customs duties - not the usual 'how much will i pay'

m4rkiz

my post most likely belong somewhere in the taxes forum, but i guess there is much more people here that will know that

basically i need to borrow some expensive equipment from my friend in the US of A, it is ~$6000 thermal imaging camera size of the mobile phone, so the packet will be cheap enough to post and insure

again, it is not new, just for personal use, i'm not buying it, it is from friend of mine and i will return it after i'm done with it

what can i expect when\if this package is inspected by the customs?

i see that there is no extra import duties on this equipment, but if they would charge me VAT on it i would be better off buying a much simpler version that is available within EU for ~€1200

it would be much more difficult for me to work with the cheaper camera, but i don't really feel like paying nearly $1400 VAT for an item that i would use for couple of weeks... or can i claim that back if this is the case?

Nody

It would be treated as a gift and it would depend on how / if they could price it (if not they would ask you for a invoice or similar to do so). Due to the fact it will travel insured with a 6k tag it's very likely to be stopped but your best bet would be to give acall to to them and explain the situation (rather then relying on "internet wisdom" due to the money involved).

rubadub

I would email them so you have a record of their response.

I found them quick enough to reply in the past.