Questions about shipping...

I have some questions about shipping and import duties.

I have a Dell laptop that I bought in January and is under a 1 year warranty. It's broken and I contacted Dell the US to see if they could help me. They put in a request to Dell UK to see if they would be willing to send someone out to take a look but Dell UK said I don't have an international warranty so they won't help.

Now Dell US is saying I need to ship it to someone I know in the US. Once it's there, contact them about having it fixed. So, I'd like to send it to my dad's, get it fixed and have him send it back.

The problem is I know you get charged some sort of tax to receive international packages here and it sounds like a fairly steep charge, espeically on a laptop that's worth over $1000. And, I definitely want to let the post office know how much it's worth because I want to insure the package. But, I'm going to be really upset if I have to pay some import chargeto receive my own laptop back. It seems like it's going to be expensive.

Is there anything I can do to avoid that charge given the situation? And, does that happen when shipping to the US? Will my dad get a bill for receiving my laptop? I just want to get it fixed under my warranty because it's going to cost about £600 to get it fixed here.

I apologize if this is in the wrong place...I wasn't sure where to post it.

You won't have to pay anything because you'll be receiving used personal goods...you'd only have to pay if you'd purchased a new laptop and were having it shipped over from the company.

You won't have to pay anything because you'll be receiving used personal goods...you'd only have to pay if you'd purchased a new laptop and were having it shipped over from the company.

Really? I used to mail my husband packages before we were married and I was still in Cali and he got bills for the stuff I sent him! I got so upset when I realized he was having to pay for GIFTS from me!

No, now, a gift is different -- duties are usually charged on new merchandise being sent to someone in the UK (which is why my family writes "used personal items" on the customs form when they send something to me. 

Since you'll be getting YOUR laptop back, you won't have to pay.  If you were getting a NEW laptop sent to you, you'd have to pay.

Ah...okay, got it! Thanks so much! I learned you could avoid the charges by stating that it was a gift as long as the value was under $50. I didn't realize that it only applied to new merchandise. That makes sense.

Thank you!