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Original poster

if i buy something form the US for £130, do i have to pay any tax or anything on it?

27 replies

lizandlulu · 13/05/2008 20:05

i just wondered cause i dont want to buy it then get stung for loads of tax! i have asked the buyer but he hasnt replied yet, thank you.

OP posts:
FrannyandZooey · 13/05/2008 20:08

yes you would pay tax and customs, unless the seller fraudulently fills out the customs forms to say that it is under the relevant amount, or a gift

please don't ask him to do this, though - it's not fair on the seller

LazyLinePainterJane · 13/05/2008 20:10

And don't believe those sellers that say that they will pay it for you, or that it's included in the price.

What sometimes happens, depending on carrier, is that they pay it for you and then claim it back for you. DHL did this to me once. I ignored them and they went away. My friend did the same and they doubled the charge every week until he paid! (am sure this is not allowed)

FrannyandZooey · 13/05/2008 20:11

if sent by UPS can be very pricey indeed

Original poster
lizandlulu · 13/05/2008 20:12

i wouldnt dream of asking him to do anythng wrong. i just asked him if i would have to pay anything. do you have any idea how much it would be?

OP posts:
pootleflump · 13/05/2008 20:13

To give you an idea - I bought some clothes recently for £100 from a US website, I got a bill for £37. This included an £8 charge by parcelforce. It was still a bargain though.

FrannyandZooey · 13/05/2008 20:14

oh sorry lizandlulu, I didn't mean to be rude
I just know lots of people DO ask and I think it is very awkward for the sellers

FrannyandZooey · 13/05/2008 20:16

IIRC it is VAT (17.5%) plus 4% customs on top of gross

then possible handling charge from whichever parcel service they use

I have a feeling this varies for different types of goods - some charged slightly higher, some not charged VAT, etc

Original poster
lizandlulu · 13/05/2008 20:21

it is a pair of sunglasses. they are £250 over here, and around £130-£140 on ebay from america. but that really is the limit i want to pay.
he still hasnt answered[mad]
i bought some benefit cream a few weeks ago, without even thinking about tax as it was only £13, but the seller put on the envelope it was a gift worth $10 so i didnt have to pay anything, which was nice of him as i hadnt even thought about it

OP posts:
FrannyandZooey · 13/05/2008 20:24

yes I bought some clothes the other day (not on eBay)
seller marked as worth $20 so I paid nothing
I didn't ask them to
some sellers will do this as standard but they do risk getting caught

ChirpyGirl · 13/05/2008 20:27

The amount of duty will depend on the actual product, you would need to call HMRC to find out how much it would be. Then you will be sharged x% duty on your goods, and tehn VAT at 17.5% on top.

With regards to seller filling out fraudulent info, the main reason you shouldn't allow them to do this is that the recipient is liable for any fines if it is discovered, nothing happens to the sender!
(not suggesting you would, just adding for others to know)

If it is a gift under £36 then it would not be charged, and if duty is below £8 (I think) then it is waived but you would more likely be over this.
He wouldn't know what the charges are as they are set by Customs and each country is different, so it doesn't affect him.
If you want to know exactly how much it is likely to be then this is pulled off hmrc website

To obtain the current rate of duty please ring the National Advice Service (NAS) with
the correct customs Tariff Classification code between 8 am and 8pm Monday to
Friday on Tel 0845 010 9000.
If you are unsure of the classification code the Tariff Classification helpline is
available from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Thursday and 9 am to 4.30 pm Friday on Tel
01702 366 077. You may have up to three goods classified per phone call

HTH!

ChirpyGirl · 13/05/2008 20:29

Oh, and with couriers what happnes is they pay the duty/vat and then recoup it from you, sometimes wanting it upfront and sometimes invoicing after delivery, but they can add their charge onto this.
With royal mail they just charge you the duty amount but won't deliver until you pay it.

VoluptuaGoodshag · 13/05/2008 20:29

Yes.

My DH spent approx £100 on clothes from the US but when the parcel arrived he was asked to pay another £50. We sent them back and thankfully the company took it and were very understanding.

Original poster
lizandlulu · 13/05/2008 20:30

ok, thanks!

OP posts:
FrannyandZooey · 13/05/2008 20:31

oh sorry, from chirpygirl's post I have it backwards re: duty and vat being added
I hope you get a rough idea anyway

ChirpyGirl · 13/05/2008 20:34

FandZ, works out more or less the same, ie, far too fecking much

Ooh, another thing for people reading this and lurking, if you buy something that is 0% VAT in UK then it is 0% charged on the import VAT, so nappies etc will not have VAT on them.....

lucykate · 13/05/2008 20:36

yes, there will most likely be a charge. i had a parcel of fabric arrive last week from the usa, the value of the goods was $48, i had to pay an extra £12 on top of the $15 i'd already paid in postage, and go to the post office to collect it

FrannyandZooey · 13/05/2008 20:40

dp buys a lot from the US
it is usually worth it even with the import duty and tax etc, if you want the product in the first place
he saves a lot of cash on certain brands he likes

ChirpyGirl · 13/05/2008 20:45

It does normally work out cheaper, you are right, the idea behind it is that the Duty raises the price of the goods to be on a fair footing with a UK product (to encourage people to buy 'homegrown') and then the VAT is charged on top as it would be in the UK.
It's all to save UK traders from losing out to overseas companies, but with the exchange rate being what it is and certain goods being so much cheaper then the duty doesn't raise it enough to be off putting.

scottishmummy · 13/05/2008 20:45

yes you will pay additional duty tax

Original poster
lizandlulu · 13/05/2008 20:54

if things wernt so expensive in the Uk then peole wouldnt have to look elsewhere to buy stff. why does here always have to be more expensive than everywhere else??

OP posts:
scottishmummy · 13/05/2008 21:01

because they can get away with it!the price is determined by what the purchaser willingly pays

FrannyandZooey · 13/05/2008 21:04

well cheapest isn't always best though
a lot of bargains are being provided by sweatshops and child labour
(sorry to be heavy)

mumofdjandbabies · 13/05/2008 21:17

sorry being ignorant but how do you buy something from the usa do you have to go to the american equiv of ebay?

FrannyandZooey · 13/05/2008 21:22

well you can buy from any country through ebay (include international sellers in your search when hunting for what you want)

or use ordinary online commerce sites from the US - you may have to phone or email them to see if they will do business with the UK, but many websites are already set up for international transactions

Original poster
lizandlulu · 13/05/2008 21:29

i searched for what i wanted, then it just came up 'no matches for your search' then underneath was a list of international ebayers.

OP posts: