So how have people done this year with regards to Customs???

Snake Plisken

Just wanted to check with folks if you've had many hits on packages arriving from outside the EU this xmas? So far so good for me (touch wood ) couple of amazon shipments arrived without a hitch.
Got hit a couple of times in the run up to xmas last year, so how has everyone else faired?

Gauge

Haven't been caught once, but all my orders from outside the EU have been small orders of $40 or less...

workaccount

Got hit for the first time 2 weeks ago but I have only really started buying stuff online this year. All my packages were small up to this one.

I got stung for €47. It wasnt a large package actually. I would say medium sized.

We were able to pay the postman aswell. I had always assumed you had to collect and pay at some depot or something.

Snake Plisken

Mr.S wrote: »

got hit twice, 80€ for the first one, which i payed the guy at the door and then 30€ for the 2nd package, but im only after getting the letter now, after i got the package nearly a month ago <.<

Was that delivered by the postman? or courier?

workaccount

Mr.S wrote: »

got hit twice, 80€ for the first one, which i payed the guy at the door and then 30€ for the 2nd package, but im only after getting the letter now, after i got the package nearly a month ago <.<

What does the letter say?

tuxy

Is it illegal to try and dodge customs?
Is it your responsibly to declare it or does customs have to send you the bill?

jor el

tuxy wrote: »

Is it illegal to try and dodge customs?
Is it your responsibly to declare it or does customs have to send you the bill?

If you get billed, then you have to pay, there's no way around that. If you don't get billed, then I guess you probably should declare it (like you should when coming through the airports), but I don't think anyone does. I'm not sure if it's illegal not to declare.

Courier companies generally use the value printed on the box to assess the customs and pay every time without it being stopped or inspected. An Post don't do this, but a small number of items do get checked.

workaccount

jor el wrote: »

If you get billed, then you have to pay, there's no way around that. If you don't get billed, then I guess you probably should declare it (like you should when coming through the airports), but I don't think anyone does. I'm not sure if it's illegal not to declare.

Courier companies generally use the value printed on the box to assess the customs and pay every time without it being stopped or inspected. An Post don't do this, but a small number of items do get checked.

So do you mean that anything that is coming in by courier is going to get taxed?

jor el

workaccount wrote: »

So do you mean that anything that is coming in by courier is going to get taxed?

If it's from outside the EU and valued at over 25euro, then generally yes. There may be some couriers that don't, but the big ones like Fed Ex, DHL, UPS, etc, do.

Zascar

Got hit with €50 for a camera lens I bought from Digital Rev in Hong Kong. Aparantly URgalaxy are better for customs etc

jor el

Mr.S wrote: »

and the courier guys arent the ones who check packages,

No, but they use the value declared on the parcel to calculate the tax due and pay it to revenue on your behalf. They will also add an administration fee of up to 15 euro for themselves, a nice little earner for them. An Post don't do this on all parcels, but a certain number are inspected by customs officers who work at the central sorting office, in Portlaoise I believe. Not everything gets checked by customs officers, they simply don't have the man power to check absolutely every package entering the country.

Snake Plisken

So guys just wondering Amazon.com are doing a lot of Buy One Get One Free HD-DVD & Blu-Ray deals, and some buyers in the UK are getting hit with customs charges from the british postal services as Amazon put the full value on the box for insurance purposes, but they can claim back from UK revenue as they can prove the order is below the limit, can we do the same here?

indiewindy

Snake Plisken wrote: »

So guys just wondering Amazon.com are doing a lot of Buy One Get One Free HD-DVD & Blu-Ray deals, and some buyers in the UK are getting hit with customs charges from the british postal services as Amazon put the full value on the box for insurance purposes, but they can claim back from UK revenue as they can prove the order is below the limit, can we do the same here?

Duty is paid on the price "paid or payable" so I doubt you could

Timmaay

I've been talking advantage of the strong doller and have got a good few things off ebay.com. I find that with using usps (us post), I don't ever get hit for customs:D

coxy123

I received goods a week before Christmas from Fedex - goods declared value of $348. Have not received any additional invoice yet, but I imagine it's on the way!!

Wertz

Been buying from US and Asia for around 4 yrs, lot of it mid priced electonics, never once been caught. I don't use couriers and refuse to buy from sellers who insist upon using them. Was really expecting to get caught this xmas but it hasn't happened.

dudara

Timmaay wrote: »

I've been talking advantage of the strong doller and have got a good few things off ebay.com. I find that with using usps (us post), I don't ever get hit for customs:D

Same here. I bought a Guess handbag from eBay in the US as a Xmas present, delivered via USPS and no customs were levied.

Zascar

Wertz wrote: »

I don't use couriers and refuse to buy from sellers who insist upon using them.

So who do you use? United States Postal Service? Does it take much longer?

football man

at what rate are you charged customes is charged.
is the same no matter where it comes from outside the eu.
i am awaiting a phone costing 400 euro from hong kong.

worst case, what could i be charged???

/getting ready to cry\ :eek:

Wertz

USPS from 'States or global EMS for Hong Kong. I have no courier figures to compare to but I average about 6-10 business days with USPS international flat rate (box or envelope up to 4lbs; $12) and around 10-12 business days from far east don't recall postal rates offhand)
Tracking is available on the global EMS but not with USPS unless you pay extra.
The odd time I'll pay extra for signed-for, if the item(s) warrants it but I've only ever lost one package and I can't be 100% sure that the seller even sent it (surface mail, the dickhead)

Vikings

Would it then not make more sense to ensure your items are sent using a tracking number / courier?

From a seller's point of view they should be refusing to send anything without a tracking number.

Wertz

Depends on the item/seller. Why would I use a courier when it's a cert I get hit for VAT/duty/handling fee plus their initial delivery charge, thus negating a lot of the saving? With the one item I lost, the seller said he was gonna do airmail, charged me for it, then when I enquired about whereabouts he said it was sent surface....by the time it was "lost" for sure, I was already outside the statuatory 90 days for doing anything through eBay or Paypal.
You'll find that once you have a confirmed paypal address, sellers are fine with whatever shipping method you choose...I'll get tracking/insurance for items liable for theft/breakage.

Mantel

Mr.S wrote: »

FedEx

it said that my package had been stopped by customs when it entered ireland, and FedEx had payed this for me (without telling me i might add) and that i now had to pay FedEx.

FedEx man said nothing when he delivered my package.

when i used UPS, it was stopped aswell, but the guy who delivered it told me and i payed there and then

This happened to a friend in work about a year ago, I'm not sure if it was FedEx or DHL. The item got charged, they paid for it and didn't tell him on delivery. It doesn's stop there, they didn't even send him out a bill so they waited a few months an passed it on to a dept collection agency for them to collect.

jor el

football man wrote: »

at what rate are you charged customes is charged.
is the same no matter where it comes from outside the eu.
i am awaiting a phone costing 400 euro from hong kong.

worst case, what could i be charged???

/getting ready to cry\ :eek:

The rate of duty depends on the item being bought, 4-13% sees to be the going rate with it being generally closer to 13% for electronics. VAT is also type dependent, 21% for electronics too.

At a rough estimate, be prepared to pay about 35% of what you paid. If it comes through An Post, you may not have to pay anything.

glenn6981

Mantel wrote: »

This happened to a friend in work about a year ago, I'm not sure if it was FedEx or DHL. The item got charged, they paid for it and didn't tell him on delivery. It doesn's stop there, they didn't even send him out a bill so they waited a few months an passed it on to a dept collection agency for them to collect.

I received a 2nd letter from a debt collecting company the other day, looking for 47 Euro tax that fedex paid for me. I didn't receive any letter from fedex and the 1st letter from the debt collector only came the week before christmas. I bought a camera on ebay in june and this bill is for that!

trishw78

I do believe that Amazon.co.uk charge you irish VAT as do many of the other .co.uk sites. It says so in the t&c's or when your purchasing.

I've gotten a few items from HK and I haven't seen a VAT or Customs bill come in the door yet. (knock on wood), I've also been to the states late last year and few into Shannon airport, and again I wasn't stopped Someone in front of me was stopped by customs and was hopping mad 'cause he had been the only one.