Buying from abroad and taxes?

[TSR2]

Shinny shinny! I'm off for a browse, thanks very much!

[airboatr]

get the metal band Ben, they'll hold up much better to whatever Eric was alluding to.



Ohh ..umm Dave said I can have all the brownies you got... how many is that then... I'm headed to the market and I was wondering how much milk to buy...

[RAF_Quantum]

Hi Ben,

Have you considered ebay? Make a search for UK only and choose your buyer well and there are some bargains to be had. Lots of results come up for 'Seiko automatic watch' and there are some nice looking watches on there.

Regards

John

[TSR2]

Hi John,

Yes, I've had a look and there are a few nice ones there alright. I'm quite take by some of the really old ones, and they aren't that expensive either. There are a few from India that might be a bit dubious, but at under £20 might be worth a punt. Some of the 70's and 80's stuff looks great IMHO.

[GHD]

I thought it was only women who made fashion statements

I use a watch only to give me an approximate indication of the time

[Nigel H-J]

Ben, 2 years ago I purchased a DVR car camera from Tawain (a DOD F880LHD) the post office sent me a very nice card stating that customs wanted payment before they can release the camera so had to pay the VAT on it. One other thing is that if the goods are marked up as a gift then you don't pay anything on it.

Nigel.

[ianhind]

very nice card stating that customs wanted payment before they can release the camera

And the Post Office charged you a sum for the privilege of collecting the duty - around £8 as I recall.

if the goods are marked up as a gift then you don't pay anything on it

Not guaranteed - and of course lying about anything on the custom declaration form is against the law!

[TSR2]

Thanks chaps,

I don't mind paying the VAT, and the guys in Japan wont play that game anyway as they have a good reputation to uphold. Its easy enough to calculate the VAT up and it still works out about £60 - 70 less than buying it in the UK (if you could buy them in the UK.)

[Nigel H-J]

if the goods are marked up as a gift then you don't pay anything on it

Not guaranteed - and of course lying about anything on the custom declaration form is against the law!

Hi Ian, sorry missed your reply. Yes, it is against the law and something I would not do however one company that I dealt with years ago after making a purchase they offered a choice of free gifts to shoose along with the purchase which I did - received the goods a week later straight to my door - no import payment or VAT charged did not understand why until I was told by a friend.

Regards
Nigel

[Garry Russell]

The allowance for gifts is £35 then it's subject to tax anyway.

The have been many cases of friends and family sending gifts to the UK and the recipient being charged.