Importing lenses from Japan

[the black fox]

Anybody on here imported from Japan , and if so what are import duties like or do they slip through as per Chinese imports .. finding that the prices a lot of private u.k sellers want often exceed the price from u.k dealers that also come with warranty .. it’s really getting to be a minefield finding good used gear

 

[andrewc]

Duties and taxes depends how honest the vendor is about customs declaration.

The rate of duty is likely to be 5.00% of the declared value, with VAT at 20% charged on everything, unless it doesn't breach the UK threshold for collecting duty.

 

[woof woof]

I once ordered a lens from the USA and when it came I got stung for £80 but in reality that just changed it from really being quite a bargain to being a middling sort of price for a hard to find lens and I was happy enough at the price (not cheap but not expensive either) as it was in very good condition which some of the UK/EC lower priced items possibly couldn't match..

So, I'd just consider and factor in the worst case scenario of having to pay the additional costs on delivery and decide if I'd still be happy and if that doesn't happen it's a bonus.

 

[Petrochemist]

Once when ordering from the USA, I got stung for a £20 fee for the courier to pay the duty & then reclaim it from me on delivery. This might not have been a huge deal on a big transaction but IIRC the total goods (CD's of digital data that in todays world would just be downloaded duty free) were under £100, and the duty payable only about £5.

Import Duty rates are rather variable & extremely complex. I've heard that cameras are zero rated, but lenses are not. Many items could be classified in multiple sections, all with different duty rates. I guess navigating this minefield is one of the things that keeps importers in business!

Of course with Brexit it could all change soon but it's anyone's guess as to what to...

 

[mdpF2]

On the old ltm Canon lenses I've bought from Japan, there's always been duty and VAT charged...

 

[Asha]

I've purchased many lenses from outside of europe, including from Japan and typically with no problems.

As already mentioned the import fees can be complex depending on a number of factors but I calculate for an additional 25% on top of what I've paid the seller…..That is usually fairly accurate, if anything more often than not the actual amount is a tad less.

Almost everytime that I've had items delivered from outside the EU, the customs fees have been requested at time of delivery, be it by the courrier ( Fedex etc) or on collection at the .P.O. and have had to be paid before the parcel has been "released".

On one occasion however the parcel was delivered and the bill for the customs fees arrived a few weeks later.
No big deal one would have thought, but having duly paid the amount, I received continual demands from the courrier company for the non payment of imports charges.
It took quite some time and a number of letters to resolve.

Don't let this put you off as some very good bargains can be had from Japan and elsewhere, just be aware of some of the potential hiccups that may arise.

If you're ready for such eventualities then they don't come as a surprise and as such can often be resolved fairly easily.

 

[StewartR]

I've heard that cameras are zero rated, but lenses are not.

Correct. The import duty on lenses is 6.9%. And of course there's VAT on both cameras and lenses.