Importing Pens To The Uk From The Us

[Quartermain]

All,

 

My apologies in advance if this has been covered before, or if I have posted this in the wrong section. I am interested in purchasing some Edison signature pens from the US, and was wondering if any UK based FPN members had purchased pens from the US. How much would I expect to pay in customs charges on a $275 pen?

 

The Edison signature range of pens are truly lovely but only available in the US. Any help or assistance would be very much appreciated.

[cybaea]

You pay 20% VAT and about £10 handling fee (depending on the carrier; I paid £10.75 to FedEx last time), plus shipping of course.

So about £35 plus shipping.

[sevenof9]

it would be VAT and a handling fee. 7

[lawrenceg]

The cost to uk customs and excise would be 20% vat plus £8 to the post office for them to collect the vat.

You may be lucky and it might just float through

Good luck

[amk]

There is some decent info here: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/ though it's a bit difficult to navigate.

[Chrissy]

It has been mentioned on here many times before.

 

You will pay at least 20% VAT, on the full total including P&P (shipping). There is some uncertainty about a duty charge. It depends on what classification C&E think it is. You will also pay an additional delivery fee that is added on because whoever will deliver it has had to pay C&E up front.

 

It might be £13 if Royal Mail get the job of delivering it. If ParcelForce get the job of delivering it it's £17. Who gets it between them depends on which UK airport hub it lands at and which postal service sent it.

 

Couriers will deliver it and send you a bill.

 

99% of the time you will find it's not worth it.

 

According to C&E, all merchandise that is valued at more than £15 will be stopped and assessed. Sometimes they will open it. Sometimes they might not.

Edited September 26, 2014 by Chrissy

[Left FPN]

Goods arriving from the USA you would have to be very lucky to escape duty, vat and handing charges.

 

Sellers must specify the full value of the products and postage charges so it's virtually impossible to bluff the system.

 

Unfortunately, due to these added costs, getting a good deal from across the pond has become impossible.

 

Unless you know someone who regularly travels to and fro...the only problem here is the delivery address.

[Chrissy]

Actually according to what C&E told me on Monday, it's up to the recipient to ensure that the declaration is properly completed.

[Beechwood]

Curious as to how this works when US pen dealers bring large stocks through C and E for example for the London Pen Show or when UK pen owners send off their pen for work to a US repairer, is duty charged automatically and then you are requuired to aplly for a refund?

[lawrenceg]

I import pens and stationary stuff from all over the world.

Below £18 it will go through, also if the duty is over £7, all with an ish.

They may not even notice it if you are lucky.

 

Bottom line 20% of the value of what you have bought, zero on the postage cost and whatever the post, DHL etc people charge for collecting the 20%.

 

It is up to the seller to fill in the customs forms correctly, the purchaser obviously has no involvement with this.

Stop worrying the customs people have got bigger things to worry about rather than an honest $275 fountain pen import (which you will pay $53 plus about £10 to the delivery people, all in sterling) all give/ take a bit.

 

Good luck, enjoy the pen

 

 

 

.

 

The limit is abou

V ATR isThe c

[Quartermain]

I import pens and stationary stuff from all over the world.

Below £18 it will go through, also if the duty is over £7, all with an ish.

They may not even notice it if you are lucky.

 

Bottom line 20% of the value of what you have bought, zero on the postage cost and whatever the post, DHL etc people charge for collecting the 20%.

 

It is up to the seller to fill in the customs forms correctly, the purchaser obviously has no involvement with this.

Stop worrying the customs people have got bigger things to worry about rather than an honest $275 fountain pen import (which you will pay $53 plus about £10 to the delivery people, all in sterling) all give/ take a bit.

 

Good luck, enjoy the pen

 

 

 

.

 

The limit is abou

V ATR isThe c

 

So, please forgive my ignorance, but the duty I would have to pay is 20% of the total cost in USD; so I would only have to pay $55 (or £32.73) plus the courier charge?

[Holdav]

I use http://www.dutycalculator.com/ which gives a rough guide to what to expect

 

You do have to pay on postage.

[Chrissy]

Below £18 it will go through, also if the duty is over £7, all with an ish.

They may not even notice it if you are lucky.

 

Bottom line 20% of the value of what you have bought, zero on the postage cost and whatever the post, DHL etc people charge for collecting the 20%.

This is not true.

Below £15 it will go through, every time. Above £15 it may not. If the duty is over £7 they will charge it. And they most definitely do charge tax on the S&H cost

Edited September 27, 2014 by Chrissy

[lawrenceg]

Chrissy,

that is what happens to me all the time from the US and Japan.

It is an import duty or customs tax on the goods only. Hence if the customs docket is broken down into the cost of the goods plus postage, then they can only do there calculations on the cost of the goods.

[da vinci]

I haven't imported anything from the US for a while. I used to work on the basis that it would end up costing me the equivalent in gbp of the price of the pen in $.

 

I don't know whether that still works or not but it was a quick and easy way of testing how badly I wanted a pen

[amk]

Another problem is the very high postage cost from the US these days. I looked at getting a couple of $10 pens from Richard Binder's latest tray; the postage would have cost over $40. Add tax on that $40, and heck, those are expensive pens.

 

So I buy my Edisons in the UK, and have a collection that's lighter on Wahl, Conklin, and Sheaffer than it would otherwise be.

[vistafan]

Signature line Edisons are available from The Writing Desk; if you are looking for the Edison Premiere Nouveau, then you will have to import it, as it is a Goulet exclusive.

[Chrissy]

Chrissy,

that is what happens to me all the time from the US and Japan.

It is an import duty or customs tax on the goods only. Hence if the customs docket is broken down into the cost of the goods plus postage, then they can only do there calculations on the cost of the goods.

Direct information from HMRC contradicts this.

Import VAT rate

The percentage charged is the same VAT rate that applies to similar goods that are sold in the UK.

The import VAT percentage rate is applied to the total value of the goods. In the case of goods brought in this is the sterling equivalent of the price paid abroad, as shown on the receipt. In the case of goods posted from outside the EU, it is the amount on the Customs Declaration, which includes the price paid for the goods, the cost of transport, postage and packing, insurance and any duty that may be payable.

[RMN]

Direct information from HMRC contradicts this.

Import VAT rate

The percentage charged is the same VAT rate that applies to similar goods that are sold in the UK.

The import VAT percentage rate is applied to the total value of the goods. In the case of goods brought in this is the sterling equivalent of the price paid abroad, as shown on the receipt. In the case of goods posted from outside the EU, it is the amount on the Customs Declaration, which includes the price paid for the goods, the cost of transport, postage and packing, insurance and any duty that may be payable.

Which is basically the same as any shop would charge you that imported the pen from that source, without the profit for the shop.

P&P, Duty etc add to the value. You would charge these costs to another if you would be importing the item for that other person.

 

 

D.ick

[wetnoodlepens]

The VAT is quite ridiculous.

 

However I've had packages worth £500+ just come to my house without any request for me to pay VAT.

 

And the package was insured and declared with it's full value. Guess sometimes Customs just sleeps.