Packages from US & customs charges

My family in the US is going to be sending Christmas gifts to my children here in the UK. Most of it is XBOX/Wii games and movies that we cannot purchase here as we have US systems and must have US versions. There will also be 3 Nook Colors and probably some make-up/clothing for my daughter.

I have to avoid customs charges. We have absolutely no extra money at all right now and have no way of paying if any are incurred. Can we just have them mark the packages as "used personal items" and put a zero value on the customs forms? We would have them open all items and remove all price tags.

I really wish I could find someone near me (St Neots/Cambridgeshire) or in London that has a military (APO) address. Wouldn't have to worry about it them and also would have cheaper shipping.

Thanks for any help!

--Laurie

The thing is that they aren't used items, they're gifts. Likely new and unopened at that. UKBA has placed an advisory about customs declerations on their website that you may want to look at. Basically, if they think an item hasn't be declared properly at best it'll be delayed, at worse it'll be seized.

Can the gift givers give you the money if customs decides to charge you VAT? It doesn't seem fair to make you pick up the tab if it's a gift.

I just sent a 9lb box to Guernsey and declared it as a gift and listed the goods that were inside. Well, Guernsey customs went and opened it reguardless. They didn't harm anything, just peaked around to make sure I didn't lie. Not to get you paranoid but there's a decent chance that UK customs officals are going to look in the box. Took my box over three weeks to get to my boyfriend, but then again it's Guernsey so it may not take yours that long.

Hi Laurie,

It's highlylikely you will need to pay VAT, import duties and clearance/admin charges to get the package/goods. This may be that the package is delivered to you and a few days later you'll get the bill for these charges or, you'll need to pay prior to them being released and delivered to you. The details will be on the HMRC website - it's confusing and big, but you could give them a call if you wish.

I think the clothes will be exempt from charges, the Movies and video games will be subject to the above charges. The Nook Color devices will also be subject to the charges.

Deliberately marking the items as used and putting a lower value down to their worth is illegal and is considered fraudulent, I really wouldn't advise it. HMRC customs aren't stupid in this respect and if your package is thought to be deliberately mis-leading, they'll check pricing and calculate the charges as they should be. All incoming packages are scanned and checked, some are then brought aside to be opened up and internally looked at - this is usually just spot checks, in case anything is picked up they think needs investigating for whatever reason.

If your family haven't sent the packages as yet, perhaps speak to them about any alternatives.

Cheers, DtM! West London & Slough UK!

I'm going to be sending my sister Xmas gifts for her family, the total will be about $140, is it likely she will have to pay duty/VAT on them?

Last year I sent some presents over and she had to pay duty on them, which defeats the whole point of sending a gift.

It helps if you mark the items as gifts and list each item separately on the customs form.  There is a higher allowance for gifts (£40 vs. £15) before having to pay any charges.  If there are multiple gifts in the same package, each person receiving a gift gets the £40 allowance as long as everything is clearly marked. 

http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageTravel_ShowContent&id=HMCE_CL_000014&propertyType=document#P28_2966

Some random thoughts....

If you're sending something directly from on a online retailer outside the EU, it's considered merchandise, even if it's really a gift.

Sending prohibited food products from the states like diary or meat (I'm looking at you beef jerky) will get your package yanked at even the most hectic of times. The same with most plant-related items.

Adult clothes aren't exempt. Baby and children clothes are.

Can you use a Nook in the UK?

Can you use a Nook in the UK?

I use mine here. I use Calibre to manage my library. I use epubbud as well. I can't however download books from the Barnes and Noble site right now. I am waiting on my US credit card to get here to see if I can use it this way to download. I have enough books to read for the next 3 years.

Some random thoughts....

If you're sending something directly from on a online retailer outside the EU, it's considered merchandise, even if it's really a gift.

Sending prohibited food products from the states like diary or meat (I'm looking at you beef jerky) will get your package yanked at even the most hectic of times. The same with most plant-related items.

Adult clothes aren't exempt. Baby and children clothes are.

I ordered 7 pairs of adult onesies pj's from the US retailer last year and they were sent direct and they were not stopped by Customs..lucky maybe?

Wow its been a long time since I have been on the forum...

Customs charges... grrr!!!

I collect old Coleman Lanterns... I usually get one package a month from the states, I sometimes get stopped by customs, I sometimes don't. 

My Grandma mailed me some food... 4 boxes, the lowest value was $50, and the highest value was $69, that did not get stopped. 

My dad sent me $300 worth the Craftsman tools, and put $300 on the value, it got stopped, I paid £60 something...

Like I said above, I collect old Coleman Lanterns, and I get parts from the states, and on Saturday I got a note through the door saying I needed to pay charges on a glass piece that I ordered, the declared value was $36, I ended up having to go down to the post office and paying £13.  No realy way to say if it will get stopped or not.

But, on my last box, there was a sticker saying:

"Goods purchased and imported into the EU with a value over £15 (for VAT purposes) and over £135 (for import duty purposes), or goods imported from one private person as a gift with a value over £40, are subject to Customs charges"

So from what I understand, if YOU buy it, and it costs more the £15, you could have to pay.. and if its marked gift make sure its £40 or less... Most the Coleman stuff I buy is $20 and under, so very rare for me to have a problem....