Import duty??

[skyhuck]

I'm thinking of buying a new out door wood boiler from the USA, can any one tell me if I would have to pay and import duty or taxes on such an item??

 

Many thanks Dave

[armchairarborist]

wish i knew too, got a mate in california who can buy stihl kit at about half price to over here, he was going to send one over as a gift to try the system out? Ed

[nepia]

I think you'll find import duty is payable on just about anything and everything. The only way you'll find out for sure is to find the helpline phone number in the HMRC website. Any other line of enquiry will probably produce a dozen different answers and you'll still be none the wiser - and that includes trying to understand the info in the website; it's jargon.

[Graham]

I bought a stumpgrinder from the states and arranged my own shipping. As I remember I had to fill in a HMRC form stating its value and the category it fell into ie forestry. (different duties payable depending on items).

 

UPS shipped it from Chicago and I picked it up from Manchester. I paid them for the shipping and also the import duty which they pass on to HMRC.

 

It was all pretty straightforward apart from the seven days it was 'lost' on a Chicago dockside!

 

I think if you speak to a shipping agent they'll give you the low down on it.

[gibbon]

If you call HMRC they have a product code for nearly everything. Once you have the code they will tell you if you need to pay duty or not. Once it gets to the UK Customs may call you, you give them the code, pay duty if relevant and the vat then they send it on to you.

[Ian C]

Like whats been said Dave, call the big guns they will tell you but i have a feeling you will have to pay duty on it unless you can pay in yank money, i had a yank mate years ago who worked over here and we were both into big model aircraft, he got payed in $ (Yank millatry) bought engines from the us at half our price and got them shipped over with no duty.

[Rob D]

As above you will have to pay duty on it (it will fall into a certain category and be a percentage of value), a processing charge from the shipping company and also the big one - VAT (which everyone forgets!).

Usually the shipping company will ask for all this before they deliver.

[skyhuck]

Could my brother in law (who lives in California) send me such an item as a gift???

[Ian C]

Could my brother in law (who lives in California) send me such an item as a gift???

 

Yes i think he can because HE will be the rightful owner and it will be payed for over there, but check it out, i have been know to be wrong as you well know Dave.

[Graham]

You could try it. The worst that will happen is that delivery co might ask for duty to be paid or you might get away with it.