AddressPal & Lockers - An Post's Parcel Service SEE MOD WARNING FIRST POST

Oat23

Is there any reason you guys using the US service don't use something like shipito instead? I've got 9 packages sitting in my shipito account at the minute. I'll be getting them all consolidated into one box and sent to me soon once I order a few more things.

I'm a premium member, so I can store my packages for up to 90 days in their warehouse and shop tax free since their warehouse is in Oregon and there's no sales tax. That alone saves me 6.5% on every purchase compared to AP's NJ address.

I find it much better than AP's service if you order order regularly from the US.

Car99

Oat23 wrote: »

Is there any reason you guys using the US service don't use something like shipito instead? I've got 9 packages sitting in my shipito account at the minute. I'll be getting them all consolidated into one box and sent to me soon once I order a few more things.

I'm a premium member, so I can store my packages for up to 90 days in their warehouse and shop tax free since their warehouse is in Oregon and there's no sales tax. That alone saves me 6.5% on every purchase compared to AP's NJ address.

I find it much better than AP's service if you order order regularly from the US.

I dont order much from the states but thanks for the info it may be useful in the future

Need to order a £10 item from eBay UK. After reading a few posts is it a bad idea to use AddressPal? Seems like they could value it at anything!

Fwarder

Oat23 wrote: »

Is there any reason you guys using the US service don't use something like shipito instead? I've got 9 packages sitting in my shipito account at the minute. I'll be getting them all consolidated into one box and sent to me soon once I order a few more things.

I'm a premium member, so I can store my packages for up to 90 days in their warehouse and shop tax free since their warehouse is in Oregon and there's no sales tax. That alone saves me 6.5% on every purchase compared to AP's NJ address.

I find it much better than AP's service if you order order regularly from the US.

There is a reson: we were young, naive and didn't know better:D

BigAl81

Hi, does anyone know how long a typical customs dispute would take?

I've an Amazon package shipped from London to Dublin via AddressPal, but AddressPal valued the item at 61 quid instead of 16 ;(

I've an email in and got the "thanks for your email, we're very busy currently... ".

Anyone done this yet and did it take long do you know?

Thanks!!

DessieJames

To be honest i think ill pack itmin with address pal, any parcels ive ordered from amazon irrespectiuve of the price ive had none of this, it only sems to be when i use address pal so good luck to them, too muich hassle.

howsshenow

WARNING
Addresspal are adding on their fee to the cost of your goods and then charging Vat & handling.
Max value of UK purchases you can now get through without Vat charge etc is only around 14 Pounds.
Not worth it anymore.

georgewickstaff

Ok..

Last week I told you about ordering some kids shoes on ebay. Got hit with a VAT and handling charge of €8.40

I emailed the charge query address that was provided a few pages back with a copy of the invoice. I received no further communications from customs.

This morning the shoes arrived / were delivered.

So, hopefully they are releasing items once the invoice is provided. Took nearly 3 weeks though.

whiterebel

howsshenow wrote: »

WARNING
Addresspal are adding on their fee to the cost of your goods and then charging Vat & handling.
Max value of UK purchases you can now get through without Vat charge etc is only around 14 Pounds.
Not worth it anymore.

This is hardly news. They always have done, as do all other couriers. They must account for the transport into Ireland for VAT.

whiterebel

georgewickstaff wrote: »

Ok..

Last week I told you about ordering some kids shoes on ebay. Got hit with a VAT and handling charge of €8.40

I emailed the charge query address that was provided a few pages back with a copy of the invoice. I received no further communications from customs.

This morning the shoes arrived / were delivered.

So, hopefully they are releasing items once the invoice is provided. Took nearly 3 weeks though.

You hadn't paid the charges, queried it straight away, is that correct?

edwardkiley

so when addresspal receive your parcel at their hub,
if theres no information on the outside of the package about the cost
do they just rip open your package have a look at it and assign a random
value to it?
I know in some cases they do ask for a invoice to be forwarded on
but them giving random values seems more common.
But to give it a value I guess they have to open your stuff everytime?

georgewickstaff

whiterebel wrote: »

You hadn't paid the charges, queried it straight away, is that correct?

Correct. Simply told them the value of goods was what was on invoice. Sent said invoice as proof. Did not pay the charges.

Items arrived this morning.

ohnonotgmail

georgewickstaff wrote: »

Correct. Simply told them the value of goods was what was on invoice. Sent said invoice as proof. Did not pay the charges.

Items arrived this morning.

Am i right in thinking there is no VAT on childrens shoes and childrens shoes are defined as anything below a size 5? When you replied to them they realised somebody had made a mistake and they should never have charged you VAT in the first place.

larchielads

Finall getting my refund ive been chasing, yes chasing, since last october. Got an email to say i have been "awarded" a refund.

Awarded? Didnt know i had entered a competition to get money owed to me cos of addresspal cock up.

Anyway then i got a letter to say i would receive a cheque in 7 to 10 days. I wont hold my breath.

Awarded!!!!! Cheek of em!

whiterebel

edwardkiley wrote: »

so when addresspal receive your parcel at their hub,
if theres no information on the outside of the package about the cost
do they just rip open your package have a look at it and assign a random
value to it?
I know in some cases they do ask for a invoice to be forwarded on
but them giving random values seems more common.
But to give it a value I guess they have to open your stuff everytime?

It was the case until everything went crazy, that they checked for paperwork inside the box. Then they would email you for the value if there was no paperwork. They have it in their terms and conditions that they can open the boxes, and in normal times they did.

recipio

Oat23 wrote: »

Is there any reason you guys using the US service don't use something like shipito instead? I've got 9 packages sitting in my shipito account at the minute. I'll be getting them all consolidated into one box and sent to me soon once I order a few more things.

I'm a premium member, so I can store my packages for up to 90 days in their warehouse and shop tax free since their warehouse is in Oregon and there's no sales tax. That alone saves me 6.5% on every purchase compared to AP's NJ address.

I find it much better than AP's service if you order order regularly from the US.

I use Shipito and they have a few advantages. They will consolidate a few packages into one.They will repackage a dodgy looking parcel and ( For $5 ) will expedite mailout.Best of all you get to view a few photos of the package. However, their basic charges are expensive compared to Addresspal - even USPS can't match the APW fee of 15.99 . Its swings and roundabouts and I haven't been hit with any outrageous customs fees so far.

recipio

recipio wrote: »

Got a vat request online this morning and assuming it was a packet I had already received and paid for, I declined to pay it. Now I'm wondering if if it relates to another parcel I'm expecting from Canada :eek: The trouble is there is no way to reverse the decline decision once it is sent to Revenue.
Really . this is a weakness in the entire Addresspal online platform. If you have 4-5 parcels arriving together its easy to get confused between all of them.
Is there an email adress that I can appeal to. I don't want the goods returned to Canada !

I'm replying to myself but if anybody is in this predicament the best option is to phone An Post at 01 7057600 and hit the 5 button.This got me on to an Addresspal rep almost immediately. ( Yes I was surprised ). The bad new is that my package may 'already be on its way back to Canada ' Now for a 48 hour wait to see how good their customer relations are.

edwardkiley

whiterebel wrote: »

It was the case until everything went crazy, that they checked for paperwork inside the box. Then they would email you for the value if there was no paperwork. They have it in their terms and conditions that they can open the boxes, and in normal times they did.

when did things go crazy?

whiterebel

Run up to Christmas and Brexit.

el Fenomeno

The main reason I use AddressPal is that Polar Express declare a very understated and advantageous value for my items.

I collect a very unique item, and different types can range anywhere from $10 to $200 - some even up to $500.

They always put in a value of $15 now (I think they checked the first few, and now when they see one again, they just put in $15 every time by default) and AnPost never question it. So I'm happy to go with AddressPal as i know I'll never be hit hard on customs or vat.

TimHorton

el Fenomeno wrote: »

The main reason I use AddressPal is that Polar Express declare a very understated and advantageous value for my items.

I collect a very unique item, and different types can range anywhere from $10 to $200 - some even up to $500.

They always put in a value of $15 now (I think they checked the first few, and now when they see one again, they just put in $15 every time by default) and AnPost never question it. So I'm happy to go with AddressPal as i know I'll never be hit hard on customs or vat.

keep that hush hush , The lads here will have you down as a Revenue/Tax cheat,

spix

Addresspal email giving tips about brexit

"If you are buying multiple items from one retailer/seller, you should request that all of your items are packaged as a single order."

Shouldn't it be "If you are buying multiple items from one retailer/seller, you should request that all of your items are packaged as a single order, but only if individual item price is over 18e and try to keep total order value under 150e. This will help you not pay unnecessary vat or duties."

agzr

agzr wrote: »

Long time lurker, first time poster.

Was keeping a keen eye here because I was using addresspal for the first time after brexit and had a feeling something would go wrong. I was right!

Package scanned in last night and I presume there was no order info in it and they estimated the value themselves. Overshot it by by about 40/50 quid. Paid 95 (105 with shipping) and they estimated it at £145. Emailed the customs email I found on the thread here to dispute it and sent the order confirmation and asked them to correct it before the customs email even came to me.

Sure enough, email came through tonight looking for customs fees.. and it was something.

Customs Value: € 164.56
Import Duty: € 20.52
Excise Duty: €0.00
VAT: € 40.22
An Post Fee: €3.50

Total to be Paid: €64.24

Hoping I get a follow up email to correct the fees, but not holding my breath. I'll hold out for a week or so and see what happens.

Just an update on this, got a reply the other day saying my query would be dealt with and they have backlog and so on after I'd sent an email with the invoice and so on.

Well, said package turned up this morning, no questions asked. Very strange.. but I certainly won't question it.

el Fenomeno

TimHorton wrote: »

keep that hush hush , The lads here will have you down as a Revenue/Tax cheat,

I'm a way, I'm just outsourcing my tax cheating to the US.

Thoie

AmyMay wrote: »

My missing items from Hatfield from the beginning of December have never turned up. It has take from the 19th of December until today for them to admit liability and say they cannot find the items, despite a previous conveniently timed email claiming they had one but it was missing my personal details. If this was a false claim aimed to just to keep me content for another few weeks that is outrageous.
I did end up CC’ing many board members in order for them to admit this and not send me another email fobbing me off. The complaints system they have in place is just a circle that yields no results. I’ll update you if I receive the full value of the goods.

My item from 3rd week of November is still MIA, but they haven't admitted it's gone yet. I've been told it's in Ireland, and they've no idea as to its precise location, and they'll get to it when they get to it - no ETA. The most recent mail was phrased a lot more nicely than that though.

larchielads wrote: »

Finall getting my refund ive been chasing, yes chasing, since last october. Got an email to say i have been "awarded" a refund.

Awarded? Didnt know i had entered a competition to get money owed to me cos of addresspal cock up.

Anyway then i got a letter to say i would receive a cheque in 7 to 10 days. I wont hold my breath.

Awarded!!!!! Cheek of em!

Did you get back the full value of the goods, or some nominal amount that they decided on?

wozniattack

amdaley28 wrote: »

Considering all the problems people are having with AddressPal & customs etc I'm amazed that people are still using the service ?

I've actually had really good experiences lately.

The companies I use to get stuff from for personal little design projects don't ship to Ireland anymore; and been using AddressPal.

So far so good; and customs fellas haven't damaged any of my printed items yet thankfully.

Biggest delay is stuff laying in the Heathrow hub for days on end, but I get it at least.

Order stuff from UK that was supposed to come with UPS; but it's been delayed every darn day nearly.




At the moment UPS in Britain is a joke, whereas Addresspal has been smooth sailing for me.

UPS tracking

theWebAdvisor

theWebAdvisor wrote: »

Hi all,
Does anyone know who is doing these valuations is it an Post or customs themselves?

Just had first delivery post Brexit from UK and got a whopper of a bill through from them for VAT and Customs duties.

Same as a lot of people on the thread, however this is for books which are zero rated for VAT. Can't see a customs official making this sort of error.

As an aside the valuation they used was crazy, from this one example looks like they are using the highest value found on a web search, in this case 13 times what you can buy it for.

Now that makes the original error even more implausible as one by a customs official as that would have meant they opened package saw books ( uhm, zero rated) they then went online to get a value and looked at various books to get a value. Can understand a mistake on value on an applicable good but charging on zero rated products someone needs to get control at their warehouse.

Will be doing an appeal and waste weeks, will also be filing it directly with Revenue, if it is an Post doing this can't see Revenue being to happy with zero rated products being charged out at 23% VAT.

Hi folks,
An update on this, I queried the charges, tone of query was why are you charging VAT and duty on zero rated products, got a text then ( no email response) saying item was in their hub for delivery. A couple of days later got email response saying it had been sent to their re-evaluation area, did not respond as I knew it had been released.
Item arrived, with an addresspal label on it, couple of learning from this,
1. Items are being valued at Hatfield, then sent across.
2. Books where put down as male clothing, so it then has customs and duty applied. You will see a HS tariff number on the labels which you can check online.
I know there has been a few people posting about VAT on books, would be interested to find out if the tariff codes they are seeing is the same.
If you have felt pressured into paying VAT and duty that was not due there is an appeals process with customs as long as you still have the invoice etc, on the revenue site, won't help with the addresspal fee's you would have to complain to An Post about that.
If you are being charged VAT and duty on zero rated products my learning from this is let them know in no uncertain terms that the product can not have a charge on it.
Hopefully someone else comes back into the market, long time addresspal user with no issues before but would be very wary going forward of using them.

Rewired

theWebAdvisor wrote: »

Hi folks,
An update on this, I queried the charges, tone of query was why are you charging VAT and duty on zero rated products, got a text then ( no email response) saying item was in their hub for delivery. A couple of days later got email response saying it had been sent to their re-evaluation area, did not respond as I knew it had been released.

Was that with Addresspal Support? I'm getting charged the full rate on printed materials as well, I notice.

AmyMay

Thoie wrote: »

My item from 3rd week of November is still MIA, but they haven't admitted it's gone yet. I've been told it's in Ireland, and they've no idea as to its precise location, and they'll get to it when they get to it - no ETA. The most recent mail was phrased a lot more nicely than that though.
.

Did you get back the full value of the goods, or some nominal amount that they decided on?

The way it was phrased that they had ‘located’ one of the items just seemed really questionable to me. It also conveniently was emailed to me just after I sent them a tweet, which went unreplied. They didn’t disclose what country it was in or how they located it. If it shows up down the line later this year that would be nice, but I’m not holding out for any miracles. I hope your parcel shows up, you seem to have more leads than I do re- the Royal Mail number and the country it is in



I’ve filed for the full value but time will tell.

theWebAdvisor

Rewired wrote: »

Was that with Addresspal Support? I'm getting charged the full rate on printed materials as well, I notice.

Yes, emailed their support, now they did not come back to me till after parcel was released. E- mail their support, very much telling them books they are not allowed charge VAT or duty, include your receipt, although not needed, I think they are not looking at anything without an attachment.
If they do not remove, go to revenue site and report, they probably will once they know you know what they are doing. You can also use the customs appeal if you have paid and where charged wrongly.
Once you get, check the tariff code, would be very interested to see what it is, if its men's clothes again getting harder to believe it's an uhm accidental error.