[David 'Duck' Clare]

For all those that have ordered a backpack from the USA (via ebay) what have you all paid in customs duty etc at this end?

A mate of mine has just bought a backpack to do his plants (he grows plants for a nursary) and got his from ebay i.e. $250 inc del to UK but has just had a customs charge of £40 before they will release his backpack - is this right?

What have you lot paid?

I didnt get charged a bean?

DC

[dai]

I didn't have to pay either, I think a lot of us on here got away with it. Dai

[Trevor Knight]

Think it really is down to the guy sat on the desk at the time. Hopefully he got lucky the night before and isn't interested.

Bloody customs 

[windolene]

Hi,


No charge for mine.

Kevin WINDOLENE

[Paul Coleman]

I believe that educational items are exempt.
So when did you say you were going to start that horticultural course?
OK so maybe that's stretching things a bit but the bit about educational items is true so maybe use the imagination a bit.

[pjulk]

Gifts im sure are exempt also.
I have bought all sorts from differant countries and they have been checked at customs as they get those red stickers put on saying they were checked but each time they have been put down as gifts and i have never been charged.

Paul

[Paul Coleman]

Gifts im sure are exempt also.
I have bought all sorts from differant countries and they have been checked at customs as they get those red stickers put on saying they were checked but each time they have been put down as gifts and i have never been charged.

Paul

Just make sure you never order anything from Germany then Paul or the German customs will be opening it - never mind the British ones 

N.B.  The word "gift" in English means "poison" in German.

[Jeff Brimble]

Try to get the USA company to send it to you as a "sample" even thou you pay full price and have it put on the import document.

[Moderator David@stives]

Did you know it is illegal to avoid paying Import Duty.
Tax fraud is what it is called

Dave

[Paul Coleman]

Did you know it is illegal to avoid paying Import Duty.
Tax fraud is what it is called

Dave

Sure thing David but there are legitimate reasons for it not being charged (and non-legitimate ones too).  I imagine that if someone wanted a backpack to assist them with a course and decided to sell that backpack (to a window cleaner or anyone else) when the course had finished then that would probably be lawful.  The gift/sample situation seems to be a lot more dubious though.
However, something that seems a bit odd is that there is supposed to be free trade and imposing import duty would appear to be illegal anyway.  However, this probably only applies to items sent within the Eurozone.

[scrimit2]

I just enquired about importing a different item from Cananda and aparrently its 17.5% vat plus 3.7% duty, we get ripped off here Im affraid