Anyone have any tips on packaging, courier services etc etc to minimise the risk of customs checking an item sent from abroad and adding duty?

thanks

Ed

 

Mark it as a gift

 

reduce the amount that it is valued at on the shipping form

 

State that the item is used/2nd hand.

To be honest a lot of its luck - sometimes you end up paying no duty, other times it can be quite a significant percentage.

 

Gifts arent exempted from duty, although the allowance is slightly higher.

 

So, lets say this item is a camera lens that I accidentally left in the US, and I was getting someone to post it back to me, there is a chance I could get clobbered for duty even though its already mine?

 

None whatsoever.
Although they may want proof that you did actually own it

 

Is there any way I can mark the package in such a way that its not new goods?

 

Clearly mark as SAMPLES.

As long as you don't take the pi55 this will be ok.

 

get is marked as a gift with a value not exceeding USD30.00

 

It's very simple really - if you want to avoid paying duty, declare a value below £18. The charges are collected on Customs' behalf by the courier, who will also add on a handling fee, but duty is not payable if the amount is less than £7 and VAT is not payable if the value of the goods is less than £18.

Disclaimer - you should be aware that although the foreign sender may have completed the customs declaration form on the parcel you are regarded (in law) as the importer of the goods and responsible for the information on the declaration, and any customs charges that may be due. This means that if you purchase goods and the declaration is found to be false or misleading you may be liable to financial penalties or criminal prosecution. Furthermore the goods themselves will be liable to forfeiture.

 

robbing barstewards they are.... and watch out for parcel farces/royal snail/any couriers 'handling fee' which on lower value items will probably exceed any duty payable several times over.

 

If you can get it listed as an item sent out of the UK for repair then you don't pay any duty. Problem is getting it marked up that way.

Alternatively, if you know someone is travelling to the source country and can arrange the logistics, get it shipped to them abroad to bring home ?

 

"robbing barstewards"

Errrrr. This is a thread about tax avoidance (the illegal sort). You are robbing me (an honest taxpayer) by buying abroad and not paying the legal duty.

Funny how these threads are allowed....but post about sharing a few MP3s and the thought police gallop along with the delete stick.

 

Well it's slightly different. A lot of this stuff discussed here is theoretical and no one is posting up links to blatantly illegal and dodgy websites that contain god knows what viruses and trojans which will cause no end of problems as we then get accused of promoting them on SN (yes it has happened).

 

 

er that was a reference for the most part to the the delivery companies mentioned. Hard to justify such a ridiculous handling fee in my personal opinion.

I am also an honest tax payer- but one who doesnt like to get ripped off time and time again with overpriced goods in the uk!
Each to their own......

 

the only problem with marking it as a sample or gift to avoid tax is insurance.

Should the item get lost / damaged / stolen - then you can't claim for it's full value. . . .

 

Also be aware that customs may well open it and have a look whats in there - if they know the value is a lot more than the declared value, or if its obviously not a gift ( e.g. has the invoice from the company who sold it in the box ) then you'll be getting a stern letter and a payment demand.

People who say 'get it marked as a gift' obviously dont realise that customs have thought about this, and it doesnt work most of the time.

 

Theoretical !?

Advice is being given on how to avoid import tax by knowingly mis-labelling goods.
Advice that is given to avoid purchasing DVDs / CDs is deleted.

I honestly fail to understand the philosophical difference. But each to their own of course.

 

Maybe, maybe not, but it is clear in the thread title that the poster is asking for advice on how to break the law and get away with it. It is also implicit in many of the replies given - do you as a moderator condone that?

 

If you read further down the thread you will see the *actual* situation:

The simple situation is that my company (as in literally *my* company) has an office in NYC, and when I was last over there I left my one of my DSLR lens' and some paperwork at the office in a rush to JFK.

I'm going to fort william to photograph the world downhill champs next weekend, so I couldn't wait til I'm next in NYC to get the lens, but I didn't want to post it back for the reason in this thread that I was worried it might get clobbered for tax, despite the fact it was my lens already!

I can scan the original reciept from Warehouse Express tonight if you don't believe me

Gotta love the keyboard lynch mob always out to judge without full grasp of the facts

 

Well, in my experience this does work most....actually scratch that ALL of the time.

Have done this lots and lots, nothing to worry about.

 

Aye it turned up perfectly fine this morning.

 

How can I have "full grasp of the facts" if you didn't make them clear?

It sounded to me as though you were suggesting that claiming you had left it in the US might be a way of avoiding duty.

If you had actually made it clear that you'd left it in the US, then I would have told you not to worry, as long as you can produce the original purchase receipt.

 

But equally how can you jump to a condemning conclusion without being clear of my motive!

If you read each of my posts from post 1 I think you will see it was perfectly innocent.

 

I'm not actually having a go at you, just defending myself

I still think that Chris L should have moderated the post, even if it was just to change the title!

Anyway, glad you got your lens back safe and sound

 

no prob

 

Im feeling the love; can you feel the love? Group hug everyone......