Customs: Does this sound right?

traveling turtle

I ordered $240 worth of stuff, shipping was about $75.

I am getting charged a little over 80 EUR for customs.

There is a 12% charge on 245 Euros worth of something. (ZOLLEU)

Then a 19% charge on 275 Euros worth of something.  (EUST)

xnickerx

kind of sounds right. here, over the border, it's like this:

$240 + $ 75 =  $315 total value, converts to ?231

most likely it's a taxable item, so that's 19% sales tax: ?44

item's actual value is ?231 + ?44, and of course it's bound to be a duty item, so I have to pay import fees on that amount. You have 12% so let's go with that figure:  ?33 (oh, and don't get me started on paying fees on taxes. grrrrr)

So ?44 + ?33 + ?12.50 (our post office's service fee) =  ?89.50

Yeah, I can see how it would come to ?90. Depending of course on contents. If it was a gift or my own stuff coming over, then I would challenge it. 

I usually buy ?119 worth of fabric at a time (basically the cut off point for duty) and have to pay ?43 for post fees and taxes. More if they put it in two envelopes instead of one box, or if they send it via Fedex (they charge ?25 for their service fee).

mrs_p2b

Does it sound right?

Mathematically, yes. Morally, no.

traveling turtle

Wow, thanks! That's a bit aggravating. Considering all of that, I still think I got my items cheaper than I would've if I got them here, I just need to change my shipping method for next time because that's ridiculous.

ukyankee

I ship stuff home to my parents who then re-hip it to me and mark it as previously owned items.

traveling turtle

ukyankee:

I ship stuff home to my parents who then re-hip it to me and mark it as previously owned items.

 

Yeah, I've done that several times but the shipping charges on these products through the company was so cheap. I think all in all I only spent about $30 more than what I would've had I gone the parents route. 

xnickerx

mrs_p2b:

Does it sound right?

Mathematically, yes. Morally, no.

I don't mind paying sales tax. I don't mind paying duty. I do find it hard to swallow paying duty on the sales tax. Or duty on postal insurance. That cheeses me off. Paying tax on tax doesn't settle right with me. 

lelia

xnickerx:

kind of sounds right. here, over the border, it's like this:

$240 + $ 75 =  $315 total value, converts to ?231

most likely it's a taxable item, so that's 19% sales tax: ?44

item's actual value is ?231 + ?44, and of course it's bound to be a duty item, so I have to pay import fees on that amount. You have 12% so let's go with that figure:  ?33 (oh, and don't get me started on paying fees on taxes. grrrrr)

So ?44 + ?33 + ?12.50 (our post office's service fee) =  ?89.50

Yeah, I can see how it would come to ?90. Depending of course on contents. If it was a gift or my own stuff coming over, then I would challenge it. 

I usually buy ?119 worth of fabric at a time (basically the cut off point for duty) and have to pay ?43 for post fees and taxes. More if they put it in two envelopes instead of one box, or if they send it via Fedex (they charge ?25 for their service fee).

Unfortunately true. I hate this, so I almost never have anything shipped to me that I might have to pay Duty on.

GilliC

xnickerx:

mrs_p2b:

Does it sound right?

Mathematically, yes. Morally, no.

I don't mind paying sales tax. I don't mind paying duty. I do find it hard to swallow paying duty on the sales tax. Or duty on postal insurance. That cheeses me off. Paying tax on tax doesn't settle right with me. 

Grrr... I'm with you.  I don't mind paying the tax, but I hate it that I have to pay tax on the shipping!  Wtf!  Plus, we have to pay a $35 service charge for having the tax assessed, even though there's no longer an option to calculate and pay it yourself.

So if I buy something for $50 and pay $40 to have it shipped, I owe tax on $90, plus a $35 flat fee.  Since I'm not a huge import company, it often works out that the $35 fee is more than the tax itself.

huangli

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