Is there a way to buy from USA?

fedupconsumer

if you are buying on ebay or any site make sure you know the customs charges. There are sellers out there that will ship to the uk you just have to look hard for them.
Also ask how they declare their goods by gifting them you may not get charged. And avoid Fedex and courier services their charges are massive.

tincat

I do know about the customs charges, but I won't buy anything from USA for more than £18.00 to make sure I don't have to pay it. I haven't had a problem yet. The toys I want would be well under £18.00 including postage, or I certainly won't be buying them

The things I've bought included heely type trainers, and a kids camera which sells here for £55, but I got it for £25 including postage. Luckily it didn't get flagged for any extra payment.

MSE_Martin

Read the Cheapest Way to Buy from the USA article

lexa34

bump- before £ isn't so strong!!

kerrydrobertson

i bought a personalised elmo toy for my little boy from toys r us american website last january as you cant get them here, and i got charged something like £4 for shipping! and altogether it cost me around £20! it did take around a month for them to send it but was totally worth it

pipjes

i read this in a mag a couple of days ago.
"set up an acoount with myus.com, you`ll get and address in florida where you can have your items sent, then for about ~£13 the firm ships it to you in he uk" stylist jay hunt picks up bitsd from all sorts of designer shops!!"

i found this in this months new woman magazine!! hope it helps!

pingua

Oh just found thids thread too so will ask here,

I am looking to buy some bedding - a thick bed spread thingy - from the us. Target have them in. I am a bit worried about there stories of being stung at the door and high postage. Is there a way of finding out before hand how much the total of all postage will be??
And has anyone used there forwarding address places???
Just not done this before and unsure how to get it from there to here?

valk_scot

I buy an astonishing amount of stuff (wool, fabric, clothes and books) from the US, both Ebay and online shops, and never had any problem with them accepting my Mastercard or Visa card. Not debit cards though, obviously. Paypal is a common option on US websites too.

Most will ship internationally and for these who don't advertise it as such I email and something can usually be arranged. Postage cposts can be horrendous though as the US postal system seems to be a nightmare even for americans, so they often go for the easiest rather than the cheapest option. Just don't go surface unless you're prepared to wait several weeks or months for the item.

I've never been issued with a VAT or customs bill, even though about 50% of my parcels have been over the £18 limit. I think I've been lucky though as you do have to pay this charge if asked. Factor this charge into your price comparison (Martin suggests 30%) and regard it as a bonus if your parcel is one of the ones that just get waved through. If it's an Ebay seller you can ask them to mark the customs slip as "gift" though of course that's not strictly honest.;)