UK import tax

stinger70 · Aug 23, 2010

So i was just about to order a nice coat from canada when i "remember" about customs tax/import duty. Can anyone tell me if you always have to pay this when buying from outside the EU? If so it just makes the prices ridiculous. The coat is Â£120 to start with, but paying 12% duty and 17.5% vat push it up to like Â£160 and then its not such a bargain.

cold war painter · Aug 24, 2010

Yes, if they notice. I have never been able to figure out what they pick up on exactly as even when the value is clearly marked it sometimes comes through without charges.

For items made overseas I have often found that even if you have to pay the charges it is still cheaper than buying locally, presumably since the local dealers pay those charges anyway and then add their own profit to compensate.

Tangfastic · Aug 24, 2010

Last time I checked (about 5 yeas ago) it was extremely complicated. Almost every single item you can think of had a different import rate - an ovecoat may be 20%, a blazer nothing, a ski or technical jacket 5%. It may be simpler now, there are some links here: http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg...ESOURCES&lang=

Infrasonic · Aug 24, 2010

I think it also depends on who the carrier is. If it's UPS and the like you'll definitely get stung for duties, whereas you may get away with it if it goes through the host countries post office.

Not that I would condone such activity...

Gander · Aug 24, 2010

It's just as bad if you're trying to import a product from the USA into Canada. I wanted to buy a $25 USD item and by the time all the shipping, duty and brokerage fees were tacked on the same item was priced at $89 CAD and the two currencies were only a couple of cents apart. It's crazy stupid to buy anything from the US if you live in Canada and that's with NAFTA "savings".

This site works out the true cost if you live in Canada, http://www.thefinalcost.com/ of US products

I don't know if there's a similar site for UK residents but there should be one.

Infrasonic · Aug 25, 2010

http://www.dutycalculator.com/calculation/

gaiguy · Aug 25, 2010

it is better to find some one buy for you from the country you want, and send as gift

that saves money

too much tax

Infrasonic · Aug 25, 2010

Originally Posted by gaiguy

it is better to find some one buy for you from the country you want, and send as gift

that saves money

too much tax

Doesn't always work, it depends on the carrier. Like I said if it's UPS you'll get stung.

JCHolmes · Aug 25, 2010

The UK import taxes are ridiculous. But if you ask the sender not to declare a value sometimes you can get away without the charge.

yesplease · Aug 26, 2010

You can usually avoid fees by having the seller mark the package as a gift with a value below Â£40. This is of course a risk if it's an expensive item as it will only be insured up to the value that its marked as.

Gander · Sep 22, 2010

Originally Posted by Infrasonic

Doesn't always work, it depends on the carrier. Like I said if it's UPS you'll get stung.

Yes, the UPS fees for shipping to Canada can't be bypassed as far as I know. It's the shipping combined with the "brokerage" fees that make it not worth while to order products from foreign countries. The brokerage fees alone are typically 50% of the value of the item.

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