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customs duties?


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For those with experience regarding guitars being sent by post from abroad...

I'm interested in a guitar that costs about 600 from Japan, what should I expect to pay on top of that?

Will the guitar will be sent to my address, I wont have to collect it from the airport?

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For those with experience regarding guitars being sent by post from abroad...

I'm interested in a guitar that costs about £600 from Japan' date=' what should I expect to pay on top of that?

Will the guitar will be sent to my address, I wont have to collect it from the airport?[/quote']

17.5% + a clearing fee...of upto 50 quid.... i'd estimate about another 120 bux max...

i'd also expect it delivered to your house...where upon a dude will be looking for the 120bux...

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Guest onlynik
For those with experience regarding guitars being sent by post from abroad...

I'm interested in a guitar that costs about 600 from Japan' date=' what should I expect to pay on top of that?

Will the guitar will be sent to my address, I wont have to collect it from the airport?[/quote']

Import tax 3.2% = 19.20

VAT 17.5% = 108.36

HAndling chage (change for courier paying above for you to speed up customs) 10 ish

total

737.56

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Yeah dude, From japan, your Likly to get charge inport tax.

is it a Edwards or something your bying !?

From Europe however, you won't.

Yet from the states - well it depends .

The guy on about DHL, yeah id believe that, sometimes youl get away with it on UPS to, it all just depends on wuther, say a sniffer dog goes mental at Inverness airport or what not.

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Well, now I'm after a Burny 3 pickup les paul custom from the US, god damn, I need to discipline myself!!!

Btw, how does it work once the guitar arrives in the uk, do Royal Mail(I should know this) then take over the responsibility of it getting delivered? I have a horrible imagie of a guitar just being left waiting to be picked up... and waiting... and waiting...

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Guest DustyDeviada
Well' date=' now I'm after a Burny 3 pickup les paul custom from the US, god damn, I need to discipline myself!!!

Btw, how does it work once the guitar arrives in the uk, do Royal Mail(I should know this) then take over the responsibility of it getting delivered? I have a horrible imagie of a guitar just being left waiting to be picked up... and waiting... and waiting...[/quote']

Check out this UK site:

http://japanguitars.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/index.jhtml

Oh and as to your second point (and yes, you should know this ;) ), I would guess it depends on the courier which was used, but if it was a courier in the US that has a deal with Royal mail, wouldn't they just put a card through your door if you weren't in when they called and then you would have to pick it up from Altens?

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Yeah some of those guitars look ace!

I meant, the guitar being left at an airport. The essential question is, I dont have to organise a courier to go get it from the airport? It will get here automatically, but who will deliver it and how much is a guess.

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Guest DustyDeviada
Yeah some of those guitars look ace!

I meant' date=' the guitar being left at an airport. The essential question is, I dont have to organise a courier to go get it from the airport? It will get here automatically, but who will deliver it and how much is a guess.[/quote']

Usually you organise all this stuff with the seller, but I think most US distributors would either have an arm here or a deal with a UK firm. The packages don't stay at the airport anyway, they go to a customs sorting office at Mount Pleasant first.

Here's a customs FAQ I saw on another forum:

Your Customs Allowance

Customs charges may only be applied from goods sent into the UK from outside the EU. Orders from within have already had the relevant VAT and duty paid in that EU member state. Jersey is not classed as within the EU, but as a Special Territory , and as such are liable to VAT.

The current allowances for DVDs, CDs and the such are 18, or 36 for gifts.

If an item is VAT-exempt (such as books), you will not be liable for charges on those items

Postage and packing must be remembered. If the total value of goods in the package that are liable to duty and VAT is less than 18 WITHOUT P&P, you will not be liable for a charge. If the total value of goods in the package exceeds 18, the VAT and duty is charged on the total value of the goods INCLUDING P&P

The 36 allowance for gifts only applies to unsolicited gifts from one individual to another (such as a birthday present). Goods marked as "gifts" from a company fall in to the same category as any other purchases and so the 18 allowance applies.(cheers Ed Parsons).

How the charge is calculated

Customs (Import) Duty of 3.5%

VAT @ 17.5% - the VAT is charged on the value of the goods PLUS the customs duty

Administration charge of the courier

For example, if the cost of goods and P&P comes to 30, you would have the following:

30 for goods

1.05 customs (import) duty

5.43 VAT on 31.05

The administration charge of the courier varies. Here are the current charges you can expect:

Royal Mail 4.00 (RM site )

Parcelforce - 8 for standard parcels, 13.50 for high value (> 1000) and express parcels. (Thanks to DeadKenny for this info). (Parcel Force )

DHL 1.25 or 2% (whichever is greater) for non-business users (DHL site - Information - About Duty & Vat for more information).

UPS is 11or 2.5% (whichever is greater) UPS site in section marked "Disbursements" (Thanks to Chris for the info and smst for update 14/02/06).

FedEx personal handling charge is 4.50 as of Dec03. If you have been charged more than this, you have probably been charged the business rate and should query this (cheers cm-9 for the info).

Another important factor is the value of the goods. If the value is not declared in GBP, HMC&E will use their own monthly rates to convert the value to GBP. The monthly rates are checked once a week and changes made if they differ by more than 5% from the last published rate and amended from midnight on Tuesday/ Wednesday of the following week. (Source - http://www.hmce.gov.uk/business/rates/rates.htm ).

HMC&E can also value the item(s) if they feel that the declared value is false, and will apply what they feel the value should be and you will be charged accordingly.

How you pay

With packages coming in through Royal Mail, the postman will leave a note telling you that you have an item with a charge at your local delivery office, and you will have to go and collect it. If they leave it/hand it over and do not collect any money, you have got away with it.

Couriers such as FedEx, DHL and the such will normally pay the VAT & duty on your behalf and invoice you some time later. Be careful to check that they have only charged you the non-business user rate of admin charge - if it is around 10 or more, they have mistakenly charged you the business rate and you should take it up with them.

If you think you have been overcharged or charged incorrectly on the customs charge, you will need to contact HMC&E - they have a national advice line on 0845 010 9000 which is a good starting point.

Useful Links

HMC&E website offers a wealth of references and information about the various regulations and charges you are liable to.

HMC&E Notice 143 - A guide for international post users much of the information from which I have built this FAQ.

TARIC Homepage a useful EU site that allows you to calculate the import duty for other goods:

Click on the "Taric Description" link

Enter the type of goods you want to import

Make a note of the Taric code for the relevant item

Go back to the Taric Home Page and click on the "Taric Code" link

Enter the Taric Code and the country where the goods are being sent from

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