Customs and an post rip off

xrob · 13-07-2015 11:40am #1

Hi
I was wondering if anyone has had problems with customs lately.
i bought a couple of items in the last few months.
they were of low value some were under 30 euro.
they were taken into customs were they added 8 euro on.
but then they charged me another 7 euro for an post to deliver the items.
this is a rip off i no longer use an post and get my online purchase's from the uk.

Cee-Jay-Cee · 13-07-2015 11:46am

xrob wrote: »

Hi
I was wondering if anyone has had problems with customs lately.
i bought a couple of items in the last few months.
they were of low value some were under 30 euro.
they were taken into customs were they added 8 euro on.
but then they charged me another 7 euro for an post to deliver the items.
this is a rip off i no longer use an post and get my online purchase's from the uk.

It clearly didn't come from the UK if you were charged tax as everything regardless of cost is tax exempt if bought within the EU. The seller may be based in the UK but the product came from elsewhere.

antodeco · 13-07-2015 11:47am

Thai Bride?

freshpopcorn · 13-07-2015 11:49am

I had to pay customs and an post charges on an item before but it was from the US or China. Customs are only doing there job to be honest.

namloc1980 · 13-07-2015 12:07pm

xrob wrote: »

Hi
I was wondering if anyone has had problems with customs lately.
i bought a couple of items in the last few months.
they were of low value some were under 30 euro.
they were taken into customs were they added 8 euro on.
but then they charged me another 7 euro for an post to deliver the items.
this is a rip off i no longer use an post and get my online purchase's from the uk.

They must've come from outside the EU so rightly charged VAT/customs. The post charge is the cost of customs sending it onto you after applying the fees.

AnonoBoy · 13-07-2015 12:08pm

Customs charges are a rip off alright. You should import your goods to another country, fly to that country and smuggle them back in yourself.

Easy.

Neyite · 13-07-2015 12:12pm

Yep, paid $25 USD for postage and packing on some items for craft work, then got stung for over €15 in Cash on Delivery by the post office - €7.25 for the customs charge and €8 service charge for An Post to collect the €7.25 Euro. Oh and they don't take debit or credit card payment for the €15. Cash only.

And that's if you are lucky enough that they'll actually deliver and not watch them shove an illegible we called but you were out leaflet through your letterbox thus meaning you've to trek out to the sticks to get your package from a depot. Usually on a route with no bus service and too far to walk from town.

You Surf, We Deliver, my arse.

allthedoyles · 13-07-2015 12:13pm

Outside the EU you have to pay if value is in excess of €22 .

Vat is 23% and Duty is paid if item is value in excess of €150 .

Then of course the shipper will charge a handling fee normally €6

Some sellers outside EU mark item as a gift and value maybe $10 but this is sometimes ignored

jayobray · 13-07-2015 12:25pm

Recently got something delivered from the US via DHL, which was stopped by for customs costs. In addition to the VAT, which I expected, DHL charged an administration fee of €10. Again, I expected that, but it is still dearer than An Post.

Reebrock · 13-07-2015 12:29pm

Customs? Rip off? NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

xrob · 13-07-2015 1:39pm

if you read the post i said i now get my stuff through the uk.
it is sent from china via the uk.

freshpopcorn · 13-07-2015 1:54pm

xrob wrote: »

if you read the post i said i now get my stuff through the uk.
it is sent from china via the uk.

Still sounds like you should be paying customs charges to be honest.

xrob · 13-07-2015 10:16pm

freshpopcorn i bet you paid your household charge water rates and all the rest.
bet you can't wait for whatever they bring in next.
how is life working in customs? because if you don't work in customs you are a member of fg.
don't come on here telling me what i should pay bet you are a bottom feeder (public sector)

lizzyman · 13-07-2015 10:20pm

Never understood why we have to pay customs on the purchase price PLUS the shipping charges.

Cienciano · 13-07-2015 10:30pm

UPS used to charge €16 to collect your customs money. Can you pay it yourself to avoid this charge?

G_R · 13-07-2015 10:35pm

xrob wrote: »

freshpopcorn i bet you paid your household charge water rates and all the rest.
bet you can't wait for whatever they bring in next.
how is life working in customs? because if you don't work in customs you are a member of fg.
don't come on here telling me what i should pay bet you are a bottom feeder (public sector)

Mod: Easy now. No need for that kind of post.

freshpopcorn · 13-07-2015 10:48pm

xrob wrote: »

freshpopcorn i bet you paid your household charge water rates and all the rest.
bet you can't wait for whatever they bring in next.
how is life working in customs? because if you don't work in customs you are a member of fg.
don't come on here telling me what i should pay bet you are a bottom feeder (public sector)

I'm from a farm and we always paid the county council for our water.
I ordered a tablet from the US last year and I had to pay the customs and an post charges when it arrived which I was expecting but I accepted it.
If you want to order stuff online from countries outside the EU you've got to pay the custom charges and if you don't like it then I suppose you shouldn't order stuff online.
I'm not a member of FG or customs.

rubadub · 13-07-2015 10:53pm

allthedoyles wrote: »

Outside the EU you have to pay if value is in excess of €22 .

thats the official limit, however they officially do not collect less than about €6, so at the current vat rate of 23% they do not bother with stuff less than ~€26, and in practice I see a lot more stuff over that value getting through. If its a genuine gift the limit is 45

If you are buying from well know places like play.com etc expect to get hit more, I imagine they have teams of people rooting through post from certain companies and can process them far more efficiently.

lizzyman wrote: »

Never understood why we have to pay customs on the purchase price PLUS the shipping charges.

If not they would simply charge huge postage on items and low item cost, so it would not qualify. Same goes for people wondering why second hand goods are not exempt, if they were everybody would simply say its exempt, and companies importing goods would just declare them worthless and pay huge postage.

xrob · 14-07-2015 10:51pm

i think you are right an post already got paid it is a scam.

namloc1980 · 14-07-2015 11:45pm

xrob wrote: »

if you read the post i said i now get my stuff through the uk.
it is sent from china via the uk.

What difference does that make? It came into the EU from a non EU state so the purchaser paycheck import duties. Whether you sent it via every EU state or direct to Ireland it doesn't matter as long as it originated outside the EU.

rubadub · 15-07-2015 9:18am

namloc1980 wrote: »

What difference does that make? It came into the EU from a non EU state so the purchaser paycheck import duties.

A trick would be to get it sent to an EU country with low VAT, they pay the VAT and then forward it onto Ireland and there is no vat liable here as its now come from within the EU.

I have no idea what the OP did though as what he said was very vague.

The likes of dealextreme now do (or did) post from China via the EU and you were still liable, they had stickers on the packets

The sticker means that, despite the parcel looking like it originates from the EU (as is mandated by european postal operators “peering” deals, I suppose), it does, in fact, not. As a consequence, the goods shall not be treated as “import tariffs free” (like intra european exchange, as explained by articles 9 and 10), and the receiving country shall apply any import duty just like it would have done if it was a direct import.

http://www.evilnickname.org/weblog/2011/04/26/appropriate-warning/

15-07-2015 10:13am

Courier companies, in my experience, like UPS Fedex DHL etc will always declare the item at customs when collecting it when it has arrived here. They then charge you for them declaring and paying the taxes.

From my experience using the regular post service has more of a chance of slipping through.

I normally contact the seller and ask them to declare a low value on the item. Works most of the time. If not Ill buy it elsewhere. Although the US is getting stricter on false customs declarations.

namloc1980 · 15-07-2015 10:48am

TheTorment wrote: »

Courier companies, in my experience, like UPS Fedex DHL etc will always declare the item at customs when collecting it when it has arrived here. They then charge you for them declaring and paying the taxes.

From my experience using the regular post service has more of a chance of slipping through.

I normally contact the seller and ask them to declare a low value on the item. Works most of the time. If not Ill buy it elsewhere. Although the US is getting stricter on false customs declarations.

Yeah my experience too. Bought a few things from Alibaba in China recently sent by China Post and they got through customs no problem. Stuff sent by DHL and the likes almost always gets caught as they declare it.

marklazarcovic · 16-07-2015 4:57pm

xrob wrote: »

i think you are right an post already got paid it is a scam.

the 8 euro charge is not for postage,its for organizing an
d collecting the money for the customs,of which the postie receives zero.

and then storing it with its other payments,and lodging it,and returning it to customs.

again,its not xtra postage.

xrob · 16-07-2015 9:50pm

so an post do all this work for nothing?
come on the whole thing is a scam.

marklazarcovic · 17-07-2015 11:00pm

i said the postie receives nothing, an post charge 8 euro handling fee,its not rocket science lads

rubadub · 17-07-2015 11:22pm

xrob wrote: »

so an post do all this work for nothing?
come on the whole thing is a scam.

Well you would be probably be disgusted to see all the scamming going on if retailers openly disclosed all sorts of overheads and VAT they are charging you.

If you bought an imported item from the place I work in you would also pay VAT and the accountants and stores people also do not work for nothing, so the price you pay will of course not simply include VAT, that would be stupid on our part, it will have costs associated with all the paperwork, handling etc built into the price.

Be thankful it didn't come through couriers who will typically charge a lot more than €7.

I still am in the dark about what you mean about getting you online purchases "from the uk"

xrob · 18-07-2015 12:04am

i get it delivered to the uk and i have never had to pay customs.
then it is sent to me from the uk which i pay for.
i am not going to give details here but it does work

happym · 19-06-2018 3:37pm

Fair enough to pay VAT and or duty, but the postage is already paid for.
It is wrong to have to pay extra for a delayed item.
Every shopkeeper in the country collects vat fro nothing, so
why should An Post get paid

Kimbot · 19-06-2018 3:38pm

MOD Thread Closed.

Customs and an post rip off

Comments