Milton girl

From information I can find no custom charges are payable if contents are no more than GBP39. If amount is more because enclosing gifts for more than one person you must list separately.....
for example if I am shipping 1 sweater , 1 shirt and 1 tshirt total cost gbp30 for Annie ....do I have to list each item separately(3lines on form)? If so what happens if I am sending 3 items to A, 4 items to B , 4 to C , 5 to D....total 16 wrapped gifts in one box....16 separate lines! The space to enter 16 is too small.
Just sent 1 parcel with 4 separate wrapped gifts for 3 people and now reading on tracking i am being charged!! 1 did 3 lines .....eg....LINE 1...shirt/socks/hat/scarf (JOHN XMAS GIFTS) $45 ......2nd and 3rd lines similar. What am I doing wrong? Why am I being charged? Suggestions and Comments please....thank you.

Nutmegger

I'm not sure if I read you correctly, but it is not GBP39 per person, but per package. As for listing the items, don't do it by person, but by item and be as brief as possible, e.g. socks -- 4, $15; children's clothes -- 3, $18. I do my gifts in separate packages to keep under the limit, e.g. three bubble wrappers all to the same destination, with a couple of items in each. I also stagger the mailings..

joto

My daughter said to put items as used items, eg used clothes, used toys, etc, but that was to ship to Italy. Just put clothing on the item lines, and the cost, unless one of the items is particularly big or expensive.

Milton girl

if you read UK Customs information it states if you are sending multiple gift items you are allowed GBP39 per recipient. You must identify the items as gifts with recipient's names......I did this but it's been stopped and duty applied.. Thought I was doing the right thing this time after having my last package mailed 30th Sep lost by USPS in Miami en route to UK.....they say it left on flight....claim made. At present time only agreeing to reimburse $130 Priority Express shipping. USPS is atrocious...cannot speak to people doing investigation only message takers. Rules also advised by local PO manager when he printed off details of claim that they are not allowed to discuss or show me the print out. Printed in large block letter on top of form.
if anyone knows alternative shipping Company from US to UK with reasonable charges please advise.

Nutmegger

I thought you were sending things from the US, and consequently using the USPO customs form. Unless it has been changed since I last used it in September, there is nothing that asks for any individuals to be identified. That is the form you should go by -- the total value of the items in the package rules, not per person.

Milton girl

Yes I am sending from USA to UK. I complete the Customs Form (large one). The rules I quote are for items arriving in the UK......that is where duty is paid!!

Nutmegger

But you aren't completing a UK form. You are completing the US form (which is very simple, with very minimal space for describing contents) with the awareness of what total number will trigger duty when it arrives in the UK. And that number is 39 GBP per package. How on earth have you managed to try to put individual names and individual gifts on that form?!

Milton girl

Yes but I read information and spoke to UK Customs and they said ...."understand that gifts for multiple people may be included in one parcel so list items with information with value and state recipients name" Guess I will ignore!
I will blame COVID!!! I would have been travelling there and taking extra suitcase ....cheaper to pay that than exhortbitant USPS prices!

Nutmegger

Good luck! I've been sending parcels to the UK for decades (ouch!) and only ever taken notice of the USPO form. (I don't think most people sending packages to the UK are going to contact UK customs before mailing.) The only time I had a duty problem was one year when I was unaware that the pounds sterling limit had changed.

lansbury

It is the value of the items in the box, as determined by UK customs, which is used for assessing duty. Not necessarily the value you put on the form. If UK customs decided the values on the form is too low they will charge what they believe is the appropriate duty.

They stopped turning a blind eye to the values on the declaration forms quite some time ago.

Milton girl

Thank you. My first hiccup in 22 years.

Derrygal

I used to mail a lot of presents to the UK at Christmas. Not any more. It's too expensive, all the problems with the Customs forms and quite often means dealing with rude staff at the Post Office! While I hate to make Jeff Bezos richer than he already is, but ordering from Amazon UK sure makes my life so much easier. I have even cut back on sending Christmas cards - just a few to elderly relatives. I send e cards to everyone else.

Milton girl

Yes it is expensive. Thank goodness I do not have as many gifts to buy as I had when I arrived 22 years ago. Gift cards now for older ones. Birthday/Christmas cards still done personally......old school I am afraid. I include in parcel to UK and relative either mails or delivers for me . I only set foot in my local PO to drop parcels off....I click n ship. Not allowed to put on here my thoughts of USPS!!!

angelman

One small tip for using USPS. I use a service called PirateShip. You can print out the shipping labels at home, just measure the dimensions and weigh the package. Apart from getting a nice little discount on the price they also somehow provide far better tracking than the USPS does. You can see when it is in the US, when it departs, when it arrives in UK etc. Usually I have found extensive delays occur when a package seems to spend ages in some airport or other waiting to fly to UK. After that the delays is usually with Royal Mail .https://www.pirateship.com/

Milton girl

I will check them out. i track my parcels with USPS until it leaves US(mine go out of Miami) and then revert to Parcelforce who I find give me more information. Once out of Customs in UK I have always found quick delivery.....generally 24-48 hrs Subject to arrival day of week. My parcels which I generally send Priority Express gets to UK quicker than if I send small first class package from Tampa to Atlanta!