"Customs fee"

[derby1884]

Bought a 1930s dinner menu from an EBay vendor in New York recently. Got a notice from Royal Mail saying they can't deliver it because there is a "customs fee of £11.31 due...including an £8 handling charge"

Anyone know what the heck this is for?

The menu only cost me a fiver so I'm loathe to fork out this extra sum without knowing why!

I've bought far more expensive things from the USA before without having to pay this fee...
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[martino]

Is this any help?

Not read it myself but the intro sounds as if it is the "rules" on import / export

If the link does not work then google "customs fees"

http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/cha.....014#P9_240

[bisphamseasider]

Goods costing as little as a fiver should be exempt from customs duty and VAT.

It maybe that the sender has not completed a customs declaration correctly or perhaps not completed one at all.

I'd get onto Royal Mail straightaway.

[derby1884]

thanks for the feedback, guys. Appreciated.

I've contacted the seller to find out if the customs form has been filled in.
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[mark01]

yes. I've been caught out a few times with customs tax from items bought from the us and s America.

I take it that your item is with the royal mail, pending a decision from you.

If items come through customs here, they will have the customs slip attached to the packet/parcel so that you can check the amount due.

If nothing is declared at the other end, I cannot think that any tax is due over here.

regards, Mark

[houghmartin]

as someone living in the US who sends ebay sales to the UK all the time I can confirm that there should be no customs duty payable by you on something so small so it does sound like the seller has not filled in the paperwork correctly with regard to either the nature of the item or its value. As an example, I just sent a shirt (sold for £30) to the UK and nobody (neither me or the buyer) had to pay customs fees.
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[Wullie]

The custom fee is nothing to do with Royal Mail. the handling fee is the cost of storing the package, insurance whilst stored, contacting the customer, collecting the money and sending it off.
Some people think this is an outrageous fee.
If they can name a company who'll do this for free then let me know.

[bisphamseasider]

There's something radically wrong with a system that allows a sender in another country to cock up the completion of a customs declaration, and then expect the recipient in the UK to not only have to pay incorrect custom fees but also even bigger fees to Royal Mail because they had to store it whilst collecting the erroneous fees.

[Wullie]

bisphamseasider wrote:

There's something radically wrong with a system that allows a sender in another country to cock up the completion of a customs declaration, and then expect the recipient in the UK to not only have to pay incorrect custom fees but also even bigger fees to Royal Mail because they had to store it whilst collecting the erroneous fees.

Well it's not the ""system"" but the seller. If I post a programme to you and don't put a stamp on it, then you'll receive a card asking for the cost of postage plus "handling fee".
it's up to you to pay up or not. The problem here is the seller. He has messed up.

[derby1884]

Wullie wrote:

bisphamseasider wrote: There's something radically wrong with a system that allows a sender in another country to cock up the completion of a customs declaration, and then expect the recipient in the UK to not only have to pay incorrect custom fees but also even bigger fees to Royal Mail because they had to store it whilst collecting the erroneous fees. Well it's not the ""system"" but the seller. If I post a programme to you and don't put a stamp on it, then you'll receive a card asking for the cost of postage plus "handling fee". it's up to you to pay up or not. The problem here is the seller. He has messed up.

I have contacted the seller here - got a rather ambiguous reply.

"Everything I ship to an international destination prints with a customs form included I believe."

As someone who rarely if ever has any problems on EBay (lucky old me?) would you suggest I try + get the £11 back from the seller?

If he won't cough up, is this something worthy of reporting to EBay?

Or do I just write it off to experience?

If I choose to not pick this item up from the Post Office, they say they'll return it to sender. Would I still be liable for the charge?

Sorry - a lot of questions, I know. But useful to know these things for everyone's future reference.
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[mark01]

Ask the seller to email you a copy of his customs form and then you'll have something to work on.

If he cant do that you have a decision to make - pay up or let it go - all depends on how much you want it. If you buy anything that could attract customs tax, ask the seller before paying him. If the item is sent as a gift from say a relative, there is no customs tax to be paid, but this must be declared when the item is originally sent.

Hi wullie, I know the fee goes to customs/revenue people, but the Royal Mail must get part of the fee for collection of money, etc.

I used to be a postie, but never experienced delivering/collecting cash from anyone receiving such item, thankfully!

Does the postie still deliver these items or is it someones specific 'job' now?

regards, Mark

[bisphamseasider]

derby1884 wrote:

I have contacted the seller here - got a rather ambiguous reply. "Everything I ship to an international destination prints with a customs form included I believe."

The sellers reply doesn't really help. It seems to suggest that a customs form is always attached but it doesn't appear he completes anything on it.

derby1884 wrote:

As someone who rarely if ever has any problems on EBay (lucky old me?) would you suggest I try + get the £11 back from the seller?

There is no harm in trying although I don't think you will have much chance.

derby1884 wrote:

If he won't cough up, is this something worthy of reporting to EBay?

I doubt E-bay will have any interest in this situation.

derby1884 wrote:

If I choose to not pick this item up from the Post Office, they say they'll return it to sender. Would I still be liable for the charge?

I don't see how you can still be charged when you haven't claimed the parcel but what on earth do RM do about their handling fees? It's best that Wullie answers this one.

If you don't collect it and RM return it to the sender surely you can then ask the seller for a refund and then take it up with E-bay if they don't comply.

[DannyRoberts]

derby1884 wrote:

Bought a 1930s dinner menu from an EBay vendor in New York recently. Got a notice from Royal Mail saying they can't deliver it because there is a "customs fee of £11.31 due...including an £8 handling charge" Anyone know what the heck this is for?

HMRC are claiming £3.31 for customs - the £8 Post Office handling charge is fixed whether the 'customs' part of it is £3 or £300.

HMRC must have arrived at their figure from a valuation of the item written somewhere on the package.

If, instead, they have just plucked a figure out of the air then surely there must be a contact number that you can obtain from the Post Office for HMRC to dispute the customs charge and why it was charged and how they arrived at that figure.

Even a collectors item marked down as a 'gift' on the customs form is in fact potentially liable to a customs charge - it's just that HMRC dont bother to check 95% of parcels as they do not have the manpower.

However, once they decide to pick on a package, then they empower Royal Mail to collect the charge on their behalf (and Royal Mail then charge the customer a further £8 for the hassle).

[Senior82]

Pay the amount, and then leave neutral/negative feedback.
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[derby1884]

Quick update - and somewhat perturbing as I don't know whether this is a new procedure put in place by HMRC or not.

The seller did fill out the customs declaration slip correctly, affixed it to the envelope, put $12 as the value of the item. So he's done everything by the book.

Royal Mail tell me - off the record as he was quick to say - that some agency entitled "Border Force" (which comes under HMRC) now randomly selects items for query based on criteria unrelated to value.

So, essentially, it's just my bad luck that my cheap liner menu has incurred the curiosity of some jobsworth answerable to no one.

I'm off to see where I can get with HMRC (ha!) - but the point is that this could happen to any of us now who buy things from abroad. And they don't need to explain why.

Now that's scary....
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[bisphamseasider]

Border Force - sounds like a Tom Clancy novel.

Actually part of the Home Office rather HMRC and responsible for immigration, importing of illicit goods, coastguard patrols etc.

Customs and Excise duty still comes under HMRC I think.

But whichever organisation is responsible this could create even more hassle when purchasing from overseas.

Have you decided what to do yet Derby other than contact HMRC?

I wonder if Royal Mail's fees will increase the longer they have the packet?

[derby1884]

bisphamseasider wrote:

Have you decided what to do yet Derby other than contact HMRC? I wonder if Royal Mail's fees will increase the longer they have the packet?

Because I have made contact with Royal Mail, they will keep the item in storage rather than return to sender after 21 calendar days. No extra fee.

From the BorderForce website:
Border Force is a law enforcement command within the Home Office. We secure the UK border by carrying out immigration and customs controls for people and goods entering the UK.

Border Force was formed on 1 March 2012 as a law enforcement command within the Home Office. Border Force secures the border and promotes national prosperity by facilitating the legitimate movement of individuals and goods, whilst preventing those that would cause harm from entering the UK. This is achieved through the immigration and customs checks carried out by our staff at ports and airports.

Orwellian overtones? And also note the date they were formed. March last year. I used to buy a lot from the States and, before then, never had any problems whatsoever.

What is interesting is that there is NO procedure for enquiring as to why an item has been selected for query.
Only for making a complaint if one is "unhappy about the professional conduct of Border Force staff or contractors"

Pure gobbledegook.
note the use of the word "contractors"!

Anyway, I've been round and round in circles on this till I'm dizzy.

So, I'm just going to have to pay this fee, be a good boy and not make waves.....and then never buy anything else from abroad again.

Freedom and democracy - you gotta love it
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[Wullie]

The country is in dire need of money. Maybe this is just a tax grab. When you think, if they decide to "check" millions of items such as this, they can charge £3 to £5 a time. And 99 percent of the population will just pay up as the hassle for a claim would be to great. The one percent who make a fuss will probably get a refund in the end. I have to say, I am seeing more of these custom cards than ever before.

[derby1884]

Was gong to drop this whole matter until half an hour ago when I saw a small section on their website titled "Compliments"

This allows the citizen ample opportunity to express how "great a job the Border Force are doing".

This sort of smug, corporate self-endorsement really needs to be challenged, so I'm going to try and get an explanation out of them as to why my cruise liner menu was picked out for scrutiny.

If you don't hear from me again, I guess it means the Border Force midnight patrol will have tracked me down.....
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[martino]

Wullie wrote:

The country is in dire need of money. Maybe this is just a tax grab. When you think, if they decide to "check" millions of items such as this, they can charge £3 to £5 a time. And 99 percent of the population will just pay up as the hassle for a claim would be to great. The one percent who make a fuss will probably get a refund in the end. I have to say, I am seeing more of these custom cards than ever before.

Regardless of the motives, surely this would not be cost effective - the admin costs would be more than the amount of revenue received.