Ordering from Abroad - Duty

[lejogger]

Hi folks.

My old BB5 road disc brakes died, so I decided to upgrade them to BB7.

Now it seems that nowhere in the whole of internet land has any in stock - there must be some sort of shortage, and even the websites that said they were in stock were then giving me lead times over a month. I'm pretty desperate for them as my commuter is out of action so I'm cycling to work and back on the carbon with a rucksack, and it's not doing my back a great deal of good.

I managed to find some however from a website called BicycleHero, in stock and a reasonable price.
Admittedly I didn't do much searching around the site but they advertise free shipping and have big union jack logos - however once the order was placed it stated that it was shipping from Hong Kong.

This set a few alarm bells ringing, not so much that I wouldn't be getting the correct product, but because it's from outside the EU, would I face an additional bill for import duty.

The price was good, but not quite so good if I have to pay an additional £20 odd VAT and import duty.

Anyone have any experience in this area?

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Customs cannot physically check every packet and parcel that comes into the country so you may get away with it, but legally, VAT and duty will be due.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Different goods attract different liabilities for duty and tax. Check your specific item at http://www.dutycalculator.com/new-import-duty-and-tax-calculation/ where the service is free for a few checks, then you have to subscribe.

GC

 

[lejogger]

Different goods attract different liabilities for duty and tax. Check your specific item at http://www.dutycalculator.com/new-import-duty-and-tax-calculation/ where the service is free for a few checks, then you have to subscribe.

GC

Cheers GC. I used that or a similar calculator and it suggested I'd be liable to £20ish but I didn't know whether it would be included in the cost of what I was buying or if there were any cunning ways around it.

I guess if you talk about £10 per caliper extra then it's still cheaper than some sites were quoting so if I do get the bill I won't be too disappointed... But I guess there's always the chance that the posting party won't have labelled it up appropriately and it won't get checked.

In the case of it not being checked do I have a responsibility to declare it, or do I just accept the good fortune?

 

[GrumpyGregry]

My recent experience with just such a P.R.O.C. transaction for bike bits

The border agency and parcelfarce may stick you for

VAT
Import Duty
Admin Fee

The numbers used by the Border Force to calculate VAT plus Import Duty may appear random and/or ransom. If you want your pedals bits you just have to pay the full extortionate amount to ParcelFarce who will then give the the goods.

Then you fill in forms, arguing that you should pay much less VAT and duty, and send them to some gulag in Coventry where the drones of the Ministry of Truth will take an age to write back to you saying, essentially, we must meditate at length on your request. Several weeks will pass and then a bank warrant will arrive in the post. Some weeks after that a letter will arrive telling you how they worked out the refund. Their calculations will bear little or no resemblance to their original calculation, nor will they explain the basis of the original , nor will their new calculation bear any resemblance to your calculation of what you should have paid. It will feel as if they just looked it up in the Big Secret Book of Border Force Calculations. Vol. XVII. 'Cyclists'. You will have banked the warrant and lost the will to contest matters further long before that point.

Or your kit will slip through unnoticed.

 

[oldfatfool]

Royal Mail will charge you £8 on top as a handling charge if you get caught and it enters our system. I have noticed more and more parcels incurring import duty over the last 12 months or so.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

also be careful because if the sender marks the goods down in price on the customs docket and the package is inspected, they often revalue it and levy even more charges. Personnally now I don't buy outside the EU, been caught out too many times, including once where it was delivered to my work place, my work place were then subsequently charged and I pulled up in front of my bosses boss and had to pay and sort it all out. won't go there again.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

In the case of it not being checked do I have a responsibility to declare it, or do I just accept the good fortune?

It's your responsibility. Whether you do or not is up to you.

GC

 

[fossyant]

Also, a word of caution. Anything from Hong Kong has to be considered is it a cheap copy / FAKE ?

 

[lejogger]

Also, a word of caution. Anything from Hong Kong has to be considered is it a cheap copy / FAKE ?

I guess I'll have to wait and see on all counts.
Cheers for the advice guys... despite it not really being what I wanted to hear!

 

[bahamas]

In the Bahamas yes not sure about EU