bringing them into the country!

If you refuse to pay FedEx will pass the matter to a debt collector and they will pursue you for the debt, it can lead to a CCJ etc if they decide to take it that far.

Aylesbury_Duck

Johny86 said:

Dear All

I purchased some dresses and a pair of imitation bangle from India. The items were delivered by FedEx and I did not have to sign any documents. After few days later they have sent me an invoice of £94.14 and asking me to pay it. On invoice it says advancement fees £12, original duty £23.36 and original tax £58.78 = £94.14. The original value of the shopping was £245.37 including delivery fee. Take away delivery it was £213.28. The shipping weight declared by the retailer was 6.90 KG but FedEx billed weight is 9.50KG on the invoice so there is a dispute. I find this absolutely ridicoulos that I have to pay another £94.14 as so called tax on top of what I originally paid. The only reason I shopped abroad is to get a reasonable and affordable price. Now it seems like very expensive shopping. If I am going to pay that much then whats the point? So my question is by law who is responsible for paying tax? Seller or buyer? (seller based in India). If the buyer is responsible then where do I stand in terms of law if I refuse to pay FedEx invoices as I have not signed or agreed on any documentation. If I knew in advance there is charges involved I would not have recieved delivery at all. I strongly believe FedEx are trying to rip me off. Please advice what should I do?

You are responsible for import taxes and duties.  There have been a couple of similar threads in the last few days, so take a look.  FedEx will have been charged by HMRC so they're now passing that onto you with an administrative charge on top.  They're not trying to rip you off. If you refuse to pay they will pursue you for it which will probably increase the debt.

You did agree to pay the duties.  You did so when you ordered from overseas.  It's your responsibility to check what additional duties, taxes and charges might apply for overseas orders.

Johny86

Johny86

Hi Sandtree thank you for your reply. Please see attached pictures

Aylesbury_Duck

They must be very dense to weigh 6.90kg, even with packaging.

Anyway, it's the declared value of the goods plus postage that is used to calculate the duty, so a discrepancy in the declared weight has made no difference to the duty owed.

Sandtree

Johny86 said:

Hi Sandtree thank you for your reply. Please see attached pictures

It was a tongue in cheek comment, I knew you meant they are costume jewellery so the metal/stones etc are imitation... but they are actually bangles rather than "imitation" 

visidigi

There was clothing in the box too. If the FedEx weight is higher it relates to the size of the box and the shipper under declaring weight (in the hope they pay less). The FedEx system electronically measures and weighs so its more likely FedEx is accurate versus the shipper. If the actual weight was that then the delivery costs will be higher.


FedEx aren't ripping you off, they are charging you £12 to clear something that would cost you far more in time and effort if you did it.

FedEx cant be ripping you off just because you aren't familiar with the cost of importation of goods into the country.

32Battalion

Assuming the duty rate is correct then what they are charging you is about right.  Duty + VAT + Clearance fee (£15-£20).

sekrapa

The chargeable weight will either be the actual weight or the volumetric weight, whichever is dearer. FedEx use length x width x height in centimetres divided by 5000 to give the volumetric weight. We have sent 6 kg parcels but the vw was 22.5 kg. 

32Battalion

Johny86 said:

 I find this absolutely ridicoulos that I have to pay another £94.14 as so called tax on top of what I originally paid. 

You pay the 20% every time you go shopping in the UK a little bit of research prior to purchase would have been wise.