USPS & Royal Mail charges ???

[SteCenturion]

I wonder if anyone can help or has experience of this problem I now face.

I ordered a box set of Live Concert Blu Ray's & some CD's from the USA & have been tracking there progress *the most basic tracking service I have yet witnessed*.

Today while out at work I can only presume that USPS have tried to deliver, the order goes back some 10 or 11 days.

Anyway, I have found a card on the carpet from Royal Mail saying "parcel couldn't be delivered as there is a charge * £29 + *.

I don't yet know what the charge is for as I paid for USPS delivery & have no contract with RM, furthermore I am unable to get to the collection office until next week as I am back at work & away tomorrow.

There are 2 boxes on the card, 1 for insufficient postage paid & 1 for unpaid import tax but neither have been ticked by Mr Postie.

Anyone had a similar experience & how was it resolved ?

Cheers folks.

 

[stephec]

Customs charges?

 

[PhilDawson8270]

The delivery charge paid to USPS does NOT include customs charges and taxes due on import.

USPS tracking also stops pretty much once it hits the UK, RM complete the UK end of USPS deliveries. So USPS take it till customs, once it clears RM complete it. RM pay the customs charges on your behalf to expedite delivery, then ask you for the money.

If you put the information in from the RM card, you can pay your customs charges and tax online, then they will deliver it.

You can of course refuse to pay the customs fee, but of course they will keep hold of the parcel since they have paid Customs and Revenue.

It is pretty much standard procedure when importing goods to the UK.

 

[classic33]

The delivery charge paid to USPS does NOT include customs charges and taxes due on import.

USPS tracking also stops pretty much once it hits the UK, RM complete the UK end of USPS deliveries. So USPS take it till customs, once it clears RM complete it. RM pay the customs charges on your behalf to expedite delivery, then ask you for the money.

If you put the information in from the RM card, you can pay your customs charges and tax online, then they will deliver it.

You can of course refuse to pay the customs fee, but of course they will keep hold of the parcel since they have paid Customs and Revenue.

It is pretty much standard procedure when importing goods to the UK.

They having opened it to assess the value of the items inside, in order to work out the amount owing.

 

[PhilDawson8270]

They having opened it to assess the value of the items inside, in order to work out the amount owing.

Or trusted that customs declaration is correct, one or the other.

 

[SteCenturion]

Cheers @PhilDawson8270 , a clear & concise response thanks.

No mention/tick in the box from postie to say it is unpaid import tax etc

I have never ordered from this site or the US before, looks like it will turn out to be an expensive purchase having paid $210 including USPS fees of approx $38 & now nearly £30 on top.

You pays your money I suppose.

Ah well, a trip to the collections office Monday it will be then.

 

[PhilDawson8270]

https://www.royalmail.com/personal/receiving-mail/pay-a-fee

Register there and pay it, should arrive next day.

 

[SteCenturion]

Imports from Europe, Spain, Germany, Italy & France not subject to import tax then I wonder ? as I have had many parcels delivered from these countries with no tax apart from VAT already included at point of purchase.

Never looked into the vagaries of import tax in detail, maybe due to EU trade conditions ?

 

[SteCenturion]

https://www.royalmail.com/personal/receiving-mail/pay-a-fee

Register there and pay it, should arrive next day.

Cheers Phil but the RM parcels office is in same town so will be easy to collect, just a little frustrated at the lack of info regarding charges at point of purchase or maybe I missed some small print.

Give it another look later.

 

[SteCenturion]

They having opened it to assess the value of the items inside, in order to work out the amount owing.

Surely the value is printed on the parcel or at least on an invoice inside the box ?

 

[rualexander]

If the total to pay is £29 then you will find that the customs/vat charge is £21 and the rest is Royal Mail's £8 handling charge!

 

[SteCenturion]

If the total to pay is £29 then you will find that the customs/vat charge is £21 and the rest is Royal Mail's £8 handling charge!

Ta.

£8 handling fee for a group I have no contract with ....

I now feel defiled.

 

[classic33]

Surely the value is printed on the parcel or at least on an invoice inside the box ?

And if inside, they'd have to open it.

RM places it's own value on an item, which may vary from what was paid. After conversion to GB pounds.

 

[PhilDawson8270]

And if inside, they'd have to open it.

RM places it's own value on an item, which may vary from what was paid. After conversion to GB pounds.

Royal Mail don't value anything. That is all done by customs.