Shipping costs from America to the UK

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BirderOzzie

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Oscar Dewhurst
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Hi all,

I will possibly be buying a second hand lens from America and I am in the UK. Do you know how much shipping costs would be for the 200-400mm f4 VR lens would be? Would I still have to pay VAT if it is second hand?

Thanks

Oscar;)
 
Don't forget the extortionate £13.50 handling charge that parcelforce will rip you off for.
 
At a rough guess, someone like DHL will take a minimum of about £300 off you (assuming packaged weight of around 6kg and a value of around £3k) but it could be a fair bit more depending on the value you need it insured for and the service chosen.

HMRC will work out the duty and VAT based on the combined declared value and shipping costs
 
I got caught for that too on a cheap teleconverter from the states
DHL I think it was charged me something like £12 to take £15 off me item was only £60:(

not worth it in my opinion
pete
 
You're brave. I've bought and sold quite a few lenses on here, unseen both ways, but I wouldn't buy a lens like that without checking it for myself first. Very closely.
 
Islander said:
Don't forget the extortionate £13.50 handling charge that parcelforce will rip you off for.
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Is it really extortionate? They pre-pay the duty and VAT imposed by HMRC on your behalf and then deliver it to your door. If you're not at home they'll either take it to your local post office for you to collect at your convenience or re-deliver again the next day. You can even ask them to deliver to an alternative address. It's not always £13.50 either, the other fixed fee is only £8.00.

You always have the option of declining to pay the duty/vat/handling fee ... but then the goods would be returned to the seller :)
 
Unfortunately, on a £3000 lens, the VAT would be rather expensive.....
If GIFT was written on the box and immigration tag, do you think I could escape?

Oscar
 
Might be cheaper just to get a quick return flight out there.
 
I've bought stuff from the US a couple of times and the VAT is the crippler. A lot of suppliers just wont do the 'mark as gift' thing now anyway.
 
neil_g said:
parcelforce charged me £20 on my last USA purchase ($287USD bag), £8 of which was handling fee. the rest VAT.
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No, not Parcel Force - HMRC charged you the duty and vat. PFWW simply paid it for you and then recovered it before letting you have the package. You could have arranged to go to HMRC's compound to pay the bill directly and save the £8.00 ut how much would that have cost you?

The red (or sometimes lack) label on the side of the package makes it quite clear where the charge comes from
 
BirderOzzie said:
Unfortunately, on a £3000 lens, the VAT would be rather expensive.....
If GIFT was written on the box and immigration tag, do you think I could escape?

Oscar
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HMRC are well aware that this trick is used to try to dodge the duty. Fortunately for those that get caught they don't also prosecute for evasion, which they could do, and just apply the maximum duty rate.

Your chances of getting away with it depends where the package is coming from. Items from the USA are less likely to get past than from Japan. If the sender is a retailer and put their business name on the customs declaration then it'll almost certainly get picked up.
 
From Hong Kong i paid only £15 for a 150-500mm Sigma, i guess the weight would be a bout the same ? I suppose the distance would be too.
 
"gift" has a maximum value anyway... unlikely to below that on any camera gear I've ever looked at or bought... especially not a 200-400!

Oh and definitely try one of those before you buy one!!!
 
Shipping cost for a Schneider 140-280 zoom from US to UK was about £100 with insurance to £2500.
 
Islander said:
Don't forget the extortionate £13.50 handling charge that parcelforce will rip you off for.
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If your quote is correct :shrug: a rough calculation equates to 75 miles transit for 35pence. And you think that is being ripped off? :shake:
 
hollis_f said:
I doubt it, you'd still have to pay duty and VAT - and the local sales tax in the US.
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Local sales tax can be avoided by not living in the state. You dont pay sales tax if you buy online and the seller is in another state. I lived in NJ, would go to the B & H store in New York to look at and try out equipment, then go the 20 miles home and order online, saving 7%. Because of the age of the equipment I didnt have to pay import duty on any of my equipment when I returned to the UK to live
 
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Zebedee101 said:
Local sales tax can be avoided by not living in the state. You dont pay sales tax if you buy online and the seller is in another state. I lived in NJ, would go to the B & H store in New York to look at and try out equipment, then go the 20 miles home and order online, saving 7%.
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Yes, but not really feasible for somebody on 'a quick return flight'.
 
Bristolian said:
No, not Parcel Force - HMRC charged you the duty and vat. PFWW simply paid it for you and then recovered it before letting you have the package. You could have arranged to go to HMRC's compound to pay the bill directly and save the £8.00 ut how much would that have cost you?

The red (or sometimes lack) label on the side of the package makes it quite clear where the charge comes from
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potatoe potatoe.. i paid parcelforce to get my parcel released.
 
u8myufo said:
If your quote is correct :shrug: a rough calculation equates to 75 miles transit for 35pence. And you think that is being ripped off? :shake:
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The handling charge is a rip off! I bought something from the states for $35 - a lightweight item, VAT I was expecting but a £13.50 'handling charge'? :eek:

If I posted the same item to somewhere in this country the postage would only be a couple of quid, so yes £13.50 is a rip off!!

Neil
 
Ok Firstly - if the seller is not VAT registered, will I still have to pay VAT?

Secondly, desantnik, why do you think I should try one first?

Thirdly, customs duty will also apply - £200-£250

I will ring them and ask them - if VAT is £500 (which it will be at 17.5%), that would be a killer.

Thanks

Oscar
 
neil_g said:
potatoe potatoe.. i paid parcelforce to get my parcel released.
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The alternative is for HMRC to write to you and you go collect the package from them from either Heathrow or Coventry. You may be lucky and live close enough to either place and do that for less than PFWWs handling fee, or you might not.

PFWW are providing a service to you. You don't have to use it, simply tell them you don't want to pay their fee and they'll return the item to HMRC so you can collect it yourself.

If you were providing this service what would you charge? I bet you wouldn't do it for free and couldn't do it for less (and still turn a profit) for about 10,000 people each day.

Oh, and there's no "e" in potato either :)
 
BirderOzzie said:
Ok Firstly - if the seller is not VAT registered, will I still have to pay VAT?

Secondly, desantnik, why do you think I should try one first?

Thirdly, customs duty will also apply - £200-£250

I will ring them and ask them - if VAT is £500 (which it will be at 17.5%), that would be a killer.
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1) Yes, import duty and VAT are applicable to all items sent into the UK from outside the EU.

2) I'd recommend you try before you buy on any highly expensive item, but in particular this one because I *personally* believe it to be a dreadful bit of kit for the money.

3) Yes, see point #1
 
BirderOzzie said:
I will ring them and ask them - if VAT is £500 (which it will be at 17.5%), that would be a killer.
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I think you're just going to have to accept that so-called 'Rip-Off Britain' is a myth and that things aren't really that cheap in the US. Unless, of course, the dollar drops back down to being worth 50p. Then US prices do look nice.
 
BirderOzzie said:
Ok Firstly - if the seller is not VAT registered, will I still have to pay VAT?

Secondly, desantnik, why do you think I should try one first?

Thirdly, customs duty will also apply - £200-£250

I will ring them and ask them - if VAT is £500 (which it will be at 17.5%), that would be a killer.

Thanks

Oscar
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Remember you'll also need to add in the shipping cost before calculating the vat and duty, maybe another £60 or so for that, making a total of around £900 or so to add to the US cost of your lens.....
 
Bristolian said:
The alternative is for HMRC to write to you and you go collect the package from them from either Heathrow or Coventry. You may be lucky and live close enough to either place and do that for less than PFWWs handling fee, or you might not.

PFWW are providing a service to you. You don't have to use it, simply tell them you don't want to pay their fee and they'll return the item to HMRC so you can collect it yourself.

If you were providing this service what would you charge? I bet you wouldn't do it for free and couldn't do it for less (and still turn a profit) for about 10,000 people each day.

Oh, and there's no "e" in potato either :)
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you seem to think i was complaining about the cost.. :)
 
I bought lots of automotive accessories from the USA a couple of years back and simply got my cousin in Arlington VA to accept those packages that the seller wouldn't send overseas (there are a few that wont sent outside the continenetal USA) and forward them by private post.
Large parts that could be shipped the full distance went by DHL or similar.
My 'largest' purchase was a complete suspension-package for a 2008 Ford mustang - springs, shocks, sway-bars and panhard bar, plus a Hurst shifter.
Weight was fairly large.
Cost me $2,411 including the shipping of $400. VAT cost me the standard amount when I collected it from HM Customs.
Cost to me in the UK for lesser-quality components from a Mustang dealer (I specc'd a custom package, which you can't do in the UK - you're limited to the Ford Racing or Roush suspension packs, which aren't as 'tuneable') would have been approximately £5,000.

Buying overseas isn't always the best bet, but where the cost benefits are as significant as for car parts it makes a lot of sense. As long as you're aware of all the costs involved, that is...
When I did a similar thing but got the parts sent to me here in Germany, it cost me about 10% more in tax as the Germans apply all manner of strange charges to overseas imports. It sometimes makes more sense for me to ship large/expensive shipments to the UK and drive over and collect them in person.
 
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Arkady said:
...My 'largest' purchase was a complete suspension-package for a 2008 Ford mustang...
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Rob, you have just shot up in my estimation :thumbs: :D

Can somebody tell me how marking something as a 'gift' or whatever other tricks are employed, gets around VAT and duty payments? For example, I have bought a tripod and various bits from a Benro retailer in China on three separate occasions and paid nothing. Others have the same experience, but these are obviously not gifts... :thinking:

The government must be losing an absolute fortune in the many thousands of transactions going on every day like this. Not to mention the very destructive impact on our own retailers.
 
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I don't think the 'Gift' thing makes a bit of differnece these days Richard, in fact most reputable overseas retailers flatly refuse to do it telling you they wont help you beat the laws of your own land. Customs aint daft either. ;)
 
CT said:
I don't think the 'Gift' thing makes a bit of differnece these days Richard, in fact most reputable overseas retailers flatly refuse to do it telling you they wont help you beat the laws of your own land. Customs aint daft either. ;)
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I guess it's a loophole just waiting to be firmly closed. I'm just surprised that it's still happening (just two weeks ago for me) and that there isn't a massive retail pressure group sitting heavily on the government.

Ebay is killing the high street. I'm not making a moral point, but the savings to be made by buying internationally through the back door like this are clearly illegal.
 
Well I've bought from the states twice and from the Far East once for items with a substantial cost, and I got royally back -bummed for duty and VAT every time. There has to be a significant initial cost saving to make it worthwhile, or you must want that item badly enough to suck on the extra cost.

It's fair comment about the affect of on - line buying on the high street, but it's so damned covenient!
 
CT said:
Well I've bought from the states twice and from the Far East once for items with a substantial cost, and I got royally back -bummed for duty and VAT every time. There has to be a significant initial cost saving to make it worthwhile, or you must want that item badly enough to suck on the extra cost...
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Or as in my case, if the items simply aren't available in Europe.

The Eibach springs I specc'd for the Mustang are made about 40 miles from where I live, but aren't sold in Germany - they're export only (we even tried a mate who actually works at Eibach, and even he couldn't 'redirect' a set from the warehouse on his staff sales discount).
Your only option is to buy in the US and import privately or buy through a specialist dealer who does the same and adds their own 'significant' mark-up.
 
HoppyUK said:
Can somebody tell me how marking something as a 'gift' or whatever other tricks are employed, gets around VAT and duty payments?
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It doesn't. Gift raises the shipment value threshold to £36 from £18 before you have to pay HMRC. It doesn't stop you paying VAT and duty if the item value (including shipping cost) is over the threshold. Some items get through without being charged as HMRC don't catch every item.

Note that the buyer as importer is liable to prosecution if HMRC decides you are trying to defraud them by under-declaring the value. Not the sender.
 
Ok - I ended up not buying it from America because, first they take the price, before adding insurance and freight charges. They then add customs duty (6.7% for the 200-400), before finally adding VAT at 17.5%. This made it nearly £3800, so I found one in the UK at mifsuds.:D

Oscar
 
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