Customs charges

cauldron
cauldron Posts: 17 Forumite
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in Ebay, auctions, car boot sales, post & parcels
I have been charged a customs fee, however with the discount code I had which was 10% it brought it under £15.

If I paid under £15 for an item, then surely HMRC go by what I actually paid, or do they not take discount codes into account?

Just wondering if it is worth putting a claim in.

Thanks:)
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Comments

  • I_have_spoken
    I_have_spoken Posts: 5,051 Forumite
    What value did seller declare on the customs form on package ?
  • soolin
    soolin Posts: 72,184 Ambassador
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    I_have_spoken wrote: »
    What value did seller declare on the customs form on package ?

    ^^^^^

    this, plus how much was the postage?
    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the eBay, Auctions, Car Boot & Jumble Sales, Boost Your Income, Praise, Vents & Warnings, Overseas Holidays & Travel Planning , UK Holidays, Days Out & Entertainments boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know.. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
  • shaun_from_Africa
    shaun_from_Africa Posts: 12,858 Forumite
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    Where did the item come from?
    If it was the Channel islands then VAT is due on any imports irrespective of the value as the £15 relief for goods from there was scrapped a few years ago.
  • shaun_from_Africa
    shaun_from_Africa Posts: 12,858 Forumite
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    Another thing to take into consideration is the exchange rate used by HMRC.
    These rates only change once a month so if the exchange rate changed slightly which brought your payment to just under the £15 threshold, this lower figure might not be reflected in the calculations used to calculate the value of the imported item.
  • cauldron
    cauldron Posts: 17 Forumite
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    From the US and the declared value was $20 on the package. I paid $18 which was the price with the discount.

    So that will be below £15. The postage was about £10, but then from everything I've read customs don't include the postage when calculating.
  • donnac2558
    donnac2558 Posts: 3,610 Forumite
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    Yes, it does include the postage. Many do get caught out by this, the £15 includes postage costs.

    https://www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad/tax-and-duty
  • cauldron
    cauldron Posts: 17 Forumite
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    edited 20 May 2017 at 9:32PM
    In that case I should have been charged for an item I purchased a few months ago, it was a few dollars less, but the combined cost with the postage and packaging was over £15. :eek::eek:

    But then thinking about it how would they know how much postage I paid, it doesn't say the cost on the package.
  • pogofish
    pogofish Posts: 10,852 Forumite
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    cauldron wrote: »
    I have been charged a customs fee,

    Why didn't you do your own clearance and get rid of the fee altogether?

    How to do it has been explained on here enough times already.
  • jeffuk
    jeffuk Posts: 604 Forumite
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    pogofish wrote: »
    Why didn't you do your own clearance and get rid of the fee altogether?

    How to do it has been explained on here enough times already.

    Could you explain in a bit more detail please.
  • soolin
    soolin Posts: 72,184 Ambassador
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    cauldron wrote: »
    In that case I should have been charged for an item I purchased a few months ago, it was a few dollars less, but the combined cost with the postage and packaging was over £15. :eek::eek:

    But then thinking about it how would they know how much postage I paid, it doesn't say the cost on the package.

    Many things get through uncharged, it's always a gamble with what HMRC pick up and what they miss.
    pogofish wrote: »
    Why didn't you do your own clearance and get rid of the fee altogether?

    How to do it has been explained on here enough times already.

    It isn't as easy as 'just doing it yourself' though, yes there are explanations on a thread on a different board - here:

    http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=592233&highlight=customs

    However, it does take a bit of effort and some work and agreement with the sender and frankly even though I buy a lot from overseas I certainly never bother doing it myself.
    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the eBay, Auctions, Car Boot & Jumble Sales, Boost Your Income, Praise, Vents & Warnings, Overseas Holidays & Travel Planning , UK Holidays, Days Out & Entertainments boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know.. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
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