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Bought a USA Item Off Ebay for £31 - now Being Stung by RM Customs tax before release


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Regarding Ebay.

 

I purchased an item from an American seller.

The total cost of the item including postage came to £31.

 

I got a card through the door today from royal mail asking me to pay a customs charge of £14.10.

 

When I looked at royal mail customs online it clearly states on there that goods purchased below £135 would be exempt from customs duty. What should I do!?

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Provide Royal Mail with a copy of the Ebay receipt confirming you only paid £31 for the item and it therefore does not attract this customs charge.

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I can do this when I go to collect the packet.

 

It clearly states from non eu countries no fee to pay when its under a £135 value.

 

Items received from non-EU countries

Import VAT

Customs Duty

Gift send from one individual to another

*see exceptions below

Value up to £39 No No

Value over £39 up to £135 Yes No

Value over £135 Yes Yes

All other items

*#see exceptions below

Value up to £15 No No

Value over £15 up to £135 Yes No

Value over £135 Yes Yes

 

Or there's this:

 

Customs Duty

You’ll be charged Customs Duty on gifts and other goods sent from outside the EU if they’re above a certain value.

 

The value includes:

 

the price paid for the goods

postage, packaging and insurance

Type and value of goods Customs Duty

Anything under £135 No charge

Gifts worth £135-£630 2.5%, but rates are lower for some goods - call the helpline

Gifts above £630 and other goods above £135 The rate depends on the type of goods and where they came from - call the helpline

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So you aren't being charged import duty, but you are being charged VAT, on an item that you have bought (so not a gift) valued at more than £15.

 

https://personal.help.royalmail.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/143/~/when-you-have-a-fee-to-pay-grey-card.

"If you are receiving a parcel from a country outside the EU it may incur Customs charges. Any parcel assessed as being liable for Customs charges will also incur a Royal Mail handling fee of £8.

Any goods imported into the UK over the value of £15 are liable to import VAT. Gifts between private individuals over the value of £39 are also liable for VAT. Goods and gifts over these values may also be liable for customs duty. You no longer have to pay Customs duty for goods up to the value of £135, however you will still be required to pay import VAT and excise duty where applicable."

 

Was the item £30.50?

VAT on £30.50 = £6.10

£8 Royal Mail charge, giving £14.10

 

You'll have to pay unless you can show the item is VAT zero/rated, or exempt.

 

I've bought something from both Amazon (USA) and EBay (USA) where they have offered the option to pay for courier (rather than Royal Mail). They also estimate the shipping and import taxes / duty & one pre-pays.

The item then clears customs quicker and attracts no additional charges : unless the seller pre-pays any duties I've not seen this as an option where Royal Mail is the last delivery step.

 

Whilst not available for all items it certainly made things easier!

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Order total including postage was exactly £31

 

I found this:-

Customs Duty

You’ll be charged Customs Duty on gifts and other goods sent from outside the EU if they’re above a certain value.

 

The value includes:

 

the price paid for the goods

postage, packaging and insurance

Type and value of goods Customs Duty

Anything under £135 No charge

Gifts worth £135-£630 2.5%, but rates are lower for some goods - call the helpline

Gifts above £630 and other goods above £135 The rate depends on the type of goods and where they came from - call the helpline

 

Its giving out too much confusing and conflicting information on the customs website.

 

I can prove the item was £31 by original sales invoice.

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Work it out separately for:

VAT

Import duty (none)

Excise duty (none)

 

You have to consider each of the 3 taxes / duties.

 

Customs (import) duty (Where charged!) is charged on the value including P&P. You shouldn't be being charged import duty, just VAT.

 

VAT shouldn't be charged on postage (at least within the UK).

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The charge you have is for VAT at 20% plus the Royal Mail handling charge of £8

 

No way to avoid paying it unfortunately

Any advice given is done so on the assumption that recipients will also take professional advice where appropriate.

 

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Next time I shall ask my ebayer to say item is worth $5, then I wont pay anything at all.

 

It is an offence to knowingly under-declare the value of an item in order to avoid customs duties. Also, if the sender needed to make a claim against the carrier, all they would get back is the declared $5 and not the $50 it was sold for.

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there is a much harsher penalty for people in the US to underdeclare so they are not likey to do it.

 

 

it wasnt a gift and you have no real complaint about this as it was yur own ignorance that landed you with the bill in the first place.

 

 

Any item costing more than £18 will attract VAT

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  • 1 month later...

moved to the postal services forum

 

 

dx

please don't hit Quote...just type we know what we said earlier..

DCA's view debtors as suckers, marks and mugs

NO DCA has ANY legal powers whatsoever on ANY debt no matter what it's Type

and they

are NOT and can NEVER  be BAILIFFS. even if a debt has been to court..

If everyone stopped blindly paying DCA's Tomorrow, their industry would collapse overnight... 

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