Customs import tax on goods from the USA

[discostew38]

how do they work out what you need to pay on goods imported into the UK from America 
is it based on the cost of the goods or something else 
live bought parts new and used from the states a handful of times now and it never seams to make any sense 

ive just had a letter from customs/ups wanting payment for a part I ordered from America that they are holding 
they want £30 tax duties 
But that part cost me just under £30 
so how are they working out the import duties is there a system or is it just guess work? 

[Dez]

The system is unfair that’s for sure.

They charge you VAT on the purchase price AND the shipping cost combined, which I think is cheeky as F-K. Paying VAT on the value of the imported part is one thing, being charged VAT on a service that took place outside of the UK is another.

The limit is £39 I think, but seeing as shipping from the states costs the best part of that, you’re gunna end up paying. Then as soon as it’s flagged for duty the Royal Mail stick a ‘handling fee’ on that used to be £8 but I think is now £10. So often you get charged a tenner handling fee on £1 of duty.

I now always try to pay duty upfront wherever possible as you avoid the handling fees if it’s paid at point of purchase through eBay global shipping or using fedEX on rockauto orders. It’s the Royal Mail heavily loading their fees that bumps the price up.

[Deleted]

Sept 15, 2019 17:06:38 GMT Dez said:

The system is unfair that’s for sure.

They charge you VAT on the purchase price AND the shipping cost combined, which I think is cheeky as F-K. Paying VAT on the value of the imported part is one thing, being charged VAT on a service that took place outside of the UK is another.

The limit is £39 I think, but seeing as shipping from the states costs the best part of that, you’re gunna end up paying. Then as soon as it’s flagged for duty the Royal Mail stick a ‘handling fee’ on that used to be £8 but I think is now £10. So often you get charged a tenner handling fee on £1 of duty.

I now always try to pay duty upfront wherever possible as you avoid the handling fees if it’s paid at point of purchase through eBay global shipping or using fedEX on rockauto orders. It’s the Royal Mail heavily loading their fees that bumps the price up.

Ive got to order some coil springs from rockauto which comes to about £50.  I was wondering how, I then do as you say and pay the duty upfront, is it just a case of selecting fedEX and job done?

[Dez]

Sept 15, 2019 17:53:29 GMT @elkyholic said:

Sept 15, 2019 17:06:38 GMT Dez said:

The system is unfair that’s for sure.

They charge you VAT on the purchase price AND the shipping cost combined, which I think is cheeky as F-K. Paying VAT on the value of the imported part is one thing, being charged VAT on a service that took place outside of the UK is another.

The limit is £39 I think, but seeing as shipping from the states costs the best part of that, you’re gunna end up paying. Then as soon as it’s flagged for duty the Royal Mail stick a ‘handling fee’ on that used to be £8 but I think is now £10. So often you get charged a tenner handling fee on £1 of duty.

I now always try to pay duty upfront wherever possible as you avoid the handling fees if it’s paid at point of purchase through eBay global shipping or using fedEX on rockauto orders. It’s the Royal Mail heavily loading their fees that bumps the price up.

Ive got to order some coil springs from rockauto which comes to about £50.  I was wondering how, I then do as you say and pay the duty upfront, is it just a case of selecting fedEX and job done?

Almost yes. Just make sure when you choose the fexEX option is the one that explicitly states the VAT amount on it, as that means you’ve paid it upfront. They do still do an option without paying upfront where you still get the item super quick but they then chase you’d for a duties a few weeks later. Not sure why they offer two options but they do. The fedEX delivery is super quick too, you’ll usually have it in 3 days.

[Dez]

As a FYI I’ve just had to pay one from a seller who would only use usps, the Royal Mail ‘handling fee’ has now gone up to £12 🙄

[okp]

I stopped ordering from the USA for this reason... then not long ago i ordered a paint gun from Japan, as this particular one is only available in Japan, I paid a fortune on shipping something like 40 pounds, and so assumed this was to cover the import duty etc when it arrives.
Then DPD call to tell me I need to pay 60 quid for it to be released

[Dez]

Well, looks like we’ll be paying it on parts from Europe pretty soon too 🙄

[truckdoctor]

I have ordered direct from "speedway" in the USA at a parts cost of x by the time it arrived on the doorstep with all duties VAT etc the price had doubled. There are some suppliers here in the UK that import from the USA in containers that will make things cheaper but there is normally a wait for several weeks.

[duggers]

Get friendly with a US services member if you have a base nearby, works nicely and they only charge a couple of beers import taxes