Terminator X

iTrader: (7)

Bought a watch from America recently & below is copy of the tracking info as it's coming via UPS:

Attempted Delivery Abroad, December 18, 2009, 1:12 pm, GREAT BRITAIN
At Foreign Delivery Unit, December 18, 2009, 3:03 am, GREAT BRITAIN
Out of Foreign Customs, December 17, 2009, 10:15 am, GREAT BRITAIN
Into Foreign Customs, December 15, 2009, 8:11 pm, GREAT BRITAIN
Arrived Abroad, December 15, 2009, 7:58 pm, GREAT BRITAIN
International Dispatch, December 12, 2009, 10:55 pm, ISC SAN FRANCISCO (USPS)
Arrival
Processed through Sort Facility, December 11, 2009, 9:16 pm, SEATTLE, WA 98168
Acceptance, December 11, 2009, 2:17 pm, SUMAS, WA 98295

There has been no attempted delivery as we were in all day yesterday Did a bit of research on t'internet & it turns out that it's been delivered to the UK Carrier (Parcelforce etc) who have hold of it waiting for any "charges" to be paid ... nothing through our door though to let us know what's going on

I'm fecking fuming

Anyone else had similar experience?

TX.

Mifo

iTrader: (10)

might be something to do with import duties mate.
They'll hold on to it until they are paid. Sometimes you might get away without paying them its just down to luck really.

EddScott

It depends on what it is, how big it is and how much the customs/duty it is.

I used to buy RC cars and parts from US/China/Japan and normally I would be asked to pay a charge on delivery. I once bought something from the US (can't tell you what but customs referred to it as "gym equipment" ) and I had a phonecall to pay the fees over the phone.

Never had a problem. I wouldn't start to worry until it hasn't arrived by 24th. It should do by then.

Terminator X

iTrader: (7)

Will they attempt to deliver it though or just hold it "until fees are paid"? I don't know which UK carrier has it at the mo ...

TX.

dazdavies

iTrader: (22)

Partial farce are shyte!
My most recent one was that I was expecting a parcel that hadnt turned up. After checking tracking details it turns out the parcel has been delivered to a post office 6 miles away even though the nearest one to me is about two minutes walk away and they hadnt even bothered to try and deliver it as I had been working at home all that week. I never send anything with that shower of shyte.

stevebt

iTrader: (8)

They won't deliver the parcel until all duty and taxes are paid, either get in touch with parcel force and find out how much you owe or wait for them to contact you, which is usually around two weeks time. Parcel force will rip your eyes out with duty as well

scarey

UPS deliver the package but you have to a phone a number and pay the charges via credit card whilst the driver waits or he takes package away with him again.

work for an american company and we are constantly having to explain to customers that although it may look like you are getting a cheaper deal buying from US rather than UK, by the time you pay import duty, customs clearance charges, courier admin charges and your time involved in sorting these things out you dont get quite the deal you think you are.

Snazy

Dude, do you mean USPS ? UPS would deliver it themselves. USPS use ParcelFarce to deliver theirs in the UK.

As for the delivery status, they did EXACTLY the same with mine, although I didnt have a tracking number, no attempt was ever made, and it was only out of luck that I tracked down where it was and got it off the theivin *******s!

Petem95

In my experience you get the stuff delivered, and then you get a statement from the courier which details the charges (including import duty, and the amount you pay is a bit of a lottery)

markr1963

I've had this happen with Parcel Force. They held the item until duty was paid. Distinct lack of communication on their part, IIRC. The only other courier I've duty 'issues' with is DHL

Snazy

Yeah that would be the usual case with a regular courier company who pay the taxes in advance for you, then claim back. But I think this is USPS, which like the cash up front + about £30 handling fee.

CaptainJohn

You`ll have to wait until you get a letter from ParcelForce with a code on it for you to pay the duty online. When you have paid the duty they will deliver it at a date specified by you when doing the transaction . Usually get the letter in a week or so of it arriving in the country but its Xmas and the posts all gone **** up so there may be a bit of a delay. I`ve never had a problem with the system and still loads of bargains to be had.

Terminator X

iTrader: (7)

Yeah, USPS. Regretting using them now as paid an extra $25 for tracked delivery ... should have just used standard post as probably would have been missed by customs too

TX.

TelBoy

Some stunning misinformation on this thread. So pretty normal for SN then.

TX, that's an entirely normal pattern of tracking. Whether you'll have to pay duty (and an additional handling charge) will depend on what the stated value is on the Customs declaration form which will be attached to the parcel. The maximum value you're allowed, including postage charges, is £18. So as you can imagine quite a lot of items are worth a combined £15 or thereabouts, quite strangely.

If it's above this figure though, there is no element of chance about it, there is a fixed scale of charges. Size/weight is irrelevant, value is what counts. Parcels from USA almost always get stopped and checked, those from most other countries are less rigorously scrutinised. You'll either have the parcel delivered or you'll receive a Parcel Force letter telling you what you need to pay. In my experience Parcel Force are extremely efficient with international parcels.

Do be aware though, that if it's proved that you've deliberately asked the sender to misrepresent the content's value, it's fraud and open to criminal investigation. Added to the fact that if a valuable parcel goes missing, if its value was understated, you'll only be insured for that amount too.

Snazy

I would not say anything over that size will almost definatly get stopped, given the volumes coming in. But there is always a chance.

Sadly companies who promise to list it as "gift" or deal with customs fees etc usually get flagged, so if its a company known for cheating customs, then yes, good chance of it getting stopped.

USPS/ParcelForce, operate in a very different way to the more express courier companies, who will usually bill at a later date to speed the whole process up.

Personally I would not choose to use USPS and ParcelForce out of choice

Agreed on the misrepresented costing though, risky business.

GC8

Parcel Force charge either £13:50 or £8:00 for their handling fee. Yours will be £13:50 as youve elected for the equivalent of EMS. If they didnt do this, then the parcel would be held in a bonded warehouse until your customs agent had made the payment on your behalf. If youve ever used a customs agent then youll know that £13:50 is a bargain.

GC8

Also: couriers (UPS - DHL etc) are far more likely to check than the Royal Mail are and they charge a lot more too.

TelBoy

Snazman; finite, definite, definitely

GC8

too, their, they're, you're, should have, separate, desperate etc.

Dan Gleebits

Tel
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HTH

stevebt

iTrader: (8)

The £38 exception is a load of bllocks as I ordered a Bluetooth adapter from USA for £26 delivered yet I still had to pay parcelfarce £12ish in duty and charges.

TelBoy

Steve you're right, excuse me. It's £18 not £38.


HM Revenue & Customs

Dedrater

Its all one big ****ing con anyway, if UK businesses can't compete, then that's there problem.

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

Anyone know how ths one might work? Let's say I was from a foreign non EU country and doing a trade fair in the UK. I want to exhibit £10000 of jewellery at the trade fair but once the fair is finished the jewellery is going back out of the UK.

Would I have to pay VAT and import duty on bringing it in?

GC8

Youd have to deal with HM C&E yourself, or through an agent: removing most, if not all, opportunities for fraud.

Trout

iTrader: (1)

You would probably have to import and export again.

As in pay and then claim it back on re-exporting.

Spoon

If you want to speed things up then phone them. They will more than likely charge you your charges over the phone then release the goods. It is that simple. Waiting for contact from them won't get you your watch.

However, in my experience buying from the US I have received a phone call from the courier asking for payment of import duties the day before delivery. No company in their right mind is going to lie on the value when sending it. Not only is it fraud but also the goods won't be insured.

Including your original post.

scarey

you import it on an IPR - Inward Processing Relief I think it stands for.

this lets you temporarily import something into the country and than have 6 months to show it left the country again.

you need to co-ordiante closely with the imort agency to make sure it happens, and the important bit is that when it leaves the country again you need to ensure the export is linked back to the import, or you get hit for the duties after 6 months, and even if you prove it left the country it's too late.

courier companies are ****e at doing the exports properly even when provided with all the inforamtion. I am currently chasing TNT for an export declaration for a shipment whent back out to Kenya, and in their own words no export documentation has ever been raised, so no idea how they snuck it out the country!

WRX_Dazza