Import Tax

[shedhead]

About six months ago i was looking through the internet and went on to Craft Supplies U.S.A. This is obviously the same company as our Craft Supplies in U.K.
After looking through this site it was very noticeable that our fellow American woodturners have a far better choice of supplies, and most things in catalogue are priced almost at half the cost over here. Even with cost of shipping it was well worth a go.
With this new found knowledge myself and a friend, who also turns bought supplies from U.S. at a combined cost of about £43.00 This arrived within a week and everything was great. After a few weeks we put in another order, around the same cost about £40.00. This two arrived okay. As there was much more of a variety of goods we then placed a larger order around the £80.00 mark. To my shock when this order arrived the man working for the couriers [ UPS ] wanted a payment of £25+ at door to cover import tax.
Asking him why this order was subject to tax and other two were not, he was not sure. He suggested that over a certain price might have something to do with it.
Has anyone had similar experience with import tax, or does anyone know if it is above a certain amount that tax is charged? :?

 

[BigMac]

Bit about it here:

link

I think you were lucky on the £40 packages as it is anything over £18 by the looks of it.

BigMac

 

[shedhead]

Thanks BigMac
It looks that way. What a shame that Craft Supplies over here can't give U.K. customers the same wider choice as woodworkers in U.S. I know that there is nothing they can do about the difference of prices. Is it not Craft Supplies that are in a bad way trading wise?

 

[Mike.C]

Hi Shedhead,

It's pot luck as to whether or not you get charged. I have had a few orders from the US (one was for $300+) and touch wood I have not had to pay anything, yet other members get charged every time.

Cheers

Mike

 

[Mark Hancock]

About six months ago i was looking through the internet and went on to Craft Supplies U.S.A. This is obviously the same company as our Craft Supplies in U.K.
:?

Hi Shedhead

They are actually two totally separate companies. The US one is run by Dale Nish and the UK one by Nick Davidson.

 

[NickWelford]

I have purchased the same item twice from the same supplier in the US and paid different rates each time - only a few days apart. Yes - pot luck. Much better to have them ship to a friendly person in the US and they ship on to you as a 'personal gift'.

 

[shedhead]

Only problem is i don't have someone on the other side of the pond.

I didn't know that they were two different companies.

 

[Losos]

This is obviously the same company as our Craft Supplies in U.K.

As mentioned above they are not connected in any way.

As to the import duty, as Mike C has said, it is 'pot luck' and IMO it might also be related to how frequently you order. The customs man possibly let the first two through since your name wasn't one he had seen before, but on the third his little computer probably flagged it up as a 'business' name and that's why you got charged.

Don't forget it's not just import duty but also VAT you have to pay, and yes our 'merican cousins just don't realise how lucky they are

 

[brianhabby]

it might also be related to how frequently you order. The customs man possibly let the first two through since your name wasn't one he had seen before, but on the third his little computer probably flagged it up as a 'business' name and that's why you got charged.

I had to pay duty on a tenoning jig from Rockler and this was the one and only time I've ordered from over there. So I think it is more probably down to pot luck as has been suggested, or how bothered someone can be to do his job!

regards

Brian

 

[aisuru]

i actually work for... ahem... HM Revenue & Customs. sorry

i don't do any Customs work though, but if their staff is anything like my bit, then it will be almost entirely down to random selection and/or what package looks like it would need a lot of forms to be filled out for. they'll have targets to meet, but if too many forms need to be filled in, they'll probably just let it slip through.

 

[shedhead]

What type of orders would make customs fill in lots of forms? I am still looking for a way to beat this way of taxation. Must be the Scottish in me pushing past the Irish and the Italian. :lol:

 

[aisuru]

i wouldn't really know, to be honest, but the senior officers like to complicate things, so they probably have a system for determining what needs to be done for each package. we have lots of systems in HMRC. none of them work. :lol:


what i wouldn't do, obviously, as an Officer of the Crown, would be to suggest that you have them put the value on the packing slip as $10 or so, so that you'd only need to pay a couple of quid even if they did decide to charge you import tax. i definitely wouldn't suggest anything like that.

 

[NickWelford]

That's difficult to persuade large companies to do. I always do that on customs declarations if only to try and thwart the thieving scumbags in the post (and customs) who might take a fancy to something declared on the label......

 

[shedhead]

Understand aisuru!!!!
Nudge Nudge Wink Wink say no more. :roll: