Import Duty

wcavanagh

wcavanagh

Suspended / Banned
Messages
995
Edit My Images
No
Anyone know how this works. Ordered something from Hong Kong and it is sent by DHL, looking at the tracking info it came into Heathrow this morning.

It says Clearance Processed, then arrived and left the sorting office, now it has says Arrived at Delivery Facility in London-Heathrow - UK

Now I wonder if I have done good and not got import duty added? or if I still could get it added yet?

Any ideas?
 
I've purchased lens from the US and a few bits from Hong Kong (sometimes its quicker than buying from within the UK). I've never been asked to pay duty but most items I've bought have been under £300, possibly depends on the value and how diligent HM C & E have been.

Nigel.
 
Its my first time buying from Hong Kong, but thought I should try. Quite impressed that it was dispatched yesterday and today it in in Heathrow and the annoying this is, Heathrow is 7 miles down the road from home.
 
Do let us know what happens as I have been considering this recently. Which company did you use?
 
I will do, It was from DigitalRev.

Keeping everything crossed.
 
You wont have to pay any duty with Digital Rev.
If you look at your online invoice with them you will see that UK duty is prepaid in the price of your item.
 
Errr...I wouldn't count your chickens yet, not until you are opening the box...

But there again, it might get through...it's always seemed like hit & miss when I ordered stuff from outside the UK...

Good luck anyways...

CR
 
I will do when I get home :)

Fingers crossed then, because if so it REALLY was a bargain :)
 
You won't necessarily get the bill for the import duty & tax when they deliver the item. Often, you will be sent a separate invoice from DHL after the event. They will also charge you a handling fee on top. I've ordered items from the US and HK and on almost every occasion I have had to pay an import charge. The only exception is when it's been a very small & light packet with 'Trade Sample - goods of zero value' or it's been under the import limit of around £18. I ordered an SU-800 from DigitalRev, and with the tax, duty and fees, it ended up costing more than buying it in the UK.
 
Cybershot Rob said:
Errr...I wouldn't count your chickens yet, not until you are opening the box...

But there again, it might get through...it's always seemed like hit & miss when I ordered stuff from outside the UK...

Good luck anyways...

CR
Click to expand...

That's because it dependes on the seller.
Digital Rev are one of the few that add the duty to the order then pay it to DHL.
One stop digital do not add the duty but they will refund if if you get charged.
 
Having bought a lot of stuff my experiences are varied - some of digital revs sales state no vat or duty guarranteed and if you get charged, they will refund you payment.
With other sellers it varies and depends to some extent on the carrier - royal mail will not deliver until vat and duty + collection fee are paid. some other carriers will deliver the item and then weeks or months later they will invoice you for the vat and duty.

Good Luck

Mike
 
Well a camera body doesn't attract duty, so no problem there.

VAT at 15% will be payable by somebody, as I said the Dig Rev website suggests by you but check with them.
 
I got stung back along when I got a Nintendo DS from HK for my daughter.

All came via DHL, about a week later I had a bill from Customs & Excise for £10 something and had 10 days to pay.

I guess you live and learn.:D
 
Looks like I will just have to wait and see. Hopefully it get delivered Monday.
 
trapper501 said:
Well a camera body doesn't attract duty, so no problem there.
Click to expand...

Please could you explain how a camera body doesn't attract duty? Are they exempt from VAT and Import Tax? Thanks in advance.
 
When I've bought abroad from a commercial source, be it a bricks and mortar or an Ebay shop, I've always paid every bladdy bit of tax and duty going.
Its much more likely that tax and duty can be missed on sales from private non commercial sellers, but its not a certainty.
 
IIRC, there is a 0% TARIC duty code on optical equipment unless its changed recently. Not sure if this includes cameras but should definitely be applicable to lens.
 
miurasv said:
Please could you explain how a camera body doesn't attract duty? Are they exempt from VAT and Import Tax? Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

No, you still have to pay VAT @ 15% and may have to pay a handling fee to the courier
 
miurasv said:
Please could you explain how a camera body doesn't attract duty? Are they exempt from VAT and Import Tax? Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Why not quote the whole post, and you will find that I said there was 15% VAT to be paid.

Cameras are free of duty, Lenses are not. A camera body is counted as a camera with or without lens,a lens is subject to duty (6.7% I think but look on the HMRC website)

Duty is a customs tariff, and it is beyond me to be able to explain the rates that are applied. VAT is not a duty but a purchase tax.
 
razor777 said:
IIRC, there is a 0% TARIC duty code on optical equipment unless its changed recently. Not sure if this includes cameras but should definitely be applicable to lens.
Click to expand...

I've just looked up on the HMRC website and camera lenses are 6.7%. I think this is quite a longstanding arrangement as a quick google shows comments about it dated 2005.
 
kjevans said:
I got stung back along when I got a Nintendo DS from HK for my daughter.

All came via DHL, about a week later I had a bill from Customs & Excise for £10 something
Click to expand...
Sounds cheap

I've just taken delivery of a £31 item from Japan. Duty/charges were £21!

Wasn't really worth it.
 
hashcake said:
You wont have to pay any duty with Digital Rev.
If you look at your online invoice with them you will see that UK duty is prepaid in the price of your item.
Click to expand...

No that only applies to a few items that come from their London office. You do pay duty with Digital Rev. I've bought 2 cameras, 4 lenses and 2 flashes from them and paid it.

From their advert

digitalrev.png
 
ParcelForce system is pretty pants imo. You ring a premium rate number to pay before they will deliver the parcel. Their online system never works too.
 
As people have said they normally just send you bill for the duty after you get the item.
 
I put a $200 order in on ebay recently for dye-sub material from the US. Had to pay £28 for customs duty and parcelforce charge. I paid for it to come via USPS Express, so it ****ed me off that I ended up paying the same price again to parcelforce for the final leg.
 
wcavanagh: what happened in the end, did you have to pay any duties?
 
I imported a 500d body and two lens' and didnt have to pay any import duty, however I did have to pay VAT at 15%. The invoice for that came through 3 weeks after my delivery from FedEx international, and said the duty was dropped to £0.00 because it came in at under £8.00

i know thats all already been said, but this is from personal experiance
How did you get on??
 
hashcake said:
You wont have to pay any duty with Digital Rev.
If you look at your online invoice with them you will see that UK duty is prepaid in the price of your item.
Click to expand...

Sorry, but that statement on the invoice is a crock of pooh! If HMR&C decide you have to pay duty then you're gonna pay duty no matter what the invoice says.

The only exception is if the invoice and customs declaration that arrives with the actual item states exactly what it is, what customs tarriff has been applied, how much duty has been paid and which clearing agent has been used - then you might be okay. I've never seen that from Digital Rev.

Yes I know you've never had a problem but there are thousands of people every day of the week that have.
 
PhotoTalk said:
I put a $200 order in on ebay recently for dye-sub material from the US. Had to pay £28 for customs duty and parcelforce charge. I paid for it to come via USPS Express, so it ****ed me off that I ended up paying the same price again to parcelforce for the final leg.
Click to expand...

The duty is decided by HMR&C and is paid up-front by Parcel Force who then recover it from you, for which they charge an administration fee (normally £8 but sometimes higher). So you didn't actually pay PF anything to deliver the package to you - that's covered by the reciprocal agreement thay have with USPS (and many other postal carriers). Just think yourself lucky PF don't charge like the banks or you'd be looking at £35 admin fees!

To decide how much duty you have to pay, HMR&C compare the list price for the goods here in the UK and what you actually paid. If the difference is significant enough to make it worthwhile raising a charge then they do it and the amount is dependent on the customs tarrif applicable to the item(s) being imported.
 
I bought a brand new lens from OneStopDigital once and the got around the duty thing by saying the item was a repair or some such.

Which is big of them when they guarantee no import duty!
 
Bristolian said:
Sorry, but that statement on the invoice is a crock of pooh! If HMR&C decide you have to pay duty then you're gonna pay duty no matter what the invoice says.

The only exception is if the invoice and customs declaration that arrives with the actual item states exactly what it is, what customs tarriff has been applied, how much duty has been paid and which clearing agent has been used - then you might be okay. I've never seen that from Digital Rev.

Yes I know you've never had a problem but there are thousands of people every day of the week that have.
Click to expand...

Actually, read section 3.4 of this page. Some people will pre-pay import duty/vat on your behalf.

http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channels...MCE_CL_000014&propertyType=document#P99_11001

Digital Rev now offer this service, as do B&H
 
taz said:
I bought a brand new lens from OneStopDigital once and the got around the duty thing by saying the item was a repair or some such.

Which is big of them when they guarantee no import duty!
Click to expand...

Which throws up some warranty implications with Sigma Lenses and Sigma UK.
 
Buy from One Stop Digital in HK and if you are unlucky enough to get caught for VAT at customs OSD with refund what you had to pay.
 
andrewc said:
Actually, read section 3.4 of this page. Some people will pre-pay import duty/vat on your behalf.
Click to expand...

Andrew, maybe I didn't explain myself properly. I know some suppliers offer this service and on balance it might work more times than it doesn't. However, if HMRC feel that the duty paid is insufficient then they will demand more.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top