Parcel value on international orders.

[SleazyP]

First of all apologies if this is in the wrong place on the forum and I know its technically request for the store support but they're on holiday until Monday and the Black Friday deals end on Monday so I'm between a rock and a hard place on this one

I'm trying to work out what value they have to put on a delivery when the ship it internationally (in this case, the UK) so I can work out the import tax cost. Do they include the shipping cost when they write the value of the item on the parcel? I know it sounds like a silly question but I don't know if its the total amount DJTT gets that they need to declare or just the cost of the items.

If anyone has any info it would be greatly appreciated.

[Lecko]

I think the item value is declared for insurance purposes,

I bought a midi fighter a month or so ago, it worked out at about $245 with shipping which works out to roughly £160, but with VAT and royal mail handling fees it cost me the best part of £200 eventually.

I'm waiting for the UPS option to come back up for shipping (it should be soon) as I know a UPS driver and he told me the only extra charge is the VAT

Dunno if that helps!?

[SleazyP]

Yes and no

I'm guessing the Postal service here just look at the value written on the parcel when they work out the import tax, just not sure if DJTT put the total inc delivery on it or not. From the numbers you gave there it sounds like they do which means there isn't really much saving over buying the stuff here.

[DJSigma]

The shipping costs are not taxable. The value written on the package should be the cost of the item inside, not the cost of the item plus shipping costs. Obviously, the shipping costs may be on the package as well, but that's not taken into account.

The main downside to getting them to write a much lower value on there is that if the package is insured and it gets lost or the contents get broken in transit, you can only claim back the value written on the package. It's also fraud and they do open some packages to check the contents, but I've never let that put me off as I think it's bloody cheeky charging me tax on something I didn't even buy here, especially when if someone from outside the UK buys something from here, they can actually claim the VAT back and get it cheaper than I can!

[SleazyP]

Perfect!

I don't want them to lower the value or anything it was just that adding the 20% onto the cost of the item plus shipping bumps up the price to a point where its almost not worth doing it.

[rgtb]

The shipping costs are not taxable. The value written on the package should be the cost of the item inside, not the cost of the item plus shipping costs.

i dunno about the exact rules in the UK but this statement is not generally true. for example, in germany, importation VAT is based on the value of the item including the cost of transporting it into the EU.

i just did a quick google search and it appears regulation is similar in the UK.

[Ashigari]

Same in Switzerland, you pay taxes on the goods and shipping (and a fee for handling the whole import process)

[DJSigma]

i dunno about the exact rules in the UK but this statement is not generally true. for example, in germany, importation VAT is based on the value of the item including the cost of transporting it into the EU.

i just did a quick google search and it appears regulation is similar in the UK.

Yeah, you're right. It's a fucking piss take in fact. You pay import duty on the total cost including shipping, then you pay VAT on the total cost including shipping and you also pay VAT on the import duty!

It's weird though, cos a couple of weeks ago I worked out the import taxes on something I bought from America based on the value of the item only and that's what I ended up being charged. I've PMed the OP to let him know I made a mistake anyway. Sorry about that.

It's a bloody rip-off either way!