Steve 90 Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 Just had a quote for some parts from the U/S. I know how much its going to cost me to buy but what charges should I expect by the time it drops on my door step? Can anyone help? as I have no clue what to expect and want to be sure as they are quite pricey and I need to be sure exactly how much this is costing. Cheers. Steve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Top90 Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 When my bits came over I needed to pay the delivery company some VAT or import duties or they would not leave them. I'm sure someone will know how to work it out but a price helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyoldgit Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 How long is a bit of string? Depends what it is, the value, the value declared, cost of shipping, who ships it, if it's sent via regular post if it gets intercepted by HMC&E and you get hit for import duties, handling etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 90 Posted April 3, 2008 Author Share Posted April 3, 2008 Blimey, So it could cost me anything! Whats the worst case scenario? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybrid_From_Hell Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 Its a downer in manty ways You buy the goods $ and pay THEN Shipping and thats not cheap depends on size and weight and as to air or sea - your pay $ Then it arrives in the UK, the TAX is calculated on BOTH the goods AND the freight costs Then you have UK delivery The customs are not stupid, and with the WWW they can work out if you have tweaked the invioce of the value for dropping customs import tax Buying bulk and or more stuff can sometimes mean the same shippings costs spread amonst a few people...then you have to work out if you pay and get the money back or everyone pays a share which hacks off the people wanting payment, so they normally say "1 Card please and sort it out internally yourself" Nige Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 90 Posted April 3, 2008 Author Share Posted April 3, 2008 So do they just charge VAT on the price of the parts and delivery or do they add all sorts of other duty's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 90 Posted April 3, 2008 Author Share Posted April 3, 2008 They reckon the shipping will be $2-300, if they add tax to that aswell as the price of the parts its going to start getting silly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybrid_From_Hell Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 I think (note think ) that on entry into the UK you pay the Vat on - Purchase price of the goods PLUS the shipping costs to the UK added together .....and then 17.5% vat is calculated...... plus then UK Delivery Nige Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
callum Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 reasonable rule of thumb is 1/3 taxes and processing etc ammount to about a third of te cost of the item. of course stuff varies, but that is a reasonable guide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBMUD Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 Goods value + shipping cost + import duty % (depends on what you buy) + VAT at 17.5% + whatever the courier charges you for collecting the duty/VAT. I have been given real punitive charges by the courier in the past. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 90 Posted April 3, 2008 Author Share Posted April 3, 2008 Blimey, This is looking like it could be a nightmare, and an expensive one at that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyoldgit Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 If it comes by courier you will get hit for those finer things in life like duties, VAT, handling etc. If you are talking about stuff that can be sent by surface 9slow boat) post then it might, might get overlooked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_d Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 Back in 2004 I paid $3229 for my Chevy engine parts. Then the following when it got here. Delivery charges £132.22 Airline handling £25.00 Custom duties £76.33 Customs VAT £404.66 Customs clearance £30.00 Delivery imports £18.00 Deferment fee £10.00 I live on the south coast and was advised by the shipper to declare Bournemouth as the port of entry. The shipment came into Heathrow then into a bonded truck down to Bournemouth where it went through customs. The reason was that Bournemouth customs charge less….work that one out. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
najw Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 As Chris says above... Import duty dependent on goods, HMRCE have a list of codes that apply different duties to different goods + Freight + VAT + Handling charge + Release fee Slightly different but I imported some stuff directly from China which nett worked out at 1/10th the UK price. Bu the time I had paid all the shipping, customs, handling, VAT etc, the end cost was around the same as it would have cost me to buy it here, plus it took me 6 weeks to get it. On smaller stuff you are less likely to get stitched but with a £2-300 freight cost it doesn't sound small An alternative is to find someone friendly bringing in a container and get it put onboard that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astro_Al Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 I'm in the process of shipping a 135 lb package about the size of an office chair from the US. Shipping was a similar amount (bit more) to your quote. That is delivered to my door in the UK (well, Fridgefreezers door - ta Fridge!). Look at parcels2go if you want a quick quote. I expect them to call me and say - 'oi, you owe xxx in duty and vat, give me a credit card number and we will deliver tomorrow'. I looked up the import duty percentage and for this item it is 3 ish % (not car parts so may be different to you). Then I wrote the code on the crate (well, someone did it for me), so that I (hopefully) don't get charged more as a 'default value'. Don't forget that the VAT goes on everything - cost, transport costs, duty the works. You'll be paying the duty / vat. Don't even hope it won't happen. I've never not paid it on orders from a few grammes to about a 1/4 tonne. The answer is obvious - a solar powered shallow-depth submarine with GPS and a mobile phone connected to the computer. It can find its way home and give you a ring to tell you where its waiting. Probably isn't actually that hard... If I was running drugs, thats how I'd do it. Good luck. Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollythelw Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Steve its pretty straightforward, ping me with some prices and I'll calc it out for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPR Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 17.5% on landed cost plus import duty, if applicable. You should have a certain personal import "duty-free" allowance level, but I have no idea what that level is in the UK. It is entirely possible that, following a pleasant discussion, the supplier may provide documentation with regard to value that falls within that level (but that will also have to be reflected in insurance, if applicable)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OilIT Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 reasonable rule of thumb is 1/3 taxes and processing etc ammount to about a third of te cost of the item. of course stuff varies, but that is a reasonable guide. You will often get charged a fee for 'clearing the goods thru customs' - and if you paperwork is incomplete this can cause delays - some couriers charge for storage as well. I got my milemarker from the usa, and used either TNt or DHL - cant remember which - but was a fairly painlesss process. My rule of thinking on it was the product cost me about 50% of what it would have in the UK, and the shipping and dutys couldn't equal half a milemarker so I took the risk. (this may not be so applicable if your buying somethig for £100 or less) The other option is find somebody who is going to the usa and ask them to bring it back with them - I have done this a few times as well. The key is about product classification for customs tariff - so the courier documents for export have to be completed so that its getting the right tariff and therefore the right charges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugwash Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 if you have a lot to import then have a chat to www.moving-parts.com i have used Steve on a number of occasions to bring some big stuff into the UK and it has always been quick, good value and much easier to deal with than using a big courier firm. the 1/3 of cost rule of thumb has worked pretty well the last 3 times i have bought stuff in. really pays to find out the proper rate of duty you should be charged before you start off- i saved 5% this way. Stories abound of people buying H-rods, cranks, forged pistons etc etc and having them installed into an old block with crappy valve covers and saying the whole lot cost $200 and not the $4,000 it actually did. I would never think of doin this of course as it would be illegal- just like asking the seller to downgrade the value of the shipment to reduce import costs. Quite often it can be cheaper to fly over and bring the stuff back in your luggage- a lot of carriers allow multiple bags of up to 32kg so a cheap flight to New york can be better than paying all the import tariffs expecially if you are carrying stuff that isn't horrifically heavy (and you get a free holiday too) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astro_Al Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 No Pugash - I spoke to Steve about my recent delivery, but he's no longer running the business. He can put you in touch with an ex-customer who has taken it over, but personally I was in a rush and just went with parcels2go (the actual delivery service is DNL in this instance). Cheers, Al. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugwash Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 No Pugash - I spoke to Steve about my recent delivery, but he's no longer running the business.He can put you in touch with an ex-customer who has taken it over, but personally I was in a rush and just went with parcels2go (the actual delivery service is DNL in this instance). Cheers, Al. Oh Shame- last time i spoke to him he did say he was busy with other stuff so it doesn't surprise me too much. Dont like using people like DHL- i've been told a few times that in the delivery/handling world DHL is known to stand for Drop it, Hide it, Lose it! And if my experiences of them are anything to go by then its pretty spot on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_d Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 I have used and had recommended to me BAX Global. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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