Astro Stuff Price Increases Next Year ??

[ianmwatson]

I can confirm what an earlier post described. The duty is 4.2% and is not payable if it comes to less than £7 (that would be a price of £166ish). You also pay VAT (no getting away from the fact it is VAT) on the delivery charge, the cost of the item and just for fun the duty.

I know this because I've imported stuff from the US. You also face a post office handling charge of around £8 in my case, although it can be and was much higher for my starsplitter eyepiece, which is why I returned it.

Finally, the couriers do not deliver to your door, not in my case, they hold it at a bonded depot until you pay the various charges.

[Capricorn]

Ian, No problem with what you say. In instances like this I simply state what happened to me.

FedEx and DHL have always both delivered to me paintings, binoculars and scopes literally to my door, each have then always billed me afterwards for the Duty/VAT or whatever, uaually 10-14 days later. The paintings have been up to 6200 so well above 166. Items have come from Canada, US, Australia and New Zealand.

As to the statement that it was Duty not VAT, again that is what I was told at Feltham Customs and Excise office, main office for Heathrow. They made a distinct point of telling me it was not VAT. I didn't really care what they called it since when I went there I expected to pay 17.5% no matter what the name of it was. However that was all I paid, no other added on bits.

One painting was held in bonded store but that because someone sent it via BA cargo not via a courier as such. Hence my trip to Feltham. Caused a lot of problems as with BA they then charge for "storage" (daily) as well as anything else they can. Then they add VAT to their charges. :laughing2:

[ianmwatson]

It's certainly a minefield, from what I've read today it seems that if you buy at modest prices from abroad there should be nothing else to pay. Unless they hit you with an admin charge for deciding it's not worth charging vat/duty for it.

[Capricorn]

It certainly is a bit of a minefield. I have a feeling that it may well depend on how pleasant you are with HMRC. Something I noticed when I visited Feltham. They classified my paintings as "Works of Art", and charged me 5% not the 17.5% I was expecting. I had expected to pay about £338 instead I was charged £95. Saved me about £240, and the charge was just on the painting value, nothing else. Damn was I happy. Still have the receipt somewhere.

I suppose that it may also be different for a company importing then an individual. A company is usually/often VAT registered.

There does appear to be a threshold for modest priced items - except via the post office, they charge on everything and have a handling charge. A small spotting scope I purchased from the US wasn't charged anything, the UK equivalent price with shipping came to just under £100. The binoculars, 2 sets, I bought (same US site and also via FedEx) were charged but they came to around £165.

I think the whole point is that it may be worth making an enquiry. But as in all things there will be costs and these may make it unreasonable when taken into acount. So do your homework first. However if retailers on both sides of the Atlantic are expecting people to sweep into their shops and purchase loads of equipment then with the present environment I cannot see it occuring.

Anyway, it was :hello1: CLEAR :hello1: last night and should be again tonight. So off to sort out a scope or two.