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TOPIC: UK Customs charge 2016
UK Customs charge 2016 4 months 4 days ago #56443
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Wanted to put this info on here for UK customers. My teenage son ordered a custom saber in Feb (total cost apx $350/£250) and this was dispatched early May. Arrived in the UK around 10th May and now on 17th May is available for collection/delivery having been processed by customs. Customs/Parcel Force have put charges on it of £54.82.
I'm feeling this is rather steep - any advice? Is this the normal cost? |
UK Customs charge 2016 4 months 4 days ago #56463
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I am not in uk but a few members are and have mentioned the extra charge to get said sabers though customs not a great thing to have happen months after you have already paid for the saber but @for Tyeth might be able to give you more info since I know he lives (In The outter rim)in the uk
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The force is strong in this one.but the dark side is always there
The following user(s) said Thank You: Rachel
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UK Customs charge 2016 4 months 4 days ago #56465
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This is exactly my current issue. I completely forgot about this before ordering and now it's being held until I pay customs. It's bascially VAT which is 20% now? It also depends on how SF package the item and what value they put on it. 20% of £250 is £50. My Saber is £300 so i'm looking at another £60. Heartbreaking...
 I don't know all the legalities but if SF could put down the value as just that of the materials (say $100 - not accurate i know) then it wouldnt be such a kicking for us in VAT. Alternatively if it is marked as a gift there is possibly no VAT for us to pay though i dont know if SF could get in trouble for that. |
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The following user(s) said Thank You: Rachel
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UK Customs charge 2016 4 months 4 days ago #56475
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don't know all the legalities but if SF could put down the value as just that of the materials (say $100 - not accurate i know) then it wouldnt be such a kicking for us in VAT. That's illegal. SF was dinged for having done this in the past so they no longer do it.
Alternatively if it is marked as a gift there is possibly no VAT for us to pay though i dont know if SF could get in trouble for that. |
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The following user(s) said Thank You: Rachel
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UK Customs charge 2016 4 months 4 days ago #56488
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Best if UK residents read their own rules and interpret correctly,
https://www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad/overview If you read the second page on "Tax and duty", any goods imported from non-EU countries worth more than GBP15, https://www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad/tax-and-duty .... at a VAT rate of 20%  https://www.gov.uk/vat-rates Abhorrent government rates. As I would imagine the cost of administrating small VAT figures would cost more than the revenue raised. |
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"I am the Senate"
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UK Customs charge 2016 4 months 4 days ago #56492
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VAT at %20, then....
Execute66 wrote:
Abhorrent government rates. As I would imagine the cost of administrating small VAT figures would cost more than the revenue raised.
ParcelFarce charge you an extra £8 for the dubious privilege of charging you the VAT on behalf of Her Majesty's Revenue and Excise, they then declare the figures in bulk to the government - so the government admin is actually very small, while the people who pay for ParcelFarce to profiteer are you and I. This could be avoided if SF subscribed to the Global Shipping Program so that the VAT could be added at point of sale for British customers, then ParcelFarce would only be able to charge for doing their job as opposed to charging the customer for doing the job of the customs and excise. Loads of firms in the US are part of this program, but I guess it would have to be Phil's decision. |
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Any idiot can squeeze a trigger....
It takes a special kind of idiot to use a saber. |
UK Customs charge 2016 4 months 4 days ago #56493
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Woof. I feel for our UK'ers. I import plastic models from Japan and I don't have to deal with any of these tariffs, it's actually cheaper for me to buy it over here because of the weak yen.
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UK Customs charge 2016 4 months 4 days ago #56518
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h2soy wrote:
don't know all the legalities but if SF could put down the value as just that of the materials (say $100 - not accurate i know) then it wouldnt be such a kicking for us in VAT. That's illegal. SF was dinged for having done this in the past so they no longer do it.
Alternatively if it is marked as a gift there is possibly no VAT for us to pay though i dont know if SF could get in trouble for that. If I remember correctly they would mark it as an "LED flashlight" to try and keep the rate down. And if these import rates weren't bad enough, apparently the customs officers, particularly the German ones--like to play with them before sending them through. SF has the highest percentage of their "saber arrived damaged" complaints from their German customers. h2soy wrote:
Woof. I feel for our UK'ers. I import plastic models from Japan and I don't have to deal with any of these tariffs, it's actually cheaper for me to buy it over here because of the weak yen.
So do you go through an online retailer like AmiAmi? I've been wanting to get some LittleArmory 1/12 scale weapon kits for some of my 6" figures, but I haven't be able to decide which place to go through. |
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UK Customs charge 2016 4 months 4 days ago #56525
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The Ruler of this Country has her own Agenda.. Ultimate Power and a fast-filling Wish-List.
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UK Customs charge 2016 4 months 3 days ago #56562
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I am looking forward (not really) to paying about 20% on top of my original budget for my saber. It would have been handy to have known something about this to begin with, but it's not really SF's place to warn importers about their country's rules.
20% for the privilege of having a toy pushed from one room to another and £8 for the privilege of telling you it's 20% is frankly ridiculous, but there you go. A topic like this would have been useful four months ago when I made my purchase. Also the recent price-hike from SF is now going to have 20% knock on effect for us too. BUT: Price-hike + electronic tier + postage + customs duty is STILL a bit cheaper than starting up and making the things yourself! |
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For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.
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UK Customs charge 2016 4 months 3 days ago #56565
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The same is for Buyers from Germany only that its not 20% but 19% Customs charge.
But it cant be avoided. Saberforge should open A Store in Europe too so it shouldnt be a Problem anymore. And i would think that there are more then one Person who would help out with this 
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UK Customs charge 2016 4 months 3 days ago #56569
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Stgthor wrote:
The same is for Buyers from Germany only that its not 20% but 19% Customs charge.
But it cant be avoided. Saberforge should open A Store in Europe too so it shouldnt be a Problem anymore. And i would think that there are more then one Person who would help out with this
They must be making a fortune so maybe they could do this 
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UK Customs charge 2016 4 months 3 days ago #56570
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A colleague of mine just made a valid point. Could SF mark the package as Religious Item and we could get them sent to -
FAO Master Rob Jedi temple 1 Joebloggs street etc etc
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UK Customs charge 2016 4 months 3 days ago #56572
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lol that would be an idea but u have to open a jedi temple then
 Robschach maybe they can sometime in the future. Look at how many people want one and most of them wont or cant because they live outside the US I know some of these people myself and right now the boom with lightsabers is high everyone wants a lightsaber so it would be the best time |
UK Customs charge 2016 4 months 3 days ago #56573
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Stgthor wrote:
lol that would be an idea but u have to open a jedi temple then
Robschach maybe they can sometime in the future. Look at how many people want one and most of them wont or cant because they live outside the US I know some of these people myself and right now the boom with lightsabers is high everyone wants a lightsaber so it would be the best time It's a real pity because i really want another saber (haven't even recieved my first yet haha) but it might put me off having to pay another 20% VAT on top of the main price. I really want the Graflex which is only available via ASP which itself isnt available yet. If i ordered 1 part at a time and each was sub £30 i could bypass customs and then i could complete my training and build my own light saber in my newly formed temple. |
UK Customs charge 2016 4 months 1 day ago #56879
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Ah damn, I totally forgot to think about customs charges. It's not that I can't afford it when my sabers come through but I don't see why we have to pay customs on what is basically a toy. A very fine well crafted toy and all, but the point stands. Its ridiculous. If the cost of the sabers comes through at its full value its gonna be another £150 ish, and if SF manage to mark it down a little its still gonna be high.
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UK Customs charge 2016 3 months 2 weeks ago #58554
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UK here. My order of an Acolyte Warrior came to $194 shipped, and I got hit with a postage charge of £32 just over a week ago when it arrived.
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UK Customs charge 2016 3 months 2 days ago #60458
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Yup, UK here also. Got my tracking information finally for my £250 ASP saber via IndieGoGo. After a while of it being held in customs clearance, I received a letter informing me that there was a £55 Import VAT charge, as well as £15 customs duty, and an additional £8 "clearance fee" from ParcelForce.
I was given the impression from other users here that SaberForce marked their international shipments as "LED Flashlights" at a reduced cost to avoid these kind of charges, however this is clearly not the case any more. Needless to say, my wallet is hurting...
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UK Customs charge 2016 3 months 2 days ago #60462
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Yeah I believe they've had some trouble with it in the past and had to stop marking it to get around the customs charges. Unfortunatley we UK and other international country customers are just gonna have to buck up and deal with it it seems
Still, as much as it will be expensive, I want my sabers more than my money haha.
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UK Customs charge 2016 3 months 6 hours ago #60656
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It has been a while since I lived in the UK, but when I did I was at Mount Pleasant, and processing went like this: VAT, Import Duty *THEN* the carrier would scalp their own fee for collecting the Crown's money.
Is it still the case there now? |
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盡人事而待天命
Do one's best, then leave the rest to Providence. |
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