Orders From Overseas

[Slimboyfat]

has anyone ordered anything from abroad before and imported it here?

have heard that it can take a while as its got to go through customs etc, i.e - a kit.

just wondered how long it takes and what goes on etc.

any help appreciated.

[craigosh]

It's varied for me, got a few used cars from abroad with out any probs and they all arrived in the time they should have (about 2 weeks)...

Only problem i've had was with some shocks i got that took a while and i had to pay duty... that was from the states, but something else came from the same guys last week in very little time..

Also come camera stuff took ages from germany!!!

It's all luck. Apparently there is a code which you can ask to be put on kits, which makes them duty free!!!

[telboy]

I'm now going to offend all shop owners here in the uk......

I order virtually everything for my racing from overseas, mainly because I race Tamiya stuff and its a pain in the arse to get what you want over here .

mainly japan, as its cheaper to order it from there and have it shipped over!

you can get stuff from japan/hong kong in 3 days depending on where you get it from.

stuff from the U.S. sometimes takes around a week or so. but if you know what you want and when you want it for then you can order with plenty of time for it to get here.

whenevr they ship anything across they always mark the parcel up with 'toy parts' whether its kits or parts. It's less likely to get stopped through customs.....apparently.

You watch now, my next parcel will be stung for imoprt duty!! lol
but now that I'm going buggy racing I may order from over here more as the likes of associated and losi stuff etc. is more easily available.

[_JP_]

best way is to get someone to bring it back for you!

My B4 and XXX4 were both brought from the US no import duty
got stung on my lathe and 25 pairs of brushes, but still cheaper than UK!

trick when ordering is to try and get them to put a lower value on the shipping so you get charged less import duty and also try and get "GIFT" on there

I imported a camera $1100 CAD and paid like £30 import duty as they put $250CAD on the invoice.

I know we should support shops and I do support 1 shop now, but its not the shops its the importers that control the prices here, but that's a different argument!!

[Col]

I remember reading somewhere on this forum that if the kit is marked as a scale model rather than a toy car, or radio car, that if it gets stopped the import tax is charged at a lower rate...
Don't quote me as my memory is useless but might be worth looking into.
On another note, Daz bought an XX4 from the states for substantially cheaper than over here, paid no tax and it arrived in around 10 days! Got to be worth the risk

[BenG]

Well , ordering from the overseas is a little mixture of luck and timing. I have bought full cars from Hong Kong, but UPS slap you with a £52.49 fee, I have been sent a FREE replacement part, and they tried to charge us. I dont kow if they do it on value or weight, as I ordered 6 packs of batteries form Hong Kong, the box was heavy, it cost me like $300, but there was no import tax

[losixxx]

if memory serve's me right any item be it gift or not over the value of £18 or equivelent exchange value is liable to customs/import duty. the smaller the package the better chance it has of not get charged

[Lee]

I get a lot of stuff from over seas, kits cells speedos etc, it all started off great the first few items i never paid anything but i find if it sent EMS the parcel farce gets hold of it then they rip you off and blame customs. the other day i had a carbon fibre cyclone chassis sent from the states, it probably weighs 30-50g max, it was ticked gift and had a value of about £20 but i still got taxed £8. not too bad i hear you say but parcel farce then put a £13 handling charge on it, my advice is GO DHL!!! i have never had any problems with them.

[daz_75]

yeah don't forget about the Royal Mails rip off handling charge, usually higher than the tax you pay.

Don't forget though, if you have something marked as cheaper than it actually is and it gets damaged or goes walkabout your screwed

[Slimboyfat]

Thanks for the replies guys. Once you are sure that somethings in the UK is there anyway of checking where it is in the customs or handling process, like a phone number or something?

[Southwell]

You are always best to check if you will get hit with customs as some of the time it doesnt make sense to buy abroad if the additional costs are too high.

[jimmy]

I bought stuff for my original RC10 from rc10.com (associated) and it came to 14 quid.. I got charged about the same again with vat, duty and handling fees.
remember- if you buy something for a quid - but it costs 17quid to post it, you are subject to being charged since the postage costs are included in your allowance also.

[Slimboyfat]

how long would you expect it to take (for example) a kit to arrive?

plus is it true you get a letter informing you of the charges (if any?)

[Southwell]

Last time i got a phone call saying you owe so much and you pay over the phone. Some companies like TNT (i think) whack on £30ish just to pick the bloody thing up!

[jimmy]

it depends whos bringing it in, some companies will send a letter (FedEx) and others will just bring it along and ask for money at the door (EMS / Parcelfarce).
The parcel company is the one that charges you, NOT the customs people. FedEx is one of the worst.

I have had kits from japan (old ones, like optima, ultima, optima mid etc) in about 3 days. I bought the kyosho ZX-5 from japan to review - before it was available anywhere in the world, and it took about 2 days to arrive from paying to landing here - of course then I had a WEEK of waiting until parcelfarce bothered to deliver it to me.

[DCM]

Most often, if item is bought from the USA, then depending on value, you will get a customs charge, and depending on if it is Royal Mail or ParcelFarce (and that ain't a type) you will get a freindly posty demanding payment or a letter, but if you got a tracking number, if it is lodged in customs, you can give them a call, and any charges can be paid over the phone.

Most if not ALL the stuff I have had from Asia (Tamiya stuff and aftermarket stuff for Tamiya's) it is here within 10 days normal airmail, and no taxes involved as they know how to fill out thei customs invoices... heehee. I have had one shop in Hong Kong which are totaly unhelpful, no tracking number and takes nearly three weeks.

Import duty, there are ways and means with this. Toy Car is cheaper than Radio Control Car. Gifts are taxless, as 'Gift' implies that it is someone 'giving' you an item, sponsorship item is free of tax too and the best....

Cells, if you get a matched pack, the tax is higher than an unprocessed cell, same if you buy a motor or a 'teardown', one is a full product, the other is 'parts' so induces a lower cost.

[Oscar]

Incorrect Jimmy
The duty/vat is based on the value of the goods only, excluding postage. This is why it is important to specify to the sender that they declare the value of goods EXcluding any shipping and handling fees.

For goods moving within the EU, import duties and taxes do not usually apply. However, for goods imported from non-EU countries, Customs charges do apply, these may include import duty, excise duty and import VAT. Goods with a value exceeding £18 (for commercial items including internet/mail order purchases), or £36 in the case of gifts between private individuals, are generally subject to Customs charges. Normally charges are calculated upon the declared value.
We (Parcelfarce) have two levels of clearance fee for import parcels. There is a charge of £13.50 for express parcels imported through the EMS (i.e. International Datapost equivalent) and GLS (i.e. Euro 48 equivalent) networks and also for high value standard parcels (valued at over €1000). For all other import parcels, an £8 charge will apply.
These clearance charges are only applied if a duty or tax is payable on the parcel.


Most toy/models etc will only attract vat @17.5% and no excise duty. This is of course plus the dreaded "Handling" fee.

[Chris Doughty]

from reading this, it seems like if it is available locally, then thats the place to get it!

some scary stuff!

[Slimboyfat]

Originally Posted by DCM

but if you got a tracking number, if it is lodged in customs, you can give them a call, and any charges can be paid over the phone.

This is my situation, anyone got a phone number so I can give them a call?

Ordered stuff that left the USA on Oct 3rd but not heard anything since. Also they haven't got my phone number as it seems the sender hasn't included it within the package.

[jimmy]

Ah, but John:

Duty is charged on the price paid for the goods including any local sales taxes plus postage, packing and insurance costs. However, postage is excluded from the calculation for duty on gifts sent by post except for Express Mail Service (EMS).

from hm customs website