Item stuck in customs

IrishKev

Not sure if this is in the right place but closest I could find. I bought some things online about 2 and a bit weeks back which were shipped from China. Using Parcel Motel so they should be delivered to Newtownabbey in the North and then forwarded down to me. I tracked the package and it seemed to be going smoothly until reaching the UK. It arrived in Heathrow (Langley Hwdc Sorting Center it's also listed as on some tracking sites) on the 2nd July, a full week ago today, but hasn't moved since then by the look of things. Anyone know if this is normal practice for something to be held up for a while in England, or has something gone wrong?

LowKeyReturn

Probably waiting for you to fork over a few quid in duty to HM Customs and Excise.

IrishKev

How would that work then with Parcel Motel would you know? Should I have gotten a letter from them by now about it?

bitburger

maybe theres a letter in your parcel hotel mailbox?? will you still have to pay seeing as the item is not technically UK bound?

LowKeyReturn

I'm sure there was a good reason for going through parcel motel but when there is going to be possible customers clearance I can't speak more highly of Irish Customs - my monitor from Korea was straight through with very little fuss and a quite reasonable payment.

ABajaninCork

Did you call Nightline, OP?? It's probably the case the item won't be released until the (UK) duty's paid, as it's going to a UK address.

IrishKev

No there's nothing in ParcelMotel, they send a text when you get a new delivery. Also the tracker would say delivered to Newtownabbey if it was I would think.

ABajaninCork

You didn't read my post. Is the item liable for duty?? That could be a reason for the delay, as the parcel won't be released until it's paid...

IrishKev

ABajaninCork wrote: »

Did you call Nightline, OP?? It's probably the case the item won't be released until the (UK) duty's paid, as it's going to a UK address.

No I haven't, should I? Had a quick look at their website and seems they're related to Parcel Motel?

kaki

I'm fairly certain that if there are Customs fees due that Parcel Motel may refuse the package.

Hope I'm wrong, I would probably contact Parcel Motel if I were you OP.

ABajaninCork

Only one way to find out. CALL THEM!!!

IrishKev

Rang Nightline, she couldn't help me as said it wouldn't be under their jurisdiction until it hits Ireland. Tried to tell me that if it was stopped at customs the seller in China would know, which is bo!!ix I would think.
Rang ParcelMotel he was more helpful, took my tracking number and that but couldn't really help either. Said if there was a customs excise fee I'd probably get a letter to ParcelMotel and redirected down to me. Said the best job was probably to contact Royal Mail, so I'll have to drop them a line.

Chris_5339762

Your contract is with the seller and not the delivery company. Talk to the person you bought it from and get them to sort it out.

dudara

Moved to Online Buying & Auctions, as it's more suitable for this topic.

dudara

ABajaninCork

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

Your contract is with the seller and not the delivery company. Talk to the person you bought it from and get them to sort it out.

I was going to suggest this too, OP. Ask the seller to sort out with HMRC. Do you know what the parcel was marked as? (e.g was it marked as samples, gift or whatever)

IrishKev

Cheers guys, I've messaged the seller and tweeted Royal Mail too. They've replied but haven't really given me any concrete answer yet - at a guess they probably don't have any direct contact with the sorting office and just waffle any answers they don't know.

No Bajanin I don't know that, I'll email the seller again though!

LeftBlank

The Parcel Motel FAQ says this

What happens if there is VAT and/or Duty due on my item?

Please ensure that any charges payable are paid in advance of delivery. Parcel Motel will not accept responsibility for payment of any VAT or Duty charges due on items delivered. If the postal operator or courier asks for cash on delivery, your item will be refused by us.

IrishKev

Yeah cheers for that LeftBlank, saw that and said I'd ring them again there today. I told him that it landed in Heathrow about 10 days ago but he said that it would be normal not to have been delivered yet. Is he right? I would have thought landing in England would be the final hurdle of the trip.
Also asked him about the customs thing but he dismissed that fairly lively, I'd say they would contact you instead of plain refusing the package.

AlwaysAmber

To be honest I think it's a bit unfair to expect the seller to sort it out. Anyway, import duties and tax are normally the buyers problem, unless the seller pre-paid them.

Tax and duties will be charged at the point on entry to the EU, which in this case would be the UK. If it's with Royal Mail, you can ring them and they'll let you pay the tax by card over the phone. Then they'll release the package and send it to Parcel Motel.

If its sent with the tax due COD, Parcel Motel will reject it.

If the tax isn't paid it will be returned to the sender.