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+--- Thread: UK Shipping, I didn't Know... (/thread-2268.html)
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UK Shipping, I didn't Know... - Super - 01-15-2017
I am so sorry, I know we have quite a few Members from the UK and they have complained about how costly it is for them to buy products outside their country. I just assumed that they had an Import tax but I didn't realize it was so much. Wow...I recently sold a boxed train to a UK buyer through Ebays Global Shipping program and was quite shocked as to the shipping cost for the UK...
Shipping from the US to UK = $19.87USD (16.56GBP)
Import Tax = $23.66USD (19.72GBP)
Unbelievable, and the US shipping includes the $6.26USD shipping from my house to Ebay's Global Shipping Center in Kentucky. So the shipping from US to UK directly only came to $13.61USD (11.34GBP)
Now I can see a country charging an Import Tax on incoming items if that same item is available in the UK to encourage people to keep the money at home but this seems to so much for just a used toy. I am so sorry but this does make me feel more appreciative for what I have.
My question now is, If a person, like me, sent this same package to a UK person, paying only the shipping fee of $13.61USD, would they still nail you with that tax when you have to pick the package up or will it be delivered straight to your door without the tax? Do they also have an Export tax?
![[Image: im_sorry.gif]](http://www.sherv.net/cm/emo/sad/im_sorry.gif)
RE: UK Shipping, I didn't Know... - trevor379 - 01-15-2017
its also a 2-way street, super. shipping from u.k to u.s. ia also quite expensive. although, tht wasn't always the case. not sure wht spiked it. i, personally, assumed tht it was due to global current events. there r some ways to get around some costs tho
RE: UK Shipping, I didn't Know... - ripley802 - 01-15-2017
I think if you can specify the value of the items as being lower it will help. I forget what Nigels had said but I think it was 13£ or 17£ maybe. I know it is crazy expensive. Nigel and I have used another shipping site which has decent rates and works pretty well. But the fees and taxes are still there.
RE: UK Shipping, I didn't Know... - Tramp - 01-15-2017
Sometimes you can miss paying import tax they don't pick it up at the sorting office & that's fine. But if they do, you also have to pay a handling fee!! I think it's 20% of the value if the item including shipping, plus 17% vat if it's over a certain monetary threshold? As said above, if you list the value of the item as lower, import tax should be less. I've been stung a few times buying from the USA,
RE: UK Shipping, I didn't Know... - trevor379 - 01-15-2017
research is the key. exploring as many avenues as you can. i remember buying the "rollercoaster mountain" set. a motor road and rail set exclusively in the u.k. as most might know. this is a very large set, very bulky and somewht heavy. i finnally got 1 a couple yrs ago for a good price. normally, shipping to the u.s. would be quite high. usually more than wht u won the bid for. but i was able to get it with just 20-30usd shipping
RE: UK Shipping, I didn't Know... - Ucwepn - 01-15-2017
You need to declare/mark it as a gift if it is "a gift"
I think import duty applies here in Australia if the item/items is more that $1000 total in one package.The Global shipping program run by a separate company to ebay and uses the cheapest available method to ship, I received a watch via their service from the USA and paid US$21 or so for shipping and it arrived with the padded envelope ripped right open but lucky everything was inside and not damaged. They have also been known to open the package and repackage it into a smaller box or padded bag etc to save on shipping and keep the profit.
RE: UK Shipping, I didn't Know... - trevor379 - 01-15-2017
i'm pretty sure thts the way. as ucwepn said. i was trying to find my invoice to make sure.
RE: UK Shipping, I didn't Know... - sunhuntin - 01-15-2017
down here, at the bottom of the world, the global shipping program can be crippling.
for example... a single thomas mini. GSP cost is $20NZD. in contrast, i bought the big big loader store display a few weeks back, and shipping cost for that was a reasonable $69NZD.
often when browsing ebay, i will either decide not to buy due to the GSP cost, or else will ask geris if he can buy it for me and then forward it on. i always add a few extra dollars for his time and trouble, but still come out better off.
RE: UK Shipping, I didn't Know... - Super - 01-16-2017
As a Seller I have only had good things using the Ebay Global Shipping Program. I find the packages arrive at an acceptable rate of speed and are in my unopened original packaging. The only bad thing I see is that no matter what the item it goes thru some sort of Import fees like it was from a business. I must say that my International sales have gone down in the last year mostly, I think, due to the buyers Country charging Import Fees. I use to ship out International sales myself but that became a big hassle since it required so much more work on my end then I was in jeopardy of the Ebay scammers that will simply say they never received it even though they did. So the security of the Global Shipping program is why I use it.
I don't have a problem with the cost od Postage from the UK even though its on the high side. At least we here aren't required to pay Import fees...knock on wood.
RE: UK Shipping, I didn't Know... - Nigels - 01-16-2017
This really is the pain of buying items overseas, especially from the Japanese auctions as you always get clobbered for import tax etc.
Basically it works out along the lines of;
Anything valued over £17.99 will incur charges. The charges consist of;
VAT = 20%
Import Duty = 10% (I think)
Handling Charge which can vary depending on the carrier, if it is Royal Mail it is about £12, so you could end up paying a couple of £'s for VAT/Duty and then another £12 on top which makes smallish items a devil of a cost.
If you use shipping couriers like DHL they are even more expensive.
About the only way round it is if the shipper sends the stuff by their national rail courier such as Japan Post and then they mark it as <£17.99 and/or as a gift. Even this doesn't always work as if marked as a gift but with a high value you may well get charged still, if marked as a gift but sent by a company they will usually open/check/charge you and even if seemingly from a private individual, marked at <£17.99 and as a gift you can still on occasion still get done, bit of a lottery.
I wouldn't mind too much if it was for 'grey goods' (i.e. stuff you could buy locally, but cheaper abroad), but this applies to everything even if not normally sold in the UK.
Often with the Japanese auctions the customs charges can be as much as the shipping and we all know how much that can be if you play with Jauce
