USA vs UK ?

It is a well known fact ( amongst computer fans ) that prices of equipment are far cheaper in the USA than the UK. Some, for example, are =A3 =3D $ that means a =A3699 PC here in the UK costs about $699 in the US, at the current exchange rate about half the price.

Whilst trawling the net I came across a seller in the USA who was offering US Bachmann 'Thomas' loco's e.g. James & Edward for as little as =A320 to 30 !

I don't know about Hornby products in the USA but can only guess they are competitive with Bachmann prices.

Even if you add shipping costs and the ' no comeback' risk of lost or damaged good in transits why are we in the UK having to pay these prices ?

Reply to
Dragon Heart
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"Dragon Heart" wrote

They're not available in the UK in that guise because of licensing restrictions, but similar locos are available here for around GBP25.00 (RRP - less if discounted).

John.

Reply to
John Turner

On 17/05/2007 16:55, Dragon Heart said,

You have remembered shipping costs - that's good. You don't seem to have mentioned import duty and VAT, which as a rule of thumb can add a third onto the buy price - that's bad.

Having said that, there are certain products that are far cheaper to import than to buy from the UK. ALPS printer cartridges were a case in point, until they were withdrawn from the American market (much to the Americans' consternation - they've had to discover this new country called "Europe" to buy from!)

Reply to
Paul Boyd

Note that if the goods are valued at under =A318 there's no import duty or taxes. If you can keep items below that, then even adding shipping charges working out at =A37-=A38 can lead to overall savings. For example, thefavoritespot in the US on eBay often has On30 stuff cheaply and had 100% feedback when I last looked. I bought a Bachmann DCC On30 gas mechanical that even with shipping came to about =A325 - and the cheapest I have seen this item in the UK is =A355 plus shipping....

Reply to
peterfelgate

VAT ("sales tax") in the USA is a goofy thing. It depends on the state and sometimes county of sale. Generally, items sold by mail order are not subject to sales tax, but my understanding is that some states on the east coast are now taxing even mail order items from outside their own state. A very few states (such as Oregon) don't have sales tax at all.

Reply to
gl4316

snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com said the following on 18/05/2007 07:53:

Whatever individual states may do, anyone importing to the EU has to pay VAT at the rate determined by the country it's coming in to. This is unaffected by any USA sales taxes. AIUI, no-one outside the USA should pay State sales taxes in the same way as USA citizens don't pay EU VAT (or more accurately, they do pay it and can them claim it back when they leave)

Reply to
Paul Boyd

Absolutely correct. I did that some years ago after a USA holiday. However the refund has to be fairly substantial to make it worthwhile because it arrives a s a $ cheque and the bank charged pretty steeply for encashing it.

Reply to
Keith Willcocks

You only pay import tax if it is over =A318

Reply to
Marra

... or if they bother to charge it :-)

Reply to
Jane Sullivan

On 19/05/2007 08:41, Jane Sullivan said,

That is the bit that everyone hopes will happen!

Reply to
Paul Boyd

In message , Paul Boyd writes

Well, I'm mystified by it all. I've had packages from the US and Australia that they haven't bothered with, but you get just _one_ small package (value USD 48.00) from Vanuatu and they slap everything on it!

Reply to
Jane Sullivan

It depends on your local postman. If he doesn't have too much to carry and you are nice to him he will often bring it himself and you will not be charged anything. Failing that he will put a card though the door telling you there is an item to collect from the sorting office and you'll get hammered for charges. There was a time when the van driver would collect the duty at the door but they don't do that anymore.

(kim)

Reply to
kim

In message , kim writes

I hardly think so. That package from Vanuatu has a "HM Revenue & Customs" computer-produced sticker (printed in red and personalised for the package) on it, from Mount Pleasant Postal Depot, together with a Royal Mail Mount Pleasant circular handstamp. So I think that one was out of my local post-person's hands.

Reply to
Jane Sullivan

In message , kim writes

Erm, no. The package is either caught or not at the Revenue Centre (Mount Pleasant). From there it goes to your main sorting office, which may or may not be your local delivery office. What happens thereafter seems a bit of a mystery.

Within my area, the main sorting office write to the recipient, confirming amount payable either by cheque or debit card (by phone). Recipient pays, package is forwarded to local delivery office, and delivered as normal.

Sometimes, however, packages come direct to my office, with the usual red fees due sticker, and I hand write a grey card, which is delivered. Recipient can give the postie a cheque, or come to the office with cheque or cash (not debit card). Either way, package is then delivered, or taken immediately.

The system is supposed to be centralised at some point, with all packages being held in one office (Coventry, I think) and all fee requests dealt with by post/phone. Certainly hasn't happened yet, in my area.

All of the above is, however, rather beside the point, which was whether VAT, duties or other fees are payable on incoming international parcels. The answer, in my experience, is that the system is a lottery. Some packages are caught; some not.

Reply to
Graeme

It depends on your local postman whether he ignores the payment demand or not. It's against the rules but often speeds up the delivery process. For large items it's not possible as they have to be delivered by van driver.

(kim)

Reply to
kim

Se the reply I gave above. I'm not talking about whether Customs slap on a demand for payment but whether the local postman takes any notice of it or not.

I live in Coventry and have run an import business here for the last 14 years, most of it delivered by Royal Mail. None of what you have written above is familiar to me. It is many years since any postman around here has accepted payment at the door. They either deliver without asking for payment or (more usually) I have to trudge to Bishop Street sorting office and collect the item myself. A quick trawl of uk.media.dvd will demonstrate that is typical of most posters' experience.

If the correct value is declared on the front of the package and is above £18 there is very little chance of an item not being charged. Personal gifts of course carry a much higher limit.

(kim)

Reply to
kim

In message , kim writes

Yes, I realise that. However, it is not the postie's decision. Give a postie a parcel and he will deliver it - whether or not it has duty payable is nothing to do with him. It is up to the delivery office manager to ensure that the parcel is not given to the postie until all fees have been paid.

Oh, I'm not disagreeing with you. I have had the same conversations elsewhere (uk.d-i-y) and the process seems to vary with location. Why, I cannot begin to understand. I can only describe what happens in my area.

I vaguely remember that it was only Parcelforce drivers who would accept payment at the door, not Royal Mail?

Again, I can only describe what we do, here. The posties only collect payment when I have written a card, and am holding the parcel. The postie does not swop parcel for payment.

My business is not importing, but it may as well be :-) My model railway interest is predominantly US made tinplate, and I regularly receive parcels from all around the world, but mainly USA, containing trains valued in excess of £18. The only ones guaranteed to attract duty are those delivered by courier. With Royal Mail, some are caught, but the majority not. Again, I can only report my personal experience.

Reply to
Graeme

In the last couple of months Parcelforce switched to pre-payment of all duties, so they get a parcel from USPS and process it, generate their own tracking number which may or may not get referenced from the original USPS number. Then they ship to the depot with this new number. Then the depot generates an invoice and posts it out - with another new number. You can pay on-line if you know the INVOICE number, but only the invoice number allows you to do that - there is no link to the original tracking number or the new one. I found most of this out because I was expecting a parcel and was tracking it until it went missing. On a Friday I managed to get through before the depot closed so I could pay to get it delivered on Monday ( Saturday is extra even if THEY have held things up :( ) - the invoice to tell me it had arrived and had to be paid for arrived on the Tuesday! International Signed For parcels all go through Parcelforce and in theory will all now be delayed until paid for.

Airmail stuff is a little more hit and miss, but the same rule IS in place, and only a card should be delivered for ANY postal item that has money due - even if it's only 5p underpaid. SO things are being tightened up.

In any case £18 is far too low a limit on which to add £10 or more handling THEN the VAT.

Reply to
Lester Caine

"kim" wrote

That's not an possibility in Hull. Any letter or parcel on which there is a charge has to be COLLECTED from the local sorting office and payment made before it is handed over.

John.

Reply to
John Turner

"John Turner" wrote

Oh, I forgot, there is another alternative - you can telephone a supplied number and pay by credit or debit card after which they will deliver your item. The downside is that every time I've tried that option the number has been continually engaged for hours on end, or is not answered.

John.

Reply to
John Turner

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