Got Hit With VAT Charge On FT Parcel

[c1booth]

I've posted

[snow]

So have I

[Get Off My Cloud]

Thanks ladies and gents in the meantime follow their advice when ordering and open a ticket on orders you place and also put a note in the special instructions box on the payment page requesting they declare a value of $17 or less and tell them why.

The message should get through eventually or they'll just get tired of having all these individual tickets and requests on orders lol.

I really can't grasp why they're making such a headache of a simple thing that doesn't involve any extra work or anything on their part.

[Deleted]

From what I understand from a friend who works in domestic business VAT, customs are cracking down on individuals buying from China and then selling on such as ebay for a profit. A bit like years ago when people were nipping over to the continent and buying lots of fags and booze and then coming back to sell them. Technology is cheap from China and you can order bulk on some items that come in small parcels and then sold on for a tidy profit cutting the tax man out. Apparently this is on the increase and not only is detrimental to UK businesses but by avoiding tax reduces the amount we want for the NHS and other important services we expect in this country.
Harsh and sadly effects people who are buying genuinely for their own use but can understand why they are doing it.

[Get Off My Cloud]

Jan 14, 2017 9:03:24 GMT @tomo said:

From what I understand from a friend who works in domestic business VAT, customs are cracking down on individuals buying from China and then selling on such as ebay for a profit. A bit like years ago when people were nipping over to the continent and buying lots of fags and booze and then coming back to sell them. Technology is cheap from China and you can order bulk on some items that come in small parcels and then sold on for a tidy profit cutting the tax man out. Apparently this is on the increase and not only is detrimental to UK businesses but by avoiding tax reduces the amount we want for the NHS and other important services we expect in this country.
Harsh and sadly effects people who are buying genuinely for their own use but can understand why they are doing it.

I guess that FT declaring everything as replacement electronic parts also doesn't help as that's precisely the kind of thing you can order in bulk in small packages.

[c1booth]

Just got this from gearbest
The actual order was £27:85

[calnorth]

Have been watching this thread for a few days now. I used to do regular large shipments to and from the US and to some small extent China direct. I had GPS equipment manufacturing in China and logistic arrangements in the US. Yep..you can ask for a lower declaration.

I was hit with the ParcelForce handling charge of £10 every time because my shipments were $200 - $800. Until one day I got a letter form HMRC asking for the original sales invoice from country of origin (seller). The questions put were what is this stuff, its cost and seller info. That could so easily flip round to the US IRS. It culminated in a 14 day delay and the usual VAT plus £10. I think it was a random pick up then - 7 yrs back. I suspect they gain much targetted info now from use of better logistics etc computing systems. Add the EU into that and anything to do with suspected terrorism/drugs.

Whats to say that HMRC and friends(?) aren't watching sites like this?

[gill2009]

  I've posted 

[GunJack]

Just had ft delivery, couple of aerotank mega clones, value $17 but they had put $20 as the value on the label.... Perhaps they are using $20 as a default value for a lot of parcels?

[Get Off My Cloud]

Jan 14, 2017 12:02:33 GMT GunJack said:

Just had ft delivery, couple of aerotank mega clones, value $17 but they had put $20 as the value on the label.... Perhaps they are using $20 as a default value for a lot of parcels?

I was told by the staff member that i opened my ticket with that they declare goods under $20 with their true value and any goods that are valued at over $20 as $20.

Either that's not true and they just declare everything as $20 or when they calculate the real value they go by the MRRP figure and not the figure they are selling the goods for which is often below the MRRP.

[snow]

Both my parcels turned up this afternoon, one was Singapore post the other an E-packet, both with the $20 declaration, neither one slapped with any extra charges thank goodness. 

[Perpetua]

Added to the FT thread Get Off My Cloud . . . . why would any company choose to give themselves extra work??

And have disgruntled customers!

[Q]

Jan 14, 2017 14:48:50 GMT Perpetua said:

Added to the FT thread Get Off My Cloud . . . . why would any company choose to give themselves extra work??

And have disgruntled customers!

But that is trying to analyse FastTech, something that you should NEVER do 

[stitch]

Jan 14, 2017 12:13:20 GMT Get Off My Cloud said:

Jan 14, 2017 12:02:33 GMT GunJack said:

Just had ft delivery, couple of aerotank mega clones, value $17 but they had put $20 as the value on the label.... Perhaps they are using $20 as a default value for a lot of parcels?

I was told by the staff member that i opened my ticket with that they declare goods under $20 with their true value and any goods that are valued at over $20 as $20.

Either that's not true and they just declare everything as $20 or when they calculate the real value they go by the MRRP figure and not the figure they are selling the goods for which is often below the MRRP.

I had a fasttech order delivered wednesday ordered 1st . It cost me $19.55 . On the parcel it was marked 19.6
So it seems true and i was lucky

Off topic
Funny thing i ordered another lot from Leicester (litejoy.co.uk) the same day (1st) that didnt arive till the following day
That experience sucked avoid them

[djs]

Jan 14, 2017 17:23:49 GMT stitch said:

Funny thing i ordered another lot from Leicester (litejoy.co.uk) the same day (1st) that didnt arive till the following day
That experience sucked avoid them

That isn't off-topic (much). Lite-Joy are well known in the business for often charging too much (by a massive amount on some products) and generally being a bunch of utter t*s****

They were the people selling a £60 mod for £199. To think, they actually turned up for some Vape Conventions.