Money Moral Dilemma: Should I ask my friend to pay customs duty on the gift they sent from abroad?

RoyBrock7898

I guess a little like underpaid postage.  Once had a notice of underpayment, nothing I was expecting and Royal Mail would give me no information.  I refused to pay and it probably cost them more handling it,

Jodo

A friend of mine in Australia sent me a present on which I was expected to pay £18 duty. The value of the present wasn’t even £18, but my friend had filled in the paperwork incorrectly, so I just refused delivery and the parcel made its way back to Australia. My friend was very good natured about it. So my advice is just refuse to accept the parcel. To be honest it is a bit silly of your friend to send something and expect you to pay duty.

Rd1994

Decline the delivery, don’t pay it. If it’s worth the £70 your friend will be notified and pay it 

kimwp

£70 is a lot to pay to receive a present! If you can't afford it, then don't pay it. Just let your friend know you really appreciate that she is thinking of you but you can't afford the customs fee. 

Rosa_Damascena

Jodo said:

A friend of mine in Australia sent me a present on which I was expected to pay £18 duty. The value of the present wasn’t even £18, but my friend had filled in the paperwork incorrectly, so I just refused delivery and the parcel made its way back to Australia. My friend was very good natured about it. So my advice is just refuse to accept the parcel. To be honest it is a bit silly of your friend to send something and expect you to pay duty.

They probably didn't realise duty was applicable!

No good deed goes unpunished...

bikaga

Talk to your friend. Lots of things that can influence the payment, including whether it was sent as "gift" or ordered from a shop and sent to you via a commercial seller, the value, the admin fee etc. They probably weren't aware of the fees and would never have done that if they'd known it'd cause you trouble. Depending on what's in it, they might either offer to cover it or tell you it was just a £20 gift and it's easier to let it slide, or you'll be able to challenge the fee if it was something like a home-made blankie.

primrose_penguin

I agree with others I would refuse the gift too, but contact your friend by email or whatever and thank her very much for her kindness but explain you have refused the gift as you cannot afford the £70 duty. I think she will be horrified at the cost you were expected to pay and I doubt she realised when she sent it. 

PaulineSH

If the duty is £70 it must be an expensive gift so pay it and be grateful. Sadly this is all thanks to leaving the EU and many of us are unaware of this charge even for gifts. If you believe you are being overcharged, challenge the amount. 

I would mention to your friend that you were charged duty (don’t mention the amount or that you can’t really afford it) and perhaps if they plan on sending more gifts, to use a UK online shop or send money via bank transfer to avoid charges in the future.
I recently sent a gift to Australia valued at £50 and marked it clearly ‘gift’ plus wrapped it in gift paper in the hope that they wouldn’t be charged - the package had been opened and re sealed (by DHL) but duty was NOT charged - I wonder if marking it as ‘gift’ avoided the charge….?

ebateb

We did this when we got married. A Canadian friend had her artist sister paint us a picture as a gift and her sister put the value down as what the market value was, which attracted £130 customs duty. She is a really good friend and I told her that we couldn't afford to pay it, she gladly paid it. Another friend sent us a silver bowl from South Africa and we did pay the £30 duty on that as we didn't know her that well.

Marcon

PaulineSH said:

If the duty is £70 it must be an expensive gift so pay it and be grateful. 

Rather sanctimonious, surely? If OP can't afford it they can't afford it. Why be grateful for something you didn't ask for, especially as OP probably doesn't even know what is in the parcel - could be totally unsuitable. You're confusing 'expensive' with 'suitable/useful/desired/ etc.

I'm firmly in the 'explain to your friend' camp, not least to ensure the same thing doesn't happen again. Before doing that, check that you are being charged the right amount: https://www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad/tax-and-duty