UK Customs VAT Questions

[LaserWolf]

Never had an issue with UK Customs, until now.
Charging the customer £14.
Customer thought VAT should be £6.00.
Asked me if I could help. I can not as I have no pull with the UK Customs folks.

Then sent me:
"Actually I found out some more information. The charge was a split between £6 VAT and £8 handling charge from the post office. Would there be a way for me to pay the VAT in advance and thus avoid the handling charge?"

So the Post Office is charging an extra £8 for handling? Isn't handling what the PO does? I already paid postage.
They are charging a fee to collect a tax?
Please don't let Comcast hear about that.

 

[skel]

That dude imported the stuff, so surely up to him to sort out any VAT issues.





The post system here gets involved in lots of non-postal activities, charging a fee. Customs admin could well be in the mix.





I'd heard of German customs being a bit of a hound on record tax, but never aware of a UK purge.

 

[TDLT02]

I buy very little of Ebay these days due to the locked in postage cost of the value having to be declared and import fees paid up front!


Not a good move for customers, for sure Ebay have lost regular record buyers over this issue (noticed a few discussions and complaints on soul forums about the problem of getting stung by customs/post office charges on purchases since 2014).


I always make sure a low ball park figure of around $10.00 to $15.00 is declared on items when ordering from non European sellers, otherwise I won't go through with the purchase.


Items need to be declared as a gift item (higher limit before tax fees kick in) with a home address from sender, not a business address. Limit before tax fees are charged is around the $35.00 mark.

 

[Jimster]

When I used to buy hella tees from the US, I was told to ask the seller to mark them as "Used Clothing" and declare value no higher than $5.





Never got stung.

 

[ppadilha]

I thought only Brazil fucked people this badly over imported records. For us there's no real way of dodging the issue since they'll charge customs tax on anything over US$50 and they include the shipping cost in that figure. For us the only way to take some of the sting off is to ask the seller to declare a lower value on the customs form when they send it out.

 

[Okem]

I've been got before. If the seller declares full value on an expensive item, you will get stung.





They may be clamping down on this sort of thing as Discogs have just started charging VAT on all UK sales. Probably our shitty governments attempts at clawing as much tax as possible from to common man whilst giving a pass to millionaires and multinationals. The cunts.

 

[soulcitizen]

It's a money maker for the p.o.





Anything imported into the UK from outside the EU with a declared value of £15 is liable to a VAT fee, unless it's a gift where it's £36. If the receiver gets hit, the post office stick on an admin charge of £8. Parcelforce appear to only charge an extra £1 fee for the same service. In addition, if it's over £135 you also have to pay 2.5% customs fee on top. So, a £150 basket of goods can cost you something like £38 in fees or it gets sent back. Add on the high cost of post now from outside the UK, that's up to a possible £200. I don't know of any other way to get round this other than the 'Ebay Shipping Program' that adds on extortionate fees at the point of sale but that doesn't apply to off eBay of course.





There are people specifically employed by the p.o. to check this and they do open packets, and they do check the web for transactions, this is not always random (from someone 'on the inside'), its a big money spinner... Next time UK man asks you to put $10 on the packet, that's why...





and they definitely focus on USA>UK packages rather than just 'outside the EU'.

 

[ppadilha]

at least you guys don't get charged the 80% customs fee that is applied to price of product + shipping like we do in Brazil.





this is why I can't have nice things.

 

[kicks79]

Okem said:I've been got before. If the seller declares full value on an expensive item, you will get stung.





They may be clamping down on this sort of thing as Discogs have just started charging VAT on all UK sales. Probably our shitty governments attempts at clawing as much tax as possible from to common man whilst giving a pass to millionaires and multinationals. The cunts.




They trying to do this in Aus now.


The govt is apparently going to go to overseas companies like amazon and ask them to tack on our gst sales tax to their Australian customer purchases. At the moment all online sales under $1000 aus are tax free.


They are also talking income tax cuts while they have plans to up the gst from 10 to 15% !

 

[LaserWolf]

Thanks all.


I am personally outraged that they charge for collecting a tax.





Typically everything I ship overseas is $20.00 or less. I would never lie on a federal form, and I don't support tax dodging, somehow it always works out.


But this guy was a pain in the butt from day one, I wasn't doing him any favors.


Still I feel bad about the shock he got when he saw his postal bill.

 

[Yemsky]

Everything as Soulcitizen says.


Sounds like you have been dealing


with a total noob. This applies to all imports from outside the EU. They should teach this stuff in school.





Has he paid the tax+charge and accepted/collected the shipment? In that case it's case closed (but watch whether he tries to challenge your paypal transaction.





If he so far has not paid and the shipment is lying at the post office there comes a day when it will be (should be) returned to sender (assuming there's an address on it).


Good luck....

 

[Jimster]

ppadilha said:at least you guys don't get charged the 80% customs fee that is applied to price of product + shipping like we do in Brazil.





this is why I can't have nice things.




You do get nice weather and cafe au lait girls for free.


:WHYMUSTICRY: