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Post by The Doctor on Nov 2, 2007 18:08:06 GMT
Bend over backwards...
-Ralph
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Post by Philip Ayres on Nov 25, 2008 10:19:39 GMT
I got a £40 parcel past em today. What's the largest value item you've succesfully got past the customs people without having had the value marked down ?
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Post by The Doctor on Nov 25, 2008 10:25:15 GMT
Brave Max, which was around £80 IIRC. Most expensive thing I've had imported.
-Ralph
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Stomski
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
YOU INTERRUPTED MY SPEECH!! But don't worry. It won't happen again.
Posts: 6,121
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Post by Stomski on Nov 25, 2008 11:58:03 GMT
I had a big box of Galaxy Force toys that cost about £110 from HLJ make it through untouched.
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Post by Dark Stranger on Nov 25, 2008 12:53:48 GMT
Big box of toys on the way from BBTS, in danger of some severe CUTA action with that one....
Had an expensive box of Japanese toys off Shopping Mall Japan slip past them a while back, which rocked!
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Post by Shockprowl on Nov 25, 2008 23:36:27 GMT
One time I got a huge-a-mongus boxa goodies from BBTS (er, some Beast Wars, coupla classics) and it slid straight through.
Then, coupla weeks later, Titanium Skywarp, and another fig I can't remember which (I buy too much stuff) tried to arrived, much less in value, and I was bent over and royally taken in the A-hole! Sons-of-bitches! 'Tis only toys!
"spit on it! spit on it!"
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Post by The Doctor on Nov 26, 2008 17:24:53 GMT
I don't think spitting on Titanium Skywarp will help much.
-Ralph
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Post by Bogatan on Nov 26, 2008 17:58:50 GMT
I've yet to be CUTA'd when recieving from Yahoo Japan. I'm pretty sure they list the actual value. Either way I've had a few packages costing around or more than £500 get through unmolested.
Andy
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Post by Philip Ayres on Nov 26, 2008 18:57:23 GMT
packages with values listed in Yen rather $ seem less likely to be molested.
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Post by Shockprowl on Nov 26, 2008 19:53:08 GMT
I don't think spitting on Titanium Skywarp will help much. -Ralph I wish it were SW I was spitting on. *wheeps in shame* |
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Post by Philip Ayres on Nov 26, 2008 21:59:57 GMT
I think packages in Yen have a greater chance of getting through than packages in $ because they don't have the Japanese exchange rates to hand ! (it always used to be Y2000=£10 but I see what HLJ are offering at the mo is much more expensive.
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Post by legios on Nov 27, 2008 7:43:12 GMT
The Pound to Yen exchange rate has been getting more and more unfavourable by the day over the last three weeks. The curse of us having an extremely weak currency and poor economic prospects I guess. (Not that I can blame the folk that are investing in yen. If I had enough money to be playing about in currency speculation I would be buying the yen heavily at the moment too).
Karl
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Nigel
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Post by Nigel on Nov 27, 2008 13:11:17 GMT
HLJ always used to put the dollar amount rather than yen or pounds, occasionally resulting in me getting charged when the value was under the limit, because of the different exchange rates.
I don't think I was charged, surprisingly, for the Predacon reissue. I was also fortunate with Encore Sky Lynx, then not long after got severe CUTA for two Revoltech.
I once had a parcel opened by customs - OTFCC Megazarak. My guess was that they didn't believe there was only one item for the value. I don't remember if I was charged, though.
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Post by Dark Stranger on Dec 7, 2008 17:24:00 GMT
£39.22 on a BBTS package.
It stings! It stings!!
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jan 24, 2009 22:44:50 GMT
We returned home to find a ransom note from Parcelfarce for my Universe 4 & 5 dlx. Not 100% surprised to be caught. £8.16 for the customs charge and £8 to line Parcelfarce's pockets.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jan 30, 2009 12:30:30 GMT
Another ransom demand this time for £12.41 customs and another £8 to parcelfarce.
(It's SW Build a droid wave 5 - original SW wave with two Astromechs - and Universe Inferno)
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Post by Shockprowl on Feb 5, 2009 19:44:55 GMT
They're bastards.
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Post by The Doctor on Jun 24, 2009 16:54:08 GMT
(can't find the old thread)
It's been near 3 years since I last imported toys. For daring to import a massive £30 of toys I cannot buy in British shops, I have CUTA of £12.73 to pay. I am ****ing raging!
-Ralph
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dyrl
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Post by dyrl on Jun 24, 2009 17:05:05 GMT
Interesting. That's 40%. But is 30 pounds what you paid only for the products, or is that with shipping costs? Now - correct me if I'm wrong, but your VAT in the UK is 15% now, right? That would mean that that they first had to stick you with the tarrif and then add it to the 30 and take 15% VAT off of that... meaning that the tarrif would have to have been somewhere around 5-6 pounds to then be able to get another 5,40 pounds from 15% of 36... So the tariff was probably actually around 6 or 7 pounds... That would mean (assuming again the total cost of your purchase was 30 pounds), that the tarrif in the UK is...23%  !!! You have a 20-25% tarrif in the UK?? That's big. Guess Poland isn't as bad. The VAT is 22%, which sucks - but the tarrif is 4% which isn't that bad. Pete |
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Nigel
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Post by Nigel on Jun 24, 2009 17:11:50 GMT
IIRC... The first £18 is free of tariff. The value over that is subject to VAT and customs duty. Then there is a handling fee charged by the courier, which, if it's Parcelforce is often the largest chunk of the total.
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Post by The Doctor on Jun 24, 2009 17:23:10 GMT
The charges are random, Pete.
-Ralph
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dyrl
Empty
Transforming robots are no match for combat waitresses from the future!
Posts: 1,652
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Post by dyrl on Jun 24, 2009 17:56:28 GMT
They may seem random - but they are not. Also - if you imported from a different country; the customs people take the foriegn currency value of your order and convert it into British Pounds according to the exchange rate AT THE MOMENT THEY ARE CONVERTING. This means you might have paid 30 pounds for the item, but if the item/items are billed in dollars or other foriegn currency, and on that particular day, the foriegn currency amount equals - oh - say 33 pounds- then suddenly the customs people charge you all the fees/taxes etc off of 33 pounds (making the total higher) than what you "really" paid. I think what might be random is the frequency with which they levy charges on individual parcels. If they are really busy (Christmas) I imagine they won't bother with ruining peoples' hollidays. If it's summer - everybody is on vacation and only Ralph is buying - so they will take a chunk out of Ralph  Or - it could really be random... In any case - all the more reason to create Ralph Inc. and get that money back  Pete |
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Post by The Doctor on Jun 24, 2009 18:12:14 GMT
It's random in that you can't go to the customs website and calculate charges based on size, weight, value, destination or phase of the moon. You literally have no idea what the charge will be. Which is why I did not import toys when a student or unemployed as I couldn't budget for unknown amounts!
-Ralph
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Post by legios on Jun 24, 2009 20:05:50 GMT
There is also the handling charge to take into account. This is calculated separately from the VAT and import duty, and is the amount of money that Royal Mail or Parcelforce charge you for the priviledge of holding your parcel hostage and taking money from you on behalf of Customs and Excise.
There is a logic to how the handling charge is calculated, I know there is a pattern, but I have not yet been able to work out what it is.
(On one memorable occassion the handling charge was twice the VAT and Excise duty. So I ended up paying Parcelforce twice the amount of money the government wanted from me for the priviledge of them giving that money to the government....)
Karl
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jun 24, 2009 21:26:30 GMT
IIRC once you top £18 it's vat on everything.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Jun 24, 2009 21:30:58 GMT
BOUNCE
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Post by grahamthomson on Jun 25, 2009 7:07:27 GMT
It only due on VATable items worth over £18 if merchandise, and I think, £36 on gifts.
If you order loads of books and comics (zero-rated items), say, from HLJ, then there should be no CUTA at all.
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Post by The Doctor on Jun 25, 2009 7:32:51 GMT
Did your secret weapon work?
-Ralph
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Post by grahamthomson on Jun 25, 2009 8:24:37 GMT
Nothing so far... but I need to be patient.
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Post by The Doctor on Jun 25, 2009 18:21:22 GMT
I tried hard not to punch the man in the sorting office in the face when I handed over my cash with no thankyou in response and the box thrown at me while he looked away.
Next time, I wage war.
-Ralph
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!!!
