LauraNotts

Hey everyone,

I sent a parcel back home recently for my parents containing gifts totalling around about $200. I paid $61 to send the parcel and an additional cost to insure the jewellry in there.

A few weeks later and my Mum gets a letter from Customs and Excise wanting £20 before they'll deliver it. I can't understand why this is so? Is the UK really that stingy that they want full VAT paid on gifts which are of comparatively low value. I had a look on HMRC and see that duties are payable from goods outside the EU but even so surely the personal allowance and gifts categories aren't so low that £100 would fall foul?

Bit mystified...anyone else experienced this?

Pom_Chch

Hiya Laura,

Yip, that is the case unfortunately I didn't realize this rule when I sent my brother and his wife back some aftershave/perfume. The total amount was about $100 and they still had to pay the 20GBP.

Tight arses

LauraNotts

Ergh. And I thought NZ was tight for having a $400 import limit. God defend New Zealand

MrsFychan

just checked HMRC website and seems anything over £15 is taxed. This does not include alcohol, tobacco products, perfume or toilet waters; these items are excluded from the relief of duty and VAT at import.

you would be better of purchasing items from the UK to send to UK friends and family.

Anyone wanting to know about import duty of buying outside NZ and delivering to NZ use Import Duty Calculator - Figure out import tax rates nz
Also be careful when you need to add delivery amount as that brings down the amount you can spend before paying tax.

which reminds me got to go do a Tesco's/Marks shop as daughters birthday coming up

LauraNotts

Heh I wanted to send her something really nice, so I splashed out on some jade and gold earrings cause they're beautiful and Kiwified. You're right though, I'll stick to amazon.co.uk when I Christmas shop.

Blade Down Under

You don't have to always go on the British sites for this. You are allowed to make a purchase of a similar product from a country within the EU and it still gets delivered. A German I know (can I say that without offending anyone) always got his parents to send over a Schalke shirt, which he never paid tax on. So if there's a similar product you've seen but is selling cheaper (incl delivery fee), then you can purchase that and not pay any duty

But that doesn't class with special European countries. If purchasing from Jersey or Gibraltar, they're included in the 15 tax merchandise. That's a bit of a pain since purchasing from Gibraltar could become a habit. So much stuff there way cheaper than anywhere else

There is one way that you could avoid the charges over 15 and that is if you purchase something abroad, and send it to yourself at an address in Britain. It's not something I'd recommend, if you're purchasing something that requires delivery or pick up. I think you still pay the duty but you do not pay the VAT.

Lastly enjoy the $400 whilst it lasts. I'm sure I read somewhere that they were going to abolish that completely, bowing down to demand from the shops.

Snap Shot

Yup, this is exactly what happened to me last Christmas. My Dad threatened to send his Christmas parcel which he received from me in NZ back to me as he refused to pay the duty owed. Which would have been a shame as it contained a couple of shirts and a couple of sweatshirts (she remarked mildly ) Goods plus postage was about $200. The returned parcel would have ended up where.................?

I just went online and paid it the duty for him. Thought so, was all he could say.

Anyway, moving right along.

I'll order some clothes for him from Marks and Spencer and have them delivered to his address in the UK when I order the Christmas hampers for other friends/relatives in Britain.

Pom_Chch

They still charged 20GPB for the perfume I sent, argh!

Stormer999

Receiving mail from abroad
All mail that enters the United Kingdom may be examined by customs, but normally letters, postcards and packets containing only documents or similar forms of correspondence are excluded.
If you are receiving a package from overseas (unless it’s from another EU Country), please be aware that it may incur customs charges. Any package assessed as being liable for customs charges will also incur a Royal Mail handling fee of £8.
Any goods imported into the UK over the value of £15 are liable to import VAT. Gifts between private individuals over the value of £36 are also liable for VAT. Goods and gifts over these values may also be liable for customs duty. You no longer have to pay customs duty for goods up to the value of £135, however you will still be required to pay import VAT and excise duty where applicable.
Please note that these limits do not apply to alcohol and tobacco goods where both excise duty and import VAT may be charged. It is not permitted to send alcohol and tobacco products into the UK from another EU country unless prior arrangements have been made to account for the excise duty.

MrsFychan

yes perfume is not excluded from the duty

lc77

Is this a fairly recent thing? I've been sending stuff to the UK for the last 10 years, and never had any problems until this year when my sister had to pay duty on her birthday present worth $60! I don't think she was too chuffed...

janiejones

It's been a thing for a long time, but was inconsistently applied until recently. I used to buy a lot of stuff from outside of Europe, and never got hit for duty when it came through RM. A friend in a different part of the country, buying the same stuff, used to get hit for duty. So it sounds as if they're applying it across the board.

I read somewhere that the duty limits were set back in the eighties, when buying from outside of Europe was pretty rare, and they haven't risen in line with inflation.

I tend to write a low estimation of value on pressies, but I don't tend to send expensive gifts that often. We went back last year, and took good quality goods in our suitcases.