What to do - just been asked to pay import tax.

elsmandino

Just following this up - have decided just to pay and accept like everything in life, these days, there is always someone out there trying to rip you off.

I will have a go at contacting Beelink, afterwards, to complain that it was not made clear - as is mentioned above, not sure that is going to do much.

This has seriously worried me, now, in case I get caught out again - how can I avoid this in the future?

I have bought things from China before (E-bay, Aliexpress etc.) but have never paid anything before.

For example, if I bought the very same machine from this seller:

Beelink MINI S 12 Pro Intel Processor N100 Windows 11 Office MINI PC WiFi6 BT5.2 711691820487 | eBay

Would I still have been stung on the import tax?

user1977

elsmandino said:

For example, if I bought the very same machine from this seller:

Beelink MINI S 12 Pro Intel Processor N100 Windows 11 Office MINI PC WiFi6 BT5.2 711691820487 | eBay

Would I still have been stung on the import tax?

I don't see why not, given it's very clear there that it's being shipped from China.

tripled

The company is UK registered and so your contract with them falls under UK law.

Schedule 2 of The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 requires you to be supplied the following pre-contract information:

(f) the total price of the goods or services inclusive of taxes, or where the nature of the goods or services is such that the price cannot reasonably be calculated in advance, the manner in which the price is to be calculated,

(g)where applicable, all additional delivery charges and any other costs or, where those charges cannot reasonably be calculated in advance, the fact that such additional charges may be payable;

I have had a look through their site, and done a run through their checkout, and can find no mention of import fees and duties, so they are not compliant. I would also comment that their T&C generally are not compliant with UK consumer rights legislation.

Whether you decide to pay the fees or not, make a complaint first and give them an opportunity to respond, as it strengthens your case when trying to get money back.

Assuming they reject your complaint or do not respond, then go ahead and either pay the duty or reject the item.

If you paid by credit card, you could chase the card provider for reimbursement if you have no luck with Beelink. Personally I would refuse the item and go for a full refund.

Debit card is a little riskier, because it would be a chargeback, but I would still give it a go as it is fairly reliable.

If you paid via PayPal, they are a law unto themselves, so you would probably be better to pay the duties and then have a stab at getting them back.

You also have the option of taking the company to small claims, although it's questionable it's worth the hassle.

elsmandino

Thanks ever so much for this, Tripled - really appreciate it.

I knew there was something not quite right about this as I am usually more careful than this.

Shall have a go at raising it with Beelink, directly, and then take it from there.

Thanks again.

outtatune

Everyone is assuming that the company mentioned in the T&Cs is actually in any way connected to the people operating the website, and haven't simply had their details stolen.

I think the proof is going to be whether the box that arrives has a mini computer in it, or a bag of sand with a similar mass.

elsmandino

outtatune said:

Everyone is assuming that the company mentioned in the T&Cs is actually in any way connected to the people operating the website, and haven't simply had their details stolen.

I think the proof is going to be whether the box that arrives has a mini computer in it, or a bag of sand with a similar mass.

That is a worrying point - this could end up being even worse!

macman

You can certainly refuse to pay the duty, but if you do so, Beelink will charge you for the return freight cost to China, which may be nearly as much as the total cost you paid in the first instance.
There is no import duty charged on good below the value of £135, so if you have bought other goods on AliExpress etc then they may have been below this limit.
The other downside of buying an import like this is that any warranty on it will be RTB only, which effectively means that if it fails in warranty, you will have to pay to ship it back and then out again: probably more than the purchase cost in the first place.
Did the invoice/receipt you received clearly state that you are purchasing from a UK company? What does your card statement show as the payee?

elsmandino

Thanks, macman.

The more I think about it, the more tempted I am to just pay and put it down to experience - shall certainly be much more careful about buying from non-UK sources in the future.  Had not even considered the warranty implications.

Furthermore, I have had a look at what the price of the same PC can be purchased for from a UK company.  It ends up being about the same as I will have ended up paying in total in any event.

The invoice, itself, is very generic and really does not really provide much detail at all (redacted copy below).

My bank statement also confirms payment to "RH *bee-link.com"

MattMattMattUK

elsmandino said:

Thanks, macman.

The more I think about it, the more tempted I am to just pay and put it down to experience - shall certainly be much more careful about buying from non-UK sources in the future.  Had not even considered the warranty implications.

Furthermore, I have had a look at what the price of the same PC can be purchased for from a UK company.  It ends up being about the same as I will have ended up paying in total in any event.

The invoice, itself, is very generic and really does not really provide much detail at all (redacted copy below).

My bank statement also confirms payment to "RH *bee-link.com"

That checkout email is from a sitebuilding and full service shipping company, https://www.thefull.works/, they build thousands of online stores.

jon81uk

elsmandino said:

Just following this up - have decided just to pay and accept like everything in life, these days, there is always someone out there trying to rip you off.

I will have a go at contacting Beelink, afterwards, to complain that it was not made clear - as is mentioned above, not sure that is going to do much.

This has seriously worried me, now, in case I get caught out again - how can I avoid this in the future?

I have bought things from China before (E-bay, Aliexpress etc.) but have never paid anything before.

For example, if I bought the very same machine from this seller:

Beelink MINI S 12 Pro Intel Processor N100 Windows 11 Office MINI PC WiFi6 BT5.2 711691820487 | eBay

Would I still have been stung on the import tax?

That eBay listing makes it clear it is coming from China so you should expect to pay taxes.

If it is under £135 then eBay or AliExpress will collect the UK VAT upfront and pay them to HMRC and this should be shown in the checkout page. But over £135 there can be duty as well as VAT so it is due upon import.