No doubt this subject has been covered before ,and i know some of you have restored bikes with imported parts from the US so maybe you could clarify a few points.Your experience and problems experienced would be a great help.
What duty and vat would I be liable for s/h gearbox parts costing less than £100 including postage.
Also with standard international postage how long does it take to be delivered?Can there be a delay at customs and are there circumstances where i would have to pick it up myself from customs?
many thanks in advance
-- Edited by merlin on Tuesday 9th of August 2011 10:02:26 AM
Your items sound small and second hand. No VAT should be charged on secondhand goods, that is the theory anyway, but there may well still be import duty etc. to be paid. If it is coming from point of UK entry by ParcelForce they will send you a letter stating the duty and/or handling fee due. You can pay it online and arrange a delivery date.
There might be nothing to pay and it will just come straight to you. Depends what it was classed as when it left the USA, "Gift" etc. . I had an envelope with some small parts delivered recently straight to me, nothing to pay.
Suck it and see....
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The royal mail site and HRMC have all the charges, but in most cases I found small items came through uncharged, including my $100 S/H tank. Its kind of swings and roundabouts! I think stuff by courier gets hit more than by USPS and Parcelforce.
When I needed some carb bits for my DRZ and Fowlers were waiting for stock from Japan I got them in 4 days from the states cheaper than the UK!