second hand importing

does someone know if there is taxes to be payed on second hand items, for instance from usa to europe?
________
medical marijuana patients

 

Yes there is

 

and is this based on the new price or what the item is worth at the moment of selling?
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mercedes-benz u.s. international specifications

 

You declare what you think its worth. If customs don't agree you pay what they want.

Bob

 

HM Customs are a cunning lot and if they feel there has been an attempt to suppress the true value of the item then they will charge you based on what they think they are worth.

The seller normally has to complete a Customs declaration form which is fixed to the package. All goods entering the European Union with a value exceeding £18 or £36 in the case of gifts are generally subject to Customs charges. Normally charges are calculated upon the declared value plus postage.

The real insult is that after HM Customs have taken their slice of VAT + any import duty, Parcelforce add an £8 'clearance fee' for sealing up the package before it is finally delivered to the recipient.

Customs are aware of all standard 'dodges' including marking exotic goods as 'gifts' with a nominal value to avoid charges.

This is also risky if you buy something expensive which gets lost in transit as you are then unable to claim on any insurance you have!

Another anomoly also makes the recipient responsible for the senders declaration in the eyes of HM Customs, so the bottom line is be honest and add the VAT and extras into the price you are paying to see if the final deal is still worth it.

I recently purchased a set of three Stillpoints + Risers from a US website. They attracted Customs charges (£33.95) and the pound-converted price I ultimately paid was £205.80.

As the only UK source I have seen them advertised is Audiophilecandy.com at a price of £300 plus p&p, I consider that I made a considerable saving buying from the States direct.

Steve

 

In short, as 'Snoopdog' stated, 'honesty is the best policy'.

Also, hunt around for a good shipping agent to bring them in for you, US companies typically use UPS and FedEx by default but this is only because the rates in the US are cheap within their own domestic Country. As soon as they use them for International shipments costs go through the roof.

Check out companies like Yellow Freight for competitive quotes, they move alot of high-value electronic items and I know that there are several US audio companies using them as they have a reliable track record.

Using a good agent is also important because Customs are NOT experts in classifying products either, they often lack the technical expertise reuqired to use the correct Tariff classification, so if you have a good agent you can work with them on getting it classified correctly, which often means lower Duty rates than what HM Customs would pick!

(I have spent numerous years in the past challenging Customs on product classifications).

Personally I would not use UPS or FedEx for shipment of audio items I had bought from say Audiogon sellers in the USA. Remember this, using companies like those basically means that your high-value item is a very small fish in a very large pond! Try and pick a specialist.

Stillpoints, ah the memories! Hope you like them 'Snoopdog', my company was the UK distributor for a very short period, they are tremendous isolation devices, one of my personal favourites. Also try their ERS paper too.

 

Hi there,

It's very much a case of 'expect a charge' as sometimes the charges are applied post-delivery. If a charge is not applied, smiles all round

With the rate of exchange for $/£ still strong, it doesn't matter so much if a charge is applied as you should still obtain the item at a reduced price, as opposed to purchase in the UK! (As per SnoopDog's post here)...

To date I have imported separate five items from the US, only paying a fee on one!

Regards,

Steve

 

as an aside, how do/did you rate the £200 'upgrade', relative to another you might have made?

 

and if customs are so cunning, why do some/most products come without charge?, is it a volume thing?, or can you expect a bill years down the line?

Incidentally my recent "handling charge" from parcel force (post customs) was £13.50 which was a bit galling as the duty only amounted to £10.26, bloody ripoff, for photocopying an invoice folding it and sticking onto one of those sticky "documents enclosed" envelopes stuck to side of unopened box!

 

AK,

The 'cunning' remark only applies if they happen to get their hands on your package!

Due to the volume of goods that enter UK it does appear to be hit and miss whether you might be unlucky enough to import an item that attracts a Customs charge. What I would say is if you budget for the charge and you are lucky enough not to have to pay it, then great.

Again, I have purchased many items online from the US that have not attracted any charges (mainly CD's) and I know of a, err umm, 'friend' who managed to buy a new 4M set of Cardas Golden Cross speaker cables from a source in Canada for about £800 which arrived within three days of posting (Canada Post) and did not attract the attention of HM Customs!

Who knows what criteria is applied to the selection of packages and the examination of their contents!

Steve

BTW Thanks for the inspiration to use Photobucket. Out of interest, what are your room dimensions? Your view from the listening chair picture looks like you have your ART speakers on the long wall.

 

Tahnks for the answer steve, much like I thought.

I listen along the long wall yes, room is 7x4.5m me and speakers are about equilateral very little toe in and with a wall behind me, I tried it down the long lenght, in fact my good lady and I spent the best part of a day trying to make it ssound right, admitedly with different speakers, we both agreed it was orrible, so back they went, we like it that way, huge presence, dissapearing speakers, and pretty wide sweet spot.

 

Ditton,

I caught the Stillpoints bug from WM. I would recommend them to anyone who feels inclined to tweak their system with resonance control accessories. I have a cross-section, including Clearlight RDC cones, cups and combi-bases, Stillpoints (one set currently under the power amp) SSC pucks on top of my equipment rack supporting a granite top shelf and RDC platform, and Finite Elemente Cerabase feet (supporting equipment rack) and Ceraballs (beneath mains distribution unit). The Stillpoints add transparency, focus and size to the soundstage as well as providing peace of mind that the amp innards are not being rattled to death!

I am going to try them under speakers next.

Steve

 

I did ask a carrier once about the 'handling fee' and was told is because they have to pay the customs charges to HM Gov to clear the parcel into the country. Then they have to claim it back from you. Obviously they're not keen on being tax collectors for the government and charge a fee.

I was also told that for deliveries (that aren't from high risk areas) customs will pick out a container and work their way through it and then pick another one when they've finished. As has been said the volumes are too high for every parcel to be checked.

 

We conducted some tests using Stillpoints under a 120lb reference subwoofer on an upper floor in a dwelling, the floor was usual type of wooden floor boards and until we installed the Stillpoints there was really little point in using the sub.

Our findings were impressive to say the least, the sub instantly gave us the clarity in bass tone that such a reference sub is capable of and the in-room resonance created by the movement in the floor boards was almost removed.

Stillpoints really are worth a try, I could write all day about previous satisfied customers, but the decision is yours!

 

I personally use 6 sets, though due to a change of amplification now 7. mad I know, but they work