Imports from China

[compo]

What is the situation nowadays regarding buying gear from China with respect to customs and other charges. I have bought a few small bits that have been delivered by Royal Mail without any issues but not for a while. I have read tales of couriers wanting large amounts of money for processing and delivery of parcels from China.

Has anyone up to date experience.

 

[MrJamie]

I've bought a few non cycling things from China and they've come through fine, usually small parts/electronics, biggest was an RC helicopter, none of which got stopped by customs so no extra money. I think its still a bit random whether they stop and charge you, my uncle recently got charged more than he paid for some collectables he buys, although that was USA imports.

 

[avalon]

I don't know if it's different in the UK but I don't have any problem here in Australia apart from the time it takes to arrive, which is usually around four weeks. The Chinese traders are always very prompt in sending the items and are very polite in any communications.

 

[Hacienda71]

I had to pay import duty and a handling fee for a carbon frame from China. Iirc it was total £26 which was a handling fee of £8 and duty which was calculated on a percentage of the notional value of the goods. Smaller items no such issues even in the recent past.

 

[musa]

If the items are small they tend to mark them as gift or something to avoid any costs i haven't had any issues even from USA

 

[James D]

As Musa says for small items they will normally be marked up as samples or a gift in order to avoid customs charges. I think it is hit and miss though. If you work on a % of the value as a charge that may or not be leveed then you can't go far wrong.

 

[compo]

Thanks all

 

[Manonabike]

Some info here

 

[amaferanga]

A £12 handling fee is normal. Parcelforce charged me a £13 recently. I've had to pay VAT and sometimes import duty on most things from the USA and China in the past year or so, where as before that things would always slip through. If you're getting something pricey like wheels then you want to hope that the seller lies about the value. I had to pay £25 in total on wheels recently with a declared value of $58. It would have been 3 or 4 times that if the seller put the actual price on the declaration. If you're getting something fairly cheap that's just above the limit then the ridiculous handling fee charge can scupper any potential bargain.

 

[e-rider]

if the value of the items exceeds £17 then you have to pay import duty AND handling fees. Handling fees vary depending who is handling it and how they feel on the day! However, it all depends on the value put on the label and how the currency is converted to GBP. Most in China will put the value in US$.
However, quite a few 'smaller' parcels get through the net!

 

[accountantpete]

Duty calculator here

http://www.dutycalculator.com/new-import-duty-and-tax-calculation/

It's a bit hit and miss whether you get charged - I think Royal Mail charge you a £8 handling fee and the amount of duty/vat if you get caught.

 

[The Brewer]

Only seem to buy small stuff, like a waterproof MP3 player for swimming. Shocked at how quick some of the things come in at under a week

 

[andrew_s]

When ordering stuff from outside the EU, the initial cost should have duty and VAT added to it, and normally a handling charge from the carrier. However, it is fairly common for items to arrive without any duty or VAT being charged even when the order value is above the threshold below which nothing is charged (£18 for VAT, £135 for duty).

Duty depends on what you are buying, where it's coming from, and even how it's described (eg a bike light could be lighting, sports equipment or bike parts). It's all on the HMRC site if you can drive it well enough. I just make a 5% allowance when considering whether to order.
VAT is 20%.
Handling charge is normally something like £8-£12, depending on carrier.
Both duty and VAT are on the full amount including shipping.

So if you pay the foreign merchant £200 for something with a duty rate of 5%, and the carrier handling charge is £10, you should allow for the possibility of receiving a demand for an extra £62 (£200 * 1.05 * 1.20 + £10). This may be pay before delivery, pay at the door, or a bill in the post later.