Custom charges for the UK

pekie

Just me and my bags
O.G.
Jun 2, 2006
1,273
1
I am thinking of buying a bag on ebay and it is in america...the seller said she will sell it to me for $1299 with $91 for fully insured p+p...the bag itself is already a tad expensive for me for a bag thats been used a few times but i really like it! but i want to know how to work out approx custom charge i have to pay? does anyone know??? i want to be sensible about rather than buy now and think later!! haha

thanks
 
I always thought it was basically the VAT rate (sales tax to all those outside the UK!). Which was 17.5% when I last lived there, but that was a looooong time ago! Now is the time to buy in $ though as the rate is at it's highest yet.
 
$91 for p&p ? that is steep ! you could end up with a big charge , i just had to pay £33 on a bag valued at $200 , £12 of that was parcelforces' fee too though.
i know a lot won't do it but you could ask for it to be sent as a gift and undervalued, just make sure its sent with full tracking
 
I think when we send out form the uk it is easier for us to mark as a gift as all we have to do is fill in that little sticker as a value and fill in the slip as a value- they dont check they are the same. In most countries, the posatge insurance is tied into the value on the customs forms, so they loose out then if the parcel goes missing. Where as in the uk we can claim for what is on the back of the recorded slip!
 
Yes when we send from the US its a criminal offense to lie on customs forms. I believe there is also an issue with the insurance if you don't properly value the item on all the forms. Which the seller shouldn't be willing to risk since they will be the ones responsible for it if it gets lost.
 
I recently purchased 2 Marc Jacobs dresses in a sale from Shopbop that cost just over $1200. However, the duty charges, courier charges and V.A.T. Charges came to £180.00 so l would definately factor that amount into whether you still wish to proceed with the purchase. It really does bump the cost of the item up.
 
hmmm.. thanks! just i calculated i would probably pay £600 for the bag thats including p+p and thats not including the custom charges...from what you are saying it does sound like i will pay quite a bit for the custom charge..i really like it but i think i will leave it! thanks guys for your help!

:smile:
 
40%..wow ...! i got my eye on a balenciaga bag and its in excellent condition thats why im mulling over whether to buy it! the price is good if your in the US but i dont really understand why the p+p so expensive, she said something for insurance to cover up to $1299. i read on her listing she wont put the price of the bag lower but i dont really want to incase of it getting lost etc!
 
You can check the shipping price for yourself at usps.com, I think it might be that she can only use Global Express to ship with full insurance on $1299 and that rate is calculated on the volume of the box used. It's the most expensive rate they have. The next rate is Express mail, but that only insures up to $650 so your seller would be the one taking the risk there (insurance and tracking are to protect sellers not buyers).
I was quoted around $75 to send a 12 lb HD DVD player to the UK with Express Mail with signature and insurance on $225 so I think that $91 is about right for the Global rate.
Again lying on the customs form is illegal and may result in the goods being destroyed. I think both buyer and seller could get into trouble for that to be honest.
 
I recently sent a handbag to a UK buyer that was $775 plus shipping. This was the breakdown of her charges per the email she sent me afterwards asking if I would help pay for it.

Import Duty £12.26, VAT £73.69, Parcel Force Clearance £13.50 - TOTAL
£99.45 (Approx $200.00 US !!!!!!)

I fully insured it and that seems to be what they look at to determine the fees. Marking it as a gift made no difference. I am not sure if I had put that it was a used bag would have helped or not but I didn't think of that ahead of time. I'm open to helping people save on fees but I would not write in a lower insured value.