Customs Duty

[markdavid]

Hi, Not sure if I have posted this on the right section but was hoping somebody could help. I know that duty has to be paid on basses , amps etc , but if I bought a lower cost item , for example a set of bass strings at $20-$30 or a bridge for $30-$40 would I still have to pay duty on these despite the low value?

[Bloodaxe]

Try this here sticky...

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=139"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=139[/url]

I think the cutoff is around £30-35 - below that & duty isn't payable. At current exchange rates your suggestions should creep under the wire.

Pete.

[WalMan]

The cut off is £18

It all depends on what the declared value is on the packet, and if that is artificially adjusted by the seller, whether the package is opened & checked by Customs

[BigRedX]

It's £18 or £36 if the package is marked as a gift. Don't forget that postage costs are also included in the calculation. Also the carrier in this country will add a customs clearance handling fee of between £8 and £15 (depending on who it is) to the duty (if applicable) and VAT that is charged. Be careful a package that is just over the limit can suddenly get very expensive.

[stingrayfan]

Here's what I got stung. I bought a $550 bass with $70 shipping. Customs work it out on the total of the two together. It cost me £70 to land inc an £8 Parcelforce handling fee. I went to the depot and coughed up. That made a total of £350.

[HarryPotter]

There doesn't seem to be any logic to what actually happens, I have imported rifle stocks on several occasions with values of several hundreds of dollars, sometimes I have to pay up to the R&C guys, sometimes I don't.

I have also imported other items where I have had to pay despite the value of the item being small - go figure.

Because it's Revenue & Customs there is not a lot you can do if you disagree with them (in reality) - bar stewards

It really seems to be a case of go for it but be prepared to pay a fee when it lands.

This is based on my experiences of the last 10 years or so that I have been shopping online, I don't know if things have changed recently.

Edited September 6, 2007 by HarryPotter

[The Funk]

I have heard of some people not getting charged when they've been expecting a large bill and other people getting charged when they've worked out that they shouldn't.

On the other hand there are people like me who somehow always get charged when they're supposed to and never get charged when they're not supposed to.

[BigRedX]

My advice would be to expect to pay VAT, Duty where it applies and a clearance handling fee on any thing you import over £15 including the postage. That way when you don't get hit for the charges you can be pleasantly surprised.

My current experience is that anything imported and handled by ParcelForce in the UK will be subject to customs charges.
With other carriers YMMV.

[stingrayfan]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='56460' date='Sep 6 2007, 12:40 PM']My advice would be to expect to pay VAT, Duty where it applies and a clearance handling fee on any thing you import over £15 including the postage. That way when you don't get hit for the charges you can be pleasantly surprised.[/quote]

+1