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Ron.M -> RE: Ordering in the USA from Europe (Jun. 14 2009 7:37:43)
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Hi Ed,
My experience has been that if the sender ships the package via one of the International Carrier companies, the contents and value are declared and in the UK you must pay Import Duty + VAT + a customs handling charge (made by the Carrier).
If the item is small and can be dropped into a regular US maibox, then the chances are it will just pop through your letterbox unless the package is intercepted in a random inspection in which case it will be held at Customs and you will receive a letter stating their valuation and duty etc to be paid.
The reason the first way is beneficial to HM Customs here is that it is in the Carrier's interest to make sure that all the additional charges are applied as they receive payment for this and Customs don't have to use their own people.
I stopped ordering stuff from the States because of this.
Although the price seems very attractive, (often the same item costing $100 in the States will sell in the UK for 100 UK Pounds), by the time you've paid all the extras, there is no saving from just buying it in the UK in the first place.
cheers,
Ron
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