Clappy

The rules about when Customs Duty and Import VAT are due on gifts are on this section of the HMRC website:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/post/buying.htm#4

In a nutshell, Customs Duty is due if the value of the item is over £135 but will be waived if the duty amounts to £9 or less.

Import VAT is due if the value of the item is over £36.

Different rules apply for Alcohol, Tobacco, Perfume and Toilet Water.

All assuming that the Customs Declaration has been completed correctly of course.

I seem to remember that anything marked as a gift used to be ignored by Customs and Excise, maybe that is what has changed, or maybe we were just lucky in the past. I can't guarantee that my memory on that is correct though.

EDIT: Ooh I read it again and just noticed under the rules for qualifying as a gift that it must be for the use of either you or your family. How they work that one out I have no idea, both my sisters have different family names from me now. Maybe that is referring more to the sender's relationship to the item rather than the receiver's relationship to the sender? Its a minefield!

Lb welly

I got done in the UK for £25. An estate agent sent us a blanket when we bought a house through them in NZ. The value was $250. I was not impressed cos I didn't want it but I was curious!

Bo-Jangles

I stopped sending parcels long ago, as I begrudge paying good money to send goods that are 'made in China' back around the world.

The final straw was when I bought a small toy for a Niece that cost more to post than I paid for it. To add insult to injury the item had been made in China and distributed by a UK company.

Sending money isn't always the answer either as there can be additional costs of converting foreign currency cheques. I know that some of the Kiwi banks charge $25 to lodge a UK cheque and take 21 days to clear.

I'm a big fan of M&S hampers and gift cards! They have kept me out of so much trouble for last minute.com remembering of birthdays and such like. Hampers are always well received by the olds

Helen256

Erm, hello *wave*

I'm currently still in the UK and working as a postie (please don't shoot the messenger...!), moving out to NZ in Feb.

With the vast amount of packets I deliver, I have noticed that I handle a lot which have evaded tax and handling for various reasons... size, value and what it actually is (jewellery, fragrance etc). Posties will only ever get given the stuff that isn't taxed etc... 99% of these are labelled as gifts....Aaaaand... there are a lot of gifts. As in, on the customs label. Gift.

With regards to the privatisation; yes, they need to please their stockholders as any business would BUT, the competition is creeping in from TNT on the mail side of things and millions of other companies for packets. To hike prices would be stupid... they're going to have to look into other ways of making the business more streamlined before that happens... just saying

M_and_M

Sent and received parcels both ways regularly and never heard of this.