UK girls

[emilky]

Hi ladies

(i've also posted this in the skincare forum, but think it may get more views in here)

I'm about to make my first order to the UK and am just wondering how I need to split up the packages to avoid massive customs charges. I've got a list about as long as my arm cos all the stuff looks amaaazing so will be spending about $50usd this first time I think. I read a while ago that each packet of about £15 gbp should be ok, does anyone know if this is still the same?

Any help is appreciated

Thanks

Emily

[Springfairy]

Hi Emily,

Posted below is an excerpt from the webpage of HM Revenue and Customs. It's probably best to ask SN what is cheaper after their weighing of your order; having one package shipped and then paying VAT or having about three packages shipped and not paying VAT. I didn't know this (just moved from Belgium), so I ended up paying customs duty too on my first UK order (big order, am addicted).

You'll love the products, great stuff and great customer service from a very committed team of ladies.

Cheers,
Villo

"All other goods

If you order or send purchased goods other than alcohol, tobacco, perfume and toilet water from a country outside the EU then you:

* don't have to pay Excise Duty
* may have to pay Customs Duty on goods with a value that exceeds £135
* will have to pay import VAT on goods with a value that exceeds £15

Note that on all goods from outside the EU, Customs Duty is waived if the amount of duty calculated is £9 or under."

[emilky]

Hiya Villo

Thanks for the reply. I've been trying to figure out which way would be cheaper and I think it'd end up being pretty similar whichever way I end up doing it. Just one more question though, does the £15/$23 limit include the shipping cost so really I can only spend about £10 before having to pay VAT? This hadn't occurred to me at all but I'm at the checkout now and have just realised it might be a problem.

Thanks

Emily

[Springfairy]

Hi Emily,

I think you're best to ring HM Revenue and Customs, I was given a final amount to pay at the post office. When I lived in Belgium they always charged me for the full amount including shipping costs. I think the idea is that shipping is a service on which normally VAT is payable. But maybe the UK customs uses a different logic. Something is definitely wrong with the customs logic though, considering that for tobacco and alcohol you're tax exempt for a much higher value than for makeup and skin care products which is a direct promotion of harmful substances. Oh well.

My calculation is that the only limit worth considering is the £135. But when I shop I also take into account sustainability issues like using one envelope and CO2 footprint, not everyone does. So for me it's worth putting in maybe 4-5 bigger orders a year than lots of small ones. I miss a lot of GWPs this way but I'm very committed on sustainability.

Cheers,
Villo

[bellatete]

If the UK customs handle it anything like the one here in Austria, then the shipping does not count towards the import VAT limit, i.e. you can order goods worth 15 GBP plus shipping on top without paying import VAT.
Reading Springfairy's post ("may have to pay Customs Duty on goods with a value that exceeds £135"), shipping should also not count towards the customs duty limit, i.e. you can order goods worth 135 GBP plus shipping without paying customs duty, only import VAT.

BUT, once the customs officer decides, that you have to pay customs duty, the whole amount (goods plus shipping) will be used as the calculation basis.

This is how I manage my SN addiction for the past 3 years now: I limit my orders to the USD equivalent of 22 EUR - depending on the current exchange rate this ranges from 29 to 32 USD (excl. shipping) - and that way I never had to pay import VAT or customs duty. Shipping is calculated based on the weight of the goods and there is no longer free international shipping on orders over 125 USD since January. I figured that I rather sponsor the US postal service than the Austrian fiscal authorities and as a bonus I gathered a huge collection of the weekly GWPs, which - as we all know - are priceless

Hope that helps!