Ouch that hurt my wallet

[Harry Crumb]

Just received a package from Canada and had to pay £27.28
woth of customs charges.

Anybody ever had to pay similar charges on overseas packages.

[Matt Hero]

How much was quoted on the customs tab ? Did it arrive via Royal Mail or via a courier ?

In my experience, the couriers charge much larger admin fees on these packages (I think DHL charged me something like £8 just for working out the sums on a package I got from X Large once.)

[sermad]

ouuuuch £27 extra.

With regards to customs - Yes and no matey.

Yes if its from dusty groove - no if its from anyone else.

I always tell the person to mark the items as $10 - used records on the green customs sticker and every single one has got through customs ok.

Dusty Groove however declare all the items with ups so you get stung when they deliver the parcel.

Did your parcel come via a courier?

[Harry Crumb]

It was delivered by Parcel force.

The chap who sent the records to me put thier value as $200 which is fair enough but it resulted in me having to pay over £16 worth of vat!

Got some good records out of it:
Youngblood S/T
Los conq....- Johnny Hammond 7"
Don Randi Trio +1 at the baked potato
The Four seasons- Moe Koffman
Brasilian Beat '67
A Sanfransisco hippie trip- Rod Mckuen
Plug me to Deat- Erotic Drum Band
Music for Parties- the Silicon Teens
My Elusive Dreams- ray Sylvester Orchestra
Le Vieum Show Son Sale???

[Harry Crumb]

Oh and thanks Matt and Sermad for the replies.

[handcorkscrew]

Quote[/b] (sermad @ 21 July 2003,10:31)]I always tell the person to mark the items as $10 - used records on the green customs sticker and every single one has got through customs ok.

Tick "gift" instead of "merchandise" if at all possible. But this is rather unethical for dealers who are running a legit business and many won't do it. Usually customs are just look for a packing slip / receipt.

[theeman]

it's easy to get stiffed if the seller puts a big value on a parcel - usually they have to if you want it insured.

the alternative is to get them to put the worth of the items at one dollar a record (kind of scrap value) which seems to be OK.

this is a bloody high horse of mine since these records are second hand goods and currently VAT is not levied on second hand goods - in other words it should be possible to get some of your money back.

it also takes the piss that we get charged VAT on the 'services' that the post office and customs have supplied in order to open the parcel!!

[Rich Hero]

Quote[/b] (theeman @ 21 July 2003,15:35)]it's easy to get stiffed if the seller puts a big value on a parcel - usually they have to if you want it insured.

the alternative is to get them to put the worth of the items at one dollar a record (kind of scrap value) which seems to be OK.

this is a bloody high horse of mine since these records are second hand goods and currently VAT is not levied on second hand goods - in other words it should be possible to get some of your money back.

it also takes the piss that we get charged VAT on the 'services' that the post office and customs have supplied in order to open the parcel!!

...Plus the fact that we have to pay an additional charge for the 'inconvenience' the Post Office endures in levying the VAT. Notwithstanding the second hand goods point, there's no practical way of paying the duty upfront and avoiding the fee they claim for not paying VAT upfront!?!

Where's Manzo? His story takes the biscuit...

Lately, I've been sending my customers receipts to them in a separate envelope taped, mailed separate from the package and always mark the package (not the envelope) it as a GIFT with $10-15 cost. That's for LP's.

If they are buying 10 or so CD's and I get to use these boxes
I have for 10 or more, I mark it as a pair of used shoes
and again as a Gift, maybe $7-$10.00

Re; DUSTY GROOVE:

UPS to the UK has tp be a small fortune all by itself and then they screw you in the you-know-what by saying the real cost, so you guys get nailed with a spike thru your forehead twice in a row. Gee thanks Dusty Groove. I see clearly you have your customers best interests in mind

I told UPS to go to hell years ago and only use Fed Ex, but that is ONLY within the US. I only use the good old regular USPS for overseas shipping and have never had a package not get delivered and get 4 days even thru the weekend and a Sunday to London and that is without it being Registered.
RARELY does a customer get it shipped Registered and I tell them I highly reccomend not insuring it and expain why

Jack