Grey Imports...How to spot them?

[Terrywoodenpic]

Not a fact.



If I close my eyes tight enough I can't possibly ever be breaking the law is not much of a defense.

I see no evidence of anone breaking the law, nor of any one being prosecuted or convicted for doing so.
All I see is concerted attempts to ruin the reputations of grey importers.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

If you go and steal something in Tesco and run out really fast before security sees you we will have no reason to believe that any wrong doing took place...

Absolutely, I would not steal f rom tesco, so security would not see me nor would you have any more reason to believe anything wrong took place.

We have progressed beyond the lynch mob. We require evidence a trial and a conviction before we decare any one guilty.

 

[Eloise]

I see no evidence of anone breaking the law, nor of any one being prosecuted or convicted for doing so.
All I see is concerted attempts to ruin the reputations of grey importers.

Terry ... are you deliberately ignoring that we have several examples of Grey Importers who undervalue the good on customs declaration? For every £1500 camera valued at £300 that’s a saving of £240 (VAT on £1500 is £300 vs £60 on £300).

That IS evidence of grey importers breaking the law. But as they are forigen companies, there is very little that U.K. Gov can do about it except, when they catch it, chase the missed payments (and the equipment may be held by the U.K. Border Force until the excess is paid, and ultimately can be seized).

That it’s caught only rarely has two explanations: either it’s a very rare “mistake” on the part of the exporters or U.K. Border Force are underfunded and overworked so rarely catch it.

 

[HoppyUK]

Are you suggesting that Hong Kong retailers are all crooks?
Do you arrive at that opinion by divination or pure prejudice.

Yes - Hong Kong etc retailers are indeed crooks. I have seen it with my own eyes, as I mentioned earlier in the thread. Goods routinely misdescribed as gifts, or toys or samples; as not containing a battery when they do; massively undervalued like $10 instead of $1000; country of origin China when it's Japan.

But that's as far as their deception goes, and their legal responsibility, because they make sure in the small print that the buyer is the legal importer and therefore the one responsible for all payment of duty and tax - that has not been paid.

EDit: there is away around it, if you say to the courier on delivery that the documentation is wrong and that £xyz duty and VAT is payable. Most grey sellers will then settle that bill immediately on your behalf and you still get a cheap camera but 100% legit

 

[Eloise]

Oh and if you want something official which says that Customs and Duty collections have lots of holes...

The European Court of Auditors published this a couple of months back... https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADocuments/INSR17_19/INSR_CUSTOMS_EN.pdf

Not specifically Grey market goods, but the report found the U.K. “lost” around €2 billion in customs revenue!

More related to Grey market goods the report says “the auditors found that a lack of checks was leading to underpayment of duty on goods purchased on-line from outside the EU. The auditors say several courier companies are abusing this exemption.”

 

[simonbarker]

Are you suggesting that Hong Kong retailers are all crooks?
Do you arrive at that opinion by divination or pure prejudice.

If you import an item and don't pay the relevant taxes that's tax evasion, make up whatever nonsense you want but it's still your responsibility. For clarity, those Hong Kong firms aren't crooks in that example, you are.

You can try and deflect that with nonsense about racism and prejudice but that just highlights how empty your argument is. As I said I don't care what you personally choose to do but it's very poor form to keep pushing your lies on here as someone might actually believe them.

 

[Dave *]

I see no evidence of anone breaking the law, nor of any one being prosecuted or convicted for doing so.
All I see is concerted attempts to ruin the reputations of grey importers.

So, in your world none of the grey importers are facilitating VAT evasion?

And yet...

• VAT non-payment from online trading by sellers based outside the EU is estimated to be up to £1.5bn.

https://www.taxation.co.uk/Articles/2017/06/20/336573/vat-underpayments-overseas-online-sellers

Though it looks like the government might well be taking action that will see most of these grey sellers become unprofitable.

In the 2017 Budget, the government announced the possibility of a change to the VAT collection method, which would deduct VAT at the point of sale.

The 2017 Budget included a call for evidence on a proposal to introduce an alternative VAT collection mechanism, known as split payments.

Under this approach, payments by UK consumers would be deemed to be inclusive of VAT, and the VAT component of the sale would be withheld by the banks and paid over to HMRC (paragraph 3.18).

https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/u...ers-failing-to-charge-VAT-on-online-sales.pdf

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

Terry ... are you deliberately ignoring that we have several examples of Grey Importers who undervalue the good on customs declaration? For every £1500 camera valued at £300 that’s a saving of £240 (VAT on £1500 is £300 vs £60 on £300).

That IS evidence of grey importers breaking the law. But as they are forigen companies, there is very little that U.K. Gov can do about it except, when they catch it, chase the missed payments (and the equipment may be held by the U.K. Border Force until the excess is paid, and ultimately can be seized).

That it’s caught only rarely has two explanations: either it’s a very rare “mistake” on the part of the exporters or U.K. Border Force are underfunded and overworked so rarely catch it.

The only case so far to appear in this thread with any credibility at all, is the sept 2015 one, regarding a delivery by Digital Rev who are trusted enough to have a HMRC agreement to pay tax and duty in advance. However we do not know how this incident ended, there is no evidence that they were ever prosecuted. They are still able to supply goods under the HMRC agreement.
As they have a company presence in london handling these sales and tax payments they are absolutely subject to British law.
A number of other companies also have a British corporate presence.

 

[Dave *]

The only case so far to appear in this thread with any credibility at all, is the sept 2015 one, regarding a delivery by Digital Rev who are trusted enough to have a HMRC agreement to pay tax and duty in advance. However we do not know how this incident ended, there is no evidence that they were ever prosecuted. They are still able to supply goods under the HMRC agreement.
As they have a company presence in london handling these sales and tax payments they are absolutely subject to British law.
A number of other companies also have a British corporate presence.

Could you link to where this UK branch of DigitalRev is?

A quick search only finds this

DIGITALREV (UK) LIMITED

Company number 07696944

• Company Overview for DIGITALREV (UK) LIMITED (07696944)
• Filing historyfor DIGITALREV (UK) LIMITED (07696944)
• Peoplefor DIGITALREV (UK) LIMITED (07696944)

Registered office address
The Meridian 4 Copthall House, Station Square, Coventry, West Midlands, England, CV1 2FL
Company status
Dissolved
Dissolved on
13 March 2012
Company type
Private limited Company
Incorporated on
7 July 2011

Incorporated 2011, dissolved 2012. Never filed a return...

Oh, and as keeps getting said, the HK retailers abuse the import vat situation by massively undervaluing on the declaration, you continuing to ignore that fact won't make it go away.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

After Brexit we may well find that we rely more and more on Chinese/Hong Kong trade as they are a free port.
And it would make some sense for Japanese products to be redirected throgh their fascilities..
we could well find Hong Kong outles appearing on our high streets. After all more and more of our real estate and infrastructures are Chinese owned.
In fact eastern and far eastern enterpises own huge chunks of our manufacturing and commercial interests.
And HSBC fave a massive influence on British finances throughout the world.

It would be underestimating them entirely to consider them as just petty fraudulent camera retailers..
This year the Chinese economy will grow by at least 6.5 % it does at least that, every year.

 

[Robert Eva]

Easy to spot , will be 30% cheaper.

 

[Dave *]

Digital Rev who are trusted enough to have a HMRC agreement to pay tax and duty in advance. However we do not know how this incident ended, there is no evidence that they were ever prosecuted. They are still able to supply goods under the HMRC agreement.

Actually, it would appear DigitalRev are no longer registered under an HMRC agreement.

DIGITALREV LIMITED
Total number of appointments 1
DIGITALREV (UK) LIMITED (07696944)
Company status
Dissolved
Correspondence address
Unit 23, 12/F Block A, Wah Lok Ind. Ctr., 31 Shan Mei Street,, Fotan,, Hong Kong, 000
Role
Director
Appointed on
7 July 2011
Register location
HONG KONG
Registration number
22036451

 

[Dave *]

we could well find Hong Kong outles appearing on our high streets.

And then they would be forced to pay VAT on UK sales or face prosecution, so they might not...

 

[Eloise]

The only case so far to appear in this thread with any credibility at all, is the sept 2015 one, regarding a delivery by Digital Rev who are trusted enough to have a HMRC agreement to pay tax and duty in advance. However we do not know how this incident ended, there is no evidence that they were ever prosecuted. They are still able to supply goods under the HMRC agreement.
As they have a company presence in london handling these sales and tax payments they are absolutely subject to British law.
A number of other companies also have a British corporate presence.

DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) is not a HMRC agreement. There is no “trust” involved between (in this case) DigitalRev (who despite your claims are wholly a HK company afaik) and HMRC. If anything the “trust” is with the courier company.

If you read the ECA press release you’d realise this IS an issue and the courier companies are complicit in many cases.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

Actually, it would appear DigitalRev are no longer registered under an HMRC agreement.

They might have closed their British branch but that does not mean that they do not have a HMRC agreement . It is not reliant on having a branch here.
When you visit ther site you note that the have changed their entire world focus. From hardware to media.
They have clearly seen new opportunities to exploit.
British companies are rarely nimble enough to achieve that.

 

[Dave *]

They might have closed their British branch but that does not mean that they do not have a HMRC agreement . It is not reliant on having a branch here.

As @Eloise says, there's no trust or such in that agreement, and the second quote I posted shows they (DigitalRev HK) are no longer registered with HMRC anyway,

 

[User.82148]

After Brexit we may well find that we rely more and more on Chinese/Hong Kong trade as they are a free port.
And it would make some sense for Japanese products to be redirected throgh their fascilities..
we could well find Hong Kong outles appearing on our high streets. After all more and more of our real estate and infrastructures are Chinese owned.
In fact eastern and far eastern enterpises own huge chunks of our manufacturing and commercial interests.
And HSBC fave a massive influence on British finances throughout the world.

It would be underestimating them entirely to consider them as just petty fraudulent camera retailers..
This year the Chinese economy will grow by at least 6.5 % it does at least that, every year.

As much as I enjoy most ot your posts, you are seriously deluding yourself if you think grey imports are not a means of tax evasion. However, arguing is pointless on this subject.

 

[DemiLion]

regarding a delivery by Digital Rev who are trusted enough to have a HMRC agreement to pay tax and duty in advance.

Where did you get that prime bit of BS from?

If Digital Rev/Panamoz/Whomever had a pre-payment arrangement with HMRC, then they would be able to issue you a valid VAT receipt. Except they can't. Ergo they are lying.

 

[DemiLion]

Just to be crystal clear about this, these are DR's current T&Cs of sale:

“By purchasing a product through the site, you agree that such purchase and the import of such product complies with the laws of the country to which you have requested DigitalRev Limited to ship the product, and agree that you will be considered the sole "Importer" of the product to your country for all purposes, including customs regulations and copyright and trademark laws. You acknowledge and agree that DigitalRev Limited's role is limited to procuring products available in Hong Kong and other regions and making these products available through the site to you for purchase in Hong Kong and for your import to your country. In no event will DigitalRev Limited be a party to the import of such products nor will it be responsible for any liability arising under the laws of any country other than Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for the import and sale of products available on the site, including without limitation customs regulations and customs holds, detentions and seizures and copyright and trademark laws.

No terms and conditions contained in the confirmation of order, purchase order or other document of the buyer will form part of the contract.”


Note that last line. It means they can say anything at all that they want about the sale and it's irrelevant. The original T&Cs will stand.

It continues:

"The price for the goods shall, unless otherwise agreed, be the price set out on the dispatch confirmation. The price for the goods quoted on the website shall be exclusive of all costs of carriage and insurance and applicable import Tax/VAT/GST and duty which the buyer shall pay in addition"


and

"By purchasing a product through the Site, customers outside of Hong Kong authorise DigitalRev Limited to make arrangements for clearance of customs on their behalf for the products they have ordered. When ordering goods from DigitalRev Limited, overseas deliveries may be subject to import duties and taxes, which are levied once the package reaches the specified destination. Any additional charges for customs clearance must be borne by you, unless an Import Handling Charge is included in the price of the goods. Customs policies vary widely from country to country, so you should contact your local Customs officer for further information. Additionally, please note that when ordering from DigitalRev Limited, you are considered the sole importer of record and must comply with all laws and regulations of the country in which you are receiving the goods."


and finally that handy little 'Import Handling Charge':

"For some countries, the price for the goods quoted on the website includes a Import Handling Charge. If such charge is included in the price quoted, we'll 1) display a notice when you mouse over the price as well as on the basket/cart page notifying you the amount of Import Handling Charge included, and 2) have courier company bill any import tax, duty and clearance charges to our account up to 200% (Say "Two Hundred Percent") of the amount of the Import Handling Fee paid."


So laid out absolutely crystal clearly in DR's T&Cs is what they are doing.

You are responsible foir the import. You are responsible for the taxes. If you pay a 'handling charge' DR will pay any taxes due if you get caught.

It's basically a tax avoidance insurance.

No sign of DDP. No sign of a cosy little agreement with HMRC.

They are making their customers into tax avoiders.

 

[Dave *]

They are making their customers into tax avoiders*.

*Tax evaders

 

[RedRobin]

On this question of sellers making their customers (end-users/buyers) into tax avoiders/evaders by virtue of their T&C small print, wouldn't any investigation of their practices by HMRC render such T&Cs as null and void if the seller was consequently deemed or found to be illegally non-compliant with the UK's vat regulations?

 

[johnf3f]

A hypothetical question to all those who say (something along the lines of) ... "grey market companies are okay to buy from because we don't know their accounting practices and don't know that they are avoiding VAT and duty": If their websites instead of saying "We keep prices low by purchasing internationally and pass the savings on to our customers" said "We keep our prices low by importing the goods in a way which enables much of them to pass through customs un-inspected and therefore avoiding British / European duty and VAT"* ... would you still buy from them?

*and yes, I know no one is likely to write such a statement on a website ... I'm talking hypothetically!

I don't know who you actually purchased from ... but isn't the FACTs that while you live in Wales, your 7D2 was *purchased* in HK most likely. Certainly if you use DigitalRev you are purchasing in HK; if you use Panamoz you are purchasing in HK (other companies will vary).

I purchased from Portus Digital, and their T&Cs specifically stated that taxes were paid. Nothing was there about acting as an import agent etc.
Just checked their website ;

"What about tax & duty?

The total on your invoice includes applicable taxes & charges."

I cannot say that this is true or not - but I am not legally obliged nor qualified to call them liars.

 

[DemiLion]

*Tax evaders

Cheers!

 

[Retune]

I'm not qualified to call them anything, but Portus Digital certainly have an interesting explanation of serial number tampering:

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2...eal-deal-imported-sold-unofficially-consumers

'Professional photographer Craig Skinner bought a brand new Nikon D7000 camera from UK-based grey market supplier Portus Digital in early 2014. “It was around £400 and looked like a very attractive deal at the time,” he says. After 14 months it developed a focus problem and, when he sent it to Nikon for repairs, the company informed him that the serial number was fake and refused to mend it, sending the camera back to him.

Nikon told Guardian Money the serial number had been tampered with by an unknown third party, “which unfortunately invalidated the warranty”.

Skinner went back to Portus, which offered him a replacement. “After much tooing and froing I finally received one: a D7100. I ended up paying a few quid to make up the difference as the retailer was unable to source a D7000 due to Nikon no longer manufacturing them,” he says.

Portus Digital told us it wasn’t an authorised Nikon dealer and that it sold grey market cameras. “Our suppliers, who are authorised dealers based in the far east, do change the serial numbers on the cameras for stock purposes,” it says. “But these cameras are genuinely made by the manufacturer stated on the camera.”'

Edit: You are actually the importer, by the way:

https://www.portusdigital.com/terms-and-conditions

 

[DemiLion]

On this question of sellers making their customers (end-users/buyers) into tax avoiders/evaders by virtue of their T&C small print, wouldn't any investigation of their practices by HMRC render such T&Cs as null and void if the seller was consequently deemed or found to be illegally non-compliant with the UK's vat regulations?

Sales by Digital Rev take place in the Honk Kong SAR and are governed (according to their T&Cs) by HKSAR law. Ergo no compliance with any UK sales law is required.

 

[DemiLion]

I purchased from Portus Digital, and their T&Cs specifically stated that taxes were paid. Nothing was there about acting as an import agent etc.
Just checked their website ;

"What about tax & duty?

The total on your invoice includes applicable taxes & charges."

I cannot say that this is true or not - but I am not legally obliged nor qualified to call them liars.

Sadly for you Portus's T&Cs are very well hidden. The only link from their main site is via a line of text at the bottom of their FAQ, which isn't even marked up as a link.

Never the less, you are legally obliged to know what those are, namely:

"Taxes and the Price You Pay

The total on your invoice includes applicable taxes & charges. By making a purchase on our website you are acting as the importer of the product
and agree to Portus Digital making all delivery arrangements to your door, including customs clearance into the UK or other EU countries."


That condition is also missing three very important letters: 'all'

As in

"The total on your invoice includes all applicable taxes & charges"

It also fails to mention that the applicable taxes and charges are those which Portus encounters. As the importer, you are the one liable for any VAT or Duty due.

Sorry, but they've turned you into a tax evader (unless of course you now declare the import to HMRC and pay the relevant amount owed).

 

[Dave *]

I cannot say that this is true or not - but I am not legally obliged nor qualified to call them liars.

Surely you felt qualified enough to read the customs declaration and make sure the item description and value shown were correct to what you had purchased?

Something you are actually legally obliged to do?

 

[Box Brownie]

What about HDEW, they do have a bricks & mortar site.................................but though I cannot find it now I thought they did hold limited UK stocks i.e. already imported. But still I cannot find anything about whether 'you' the buyer is actually the importer???

 

[simonbarker]

What about HDEW, they do have a bricks & mortar site.................................but though I cannot find it now I thought they did hold limited UK stocks i.e. already imported. But still I cannot find anything about whether 'you' the buyer is actually the importer???

It's a question of who's doing the importing, if you buy from outside the EU then it's on you, if you buy from a company that's paid or will pay those taxes then there ends your responsibility.

Obviously you won't know if a UK company has paid or not but that's a problem for them to resolve with HMRC, that's my understanding of it anyway.

 

[johnf3f]

Surely you felt qualified enough to read the customs declaration and make sure the item description and value shown were correct to what you had purchased?

Something you are actually legally obliged to do?

There aren't any customs between Powys and Mid Glamorgan. To get it to me in the time that they did then Concorde would have struggled! Order to receipt was in the region of 30 hours give or take a little. If that came from outside the UK then they are setting records!

 

[johnf3f]

Sadly for you Portus's T&Cs are very well hidden. The only link from their main site is via a line of text at the bottom of their FAQ, which isn't even marked up as a link.

Never the less, you are legally obliged to know what those are, namely:

"Taxes and the Price You Pay

The total on your invoice includes applicable taxes & charges. By making a purchase on our website you are acting as the importer of the product
and agree to Portus Digital making all delivery arrangements to your door, including customs clearance into the UK or other EU countries."


That condition is also missing three very important letters: 'all'

As in

"The total on your invoice includes all applicable taxes & charges"

It also fails to mention that the applicable taxes and charges are those which Portus encounters. As the importer, you are the one liable for any VAT or Duty due.

Sorry, but they've turned you into a tax evader (unless of course you now declare the import to HMRC and pay the relevant amount owed).

That's interesting! I couldn't find those terms - please could you direct me to them?

 

[HoppyUK]

What about HDEW, they do have a bricks & mortar site.................................but though I cannot find it now I thought they did hold limited UK stocks i.e. already imported. But still I cannot find anything about whether 'you' the buyer is actually the importer???

Where did you look? It's in Terms and Conditions, under the (deliberately?) confusing heading of Intellectual Property Rights:
Please note that by making a purchase on this website you will be acting as the importer of the product for all purposes including all customs...etc etc
https://www.hdewcameras.co.uk/terms.asp

Traders can hold goods in a 'customs warehouse' without paying anything until they're actually sold - common practise. The customs warehouse is a procedure, not a place. It could be anywhere so long as it adheres to authorised inventory systems, but since it's very unlikely that HMRC will have the slightest notion of what they've got, it's kind of irrelevant.

 

[jamesev]

Where did you look? It's in Terms and Conditions, under the (deliberately?) confusing heading of Intellectual Property Rights:
Please note that by making a purchase on this website you will be acting as the importer of the product for all purposes including all customs...etc etc
https://www.hdewcameras.co.uk/terms.asp

Traders can hold goods in a 'customs warehouse' without paying anything until they're actually sold - common practise. The customs warehouse is a procedure, not a place. It could be anywhere so long as it adheres to authorised inventory systems, but since it's very unlikely that HMRC will have the slightest notion of what they've got, it's kind of irrelevant.

So bottom line being is its all about risk / reward

You get a product cheaper but

Potentially liable for Taxes and Import Duties
Potentially Risk goods being seized
Potentially having an invalid warranty

So a bit like used car vs new (were warranty doesn't transfer) piece of mind motoring for 5 years but you pay a premium.

Had an instance at work of a person who was adamant about buying an X5 and made a big song and dance about having all the "toys" however 2 weeks out of the 3 month dealer warranty period had suspension issues and diesel filter replacement and gearbox issues that would have set them back about £4500. You pays your money (or not) and takes your chance.

 

[Phil V]

On this question of sellers making their customers (end-users/buyers) into tax avoiders/evaders by virtue of their T&C small print, wouldn't any investigation of their practices by HMRC render such T&Cs as null and void if the seller was consequently deemed or found to be illegally non-compliant with the UK's vat regulations?

No
What they’re doing is reiterating the law. Which is the same law people keep explaining to you, and which you so much want to be untrue, you keep failing to grasp.

 

[RedRobin]

No
What they’re doing is reiterating the law. Which is the same law people keep explaining to you, and which you so much want to be untrue, you keep failing to grasp.

....Thank you for answering my question by saying "No".

As for the rest of your reply, as I consciously never buy goods retailed from outside the UK/EU/USA, I don't have any vested interest or wish that whatever "law" you are referring to is untrue. Goods I buy show that due taxes have been paid.

Perhaps you, and some others, should remove the dead sheep from your head and be less prejudiced against my questions. I don't know if you intend it to be but I find your manner and tone towards me to be unnecessarily unfriendly.

 

[Phil V]

....Thank you for answering my question by saying "No".

As for the rest of your reply, as I consciously never buy goods retailed from outside the UK/EU/USA, I don't have any vested interest or wish that whatever "law" you are referring to is untrue. Goods I buy show that due taxes have been paid.

Perhaps you, and some others, should remove the dead sheep from your head and be less prejudiced against my questions. I don't know if you intend it to be but I find your manner and tone towards me to be unnecessarily unfriendly.

Robin
You have had the facts presented to you in any number of ways. You are literally choosing not to listen to the point of sticking your fingers in your ears and screaming LaLaLa.
The terms of multiple grey market suppliers have been linked and reproduced. Some of us have explainred how HMRC works and why people can get away with this. I'm judging no one; this is exactly the same as breaking the speed limit. In a risk / reward calculation the rewards are high and the risk of being caught is low. Some people will feel that they're entitled to break that law, some will do it enven though they feel that it's wrong and some will feel very strongly that no one should be doing it.

What you're trying to do is pretend that the law is unclear, or that it doesn't exist. It does exist, but if you choose to ignore it, you're highly unlikely to get caught, and if you do get caught, the business enabling your law breaking may even help you out.

Hope that's clear enough.

By the way, I sometimes break a speed limit, and I may in the past have bought grey market items, I drink more than I should and I may have fornicated. But I'm comfortable with my life choices and not pretending I don't understand the repercussions of them. If you're not happy with the tax evasion involved in buying grey market goods, stop buying them, if you want to keep buying them - at least acknowledge that the evidence clearly says you're not paying the tax due.

 

[Retune]

That's interesting! I couldn't find those terms - please could you direct me to them?

See the link in my post.

 

[Retune]

So a bit like used car vs new (were warranty doesn't transfer) piece of mind motoring for 5 years but you pay a premium.

Plus the car dealer offers us a 'cash discount' and we don't ask why.

 

[RedRobin]

Robin
You have had the facts presented to you in any number of ways. You are literally choosing not to listen to the point of sticking your fingers in your ears and screaming LaLaLa.
The terms of multiple grey market suppliers have been linked and reproduced. Some of us have explainred how HMRC works and why people can get away with this. I'm judging no one; this is exactly the same as breaking the speed limit. In a risk / reward calculation the rewards are high and the risk of being caught is low. Some people will feel that they're entitled to break that law, some will do it enven though they feel that it's wrong and some will feel very strongly that no one should be doing it.

What you're trying to do is pretend that the law is unclear, or that it doesn't exist. It does exist, but if you choose to ignore it, you're highly unlikely to get caught, and if you do get caught, the business enabling your law breaking may even help you out.

Hope that's clear enough.

By the way, I sometimes break a speed limit, and I may in the past have bought grey market items, I drink more than I should and I may have fornicated. But I'm comfortable with my life choices and not pretending I don't understand the repercussions of them. If you're not happy with the tax evasion involved in buying grey market goods, stop buying them, if you want to keep buying them - at least acknowledge that the evidence clearly says you're not paying the tax due.

....Many Thanks, Phil - I very much appreciate you spending the time on your reply.

I think you now deserve to go fishing!

I am now off to photograph some wild Short-eared Owls (hopefully!) and I might, like you, occasionally break the 60/70 speed limit getting there [I use an accurate GPS speedo and never break the 20/30/40 limits, irrespective of speed camera presence]

Cheers!

 

[Box Brownie]

Where did you look? It's in Terms and Conditions, under the (deliberately?) confusing heading of Intellectual Property Rights:
Please note that by making a purchase on this website you will be acting as the importer of the product for all purposes including all customs...etc etc
https://www.hdewcameras.co.uk/terms.asp

Traders can hold goods in a 'customs warehouse' without paying anything until they're actually sold - common practise. The customs warehouse is a procedure, not a place. It could be anywhere so long as it adheres to authorised inventory systems, but since it's very unlikely that HMRC will have the slightest notion of what they've got, it's kind of irrelevant.

Pretty sure I looked logically in terms and did a word search for importer......the word did not appear???, that is why I asked because I was sure this with HDEW had come up before.