buying a bike from USA via ebay question

bing gordon
bing gordon Posts: 662
edited June 2009 in Road buying advice
i have spotted a 2nd hand bike on ebay been sold out of the USA ( im in the UK) and im wondering , will i have to pay any import duty on them if they are sent via UPS ?.

Comments

  • fast as fupp
    fast as fupp Posts: 2,277
    yes and vat

    if you get caught 8)
    'dont forget lads, one evertonian is worth twenty kopites'
  • sicknote
    sicknote Posts: 901
    Almost for sure if you send it by them but see if the seller will send it by the US mail, USPS and they is a smaller chance of it.

    I have got some bits from the US ( tools and not bikes ), plus it can be a lot cheaper. :wink:
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    USPS? If you want it to arrive in one piece then don't ship it USPS - there are many horror stories on US boards regarding their ability to either lose or destroy bikes including an alleged prevalence of theft. FWIW you pay duty on the price you paid including shipping and then add vat to the whole lot - work on an extra 25% over your ebay price.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • bobtbuilder
    bobtbuilder Posts: 1,537
    I buy quite a bit of kit from the USA. You are supposed to get charged import duties & VAT on anything over £18 (or pretty close). In reality, some stuff gets delivered without charge, and sometimes I get charged :!:

    The seller will have to complete a customs declaration when they post it, and the value they declare will be used to calculate your charge.

    When I imported a set of wheels, I rang HM Customs & Excise to find out how much the duty would be, as it differs between product types. They were really helpful. I had to call a different number to get a product type code, but all in all I was done in 10 mins.

    Try Tel 0845 010 9000

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