Customs, tax etc... charge

Irishmaster

Hi i ordered off wgc for some parts not an aeg and it arrived to my house. It was less or equal to a kilo. I thought id be asked to pay delivery or customs charge or something but i wasnt. My friend was asked to pay some when he ordered a bar 10 and some accessories off them. Is it to do with the weight or price of the order or was it just that mine was under a kilo so i wasnt charged customs. I have an aeg coming tomorrow from wgc so i suppose ill find out tomorrow what the damage is. Hope its not over 50 bucks if any!

Dread-Lock

I think orders under €120 aren't charged VAT. This only changed recently, it used to be €15 or something stupid like that.

NakedDex

It's related to the cost of the product (including the shipping cost). I think the current limit stands at around the €40 mark. It can happen that a parcel just isn't checked through so no charges are incurred regardless of price but it's become the exception rather than the norm lately. Generally speaking though, a big/heavy package is more likely to be checked than something envelope sized.

If you're expecting an aeg or other similarly big package, it'd be advisable to have 25% of the total cost (again, this includes the cost of shipping) ready in cash as it will most likely incur charges and your item will not be handed over without paying first. They'll quite happily take the package back to the depot until you have the readies, and sometimes charge you storage fees if you take too long.

Irishmaster

NakedDex wrote: »

It's related to the cost of the product (including the shipping cost). I think the current limit stands at around the €40 mark. It can happen that a parcel just isn't checked through so no charges are incurred regardless of price but it's become the exception rather than the norm lately. Generally speaking though, a big/heavy package is more likely to be checked than something envelope sized.

If you're expecting an aeg or other similarly big package, it'd be advisable to have 25% of the total cost (again, this includes the cost of shipping) ready in cash as it will most likely incur charges and your item will not be handed over without paying first. They'll quite happily take the package back to the depot until you have the readies, and sometimes charge you storage fees if you take too long.

Cool cheers for that! My first order was about 130euros and the package was small enough, so thats prob why i didnt incur extra charges. My AEG coming tomorrow works out at 260euro including post, so about 60 or so bucks! ****! Ill just hope that i dont get charged(Yeah Right!) and have my 60 or so ready!

ED E

Dread-Lock wrote: »

I think orders under €120 aren't charged VAT. This only changed recently, it used to be €15 or something stupid like that.

Yeah, its the small packets exemption. It was and as far as I can see still is €22. There was talk of changing it to 150(EU mandate or something I think) but I've not been able to find anything to confirm this. Might be worth giving customs a call.

Dread-Lock

NakedDex wrote: »

It's related to the cost of the product (including the shipping cost). I think the current limit stands at around the €40 mark.

Is it only €40? I thought they raised it to over €100 in December.

Lethal_Bullet wrote: »

Yeah, its the small packets exemption. It was and as far as I can see still is €22. There was talk of changing it to 150(EU mandate or something I think) but I've not been able to find anything to confirm this. Might be worth giving customs a call.

Oh I thought that was brought in, in December just gone...
Damn and I'm about to order more gear . I might give customs a call as I can't find anything online.

Irishmaster

Lethal_Bullet wrote: »

Yeah, its the small packets exemption. It was and as far as I can see still is €22. There was talk of changing it to 150(EU mandate or something I think) but I've not been able to find anything to confirm this. Might be worth giving customs a call.

Ok so my parts was a freak accident it slipped through the net and didnt get charged. Hmm! Lets hope a rather large package tomorrow also slips by the net! Lol. Ill keep yous posted! Prob get a massive shock with the charge they put on.:(

Irishmaster

I think this is the closest thing of finding a charge using their website.
http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/dds/tarhome_en.htm Not that i figured out how to use it.

Dread-Lock

Irishmaster wrote: »

Hmm! Lets hope a rather large package tomorrow also slips by the net! Lol. Ill keep yous posted! Prob get a massive shock with the charge they put on.:(

Well I wish you and your wallet luck my friend!

NakedDex

Lethal_Bullet wrote: »

Yeah, its the small packets exemption. It was and as far as I can see still is €22.

That was it. €22 for packages and €42 for items marked "gift".

Irishmaster

Got smacked with an 83 euro tax/customs bill! **** sake! Thats even more than the 25% estimate! Oh well you win some you lose some!

NakedDex

Depending on the courier, you can sometimes get hit for handling charges. UPS do it quite a bit.

Frank the Manc

NakedDex wrote: »

Depending on the courier, you can sometimes get hit for handling charges. UPS do it quite a bit.

yeah wgc usually use UPS, the McCarthy-Dundons of courriers,
i ordered something maeked with total cost of less $40, got hit for €13 customs & VAT and then €14 UPS charge.

when i queried this after they first tried to say that it was part of customs' charge, when i pointed out that it wasnt she sad that all courriers charge that.
the dont.

i was fairly glad i undeclared on that item any ways.
in future just use unco & pick TNT, WGC are a good site but the fact you cant chose a courrier really lets them down.

Cheeky monkey

They do allow you to mark down the price of the iteam by a percentage incase you do get charged by customs just for future reference

ED E

Cheeky monkey wrote: »

They do allow you to mark down the price of the iteam by a percentage incase you do get charged by customs just for future reference

Yeah, but that is tax avoidance and is illegal. Dunno what the penalties for being convicted of tax evasion are but I would guess they arent nice.

defenderdude

Lethal_Bullet wrote: »

Yeah, but that is tax avoidance and is illegal. Dunno what the penalties for being convicted of tax evasion are but I would guess they arent nice.

in addition to what Simon said above,
if the item goes missing - you can only claim for the marked down declared value...

ED E

Did some digging, so far:

VAT on imports - Customs & Excise import data.
The following material is either exempt from or not required to be published under the Freedom of Information Act 1997.

This is how some items get through:

Examination of postal parcels/packets
All non-Community mails on arrival at the depot are to be subjected to either an external examination or an internal examination of the goods and documents. As a check on the accuracy of the declared contents assessed, one parcel/packet in twenty is to be examined. This proportion may be reduced having regard to the volume of work and risk involved but where done, selection for internal examination should be carried out on parcels/packets considered to present the greatest risk.

And then, the golden nugget:

8 Gifts
Customs duty and VAT is not payable on consignments of a value not exceeding €45 sent as gifts by private individuals for the personal or family use of private individuals. The provisions of Para. 2 of O.I. 107/05 are to be observed. Relief from VAT does not apply in the case of tobacco products, alcohol/alcoholic beverages, perfumes or toilet waters and the limits set out at Para. 3 of O.I. 107/05 relating to the relief from Customs duty on those goods are to be observed. Where, after excluding the value of goods which qualified for the relief set out above, the total value of the remainder of the dutiable goods contained in a gift consignment does not exceed €350, Customs duty should be charged on the balance at the standard rate of 3.5% or the relevant tariff rate, whichever is the lower.2
Goods of negligible value
Packages, other than those containing tobacco or tobacco products, alcoholic products, perfumes or toilet waters, up to a value of €22 regardless of their status (private or commercial) are admitted free of Customs duty and VAT under the scheme commonly known as “small packages” or “de minimis” relief 3

Para 8.5 provides that where the Customs duty in any one consignment amounts to less than €10, the duty is to be waived. No such waiver exists in relation to excise duty.

Also, does this mean that you can claim VAT exemption on all airsoft as its for "personal use"?

17 Occasional imports
Imports which are occasional and consist solely of products for the personal use of the recipients or their families are not considered as imports by way of trade if it is evident from the nature and quantity that no commercial purpose is intended.

Hope this clears things up

zero19

Lads whats the story with importing stuff from Poland? Would any package be tax exempt?

Beast ASI

Yep.

Poland = EU.

zero19

Thanks beast wasn't 100% about it!

Frank the Manc

Lethal_Bullet wrote: »

Yeah, but that is tax avoidance and is illegal. Dunno what the penalties for being convicted of tax evasion are but I would guess they arent nice.

tax avoidance is not illegal, tax evasion is.

regarding the penalities, youre probably to young to rember Ansbacher & all that.
you pay your tax, along with some back tax and then a simple fine.
i doubt CAB or the Revenue would pursue you for underdeclaring youre AEG.

not that i encourage it but its a nice way of evening things up for when they sieze youre items and hold them for an amount of time bordering on theft, for no apparent reason.

ED E

Frank the Manc wrote: »

tax avoidance is not illegal, tax evasion is.

regarding the penalities, youre probably to young to rember Ansbacher & all that.
you pay your tax, along with some back tax and then a simple fine.
i doubt CAB or the Revenue would pursue you for underdeclaring youre AEG.

not that i encourage it but its a nice way of evening things up for when they sieze youre items and hold them for an amount of time bordering on theft, for no apparent reason.

Sorry, used the wrong word.

*slaps self in head.

Yeah, its more the hassle if they do check it. Also, you're gonna save maybe a hundred or so(lemming!) in VAT and Duty on your AEG in most cases, fine might be quite a bit bigger and the whole 5 day delivery will be out the window, try 5 months.

extremetaz

Dread-Lock is right. the Small parcels limit threshold was increased in December. I think to €120, not €100.

I only know this because I found myself sitting beside a dude who works in the revenue at a wedding recently.

gandalf

extremetaz wrote: »

I only know this because I found myself sitting beside a dude who works in the revenue at a wedding recently.

Sounds like it was a riveting conversation

ED E

extremetaz wrote: »

Dread-Lock is right. the Small parcels limit threshold was increased in December. I think to €120, not €100.

I only know this because I found myself sitting beside a dude who works in the revenue at a wedding recently.

Bootylicious!

Thanks Sean:)

Frank the Manc

Lethal_Bullet wrote: »

Sorry, used the wrong word.

*slaps self in head.

Yeah, its more the hassle if they do check it. Also, you're gonna save maybe a hundred or so(lemming!) in VAT and Duty on your AEG in most cases, fine might be quite a bit bigger and the whole 5 day delivery will be out the window, try 5 months.

tell me about it, i know a lad whos AEG was held for over 6 months, told it was there for collection 3 times at dublin airport when it wasnt and when he got it it was 360 fps consistently.

extremetaz wrote: »

Dread-Lock is right. the Small parcels limit threshold was increased in December. I think to €120, not €100.

I only know this because I found myself sitting beside a dude who works in the revenue at a wedding recently.

what dimensions are small packages defined as?
size is relative to different people.

ED E

Frank the Manc wrote: »

tell me about it, i know a lad whos AEG was held for over 6 months, told it was there for collection 3 times at dublin airport when it wasnt and when he got it it was 360 fps consistently.



what dimensions are small packages defined as?
size is relative to different people.

Revenue doc refers to the small packages releif or the de minimis releif as being located in Para. 7 of O.I. 107/05. Not sure how to look that up...

extremetaz

Frank the Manc wrote: »

t
what dimensions are small packages defined as?
size is relative to different people.

no idea I'm afraid - can't quite remember how it even came up. Something about state of the nation and how bad 2009 is gonna be... yada... banks... yada... taxes... yada... hardship...

Actually, think it came up after I mentioned exchange rates and buying stuff off ebay from the states - how even with duty it was still good in many cases.

Tis good news regardless.

ragus

here is the latest definitive info from revenue:


Consignments not exceeding a total value of €150 may be imported without payment of Customs Duty, while consignments not exceeding a total value of €22 may be imported without payment of VAT.

can be found at the following location

http://www.revenue.ie/en/customs/leaflets/postal-guide.pdf