I have been offered the opportunity to make a purchase of $1000 worth of used concertinas (two instruments, one heavily damaged). They are located in the US and I am in the UK. How can I find out how much I would be expected to pay in Customs and Import fees? I’ve been wandering around http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/ but haven’t found anything relevant yet.
I’ve written to the customs people with the details, to ask, but if anyone here has gone through a similar process I’d be interested to hear of your experiences.
When I bought instruments from the US, the government gouged me for the following
Import duty - not sure of the actual percentage.
VAT 17.5% - this is on the total cost of the goods - including postage and
Import duty.
Handling charge by the Post Office.
It worked out to around 22-23% on top of the purchase price.
The funny thing is when getting instrument related stuff from Canada I have never been charged anything yet.
What if the sender simply labeled them as ‘gifts’? Are you still required to pay all the same duties? I’ve done some reed trading (and some subsequent exchanges of money) back and forth with friends in the UK and it doesn’t seem to be an issue then…but I dunno all the fine print of the requirements.
You are allowed to import low value goods into Britain tax free - I believe the figure is £38 and below ($66) and I think that they are flexible about this figure in application - probably the administration cost is more than the tax value in this range.
Yes, the pages I’ve read on the subject allow duty free purchases of £18 or less and gifts of £36 or less. Allows a DVD set from Amazon and that’s about it! Current exchange rates peg $1000 at about £575 - a bit over the limit.
But since the items aren’t new, I’m not sure if full VAT would apply…Davy were your purchases new or used? I’m wondering if the damaged nature of one of the instruments would work in my favour - it’s not really in a playable condition at the moment.
Edited to add - I once bought a used whistle from someone in the states for $45. The seller put a value of $60 on the package - presumably the amount he originally paid for it new. When the package arrived, it had a sticker on it that said I was required to pay about £6 in taxes. A friend who received a care package from the states had a similar experience.
The value marked on the customs form that is stuck on the package is what makes the difference. If you are not purchasing extra insurance to ship these items, there is no reason the sender can’t mark the value as 0. If the sender wants to buy additional insurance from the post office, it is usually a one-price term up to a value of $1000. In that case, the sender must put a value at greater than 0. If you want more than $1000 insurance on the package you will have to go to a shipping broker. In that case, putting a value of 0 on the package is a good way to get yourself into a lot trouble at both ends.
The fact that the items are not new does not enter into it. It is the value amount claimed on the customs form that drives the process.
True, but I swap home-made CDs with people all over the place, and set the price at 0. I have had no problems. The post office here says parcels don’t even get looked at if they are under an inch thick, as they fall into the “Letter” category. The post office charges something like $10 for up to $100 insurance, and a bit more for up to $1000 insurance. As long as you set the amount in keeping with the insured value, but still negligible enough not to get crucified with taxes, it works out okay.
My purchases were both - Unseen’s old Syn set from Doc Jones and a chanter from Other Worlds - I was charged duty on both. Everything else bought from the US has been books (books are duty free) and CDs which fall under the price limit.
DJM - goods sent from Canada hardly seem to get looked at here - I have got assorted pipe related supplies from CJ including a chanter and two sets of bellows all of which should have been charged duty. They were delivered straight to the door and no charge made.
Hi, Dave! I guess the Commonwealth has some value after all. I get crucified every time I import musical instruments - with tax and duty up to 30plus% - but books, DVDs and CDs are usually okay if I don’t get too many at once. Its the big boxes they go for, and then they bring out the nails for me coffin.
It’s worth having a look at the import codes on HMRC some items can attract little or no duty though you will have to pay VAT. A little creative thinking can avert a bill without being illegal.
I get crucified every time I import musical instruments - with tax and duty up to 30plus% - but books, DVDs and CDs are usually okay if I don’t get too many at once. Its the big boxes they go for, and then they bring out the nails for me coffin. 