Is HM customs going to ruin christmas?....

fumiyasu

fumiyasu

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Ok... I am sure anyone who have brought from outside the EU have had this before...
The story goes, a while ago, I've been starting to look at old manual focus lenses and there's quite a cult following this Rokkor 58mm 1.2 lens so I've decided to get one to see for myself and perhaps as a xmas present. I looked on ebay for days to find one at the right price and finally brought one about two weeks ago but it was from a US seller. the seller sent it on the 4th and was told I should get it by the 8th... so I got pretty excited..... until... on Monday I saw on the tracking system that it is awaiting customs charging. So I thought, damn, I have to pay the extra VAT and etc... but never mind, it shouldn't be too much and I was just too excited to care. Then one day passed, two, three and so on, it's still "awaiting customs charging". It's now day 11 since it's been in the customs... Why won't they work faster!!!... It was my biggest mistake to go with USPS which cooperates with parcel force. I should have just gone with UPS or DHL who actually keep to their guarantee delivery dates... It's just so frustrating. I mean, I understand it's near Christmas and their work load has gone up a lot but 11 days comparing to the normal 1 to 2 days is just too much....

So here I am, waiting for lens but as I am going away on Saturday, chances are I probably won't be able to use it on holiday... Stupid HM customs ruins xmas. And don't even get me started on the moral legitimacy of charging VAT on personal imports.

So yea... rant finish..
 
Customs can often take forever to clear items. My friend sent me a birthday pressie which took 6 weeks to arrive here in Canada from the UK - all because customs inspected it. Hope your lens arrives a little quicker!
 
At least through the mail the collection fee will be less than DHL or UPS would charge.

Hope you'll be able to focus your new lens, wide open.
 
I've had a camera sit in customs for almost two months before, coming from the States via usps. When it did arrive there were no charges to be paid though, at this time of the year I think they get swamped.
 
whats worse is that we live in a land where big multinational companies can steal job opportunities and take the money out of our country, but yet if we wish to buy something personally from abroad we are taxed heavily

double standards somewhat!!!!
 
minimeeze said:
Customs can often take forever to clear items. My friend sent me a birthday pressie which took 6 weeks to arrive here in Canada from the UK - all because customs inspected it. Hope your lens arrives a little quicker!
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I have to say thou, this is the first time it's taken so long for me. Sure hope it takes less then 6 week. I've been told by parcel force that I can get them to search for the parcel if it's been stuck in customs for more than 10 working days. I think I will have to do that tomorrow..

photon said:
£8 vs. £20?
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Are you sure? I seem to remember the last time I used UPS they just shipped it right to me and only asked for the customs charge...unless the part of the customs charge includes the redelivery fee. and to be honest, if it were only 12 pounds difference between waiting for 3 days and 6 weeks then I would have paid the difference... I could have saved that amount by just eating out one less time... but the utility I gained from having the lens would be far greater than having one meal in a restaurant...

Steep said:
I've had a camera sit in customs for almost two months before, coming from the States via usps. When it did arrive there were no charges to be paid though, at this time of the year I think they get swamped.
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2 months?!?... I would have gone nuts if it was me...:gag:

feeb said:
whats worse is that we live in a land where big multinational companies can steal job opportunities and take the money out of our country, but yet if we wish to buy something personally from abroad we are taxed heavily

double standards somewhat!!!!
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Yes, there's no right for MNCs to charge differently in different country when we can actually physically buy things from other countries without any major problem. If there were no customs charge, a camera from Hong Kong would cost less and delivery time wouldn't be much longer. It's the customs charge that creates the possibility of unfair pricing. The UK is supposed to be a liberal country that supports free trade, so why do we have such protectionist policies? especially when it's actually protecting foreign companies....
VAT as the name suggests, is the value added tax. Now, when have I added any value to my lens by importing it? If I sell it on then ok, I should probably pay VAT as I am earning the price differential but i really don't see why I should pay if I am using it personally, other than to protect domestic retailers. It's like if a tourist brings a camera on holiday you wouldn't expect him to pay import duties, what makes mailing it in different?
 
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fumiyasu said:
2 months?!?... I would have gone nuts if it was me...:gag:
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I did, the delivery could not be tracked outside the usa so thinking it was lost the seller (eBay) after some argument had replaced it, two weeks later the original arrived.
 
Steep said:
I did, the delivery could not be tracked outside the usa so thinking it was lost the seller (eBay) after some argument had replaced it, two weeks later the original arrived.
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So the second attempt actually got to you before the original? Well that's weird..

I am on the verge of insanity now... good thing I booked an AMG experience drive tomorrow at the Mercedes Benz World at Brooklands.. Burning some rubber should help me feel better.. The only problem is weather report seems to suggest there might be heavy snow tomorrow... if that happens then I think I am definitely going nuts... What have I done to deserve this!!..:lol:
 
you want to try living in BFPO address (British Forces Post) it took 5 months for me to receive a bill, by the time I got it they had passed it onto debt collectors.........and the company said it wasn't their problem it was mine!!!!
 
Nicci said:
you want to try living in BFPO address (British Forces Post) it took 5 months for me to receive a bill, by the time I got it they had passed it onto debt collectors.........and the company said it wasn't their problem it was mine!!!!
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Actually, thinking about that, I once had a friend in the USAF sending me an parcel from Iraq and if I remember correctly that only took like a week. I remember the tracking was quite interesting to look at, you see it landing in Germany and then to the UK... and I actually had sand stuck to the tape on the box which was classic...:lol:
 
customs is probably just swamped at the moment.

We have had disgusting service from Parcelforce in the past - when we got married my husband sent his parents (in Botswana) a letter formally inviting them to our wedding, details of where they would be staying and also copies of some other documents. He sent it out the week before they were due to fly using either their next day or 2 day delivery service. I think it cost something in the region of £60 just to post a few sheets of paper.

3 months later, the letter still hadn't arrived - it had been tracked as far as a sorting office somewhere in the uk. When he phoned to complain, the letter arrived at his parents a week later.
 
Customs charging does NOT mean you are going to be charged. I import all the time. They usually sit in customs charging for 2 days (with me, never been longer) Then it changes to out route to delivery depot. Usually next day delivery then.

I import from China. Last package was sent on the 10th and I received on the 15th.
 
gembobs said:
customs is probably just swamped at the moment.

We have had disgusting service from Parcelforce in the past - when we got married my husband sent his parents (in Botswana) a letter formally inviting them to our wedding, details of where they would be staying and also copies of some other documents. He sent it out the week before they were due to fly using either their next day or 2 day delivery service. I think it cost something in the region of £60 just to post a few sheets of paper.

3 months later, the letter still hadn't arrived - it had been tracked as far as a sorting office somewhere in the uk. When he phoned to complain, the letter arrived at his parents a week later.
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Sorry to here that... i can imagine how furious u guys were...

Brooksy said:
Customs charging does NOT mean you are going to be charged. I import all the time. They usually sit in customs charging for 2 days (with me, never been longer) Then it changes to out route to delivery depot. Usually next day delivery then.

I import from China. Last package was sent on the 10th and I received on the 15th.
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but that's the thing, I've never had to wait that long.. so I am sure i was the unlucky one that they decided to open the package or maybe it got dropped behind the pile and forgotten about or something...
 
You can always give them a call, they are helpful believe it or not!
 
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