luvwelly

Well it took me ages to place my first on-line order for stuff from M&S to be shipped from UK to NZ.
Call me naive but when I placed my order for approximately 150 quid, I did not expect to receive a bill from the New Zealand Customs Service for NZ$126.85 which I have to pay before they will deliver it.
Has anyone else had a similar experience?
So for goods worth NZ$335, I have to pay NZ$126.85.... plus of course I also paid postage.

So when I do finally get the stuff, I'll be hopping mad if it doesn't fit!

Bo-Jangles

Sorry to hear that you got stung Luvwelly, but new import fees were introduced last year and it seems they're a lot more vigilant in enforcing the rules than they might have been in the past. Of course it's not just M&S parcels, it applies to all items imported via the mail. Some people do get lucky but it is a risk and you're right to warn / remind people of this.

http://www.consumer.org.nz/news/view...ransaction-fee

However, it's no consolation to you, but before these new fees came into being, you would still have been at risk of GST and import charges if the cost of goods and postage combined were over 100 quid.

Stormer999

Goods coming into the UK are hammered by customs charges so badly that a lot of presents sent from overseas are never collected.

Stormer999

Seeing as 99% of M&S goods are made in PRC then it's a long way round journey!

Wessa

So, where do people shop online for quality stuff, where you wont get stung on delivery charges etc?..

scrubbedexpat094

I've been stung a couple of times. The last time I got badly stung I had the parcel returned (this was free of charge).

You are allowed GBP97 worth of clothes. This, I found to my cost includes shoes & handbags . If I am ordering clothes then I try & keep it to under GBP90 worth.

I ordered some curtains from Marks earlier this year for approx 150 quid & got a letter for GST from customs. Unfortunately M&S had marked the package as containing clothing . Customs don't look inside parcels (unless it looks dodgy of course) they just check the documentation. I got in touch with customs & explained the situation. They opened it up, checked the contents, no GST required & sent it on to me.

I'm convinced that customs deliberately look for my name on parcels now

Charismatic

Quote:

Originally Posted by luvwelly

I did not expect to receive a bill from the New Zealand Customs Service

The only solution I've found is to get someone in the UK to send it as a "gift" . You could understand if we where ordering expensive stuff but the law is an ass.

You are down in Wellington, ask for a word with the "honorable" minister in charge of this mess ("honorable" Maurice Williamson) and make him see it your way*.

Linky to the thread I dided last times : http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=672929

*It was crap coffee who is the Asian one in Wellington right? Just checking because the "honorable" minister bit of a racist**.
**Allegedly of course.



Edit to add "honorable", forgot the word is used out of context if in front of a politicians name.

crap coffee

ridiculous..

gotta dislike NZ (more and more..)

simonsi

Might want to edit the title, nowt to do with M&S after all.

RobClubley

I had to pay $137 to receive some second hand car parts which I declared as being worth 250 quid.
$96 was duty and GST, the rest was admin fees.

It used to be that anything under about $400 worth was ignored but they do seem to be getting a lot more vigilant.

MattandJax

In the UK they charge you for imports outside the EU if the vat/duty comes to more than £9!! so about £45 or $90.

Personally I think the balance here is about right.

Charismatic

On the other hand the EU was heaps bigger than New Zealand last time I checked. Unless it's something very specialist you won't go wanting for supply within Europe.

luvwelly

Wow that's even worse than mine!

luvwelly

Well it means it's not really economically viable to order goods from your favourite UK supplier, so each to their own, if you think that is the right balance, I don't.
It's yet another example of making immigrants feel imprisoned in fortress NZ with limited access to outside world .
All I actually wanted was a pair of slippers for goodness sake (and no I can't find any I like here at any price, not even in Kirks).

simonsi

Thats all in the perception TBH, after all the rules apply to everyone, Kiwi´s and expats alike....

Same applies if ordering in the UK from the US, there are bargains to be had but if you do attract full import duty/VAT then the benefit disappears...

Its all about protecting GST (or VAT revenues) in cross-border trade, nowt about fortress anywhere...