LewisL

iTrader: (3)

Struggling to find the wheels i want in the colour spec etc here but have found them on American EBay.

now i've boguht stuff from the states previously only lil stuff & it comes through as a gift so no VAT or other fees are added to the items.

can you do this with something as big as a set of wheels? would it be down to the company shipping?

if not i assume you stick 20% VAT on them what other fees go on? & how do you go abotu paying them?

thanks,

bonesetter

iTrader: (9)

Even an item marked as a gift still has a value, so subject to duty, VAT and other **** tax

stevie1982

iTrader: (16)

I think on delivery it has to be paid to release the goods I'm sure someone who has bought a set will set you straight. You could try pm'ing wusley as I think he shipped a set of rota formulas over.

Let us know how you get on for what you find out as I'm sure plenty of people have thought about it to

stevemoir

iTrader: (24)

I just bought 560 quid worth of bits from the states was marked as 99 dollars total and got stung with 73quid fees bloody ups

Steve

LewisL

iTrader: (3)

So who billed up mate? UPS?

So how did they find out it wasn't $99 worth?

stevemoir

iTrader: (24)

Ups did I don't know how they found out they sometimes do open up the package to check at customs maybe from there ?

Or maybe that's was just ups fee

Steve

bigredrob

the last few things I bought from the states, I had to pay vat on.

Davros 1979

iTrader: (56)

You get charged VAT on the shipping costs too not only the goods.

Anything above $60 and you will get charged VAT and possibly import duty depending on the item. Then the shipper will charge you an admin fee for dealing with it all! Usually ends up being cheaper to buy from the UK after that lot.

This will help you work out the VAT and import duty:
http://www.dutycalculator.com/

BLU

iTrader: (27)

Its customs not UPS that check. Its a customs charge that UPS (or whoever the carrier is) take responsibility for collecting.

jura11

iTrader: (7)

How to say,you will need contact seller if he can mark your wheels(or something else) as gift or low value item

UPS is worst option for delivering,because this company charging lot more than other companies for handling fees,plus don't give you item(which you are bought from USA and paid) until you will paid those fees,second worse is Parcelforce(USPS in USA),which have similar practice as UPS

If we need something from USA,my brother usually going there and buy this alone,because he have cheap flights and he will pay similar money for flight like US companies charging for postage for bigger items

Simply its rip off

Jura

Davros 1979

iTrader: (56)

Marking as gift does nothing if its over $60.

Davros 1979

iTrader: (56)

Taken from the duty calculator:

alloy wheel set has an import duty rate of 3.7% and VAT rate of 20%.

So if the invoice is marked at the full value its gonna hurt!

LewisL

iTrader: (3)

Cheers mate

May well have to paint the 1's I can get over here then

Davros 1979

iTrader: (56)

Probably be cheaper!

chopperman

If you have the sender mark as gift and customs here think its a lie you face forfeiting goods and a fine. You as the receiver are responsible for what the sender puts on the declaration.
You could always get then to put warantee return goods.

hedgecutter

iTrader: (5)

The shipping company often inspects the goods and applies duty on behalf of customs; this is because 1000`s of items are imported every day and customs cannot check everything, otherwise you would be waiting weeks for your goods to clear. I once had to pay duty on my own suitcase which had been mislaid by a hotel in Canada, and then sent on by UPS; they also destroyed the zip to inspect it, and wouldn't pay up as I wasn't the shipper. AVOID UPS !

chopperman

The trick is not to take the p1ss. Try and get away with some tax but not all. I bought an expensive watch from the states. New price in the uk was £8k, second hand price was £5-6k. I paid $4.5k (£2800). Rather than try and get away with tax and risk losing it it got the seller to put a value of $1k. Being as it was not a well known make to people not into time pieces like Rolex ect i got away with only paying £65 tax. It should have been about £500-600 in tax.
Dont be greedy and you should come out quids in.

bonesetter

iTrader: (9)

I'm going through similar atm. Had to sensd a bike frame back for some corrective work and ahve been charged a second time. I'm now having to prove I pad first time for refund

bonesetter

iTrader: (9)

This is the best thing to do.