OT - Customs charges on incoming post

dhope

Short story shorter, bought something from US for about 20 quid. Get home today to find a card saying couldn't be delivered as there's customs charge owing. £11.42 including a Royal Mail handling fee of £8.

Bit irritated and a minute of googling reckons that it's not really valid
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/post/internet.htm#1

"If you buy goods online from outside the EU for delivery to the UK, you'll have to pay Customs Duty and Import VAT on top of the purchase price if the goods are above a certain value - though Customs Duty is waived if the amount of duty payable is £9 or less."

What gives?

greg66_tri_v2.0

Isn't this the bit that applies to you:

All other goods

If you order or send purchased goods other than alcohol, tobacco, perfume and toilet water from a country outside the EU then you:

* don't have to pay Excise Duty
* may have to pay Customs Duty on goods with a value that exceeds £135
* will have to pay import VAT on goods with a value that exceeds £15

Note that on all goods from outside the EU, Customs Duty is waived if the amount of duty calculated is £9 or under.

So there's no Customs Duty for you to pay, as your goods were worth <£135. But as they were worth £20, that's > £15, you had to pay VAT at 20%. That would be the (almost) £4 element of your £11.42 that isn't the rip off £8 handling fee.

itboffin

Yeh generally dont buy stuff from the USA for this reason.

dhope

Ah, it said customs charge on the ticket but the 3.42 vat does equate to the $27.
Bah.
Lesson learned.