Scary thought.

[Son of a gun-ner]

I recently received a package from the states, I got hit with a customs and excise charge.
And before that, I received a package from Canada, and got hit by a customs and excise charge.
The American one came via the post office that collects the charge and adds on 8 quid as their fee. The Canadian one came via a courier, that charged 16 quid as their fee.
And now, apparently international shipping from the states has gone up, nearly double in some cases.
Oh, and the custom charges are on the whole value, INCLUDING shipping.
Anyway, my point/concern that is now worrying me. With us leaving the European Union, will we end up being liable for custom charges purchasing from Europe?

[Rad_Schuhart]

I recently received a package from the states, I got hit with a customs and excise charge.
And before that, I received a package from Canada, and got hit by a customs and excise charge.
The American one came via the post office that collects the charge and adds on 8 quid as their fee. The Canadian one came via a courier, that charged 16 quid as their fee.
And now, apparently international shipping from the states has gone up, nearly double in some cases.
Oh, and the custom charges are on the whole value, INCLUDING shipping.
Anyway, my point/concern that is now worrying me. With us leaving the European Union, will we end up being liable for custom charges purchasing from Europe?

Yes. I sent tons of stuff in my work to UK, and we are really worried about that. Not only the extra money that you will have to pay, but the time it takes.

[Son of a gun-ner]

Rad, I'm guessing you too can get hit with custom charges when you purchase from outside the EU?

[Rad_Schuhart]

Rad, I'm guessing you too can get hit with custom charges when you purchase from outside the EU?

Of course!

[jarndice]

This is an insidious problem that the Chinese have historically tried to avoid by marking on the Customs Declaration Form that the contents are a gift and when the parcel is addressed to a private address it has usually been allowed but with the USA looking much closer at imports into their country a crackdown internationally is almost inevitable,
As far as we are concerned it can only mean a noticeable increase in the price of purchases from China and much closer scrutiny of parts that members of this Forum send to fellow members overseas even when these items are being sent gratis in friendship.
I don't think the UKs non membership of the EU is going to be the sole reason for such increases in postal and customs charges as the system has been extant for many years but it worked using common sense rather than coming under the xenophobic gaze of the President of the USA as it now does with all the international fallout that it entails..

[Son of a gun-ner]

Hi Shaun.
Well, I've always resigned myself to getting caught out with custom charges, been purchasing from the states before eBay was thought of, and have had a few customs charges in the past.
But, we've not had to pay custom charges when purchasing from Europe because of the union. So, will that all change once we leave the union?

[jarndice]

Hi Mick, I don't think that the EU controls postal services either within or outside the EU,
My understanding is that the "Universal Postal Union" which is a unit within the United Nations controls all matters postal to all Countries signed up to the UPU treaty.
Most members of the UN are signatories to the UPU including the USA, All EU Countries and the Peoples Republic of China.

[Son of a gun-ner]

I think you're missing what I'm saying Shaun.
Customs and excise has nothing to do with postal charges. I'm talking about being hit by import duty. Items coming in from outside the EU are subject to import duties. Once Britain leaves the EU, we'll be stand alone, and still everything imported from outside the EU will still be subject to import duties, but we won't be in the EU, so it will be all imports from outside of Britain should be subject to import duties. Now I'm wondering if this will include Europe and its Union. Especially as the EU charges their equivalent to vat, but there's will be separate from ours, which makes it scary if we will have to pay a double amount for importing from the EU.

[Son of a gun-ner]

Mr Front, I know import duties are from my own government.

In Europe we have this extra tax, VAT, Value Added Tax, that's 20% and is added to the price of MOST things. Therefore, any products entering the UK and Europe are subject to it.
When you're part of the EU (it works as a union like the USA), this tax is already applied to goods all over Europe. When I purchase a tank from Germany, it's already including the VAT applied in Germany, therefore I don't have to pay it again.

So, when Britain leaves the EU, our government still charges the VAT on goods and imports. But also the EU will have their VAT on their goods within their member countries.
What I want to know is, will we now start paying British VAT on that same tank from Germany which has already got EU VAT applied.

[lmcq11]

When i order stuff from Germany to Canada, the German sellers remove the 19%VAT from the cost, which is a big bonus for me. I rarely get custom fees on arrival, more often if courrier like UPS is used.