Fed ex delivery from US ... help please

[daytonababe]

Originally Posted by Eeyorefanuk

Omg 😮 I just thought I sent a gift to Florida (chocolates) etc they won’t get charged will they at their end if via Royal Mail 😢

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Probably not, I send my friends kids in North Carolina chocolates a few times a year and they've never had to pay.


As for your letter I wouldn't ignore it, They will just keep chasing you till you eventually pay, Its a customs charge so FedEX if you like are collecting on behalf of the HMRC..

[DonnaD]

Originally Posted by Loftus

Chocolate biscuits are classed as a luxury, plain biscuits aren't.

Cakes are not a luxury, hence the campaign to class Jaffa Cakes as cakes and not biscuits.

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Every accountant's favourite example of the lunacy of VAT law.

[DonnaD]

OP, at least it was an expensive handbag. My sister in law in the US sent my daughter an inexpensive bag once when we were still living in the UK. It got returned to her for some reason and when she sent it again she wrote the value as over $100 so it would be insured for enough to cover both lots of postage if it got lost. I then had to pay over 20GBP to collect it. It was only worth about $15!

[cherub85]

We were hit with this last week. My parents bought my dd a belt she wanted (£50 for a chavvy fabric belt!). When it arrived they had to pay another £19 at the post office for tax and fees! Hope she wears the belt a lot!

[KSB8989]

We regularly get deliveries from overseas - some courier companies will ask for custom/import duties before delivery & others (Fed-Ex) will deliver and then send a bill. Do not ignore it, it will not go away and ignoring it will only serve problems down the line.

[JLH]

my sister lives in America and before she sent all the familie's xmas presents to me to hand out - wasn't happy that I got to pay the duty on everybody else's presents !

[Bats]

So I get all of the responses here, but is the only proof that it should be taxed the little form stuck inside or on the box that says what's in it?

So if I sent back dirty washing, as long as I put dirty washing, it would be ok? They'd be welcome to check of course!
Or if my friend bought things from a Thrift store for me (she does), I'd still potentially get taxed on a secondhand used item (if it were over the £39 limit)?

madness!

[Nimbus]

Originally Posted by Bats

So I get all of the responses here, but is the only proof that it should be taxed the little form stuck inside or on the box that says what's in it?

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The customs declaration on the parcel simply identifies what's in the parcel and the value, although customs can also check the contents. If the type of item is subject to VAT then you'll have to pay VAT on it (assuming it's over £39 inc postage for a gift) - as per UK law. If it costs more than £135 then you may have to pay customs duty on it as well.

Originally Posted by Bats

So if I sent back dirty washing, as long as I put dirty washing, it would be ok?

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I'm not sure. I guess it would be classed as clothing (whether its dirty or not doesn't matter) and you'd pay VAT on the the declared value. Although it depends on whether the clothing was bought abroad or in the UK. If the clothes were bought in the UK then you'd not have to pay VAT on them (you'll have already paid VAT when you originally bought them).

Originally Posted by Bats

Or if my friend bought things from a Thrift store for me (she does), I'd still potentially get taxed on a secondhand used item (if it were over the £39 limit)?

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Again, I'm no expert on this but, yes, you would have to pay VAT on the items.

Originally Posted by Bats

madness!

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I'm not sure why you think it's madness? You have to pay VAT whether you buy the item here in the UK or you buy it abroad (without VAT) and get it posted here to the UK. The same goes for second-hand items - I believe you have to pay VAT on secondhand items bought here in the UK.

If anything, it would be "madness" if you didn't pay VAT on things sent into the UK. Because then everyone would buy things that cost more than, say, £100 from outside the EU and get them shipped here (the shipping would cost less than the VAT). That would harm British businesses and reduce the amount of money the UK has to spend on public services.

[Eeyorefanuk]

Thanks all for your help and advice