Importing from US to UK!

This is very big WARNING to anyone importing camera goods from the US

to the UK!

 

I have purchased goods from North America before and been charged by

Customs but never as much as my latest purchase. I will not be

buying US again!

 

If you are considering camera equipment from the US because it

seems 'cheaper', please consider the following charges that may be

applied to your item (can be found on www.hmce.gov.uk):

 

1) Customs Duty - this is charged on the cost of the item PLUS any

shipping that you paid for. It can be up to 10% (mine was).

 

2) Excise - no excise (thank god)

 

3) VAT - this tax will be charged at 17.5% but it will be charged on

the cost of your item PLUS shipping PLUS Customs Duty that was paid

on the item.

 

4) On top of all this you will also have a £3-10 charge by the post

office to have them 'handle' your item.

 

If you are buying from a store then you definitely WILL have these

charges because store place merchandise stickers on the box(es).

 

All this meant that a great deal on an EOS camera that was originally

235 pounds (including shipping) became 308 pounds. For any Americans

out there, that means a charge of 73 pounds = 115 US dollars. I had

expected charges but not charge upon charge upon charge!

 

Be warned!

was it still cheaper than the uk price? Maybe try importing from Europe. I don't think there are any charges from EU countries.

I don't think the VAT calculated on the custom tax (charge upon charge) is legal or proper.

Why don't you submit a complaint to the English Ombudsman's Office?

Even with the extreme level of taxes paid on importing things, they can still work out considerably cheaper. You just have to calculate for the worst case scenario, and if it's still significantly cheaper (as it sometimes is), then it's worth doing. If the worst case scenario does not happen then that's a bonus.

Don't know about the english customs system, but most countries in the EU (Britain is part of that, despite what some think or want :-)) do have an import tax (on item price AND shipping costs) and than calculate VAT/Sales Tax on that total. So yes, there is a double taxation.

 

When in Britain ordering from other EU countries is very easy. No extra sales tax, no customs, no hassle at all. Specially ordering from Germany, where prices are lower, can be very interesting.

Actually, I work in a VAT and Customs Duty office but we deal mainly with European imports so I wasn't aware of these extra charges on charges.

 

The charge on a charge deal may not be legal in a European Court but from working in this office and dealing with Customs & Excise, I have come to accept that Customs do LOTS of things that aren't always 'legal and proper'. They are willing to spend loads of tax payer money to try to prove that they are right even if they know they will probably lose. So, it's not worth my time/money to make a complaint. C'est la vie.

<i>Actually, I work in a VAT and Customs Duty office...</i> <p>

 

Oh, the irony. <p>

 

--

For qulaity lenses it may well still be worth it. We get ripped off silly over here. At least I have an idea of the charges now.

I recently imported an expensive lens fron the US to UK - a Canon EF 300mm L f/2.8 IS lens. I saved about £250 - but in any event I could not get one in the UK at the time (Feb 2003). Even after the dollar exchange rate (unfortunately its not so good now), the Credit Card "cut", VAT and the customs charges (these latter two totalled £725) I still saved money. However, its not always the case, so important to check first. This even included an "administration fee" of £17.70 too. Rip off Britain??

You think UK customs ripped you off? Try importing into India, where the import duties total to 57% of the value of the product. That means down here you have to fork out 370 bucks for an item that costs 235 bucks. So I do understand your position. Did someone say photography is a costly hobby? Maybe they should try importing equipment.

Dear Lindsay,

Without giving too much away! The trick is to make sure the

dealer you buy from in the foriegn country sells you the item "tax

free". That is if I buy from England, new or secondhand I make

sure the dealer is not charging VAT as the goods are going to

export. Similarly you need to find a dealer who will sell Duty Free

(that means he is not charging his countries import duty,

legitimate as he is exporting the goods), these can be found but

as ever check before parting with any money.

Take care, and work the system! Scott.

P.S.

 

If you do the cheap flight once a year job, return to the UK with

your lenses (or whatever) in used looking condition, ie have a

filter on or a mismatched cap, in a camera bag and post all the

packing and warrnty docs etc to yourself. A British 'Receipt" never

does any harm either!

 

You know how sneaky these VAT and Duty officers can be!

 

Just don't tell anybody, Scott.

:-) I always buy from US and will continue to do so (I'm in Canada). The stores

I bought from always agreed to lie on the customs declaration slip... for

instance, for a $1400 lens I paid the taxes on $50, which came to about $8 :-)

Just insisit when needed.

I'd guess that if a store is prepared to lie on an official document like a customs declaration slip, they might be less than honest when dealing with customers. I don't think any reputable store would take the risk of knowingly making a false customs declaration.

Again Lindsay, In life there are only two things you can't escape from: death and taxes...

Sad but true.

Bob Atkins >>>>>>>> I'd guess that if a store is prepared to lie on an official

document like a customs declaration slip, they might be less than honest

when dealing with customers. I don't think any reputable store would take the

risk of knowingly making a false customs declaration.

 

I won't state here the name of two stores who agreed upon my request, for

obvious reasons. If I would, everyone and I'm sure youreslf included would

agree on saying that there is nothing bad to say about their reputation.

They're often quoted in various contexts as reference stores :-)

hello,

 

I have bought quite a few lenses from the US and even with the Postage, Import Duty, VAT, clearance fees, etc.. there are still usually some savings to be made.

 

(Duty should be charged on the Item cost and then VAT is charged on top of that with postage costs added.)

 

 

The import DUTY Tariff rates for Europe (EU) and the UK can be found here:

 

 

http://europa.eu.int/comm/taxation_customs/dds/cgi-bin/tarchap?Lang=EN

 

(click the browse button and look for photographic equipment/ cameras at the bottom of the list)

 

 

It seems that while there is a classification for "lenses" which levies duty at 6.7% this may not be the most appropriate classification for camera lenses. I think that this category is more for specialised equipment as it states that the lens must be of a focal length of between 25mm and 180mm and the elements must be greater than 60mm diameter, which is not always the case for a 35,mm camera lens.

 

 

There is a classification for 35mm film cameras, with a duty rate of 4.2% and additionally there is a sub-classification for camera parts and accessories, which apparently is rated at 0% Duty.

 

 

Hence, if your supplier can describe your lens as a "35mm camera part or accessory", then it should not attract any Duty.