Customs import charges

[MARK.B.]

Does anyone know roughly how much the customs import charges would be on £120.00 worth of goods from the USA ???

Regards

Mark

 

[Flynnwood]

Some info discussed here:

import-tax-t69067.html

tax-on-australian-goods-t68246.html

http://www.dutycalculator.com/new-impor ... lculation/

Hth

 

[JakeS]

Does anyone know roughly how much the customs import charges would be on £120.00 worth of goods from the USA ???

It depends on what they are, and also how much it costs to post them over.

So far as I'm aware, you can estimate your costs as:

First, find the VAT rate for your item. This is nearly always 20%, but sometimes it's a reduced or 0-rate, and some goods are exempt:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/vat/forms-rates/ ... rvices.htm

VAT = (cost of item + cost of shipping) * VAT rate

Next, find the classification and thus import duty rate of the goods you're wanting to import:
https://www.gov.uk/trade-tariff
So if you're looking to import a plank of rough-sawn Sapele, it would be (I think!) section IX (wood etc.), chapter 44 (wood), 4407 (sawn), 27 (Sapele), 9900 (other):
https://www.gov.uk/trade-tariff/commodities/4407279900
which tells you your import duty rate (in this case 0%), so:

Import duty = cost of item * duty rate


So your total cost will be: (cost of item + shipping) + (cost of VAT) + (cost of import duty)

Then you just have to add on the extortionate handling fee that your courier/postal service charges you for paying on your behalf.

 

[Myfordman]

Plus the charge that the final carrier in the UK can make as service charger for collecting the duties payable. About £8 from Parcel Farce last time I got caught for it.

 

[MARK.B.]

Thanks guys,using the info here it looks like there is no import tax as its below £135.00 in value, but it could incur a 20% vat charge.

 

[andersonec]

My Grandson had to pay £8 handling fee on an item which cost £4 from the States.

Andy

 

[JakeS]

My Grandson had to pay £8 handling fee on an item which cost £4 from the States.

It gets worse: £8 is actually at the low end of handling charges I've had from importing stuff! The worst was £20... and more than once it's been cheaper to post two small items in two separate packages to scrape under the threshold than pay the handling fee.

I've got nothing much against paying import duty or VAT (although obviously I'd be happy not to!) but the handling fees generally strike me as out-and-out extortion. :/