Disputing import tax on product bought online

dllive

Hi all
I bought some shoes online a month ago. The website is a spanish website. I havnt received the item yet, but have just received an invoice from UPS for £70!! Thats almost the amount I spent on the shoes! I didnt know I had to pay additional shipping costs (as well as the shipping costs the website charged me)!! How can I quickly get this cleared up? If I had know about this extra shipping charge, and/or the amount then I obviously wouldnt have bought it!! This UPS invoice says it payable IMMEDIATELY! I havnt even received my product yet!
Thanks

smashinglynaive

dllive said:

Hi all
I bought some shoes online a month ago. The website is a spanish website. I havnt received the item yet, but have just received an invoice from UPS for £70!! Thats almost the amount I spent on the shoes! I didnt know I had to pay additional shipping costs (as well as the shipping costs the website charged me)!! How can I quickly get this cleared up? If I had know about this extra shipping charge, and/or the amount then I obviously wouldnt have bought it!! This UPS invoice says it payable IMMEDIATELY! I havnt even received my product yet!
Thanks

You'll need to pay the amount and take this up with HMRC.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-apply-for-a-repayment-of-import-duty-and-vat-if-youve-overpaid-c285

If you refuse the goods may simply end up being destroyed leaving you without the goods or the money.

MattMattMattUK

dllive said:

Hi all
I bought some shoes online a month ago. The website is a spanish website. I havnt received the item yet, but have just received an invoice from UPS for £70!! Thats almost the amount I spent on the shoes! I didnt know I had to pay additional shipping costs (as well as the shipping costs the website charged me)!! How can I quickly get this cleared up? If I had know about this extra shipping charge, and/or the amount then I obviously wouldnt have bought it!! This UPS invoice says it payable IMMEDIATELY! I havnt even received my product yet!
Thanks

Have you tracked the product? Are UPS holding it pending payment of duty and taxes, does it show as delivered or is there some other issue?

What is the breakdown of the charges? The admin fee is usually around £12, duty rates depend on the product and VAT is obviously 20%. What are the "additional shipping cost(s)" and what is the declared value of the goods?

visidigi

dllive said:

Hi all
I bought some shoes online a month ago. The website is a spanish website. I havnt received the item yet, but have just received an invoice from UPS for £70!! Thats almost the amount I spent on the shoes! I didnt know I had to pay additional shipping costs (as well as the shipping costs the website charged me)!! How can I quickly get this cleared up? If I had know about this extra shipping charge, and/or the amount then I obviously wouldnt have bought it!! This UPS invoice says it payable IMMEDIATELY! I havnt even received my product yet!
Thanks

They arent shipping charges.

They are tax and duties that apply as a result of brexit, when taxes apply based on value the shipping costs are added into the calculation.

Check the sender website to see who they say is responsible for the possible duties and taxes that may be leveraged.

theoretica

Is there a breakdown of the £70?  I wonder if the shipping paperwork has the wrong value on it to make VAT+handling come to that.

Thrugelmir

visidigi said:

dllive said:

Hi all
I bought some shoes online a month ago. The website is a spanish website. I havnt received the item yet, but have just received an invoice from UPS for £70!! Thats almost the amount I spent on the shoes! I didnt know I had to pay additional shipping costs (as well as the shipping costs the website charged me)!! How can I quickly get this cleared up? If I had know about this extra shipping charge, and/or the amount then I obviously wouldnt have bought it!! This UPS invoice says it payable IMMEDIATELY! I havnt even received my product yet!
Thanks

Check the sender website to see who they say is responsible for the possible duties and taxes that may be leveraged.

Will be the importer of the goods. 

visidigi

Thrugelmir said:

visidigi said:

dllive said:

Hi all
I bought some shoes online a month ago. The website is a spanish website. I havnt received the item yet, but have just received an invoice from UPS for £70!! Thats almost the amount I spent on the shoes! I didnt know I had to pay additional shipping costs (as well as the shipping costs the website charged me)!! How can I quickly get this cleared up? If I had know about this extra shipping charge, and/or the amount then I obviously wouldnt have bought it!! This UPS invoice says it payable IMMEDIATELY! I havnt even received my product yet!
Thanks

Check the sender website to see who they say is responsible for the possible duties and taxes that may be leveraged.

Will be the importer of the goods. 

No, it will will depend on what the shipper declared as the bill duties and taxes to. The importer does not have to be the payor of the taxes.

So check the order terms and conditions, if it says its delivered duty paid then asked the shipper. If it says the recipient is responsible then the recipient has to pay them.

The goods have already cleared customs refusing them won't necessarily avoid the charges being owed.

Thrugelmir

visidigi said:

Thrugelmir said:

visidigi said:

dllive said:

Hi all
I bought some shoes online a month ago. The website is a spanish website. I havnt received the item yet, but have just received an invoice from UPS for £70!! Thats almost the amount I spent on the shoes! I didnt know I had to pay additional shipping costs (as well as the shipping costs the website charged me)!! How can I quickly get this cleared up? If I had know about this extra shipping charge, and/or the amount then I obviously wouldnt have bought it!! This UPS invoice says it payable IMMEDIATELY! I havnt even received my product yet!
Thanks

Check the sender website to see who they say is responsible for the possible duties and taxes that may be leveraged.

Will be the importer of the goods. 

No, it will will depend on what the shipper declared as the bill duties and taxes to. The importer does not have to be the payor of the taxes.

So check the order terms and conditions, if it says its delivered duty paid then asked the shipper. If it says the recipient is responsible then the recipient has to pay them.

The goods have already cleared customs refusing them won't necessarily avoid the charges being owed.

The goods haven't cleared customs. They are being held in a bonded location until the applicable import costs are paid. UPS are merely the agents acting on behalf of the HMRC. 

visidigi

Thrugelmir said:

visidigi said:

Thrugelmir said:

visidigi said:

dllive said:

Hi all
I bought some shoes online a month ago. The website is a spanish website. I havnt received the item yet, but have just received an invoice from UPS for £70!! Thats almost the amount I spent on the shoes! I didnt know I had to pay additional shipping costs (as well as the shipping costs the website charged me)!! How can I quickly get this cleared up? If I had know about this extra shipping charge, and/or the amount then I obviously wouldnt have bought it!! This UPS invoice says it payable IMMEDIATELY! I havnt even received my product yet!
Thanks

Check the sender website to see who they say is responsible for the possible duties and taxes that may be leveraged.

Will be the importer of the goods. 

No, it will will depend on what the shipper declared as the bill duties and taxes to. The importer does not have to be the payor of the taxes.

So check the order terms and conditions, if it says its delivered duty paid then asked the shipper. If it says the recipient is responsible then the recipient has to pay them.

The goods have already cleared customs refusing them won't necessarily avoid the charges being owed.

The goods haven't cleared customs. They are being held in a bonded location until the applicable import costs are paid. UPS are merely the agents acting on behalf of the HMRC. 

Sorry but that's incorrect.

UPS have paid the fees through the disbursement account they have which is what they charge the fee for using.

(https://www.ups.com/gb/en/shipping/zones-and-rates/additional.page#contentBlock-114)

"Disbursements

Import shipments are subject to customs duties and taxes. In the event UPS prepays duties, taxes and other government charges on behalf of the payer, a fee will be charged based on the advanced amount."

UPS pay the duties and taxes on your behalf before you pay UPS. UPS (and no other carrier) has the ability to store your delivery in bond until you pay - there is simply not the space for this (especially as there is three to five 767/737/777 aircraft a day coming through the clearance points of UPS/DHL/FedEx a day...each.

prowla

Are the items made in the EU?

Thrugelmir

visidigi said:

Thrugelmir said:

visidigi said:

Thrugelmir said:

visidigi said:

dllive said:

Hi all
I bought some shoes online a month ago. The website is a spanish website. I havnt received the item yet, but have just received an invoice from UPS for £70!! Thats almost the amount I spent on the shoes! I didnt know I had to pay additional shipping costs (as well as the shipping costs the website charged me)!! How can I quickly get this cleared up? If I had know about this extra shipping charge, and/or the amount then I obviously wouldnt have bought it!! This UPS invoice says it payable IMMEDIATELY! I havnt even received my product yet!
Thanks

Check the sender website to see who they say is responsible for the possible duties and taxes that may be leveraged.

Will be the importer of the goods. 

No, it will will depend on what the shipper declared as the bill duties and taxes to. The importer does not have to be the payor of the taxes.

So check the order terms and conditions, if it says its delivered duty paid then asked the shipper. If it says the recipient is responsible then the recipient has to pay them.

The goods have already cleared customs refusing them won't necessarily avoid the charges being owed.

The goods haven't cleared customs. They are being held in a bonded location until the applicable import costs are paid. UPS are merely the agents acting on behalf of the HMRC. 

UPS pay the duties and taxes on your behalf before you pay UPS. UPS (and no other carrier) has the ability to store your delivery in bond until you pay - there is simply not the space for this (especially as there is three to five 767/737/777 aircraft a day coming through the clearance points of UPS/DHL/FedEx a day...each.

I've been importing for over 30 years. Never had the goods released prior to payment. 

Handling charges are there in part to cover cost of storage facilities. 

Not that it's relevant to the OP. I always ensured my trading terms were explicit. I'd have no ability to keep track of changes to import charges on a global scale.