Mertin
Member
Registered: 12th Oct 05
Location: Scotland
User status: Offline
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Is there any hidden costs when buying from America? Postage costs are about 20 pounds. Is there any tax or other charges I may get hit with when it gets delivered?
Just wondering before I buy it 
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John
Member
Registered: 30th Jun 03
User status: Offline
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Could get hit with VAT and Duty when it comes here.
With the exhange rate it would have to be mega cheap to risk the tax and duty imo.
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ssj_kakarot
Member
Registered: 29th Apr 03
Location: hartlepool
User status: Offline
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yeah seriously import duty is a killer, ordered some clothes to the value of about £30 got £32 odd in customs charges and handeling fees :/
work that one out.
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Mertin
Member
Registered: 12th Oct 05
Location: Scotland
User status: Offline
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Just got an email from the seller saying our government may hit me with an import tax and they have no control over it.
Its a snowboarding jacket, currently sitting at 18 pounds, brand new. Il keep an eye on it I think...
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eddiewhiteley
Member
Registered: 10th Mar 05
Location: down in albion
User status: Offline
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i think if you get them to put on the customs label that it is a gift then you shouldnt get charged import tax
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John
Member
Registered: 30th Jun 03
User status: Offline
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No.
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_Allan_
Member
Registered: 24th Mar 04
User status: Offline
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I think gift only covers items up to about £18. Not checked recently. I have bought tons of stuff from US or HK and only have been stung once with import charges. £16 on a jacket that still made the deal worthwile. You take your chances....
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Cavey
Member
Registered: 11th Nov 02
Location: Derby
User status: Offline
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To be fair, head down to Mountain Warehouse, they have Parallel jackets from £20odd quid anyway, i've just got back from bulgaria and my jacket was fine
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ShEp
Member
Registered: 9th Aug 05
Location: Dingwall, Highland
User status: Offline
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I bought £100 worth of items from HongKong
They were marked as a gift, and I was charged no extra
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John
Member
Registered: 30th Jun 03
User status: Offline
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That's either because they were marked as a low value or customs didn't bother looking, nothing to do with the gift.
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sand-eel
Member
Registered: 15th Mar 07
Location: carluke/braidwood--IRNBRULAND
User status: Offline
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strange that, a mate got pistons from the US at about £500 odd and he didn't pay import tax because it was sent as a gift.
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_Allan_
Member
Registered: 24th Mar 04
User status: Offline
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Goods sent as a gift are not free of import duties and import VAT. However, customs duty will not be collected if the amount is less than £7, and import VAT is not chargeable if:
the value of the gift does not exceed £36
the customs declaration is completed correctly
the gift has been sent from a private person outside the EU to a private person(s) in this country
the gift is for the use of either yourself or your family
there is no commercial or trade element and the gift has not been paid for either directly or indirectly
the gift is of an occasional nature only eg for a birthday or anniversary.
Please note the purchase of goods from outside the EU to give as a gift to a relative or friend, whether or not addressed to that person, is treated as a ‘commercial consignment’ for which the import VAT relief threshold is £18 (paragraph 2.3 refers).
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Daniel_Corsa
Premium Member
Registered: 21st Apr 04
Location: Wigton, Cumbria
User status: Offline
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I bought something from USA other week and got stung for TAX and Handling fee's as wasn't marked up as a gift!
Everything else I've got sent has been a "gift" and never been charged
April '06' Corsasport Feature Car  | Aug '08' Total Vauxhall Feature Car | Spring '09' Fast Car Feature Car
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John
Member
Registered: 30th Jun 03
User status: Offline
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Look on the customs website, it's nothing to do with gift, gift just means that you get £27 instead of £18 before they start charging.
Main factor i've noticed, must be literally hundreds of bits now, is who it's posted with.
If it's an expensive courier and it's all declared properly you get done.
If the value is down as 20 dollars you don't get done but then it can't be insured properly.
Things that end up being delivered by royal mail don't seem to get caught, parcel force nearly always do.
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antnee
Member
Registered: 30th Dec 07
Location: Cov Drives: Clio 197
User status: Offline
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John, the parcel force bit may be just that they collect things from customs if you have been charged.
Ive bought various bits, always markd down 
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Bonney
Member
Registered: 14th Nov 04
Location: St Helens
User status: Offline
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bought loads from america and other places, all was marked as a gift or a sample. Never got hit with any extra tax
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