DM500 customs charge

[halau]

Had to go customs today to pick up DM500(4), they wanted ?220 to release them to me quoting VAT and tax

have left them there for now as i am thinking of appealing

[cgscott]

Sore one...Appeal all the way.

[halau]

not sure how they got that figure to be honest, everywere you look they are 65 or less.... do they charge on rate of item here or from country they originate from

[cgscott]

Most probably per item. Just like anything else you try getting into the country tax free.

[Devilfish]

I thought VAT was 17.5%.

Unless you paid ?1260 for your 4 dreamboxes, it's not ?220.

In actual fact, ?220 is probably more than you paid for them.

[cgscott]

Vat and tax. Most probably theyre charges on top of VAT for processing etc.

[halau]

they wouldnt even talk about it just said pay or appeal, i was expecting about ?10 per box

[cgscott]

Sorry to hear it man. Thats bad.

Get some advice on it see what the high fee is for.

[.: JaCkPoT :.]

That sounds bad. It would have been cheaper to physically goto a shop and buy them. Make sure you appeal and if you get the appeal rejected appeal again.

[halau]

most boxes that are shipped from HK or china are valued normally on declaration form at ?20 so that doesnt even come close.....

[Donnie Darko]

Are they being valued as originals.

[halau]

Good point donnie darko , are they that clever to know the difference i wonder

[smoggie]

Had to go customs today to pick up DM500(4), they wanted ?220 to release them to me quoting VAT and tax

have left them there for now as i am thinking of appealing


Out of interest, what courier was used to bring them to UK?

[halau]

I have a mate in Hong Kong who sent them, as far as i am aware it came by normal mail no courier

[chongsparks]

I ordered minefrom china and there were no customs charge, just got delivered to door by the postman.

[halau]

They have now dropped the vat charge and say its a tax charge but cant give me a breakdown of how they came to the figure..... I await

[thered]

good luck m8

[uczmeg]

Basically if you lie about value or mark things as a gift when clearly they aren't it does give customs and excise the excuse to value it themselves.

What they then use to decide a value is anybody's guess. But if you think how much a non subsidised Sky/Virgin box must be it's probably a couple of hundred quid and they could use that as a guide.

The person receiving the goods is also liable if the figures on the package are incorrect (to try and stop us all getting things marked as a gift with low values). So I'm not sure what would happen if you turn up with your real invoice of a different amount to the one listed (which is obviously less than their guess).

On any import you should be paying VAT, import duty (a percentage that varies on what the item is classed as) and then a processing charge. When I have been charged on electricals I find it adds up to roughly 22% of the total (including postage)

[Bonesy]

Get an invoice from your seller. Take that along when you go to pick them up. The invoice will prove what you what paid for them and that taxes due is nothing like ?220
tell seller to price them at $20 or somthing.