How much do you get stung if your busted by customs for shinny new bits??

 

Add VAT and then an admin charge of usually £20. I usually get away with it but get "hit" about 1 in 30.

 

Normally..

VAT 17.5%
Duty 10% (normally, although depends on what you are getting)
Admin charge from courier £10-20

 

Forgot to add: If the goods are from an EC country, then no VAT is to be added. It also depends on what the item is as to whether you'd be charged....for example, I usually ask retailers if they will label the item as a commercial sample with a view to purchasing more items - this means I wouldn't have to pay duty/ VAT.

 

First of all VAT is not import duty, it is VAT.

Secondly, the admin charge is levied by the courier not by HMCE, in my experience this can be from £4 upwards (beyond a certain value most couriers start to charge a %age)

Import Duty rates are based on EC standard tables and depend on the classification of the goods you are importing. Most car parts seem seem to be less than 5%.

If you buy something from outside the EC over the value of £18 (or are sent a gift of value greater than £36) you are legally obliged to pay Import Duty and VAT as applicable on the value of those goods.

VAT is charged on Goods Value+Shipping+Duty.

HTH
Andrew...

PS. theotherphil: you are defrauding HMCE. I once got on the wrong side of them due to an administrative error BY THEM whilst I was working abroad, they amount of power they have is quite scary - terrorists have more rights than someone who doesn't pay their VAT on time

 

Andrew,

You are correct.

I just wanted to point out all costs that could be made.

 

I don't see how I am defrauding the HMCE. If I like the commercial sample, I may very well buy more items. Retailers the world over do this.

 

I got charged £80 (combined import duty and VAT) for a £260 item from Japan.

 

theotherphill:

HMCE are beginning to really cotton on to all this. With the weakness of the dollar, many people are buying all sorts from the states. Yes you are defrauding HMCE, lets not pretened you're receiveing these samples FOC, or that you might be returning them. If you are a atrader and doing this, the **** can really hit the fan, and they can go back 5 years if they want and look at all your accounts. If they decide that you have been doing it once or twice, they might decide to class all your foreign transactions in the same way and it's up to you to prove that you've paid VAT.

If buying within the EC you do have to pay local sales tax, which may be higher or lower than the UKs VAT. If you are VAT registered you can buy within the EU without paying tax in the first place.

If they make a mistake and things slip through, it's all innocent, if they think you're being deliberate they can take a dim view of things.

Paul

 

Have someone else pay for it and it then becomes a gift which is exempt from charge..!

 

It isnt; the limit fot gifts is a little higher but they arent exempt.

Simon