I bought a timing chain from the US and it only cost me £140 so how can they charge me £38 import tax? The item is also in Glasgow and if i want it delivered to my door (12 miles away) i have to pay £12 extra, i've already paid £30 for delivery from the seller. This is a total rip off, i would have thought the tax would be no where near this amount and if i've paid for delivery to my door then thats what i should get.

Sounds about right tbh. You should budget for around 22% of the cost (inc delivery) for Import duty, Vat & admin fee's.

 

Not sure about the extra delivery charge though, never come across that before.

Looks like i'm just going to have to pay the fee, it still works out less than half the price of buying it here. I just assumed the import tax was similar to flying to the US and buying goods where you can buy £150 worth of items tax free and bring them home on the plane.

I still think £50 to get the item to my door is excessive.

its 27.5% vat and duty to be paid when it arrives in country, somtimes things slip through the net, but unlucky for you yours didnt mate :(

Quite often companies will mark the value lower, to save on Duty & Vat, but then you lose out if the item is lost or damaged, which I've had so its not really worth the risk.

Well i can't really complain as i'm still saving a few hundred £'s on uk price, it also doesn't help with only one income coming into the house:wack:

half a shekel for an old ex-leper!

Just out of interest, my brother in law lives in America, would i still have to pay tax if he bought it and sent it to me?

yes, the only was to do it is mark the value below 35 quid, and send it as a gift. :smash:

Just out of interest, my brother in law lives in America, would i still have to pay tax if he bought it and sent it to me?

 

Yep, afraid so. They only consider items as gifts if value below £18 I believe.

Yep, afraid so. They only consider items as gifts if value below £18 I believe.

 

I didn't realise that! Does this work both ways as we send him birthday and christmas presants and the whole family send them as 1 item. He might be spending a fortune on tax for gifts but is too polite to say anything lol.

I didn't realise that! Does this work both ways as we send him birthday and christmas presants and the whole family send them as 1 item. He might be spending a fortune on tax for gifts but is too polite to say anything lol.

 

Not sure on the U.S import regualtions, not entirely sure they pay any Duty or Tax, or if they do then its much lower, although that may be dependent on state.