The second Shaggy Dog.  Charge of £30.05.

Erm, I haven't actually seen it yet.  I'll let you know.

What does annoy me is having to pay VAT on something from a private seller.

Last edited by Moose Maclennan (2011-12-07 08:35:02)

Anything over £16 you are charged VAT on the cost of item and shipping.  Most ebay shops are now charging a lot for shipping, so it's hard to avoid getting stung.  I really think I missed the glory days of ebay, although I still can't resist trawling.

Last edited by Yuca (2011-12-07 09:39:49)

I believe the maximum value on the customs slip is £18 or approx $25. Anything over this amount can incur a charge plus vat on the total including shipping plus an £8 Parcelforce collection charge.

Something that annoys me is when you ask a seller to to put $25 and they just go ahead and put the full price anyway without telling you. I never buy from them again.....I was lucky this week customs missed a $60 package .

^I didn't realise that, I supppose they're screwing us for as much as they can these days.....here's the Customs link:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/post/buying.htm

Between ebay sellers and customs, we're the losers.  I just picked up an overcoat advertised as 90% wool 10% cashmere.  It's actually 70% reprocessed wool 30% other fibres.  A blatant lie from the seller, in other words.

^I sympathise will all of the above. It hasn't happened for a while but what used to drive me crazy was the local Post Office delivery scam of not actually bringing the parcel for delivery but only the card with “we tried to deliver this but there's a (customs) charge payable...etc etc." Therefore if the recipient wants the item ASAP a trip to the depot means coughing up a needless handling charge for someone to retrieve it from the sorting room. This 'unable to deliver card' would be inside the post office sack delivered each morning to our reception desk where of course there was always someone on hand to sign for something, pay an excess –or pay a customs charge. Once, by chance I caught the postie out as I happened to be standing at the reception desk at just the right moment. Postie stopped for a moment too long to chat up one of the girls at the desk and, awaiting a parcel from the States I was straight in the post bag and fished out 'my' unable to deliver card from the top. I challenged postie by saying “well I'm here waiting for my parcel and you've not even brought it with you - so the ‘unable to deliver’ is card is bullshit"  Flustered he said it must have been an error. Unfortunately for me this was about the fifth such error in about as many months.

Staceyboy

Agreed Prof. I buy far less far less now from the States than I ever used to. Like for most I guess this is due to rising prices combined with a huge hike in shipping. Though, oddly enough my most recent acquisitions have arrived via DHL and UPS without incurring any customs charges at all. Probably tempting fate here.

Staceyboy

I had to make my payment over the phone, using a debit card.  Do they demand cash at the door or carry a little machine?

It had to happen, on another topic I proudly boasted on the extremely fast delivery times I have been enjoying from the US to the Netherlands, whilst the poor blighters in the UK are experiencing long lead times. Well, that posting tempted the gods, and they have saw fit to mock my proud vanity.

I ordered a vintage Glycine Airman Special from 1955-60 period, it seemed to waiting for an inordinate amount of time in customs. Yesterday, I received a lengthy questionnaire that must be completed before release; questions one might be asked by the Devil himself before he decides whether you gain entrance to his club or not. After completing this form the customs will decide whether to release the watch and what excessive charges to impose.

Bugger!