[Peapods]

Want to make people aware of the risk of having to pay customs charges on certain goods from the States and in particular if you order the tshirts that say 'Lupus sucks' etc.

The t shirts are great and I ordered 2 different ones. But what the web site didnt mention was that if you have more than one it makes the value more than £18 which is the cut off point for paying extra customs duty.

So not only did I pay 45 dollars for the tshirts to be posted but had to pay a further TWELVE POUNDS (GBP) to collect them from the post office!!!

They are good but they are not that good!

I did let the people who ran the website know my feelings about the extra charges and suggested that they should make a point of warning their UK customers but they didnt seem to bothered! Bless 'em!

 

[Katharine]

Yep, that's a good point. It also comes up with books ordered through a well known online book shop.

I have to be careful here in Belgium not to order English language books through the .fr address or the .com address. The .com comes directly from the states and the .fr gets rediredcted that way, so I always buy from .co.uk and will always do extra google searches when buying anything online in order to obtain it within the EU where those customs charges don't apply. It takes a little more time as a lot of times the US sites come up first but it is possible. It also applies, for example, to sun protective clothing which is available through UK sites but you have to look a little harder.

Katharine

 

[Clare.T]

The website probably hasn't the foggiest idea about customs and excise and couldn't care less. They might even think the UK is an offshore US state, it wouldn't surprise me.:rotfl:

I was charged duty on some pills I had sent over to me when I had to stay longer in the UK than envisaged

Clare

 

[Stacielee1967]

Custom fees, I know about them!!

My grandparents bought a new house. I bought them some beautiful crystal wine glasses that were on sale in the UK. I posted them. My mother had to pay a US customs charge to get the crystal glasses. My grandparents loved them and refused to take them out of the box. My Grandmother passed away about 3 weeks after they got them and my Grandfather gave these wine glasses to my mother. My mother who was terminally ill during this time decided to spend what time she had left with me and her grand children and came to the UK. Prior to leaving the US she boxed up some things and had the neighbours send them to her here in the UK. She died 4 weeks after getting here and I got a letter from UK customs stating I have to pay a fee on these wine glasses that my mother felt should come back to me. Now, these wine glasses that were originally on sale have now cost 2 times as much as the original price with all the fees and postage. They now reside in my attic (loft) collecting dust, the thought of using these glasses make me sick. I don’t drink wine, never have and never will and especially not from these glasses as people tend to die when they touch them!!

 

[Peapods]

Oh dear, what a sad little story although the last bit made me laugh.

I can understand why you dont want anything to do with the glasses - maybe you should post them to the head of customs and excise as a pressie!!

 

[Stacielee1967]

Peapods,

If I did that I would probably get a bill! So the darn things would cost me even more money!!

 

[Karly1964]

Oh Yea......

You're right about the site not knowing where the UK is or what the letters even stand for...let me tell you a PATHETIC story...when I was in the university I graduated from I was in a geography class, not one I enjoyed but required to take, I prefer to learn about cultures and countries rather than countries, weather, mountains etc. Anyway I digress, I was in a class of aproximately 100 people and our test was to name all the states in the United States and their capitals. I have not been so embarressed in my life, there were only a few people who got all of them right, thank you I was one, but the first test there were people who lived in Indiana all there lives and couldn't find it on a map, nor knew it's capital! The class was given three times to get the test right, and there were still people who didn't get even all the states correct......This is at university level, shoot my 4 year old neice can name some states, capitals, and even some of the products they produce. (thanks to a wonderful talking map) But that really isn't fair to charge all that money for t-shirts....not even fair, they should warn you before hand. Karla

 

[peonyprincess]

My ex inlaws traveled alot and found out all about the extra duty tax or whatever it is called exactly. I know what my ex hubby called it but we won't mention that here:wink2: . There were some things that we got but nothing like she wanted to bring us. Her solution was to take a picture od whatever item it was and leave it in the store. Probaby just as well, with four kids, I would have probably fouund it broke or something. Regardess, it is crazy!


Nancy

 

[lin]

Was same for my daughter she sent for 2 bridsmade dresses as they were lots cheaper from usa than uk, but had to pay another £26 pound on top for same reason .......... was still cheaper but she didnt know she had too.


woth knowing Lin