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Author Topic: Importing from China  (Read 2555 times)

roycv

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Importing from China
« on: February 18, 2020, 05:01:46 am »

Hi all I am much tempted by a model boat kit cost is £80.  However it is subject to 20% Import duty and then 20 % VAT plus £50 postage and I expect the Post Office will want £6 to collect the duties etc.  This more than doubles the original £80 to £171.00.  It now becomes too dear for what it is.

Have I got it wrong or has anyone had/got a better experience?  Suggestions please?

Regards Roy
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derekwarner

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Re: Importing from China
« Reply #1 on: February 18, 2020, 06:08:43 am »

Plenty of very cheap air flights to China at the moment Roy  %)  .....but I guarantee that it won't last....you could explore the UK regulations of you bringing purchases made in China  :-)) .......


[Australian Wagyu beef steak is on special this week in Peking......$450.00 AUD per kilogram......down from last months $700.00 AUD per Kilogram]


Derek
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Derek Warner

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roycv

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Re: Importing from China
« Reply #2 on: February 18, 2020, 06:22:37 am »

Hello Derek I have had Wagyu steak and I think it is overated tastes a bit like veal.
I don't think they would sell me a ticket from here and then there is the getting back that is the problem!  I was held up 40 minutes at Heathrow while Public Health England checked the aircraft details, that was on Saturday

regards
Roy
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Tug Fanatic

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Re: Importing from China
« Reply #3 on: February 18, 2020, 07:33:10 am »

People have in the past asked the sender to put a low value on the parcel but that it illegal & obviously you must not do it. The value that Chinese suppliers put on customs labels often defies logic anyway.

The only legal way to avoid paying the charges is never to be asked to pay them in the first place. In my very limited experience this is a total lottery but with the main carriers (DHL, UPS etc) you nearly always get charged whilst stuff that comes through the normal post is more likely to escape.   

The £50 postage seems very high but the duty & VAT are, I think but you need to confirm this, levied on the total price including the carriage charges. So think charges on £130 rather than £80.
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kinmel

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Re: Importing from China
« Reply #4 on: February 18, 2020, 08:10:36 am »

I recently purchased an item from USA, it cost £40 plus £26 shipping.  It was delivered by Royal mail and I was charged £6 VAT plus £8 handling fees.
I think the import duty is the same from each country
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Plastic - RIP

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Re: Importing from China
« Reply #5 on: February 18, 2020, 08:23:43 am »

It's especially annoying when you buy something that's just under the threshold price but, on the day of the transaction processing, the exchange rate fluctuates just enough to trigger the extra costs from customs and post office.

I keep being tempted by the valve amplifier kits from China but all the extra costs reduce the attractiveness.
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cos918

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Re: Importing from China
« Reply #6 on: February 18, 2020, 12:38:09 pm »

Hi all I am much tempted by a model boat kit cost is £80.  However it is subject to 20% Import duty and then 20 % VAT plus £50 postage and I expect the Post Office will want £6 to collect the duties etc.  This more than doubles the original £80 to £171.00.  It now becomes too dear for what it is.

Have I got it wrong or has anyone had/got a better experience?  Suggestions please?

Regards Roy
Hi Roy
If its a Kit and due to the low amount Import Duty is not applied . If it is eletronics then many be.
Post form China seams very steap at £50. Is that China Post office or a corriour eg UPS DHL etc? If its the later that cost will be added to the vat calculation.
More information give a better answer.
If you are lucky some China suppliers mark the value down or write in Chines carrecters .
John
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tigertiger

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Re: Importing from China
« Reply #7 on: February 18, 2020, 01:57:53 pm »

Important caveat.



Currently a lot of workers in China have still not returned to work after the Chinese New Year (CNY). Many workers in the cities are not from the cities, but originate from other provinces and they all want to go home for CNY, and many are still stuck in their hometown because of travel restriction arising from the CoViD-19 outbreak.. The main inter province buses and trains only started moving again yesterday. Even if people can return to where they normally live there is a possibility that they will need to undergo home quarantine for 14 days before they can restart work.
Additionally, a lot of small Chinese companies are staying closed because of the CoViD-19 outbreak. In these companies there is nobody to pick and ship your order, even if the boss (working from home) processes it.

If you do order direct from a supplier in China it is important that you contact the seller by email and check if they have returned to work yet. Some have, others have not. If they have not started yet, don't ask when they will, the Chinese will give you an optimistic and sometimes unreal answer, it is a cultural thing. If they have not opened yet, it is unlikely that they will do so for the foreseeable future. If they are able/willing to open, they already would have done so.
Some are open, especially the small family businesses that keep their stock in the basement at home, and the postal service is still working.
Ask how long it will take to send out your order. Contacting by email is best, as people can cut and paste your message into a translation app. If you use short simple sentences, and ask direct questions, there is less chance of confusion.


The virus outbreak will probably not peak for at least another two months. So some things will be delayed.
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tigertiger

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Re: Importing from China
« Reply #8 on: February 18, 2020, 02:03:10 pm »

On a tangent now, sorry for going off topic.

If you need made in China spares, including batteries, from a UK supplier, it will be better to buy them now. There is a possibility that stocks in your home country will dry up. The same with the supply of our favorite toys. I am not scare mongering, but bear in mind that Hyundai has had to cease car production in S. Korea because they cannot get the parts they need to build cars.


I live in China, and there are already some things I cannot get.
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roycv

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Re: Importing from China
« Reply #9 on: February 18, 2020, 03:45:57 pm »

Hello TT thanks for your advice. I did contact the seller and as you said used short direct sentences.  I asked about the high cost of postage.  The response was just an hour or so later saying that, that is what it was and they would ship to the UK.  I did not respond but checked what the import duty was and then there was VAT and it bacame non viable to me.
regards
Roy
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justboatonic

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Re: Importing from China
« Reply #10 on: February 21, 2020, 01:33:21 pm »

Not sure where the 20% import duty comes from!

You dont pay Customs Duty on items under £135 bought outside 'the EU.' In determining the duty threshold, it's the value of the goods and only includes it's purchase price plus postage, packing and any insurance. If this combined cost is greater than £135 but less than £630 and the item is classed as a 'gift' you pay 2.5% instead.
You pay 20% VAT on the total price ie item cost + P&P + Insurance + Customs Duty (if applicable)
https://www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad/tax-and-duty
I put this through 2 separate import calculators for a toy boat costing £80 with £50 p&p and both calculators came back with £156 max cost. HTH.
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roycv

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Re: Importing from China
« Reply #11 on: February 21, 2020, 01:50:38 pm »

Hi JBtonic thanks for that I just saw general info thanks for the detail I shall reconsiderRoy
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RST

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Re: Importing from China
« Reply #12 on: February 21, 2020, 03:58:51 pm »

Maybe the rules changed years ago but I remember paying full whammy on something from AUS which was only about 120gbp. They even charged £1 for a stamp to send me the letter after they waited 3 weeks and wanted extra for delivery!  I believe the postcode lottery still exists.  But at the moment is it not a bit of a double edged sword expecting much out of Asia at the moment? Caveat emptor.


Rich
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regiment

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Re: Importing from China
« Reply #13 on: February 22, 2020, 01:23:57 pm »

my local surf shop  said he has been told he will be llucky  to get  his order from ichina  this side of easter
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justboatonic

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Re: Importing from China
« Reply #14 on: February 22, 2020, 01:35:15 pm »

Despite being the World's biggest economy, China has 'developing country' status with the UK so has very low rates of import duty on goods. This may change post Brexit. The UK customs duty varies depending on the relevant country. These used to be published on the gov.uk site but now I think they want you to phone a call centre!
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tony23

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Re: Importing from China
« Reply #15 on: February 22, 2020, 06:32:34 pm »

anything that's purchased on Ebay normally arrives in a week and never has import duties on it and I buy lots of items from China!
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Tug Fanatic

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Re: Importing from China
« Reply #16 on: February 22, 2020, 07:04:09 pm »

anything that's purchased on Ebay normally arrives in a week and never has import duties on it and I buy lots of items from China!

You are lucky. Everything that I have purchased has arrived within the time schedule that I was given when I purchased it but that has often been 4 - 6 weeks.
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Howard

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Re: Importing from China
« Reply #17 on: February 22, 2020, 07:48:21 pm »

Me to Tug Fanatic,
Even when I but and its says the seller in in the uk  it say will be a few days  but takes five to eight weeks and keep being told please give it a few more days in the end I had to get a few refunds by E-bay so don't bother buying from china now shot them-self's in the foot now.
                   Regards Howard.
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Tug Fanatic

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Re: Importing from China
« Reply #18 on: February 22, 2020, 07:58:15 pm »

Howard,

You do seem to have bad luck.

As I said everything that I have purchased on ebay has arrived within the time scale that I was given when I purchased it with only a couple of exceptions (UK supplied) that have taken a couple of extra days.

Stuff from China is normally given a 4 week delivery window, starting approx 4 weeks after ordering, and it normally arrives around the middle of that.

I happily buy from China as long as I don't mind the approx 6 week wait.
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SailorGreg

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Re: Importing from China
« Reply #19 on: February 23, 2020, 01:02:59 pm »

A club mate ordered a couple of items from China a week or so ago and was given April as the delivery date.  When I ordered the same things late last year they took 2 weeks.  I think most things will slow down (or even stop) until Covid 19 is sorted.  {:-{

Greg
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