Outrageous uk customs charge! - Page 2

TheBigBagAddict · Jul 21st, 2008, 01:55 PM

It's parcelforce JA_UK, since my last post I've found out that customs charges are based on what commodity code the item falls under...were your items bags that you bought?
I must have been charged for import duty, plus VAT and then the 15 pounds what parcelforce have charged on top of that.
I think there are different % of what fee's are charged depending on what the item is but surely 250 dollars is way above any %?!
I haven't seen the parcel so don't know what the seller declared although when they shipped it to me they said 350 dollars which is what it was insured for also.
Do you think customs can charge for what they think the item is worth rather than the actual price paid?

TheBigBagAddict · Jul 21st, 2008, 02:05 PM

And I'm also really worried now too as I'm also waiting for a Chanel bag that I bought from the US for 800 dollars...oh my god what will customs charge on that!?!

rollergirl · Jul 21st, 2008, 02:12 PM

There was just a similar thread about Canadian customs, deciding to assess its own value for an item that apparently was undervalued. I suppose they can, but you can appeal the assessment by showing actual value and what you paid. Good luck, OP.

Someone always brings up the idea of marking items as a "gift." That is not a sure way to avoid all duties. Usually, a country will allow a gift up to a certain limited value to enter duty free, but not just all gifts of any value. Sometimes, there is a bigger allowance for duty-free "merchandise" you have purchased. And, once someone falsely states something is a gift, it could get awkward trying to get customs to help you out when you later show an invoice for how much you paid for the "gift."

JA_UK · Jul 21st, 2008, 02:15 PM

Yes, I bought a coach bag for $300 and coach purse and keyring for $324 and both customs charges were around £36 pounds. Both were declared on the customs forms for their full value that I paid. Also because they were under a certain weight they came through Royal Mail.

Parcelforce get on my nerves though, because they never leave a card but will send you a letter a few days after your parcel is sat in customs to tell you how much you have to pay.

What type of bag did you buy? I cant get over how much that is. That must be a mistake.

Nyria · Jul 21st, 2008, 02:16 PM

- Ya - they can asses their own value - it happened to me once - I got an LV cles and the seller marked it as a keychain (which it is) but customs opened it and marked it as a wallet (which it also is LOL) and then they made up some randon price for it. STOOOPID.

- You def. need to talk to someone in customs about this. But could there also be other 'fees' that the shipping company addded? I know UPS adds all sorts of ridiculous fees to their services.

- And to those concerned about whether or not the seller put anything about custom fees in their listing -- that doesn't matter -- it is NEVER the seller's responsibilty -- some people just put that in their listing to remind buyers as some buyers have negged sellers for high customs fees.

nickkyvintage · Jul 21st, 2008, 02:41 PM

In my opinion i think they have over charged you - that is one hell of a lot of money for a relativly inexpensive item. If you see what im saying?

btw about the saying in their listings - that was how i was caught out first time round and i was really upset about it. Im not saying its the seller fault at all. I was going to neg the seller (this was before the feedback change) but after reading the info on the link i posted earlier, i didnt. It just helps if you aren't fluent in international import regulations to know about this kind of thing! I didn't know if the OP knew that, so i was just trying to help out :)

TheBigBagAddict · Jul 21st, 2008, 02:50 PM

Thanks so much for all your help every one!
It's a Juicy Couture bag JA_UK, made from velour although it has a leather trim so maybe customs charged it under leather goods rather than textiles. I presume it's more for leather with customs than if it was labelled textiles?!?

That's a really good point Nyria...I'm going to ask for a complete break down of the fee tomorrow. And thanks too nickkyvintage for the link, I never realised how complicated customs were until this!

von · Jul 21st, 2008, 03:44 PM

Parcelforce charged me £90 for a paddy from the states, then i found out if your bag is second hand the seller just has to declare as a used purse and you don't pay! wish i'd known that 4 paddies ago

TheBigBagAddict · Jul 21st, 2008, 04:15 PM

Oh my god von I didn't know that!
That is definitely worth knowing for any future buys (I'm kind of scared to buy anything else until this is sorted just incase I get charged a huge amount again)
Do customs not charge anything then aslong as the seller declares it as used?

von · Jul 21st, 2008, 04:41 PM

As far as i know, i guess you can't pay tax on something second hand? not sure how it works but i had a python betty shipped from the states and he didn't say anything but when she arrived he had written used purse in description and same for my last paddy

fantastic_3 · Jul 21st, 2008, 11:13 PM

I am from Canada and a few years ago when the US$ was still very high, I purchased a LV Salsa from Hong Kong. The seller marked it at the eBay price of 350.00 and the darn customs opened it up and re-evalutated at 1000.00. I got taxed over 400.00 in customs. Needless to say that I could have walked out of LV with a brand new one for less than what I paid for this bag on ebay.

I think customs re-evaluate the parcels at what they think the actual retail price is. It really sucks! I too felt bad if I refused the parcel since it really wasn't the seller's fault. Unfortuantely I only found out much later on that you can dispute it with customs. Not sure what you need to submit.

blkbag25 · Jul 22nd, 2008, 06:30 AM

That charge is definately way too high, I purchased a marc jacobs from a buyer from California, I live in London, the bag was $500 and my customs charge was £70, which inludes parcelforces £15 charge. The customs charge (VAT and import) usually work out to be about 20-25% of the purchase price. Additionally you do have to pay whether the item is used or brand new and customs finds that the item has a resale value (which is usually the case for most used items, in fact its probably better to declare a value as otherwise they will calculate their own value). You can dispute the charge if you think its incorrect, if you go to HMRC website it explains who you can write to, to contest you charge. hope thats been helpful.

Beany · Jul 22nd, 2008, 09:13 AM

If the item is sent via EMS, the postage charge is also included in the valuation. Used goods are also charged VAT and duty and it is always the buyer's responsiblity to be aware of custom charges they may incur when importing goods into their country. Parcelforce also will not deliver the parcel unless the custom charge has been paid. GL

twiggers · Jul 22nd, 2008, 09:25 AM

This is why SELLERS should always include the invoice in their packages. Customs can't re-evaluate if the price paid is listed on the invoice.

I know this really sucks...but if you don't ay the customs fee you're going to be out the money for the bag....Paypal will side with the seller on customs issues. In addition, your seller will also get hit with return shipping.

IN Canada I know they allow you to pay the amount and then you can dispute with customs later when you bring in proof of price paid.

meela188 · Jul 22nd, 2008, 09:39 AM

i am so sorry but isn't the seller required to include the invoice along with the package? i would ask her if she sent the invoice along and if not i would refuse the package. you will not be out of your money, you just contact paypal and give them the trackin number. when they look it up it will say in route back to sender and they will issue you your refund. whoever told you that you will not get a refund is misinformed. i did just this on two occassions, once when i bought a shirt that was listed as "in the UK" and then checked tracking after it was shipped and found out the package was shipped out of China. the second time i refused a package because it was opened. paypal does not even ask you any reason why you rejected the package, they simply refund the money because by law seller can't get merchadise and money.

Jul 21st, 2008, 02:15 PM	#19
JA_UK Birkin Baby Yeaahhh! Joined: Dec 2007 Location: UK Posts: 194	Yes, I bought a coach bag for $300 and coach purse and keyring for $324 and both customs charges were around £36 pounds. Both were declared on the customs forms for their full value that I paid. Also because they were under a certain weight they came through Royal Mail. Parcelforce get on my nerves though, because they never leave a card but will send you a letter a few days after your parcel is sat in customs to tell you how much you have to pay. What type of bag did you buy? I cant get over how much that is. That must be a mistake. __________________ My Collection Sofa King Banned from buying bags for the longest time!

Jul 21st, 2008, 02:16 PM	#20
Nyria Drink the LV KoolAid Joined: Aug 2006 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 4,365	- Ya - they can asses their own value - it happened to me once - I got an LV cles and the seller marked it as a keychain (which it is) but customs opened it and marked it as a wallet (which it also is LOL) and then they made up some randon price for it. STOOOPID. - You def. need to talk to someone in customs about this. But could there also be other 'fees' that the shipping company addded? I know UPS adds all sorts of ridiculous fees to their services. - And to those concerned about whether or not the seller put anything about custom fees in their listing -- that doesn't matter -- it is NEVER the seller's responsibilty -- some people just put that in their listing to remind buyers as some buyers have negged sellers for high customs fees. __________________ Trying not to shop until the '09 TPF meet in BANFF .

Jul 21st, 2008, 02:41 PM	#21
nickkyvintage Bag Pervert! Joined: Feb 2006 Location: UK Posts: 2,936	In my opinion i think they have over charged you - that is one hell of a lot of money for a relativly inexpensive item. If you see what im saying? btw about the saying in their listings - that was how i was caught out first time round and i was really upset about it. Im not saying its the seller fault at all. I was going to neg the seller (this was before the feedback change) but after reading the info on the link i posted earlier, i didnt. It just helps if you aren't fluent in international import regulations to know about this kind of thing! I didn't know if the OP knew that, so i was just trying to help out :) __________________ Welcome to Ban-City...Population 1...

Jul 22nd, 2008, 06:30 AM	#27
blkbag25 certified newbie Joined: Apr 2008 Location: London Posts: 13	That charge is definately way too high, I purchased a marc jacobs from a buyer from California, I live in London, the bag was $500 and my customs charge was £70, which inludes parcelforces £15 charge. The customs charge (VAT and import) usually work out to be about 20-25% of the purchase price. Additionally you do have to pay whether the item is used or brand new and customs finds that the item has a resale value (which is usually the case for most used items, in fact its probably better to declare a value as otherwise they will calculate their own value). You can dispute the charge if you think its incorrect, if you go to HMRC website it explains who you can write to, to contest you charge. hope thats been helpful. __________________ Counting down to Pleated Stams

Jul 22nd, 2008, 09:13 AM	#28
Beany Member Joined: Jan 2007 Posts: 1,637	If the item is sent via EMS, the postage charge is also included in the valuation. Used goods are also charged VAT and duty and it is always the buyer's responsiblity to be aware of custom charges they may incur when importing goods into their country. Parcelforce also will not deliver the parcel unless the custom charge has been paid. GL __________________

Jul 21st, 2008, 01:55 PM	#16
TheBigBagAddict Member Joined: Jul 2008 Location: UK Posts: 578	It's parcelforce JA_UK, since my last post I've found out that customs charges are based on what commodity code the item falls under...were your items bags that you bought? I must have been charged for import duty, plus VAT and then the 15 pounds what parcelforce have charged on top of that. I think there are different % of what fee's are charged depending on what the item is but surely 250 dollars is way above any %?! I haven't seen the parcel so don't know what the seller declared although when they shipped it to me they said 350 dollars which is what it was insured for also. Do you think customs can charge for what they think the item is worth rather than the actual price paid?

Jul 21st, 2008, 02:05 PM	#17
TheBigBagAddict Member Joined: Jul 2008 Location: UK Posts: 578	And I'm also really worried now too as I'm also waiting for a Chanel bag that I bought from the US for 800 dollars...oh my god what will customs charge on that!?!

Jul 21st, 2008, 02:12 PM	#18
rollergirl Member Joined: Feb 2006 Posts: 1,710	There was just a similar thread about Canadian customs, deciding to assess its own value for an item that apparently was undervalued. I suppose they can, but you can appeal the assessment by showing actual value and what you paid. Good luck, OP. Someone always brings up the idea of marking items as a "gift." That is not a sure way to avoid all duties. Usually, a country will allow a gift up to a certain limited value to enter duty free, but not just all gifts of any value. Sometimes, there is a bigger allowance for duty-free "merchandise" you have purchased. And, once someone falsely states something is a gift, it could get awkward trying to get customs to help you out when you later show an invoice for how much you paid for the "gift."

Jul 21st, 2008, 02:50 PM	#22
TheBigBagAddict Member Joined: Jul 2008 Location: UK Posts: 578	Thanks so much for all your help every one! It's a Juicy Couture bag JA_UK, made from velour although it has a leather trim so maybe customs charged it under leather goods rather than textiles. I presume it's more for leather with customs than if it was labelled textiles?!? That's a really good point Nyria...I'm going to ask for a complete break down of the fee tomorrow. And thanks too nickkyvintage for the link, I never realised how complicated customs were until this!

Jul 21st, 2008, 03:44 PM	#23
von :) Joined: Dec 2006 Location: London Posts: 907	Parcelforce charged me £90 for a paddy from the states, then i found out if your bag is second hand the seller just has to declare as a used purse and you don't pay! wish i'd known that 4 paddies ago

Jul 21st, 2008, 04:15 PM	#24
TheBigBagAddict Member Joined: Jul 2008 Location: UK Posts: 578	Oh my god von I didn't know that! That is definitely worth knowing for any future buys (I'm kind of scared to buy anything else until this is sorted just incase I get charged a huge amount again) Do customs not charge anything then aslong as the seller declares it as used?

Jul 21st, 2008, 04:41 PM	#25
von :) Joined: Dec 2006 Location: London Posts: 907	As far as i know, i guess you can't pay tax on something second hand? not sure how it works but i had a python betty shipped from the states and he didn't say anything but when she arrived he had written used purse in description and same for my last paddy

Jul 21st, 2008, 11:13 PM	#26
fantastic_3 Member Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 862	I am from Canada and a few years ago when the US$ was still very high, I purchased a LV Salsa from Hong Kong. The seller marked it at the eBay price of 350.00 and the darn customs opened it up and re-evalutated at 1000.00. I got taxed over 400.00 in customs. Needless to say that I could have walked out of LV with a brand new one for less than what I paid for this bag on ebay. I think customs re-evaluate the parcels at what they think the actual retail price is. It really sucks! I too felt bad if I refused the parcel since it really wasn't the seller's fault. Unfortuantely I only found out much later on that you can dispute it with customs. Not sure what you need to submit.

Jul 22nd, 2008, 09:25 AM	#29
twiggers Earning my PhD Joined: May 2006 Location: The Library Posts: 20,118	This is why SELLERS should always include the invoice in their packages. Customs can't re-evaluate if the price paid is listed on the invoice. I know this really sucks...but if you don't ay the customs fee you're going to be out the money for the bag....Paypal will side with the seller on customs issues. In addition, your seller will also get hit with return shipping. IN Canada I know they allow you to pay the amount and then you can dispute with customs later when you bring in proof of price paid. __________________ Check out my new blog.....and see how I eliminated $50,000 in credit card debt in just 7 months.... COME JOIN THE COOLEST CLUB AROUND...THE CURBING CONSUMERISM CLUB

Jul 22nd, 2008, 09:39 AM	#30
meela188 Member Joined: Jul 2006 Posts: 774	i am so sorry but isn't the seller required to include the invoice along with the package? i would ask her if she sent the invoice along and if not i would refuse the package. you will not be out of your money, you just contact paypal and give them the trackin number. when they look it up it will say in route back to sender and they will issue you your refund. whoever told you that you will not get a refund is misinformed. i did just this on two occassions, once when i bought a shirt that was listed as "in the UK" and then checked tracking after it was shipped and found out the package was shipped out of China. the second time i refused a package because it was opened. paypal does not even ask you any reason why you rejected the package, they simply refund the money because by law seller can't get merchadise and money.