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Old 7 December 2007, 06:34 AM   #1
juneja
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US to UK Import Duty Query

Don't know if this is the appropriate place to post this, apologies if not.

I've been considering buying a watch from the States (I'm in England) but apparently I'll be hit with 17.5% Import Duty if I do so.

Does anyone have experience of this please?

Many thanks
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Old 7 December 2007, 06:54 AM   #2
CEG
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Hi Ravi,

I looked into this recently as I was about to pull the trigger on Tom's (Kansaivet) Diamond DJ as the price was outstanding. However, he would have had to confirm with the shipping company the value of the 'gift'. You will get taxed at 17.5% on that value.. Yes, you could ask the seller to send at a lower value - but then if it did go missing or got damaged..... well you do the maths !!

I recently bought a replice Lewis Hamilton racing helmet for £300 from a guy in Florida, 2 months later I get the £50 odd quid tax bill from fedex...

Same thing when I have ordered Abercrombie & Fitch merchandise on-line - fed ex catch up with you down the line.. Thankfully A&F have now opened up in London.. (tho very expensive against US prices !)

Hope that helps...
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Old 7 December 2007, 06:55 AM   #3
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Hi Ravi,

I got some stuff for my previous car from the US a couple of years ago. The sender has to declare what is is the parcel and its value. I had to collect from the depot, and they dont let you have it until you pay the VAT and duty (in some cases).

hope this helps
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Old 7 December 2007, 09:24 AM   #4
juneja
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Cheers guys,
Yes, it's making purchases untenable.
Thanks for your help,
Ravi
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Old 8 December 2007, 12:24 AM   #5
Naitch
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Hi mate,

The official line is:

"If you purchase goods through the Internet you should be aware that customs duty and VAT will be payable, as follows:

Customs duty - if the amount of duty is £7 and over.
Import VAT - if the value of the goods is £18 and over."

The following site shows a guide of charges for common internet purchases. Note that watches add 4.5%.

http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsP...yType=document

It is correct that if the seller ships un insured and states that the value is less than £18 it will more than likely evade charge but of course if it ever did go missing, you are stuck. Also, the sender is responsible for ensuring that the true item value is declared, and can face charges for wrongly labelling a parcel.

So basically, you aren't any better off once all charges have been applied and might as well buy in the UK.
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