Pitfalls of Importing Goods

[gunnythewildheart]

This is kind of a query, and also to find out how everyone else copes.

Here in the UK, it has recently started to become a nightmare importing stuff from Japan, or anywhere. The main reason - Royal Mail.

The past seven years since I started regularly importing (using the 'usual' sites, like CDjapan and YesAsia... eBay too). I think I only ever had customs charges maybe one or two times.

However, this year alone I have been charged at LEAST 10 times!

As far as I was aware, customs charges only ever get placed on foreign orders over the value of £30. I recently read this is now £15! Which could explain my frequent trips to the distributing center. But I also thought you can evade charges if the sender marked the parcel as a 'gift'. I'm not even sure about this anymore.

What are the charges? Well, about 95% of my imports are CDs. The customs charge is not actually that bad. Each order usually only adds an extra £3.00 (like $5.00?) of customs. BUT Royal bloody Mail has its own additional charge called something like 'Handling fees', which is usually about £11.00! I have spent well over £100 this year because of it, which has inevitably caused me to cut down.

Has anyone else in the UK had this problem/found a way round it? If not from the UK, what problems have you guys had from importing?

[solingen]

I buy all kinds of stuff online.

The only time I really got dinged pretty hard by customs was on a brand new $400 Fluke Multimeter I bought in the US (Amazon) $150 cheaper.
Seller had put full retail value and full description + "New" on the box...ouch
That was actually the most expensive item I've bought online from a private (but reputable) seller.

Other than that I can't complain. *Knock on wood*
Stuff from China/Taiwan/Hong Kong is traditionally marked with low(er) value and/or "Gift" and never a problem.
Same for Japan

A little of topic but still related:
Amazon.ca sucks...PERIOD. I always go to .com and then have to make sure that the seller is willing to ship to Canada. (same for eBay)
A little while back I came across a Japanese seller on Amazon.com who clearly shipped from Japan, I had a list of CD's ready and tried to
check out...nope : "can't ship to Canuckland" ..wtf
Contacted Seller. "Oh, but we have a store on .ca also, you can get it there !"
Great !
...well, not so great.
Turns out there they only had 1/4 of the CD's offered on .com and 30% more expensive"
I don't get it, the difference between $CAN and $US is 0.04 and they ship straight from flippin' Japan anyway !? so wtf ?
(After counting to 10 and a fresh cup of coffee) I contacted them again, but never got a reply...

[thegl0r]

For me it seems to be a bit hit and miss as to which stuff gets charged when being imported to the UK. Stuff sent by EMS tends to get looked at more closely.

But things have been getting worse lately. Perhaps that is because Royal Mail was preparing to be sold off and privatised - thanks to the wonderful Tory party selling off yet another of our institutions very cheaply to their mates. No surprises there!

But it sounds like you have been getting charged import VAT, not customs charges which only kick in for stuff over £135. Even gifts and second-hand items are subject to the dreaded VAT, which I think is now running at 25%. You also pay the VAT on the postage and packaging and insurance charges.
If you want to do your head in about all the charges, here's a link to HM Revenue and Customs about international post.

customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&propertyType=document&_pageLabel=pageTravel_ShowContent&id=HMCE_CL_000014#P8_226

A quick table of the main charges is the attached picture below.

The biggest bite they have taken off me this year was just over £46. But I have been surprised at some of the items that I've bought which have slipped through without any charges - even when I should have been charged.

Attachments:

[sasquatch]

I used to order a lot of CDs direct from Japan, and although sometimes expensive I was never charged extra by the Royal Mail. However, about six months ago I found a 'cheap' copy of a CD I'd been looking for for a long time, when I say cheap it was £34 as opposed to £50 so I ordered it from what I knew to be a trusted dealer from Japan. A few weeks later I had a little card off the Royal Mail saying I'd missed the delivery, it also mentioned extra payment, I assumed the postage had been short a few yen and hurried down to the sorting office. I had to pay another £15, the mail man explained (if I remember correctly) it was a VAT charge, I can't remember if he said it was applicable to just Japan. Consequently I haven't ordered any stuff from Japan since. Two months ago I ordered a copy of Look and Listen's 'Ready to Go' CD from South Korea. The CD cost £6-50 whilst postage came to £6-50, I payed via Paypal, and did wonder briefly if it would arrive. Within a few weeks a little CD sized package with beautiful South Korean stamps was waiting for me on my mat when I got up. No extra payment charges and CD in mint condition. (It is highly recommended to forum members.) Today I have just ordered a 'cheap' copy of Murakami's 'Pinball 1973' novel from Japan. Again when I say cheap I mean £25 inclusive of postage (I have regularly seen it on sale for in excess of £50 and sometimes in excess of £500. I once saw it on sale for almost £900, for £900 I'd expect it to be hand delivered by Murakami himself!) It will be interesting to see if the Royal Mail will charge me VAT. Actually I think what thegl0r says about the Tory mis-government stealing more publicly owned property for their rich mates, er...I mean the successful privatisation of another publicly owned service, may have something to do with it. I will, if you pardon the pun, keep you all posted!! And...can't wait to read the novel, 'tis the only Murakami novel I've not read!!

[gunnythewildheart]

Seems like it is the VAT then. I also think I read somewhere else that there are random checks, which may explain why sometimes there is no problem, and other times you get stung.

[thegl0r]

Pesky VAT from non EU countries. I have ordered things from countries outside of the EU, and when they arrived found that it had been sent from a "partner" company inside the EU. Presumably they are using some sort of tax loophole to keep prices down.

Yes, they do say that the checks are "random", but they also say that items posted from certain countries get checked more regularly than stuff from other countries.

[sasquatch]

Book came today, no VAT, no extra charges, which gives me hope as I have two CDs er from Japan.

[sasquatch]

Both CDs arrived (a nice treat to come home to after work) no VAT or any other charges.