Import Tax Costs from USA to UK

[dangerous_dave]

Import duty and VAT 17.5+3.7%.. Pretty much 20% then you have another percentage added on as handling charge, at least, I did with UPS I can't remember if it was 2% or 11%


I'll dig up an email on the old PC I got from UPS about it in the morning.

[wilkinsi]

It works out 21.2%. That's VAT, duty and handling. My WR1 £765 including insured postage. Then add £25.01 duty, £141.15 VAT, £8 Parcelforce handling fee.

[Confuse-a-Cat]

This is very interesting to me. I'd love to get a US Jackson, and while I don't generally agree with ordering a guitar online that I haven't tried out, I think I might actually consider importing one from the US, since it is so much cheaper. I hope you Americans realise how lucky you are in terms of gear pricing even on instruments made outside the US. For a US Jackson, we Brits can expect to pay twice as much as you do, and, well, I'm quite annoyed! I think I need a cup of Earl Grey...

This thread has made me start trying to figure out how much it would cost me to get a KE2 imported, when really I should be revising for my Uni exams.

[Rsmacker]

Yes but when they buy a Jaguar, they pay double what we pay. That's why I have 2!!

I've said this in previous posts but be really careful when importing stuff into the UK, they are never very helpful or forthcoming with info to help you budget for the tax they are going to bum you for. My last guitar was put on a plane in LA and picked up by me at Gatwick. They stung me for fuel duty tax in LA, how the hell that works, I have no idea, but it was added on for import duty. They then added VAT onto the lot, it is always the last lot bunged on becuase they are the biggest bastards.
They even added VAT to the fine I got for trying to dodge paying the duty!

[Digitised]

Ive bought 3 guitars this year from the US so ill tell you my experience -

Basically with good shipping options you should have no worries with the item going missing, the only thing you have to worry about is damage in transit so make sure the seller packs it well (this means the CORRECT CASE) inside a large box with extra fluff to reduce knocks.

So i would recommend personaly opting for the low $value trick, its a risk but its VERY low risk if you take my advice above. Customs dont have a clue about guitar values so dont worry about being caught out for fraud.

EU/UK taxes are horrific.

Even with a $300 tag i was charged 80 quid for duties and taxes.
You pay for the value of the item PLUS tax on the shipping cost, since shipping will hit you for $180-200 so you will pay 40 quid just on that.

The taxes will be 25-30% of the total price. So if you spend 1200 quid expect to pay 400 (the bill comes 1-2weeks after you recieve the goods so dont go spending your taxes thinking youve gotten away with them)

I have orderd 3 guitars and saved over 1k (which is another jackson), one guy id recommend on ebay for his crazy prices and fast shipping is 'jelyfinger'. He doesnt get lots of stock but his items are so cheap and i can vouch for his service which was 1st rate.

Hope this helps!

[wilkinsi]

Wierd. I got a ransom note from Parcelforce stating they would not release the goods until the bill was paid. Maybe they think I'm gonna do a runner if I get the goods first.. not a bad idea actually. Bastards.

[Digitised]

lol was it made from newspaper cuts?

[wilkinsi]

May as well have been. The irony is it's a criminal offence to under declare goods to customs, but who's doing the fucking robbing? Pfft!

[Confuse-a-Cat]

I've said this in previous posts but be really careful when importing stuff into the UK, they are never very helpful or forthcoming with info to help you budget for the tax they are going to bum you for. My last guitar was put on a plane in LA and picked up by me at Gatwick. They stung me for fuel duty tax in LA, how the hell that works, I have no idea, but it was added on for import duty. They then added VAT onto the lot, it is always the last lot bunged on becuase they are the biggest bastards.
They even added VAT to the fine I got for trying to dodge paying the duty!

I'm always wary about everything. I think I would find the whole import process very annoying, but it would probably be worth it in the end for a better selection of gear, and even with the taxes it should still save money. Still, I'm sure customs can be right *expletive* at times. I've heard stories of guitars being unpacked to check what was in there, then put back with hardly any of the packing...

[darrellm]

I looked into buying a Charvel from the US a while back, just to agree with the others that import costs were around the 22% figure.

Don't forget you need to add postage too, Matt quoted me 235 US on top of the above.

So a 2000 dollar guitar costs nearer 3000 US when adding all the extras, but given the current exchange rate, still probably works out cheaper than buying one from a UK dealer (if you can get one that is, US Jackson/Charvels ain't exactly common over here).

HTH
Daz

[Rsmacker]

Customs dont have a clue about guitar values so dont worry about being caught out for fraud.

Oh yes they do! They are well aware of what costs what, kind of like Pawnbrokers. They used to be clueless, but now with a couple of clicks of a mouse they can be on E-bay finding EXACTLY what that guitar just cost you.

And when they catch you........they FUCK you, if you are really unlucky, they may make an example of you. They also watch patterns, if you get flagged up as getting a few guitars a year, they might decide you are a dealer, so extra-fuckings come your way.

Although it doesn't apply in this case, even the thickest C&E officer knows certain guitar brands - Fender and Gibson. Even if you bought a shitty Fender Katana they would question that you only paid £75 for it, because, "as everyone knows", Fenders are expensive.

My advice would be to go to the States, have a fucking good holiday, and buy yourself a little present to bring home!

The only reason I'm so keen to let people know not to fuck with HMC&E is not because I'm an upright law-abiding citizen, it's because I got caught, and my arse still hurts. I came a whisker away from losing my 1986 USA snakeskin!

[Confuse-a-Cat]

I looked into buying a Charvel from the US a while back, just to agree with the others that import costs were around the 22% figure.

Don't forget you need to add postage too, Matt quoted me 235 US on top of the above.

So a 2000 dollar guitar costs nearer 3000 US when adding all the extras, but given the current exchange rate, still probably works out cheaper than buying one from a UK dealer (if you can get one that is, US Jackson/Charvels ain't exactly common over here).

HTH
Daz

I was expecting postage would be expensive, but perhaps not quite that much. I think mostly it will still be generally cheaper to import US Jacksons, as like you said it would work out at around $3000 which is £1500. Here in the UK, you might find one or two US Jacksons for around that price but you'll be lucky to get the model you want let alone the colour you want. I've only found one UK website with a decent choice of US Jacksons and the prices are more like £2000 (approx $4000).

Edit:

The only reason I'm so keen to let people know not to fuck with HMC&E is not because I'm an upright law-abiding citizen, it's because I got caught, and my arse still hurts. I came a whisker away from losing my 1986 USA snakeskin!

That's not good! What did customs do? I'm getting quite curious now.

[neilli]

Customs and Excise can sieze the goods and prosecute you if they feel so inclined. And they absolutely know what things are worth - even the guys at the airports have reference materials detailing the value of goods, so don't think you can bullshit them either. I almost lost my model 6 over that...

[Rsmacker]

What did customs do? I'm getting quite curious now.

Well, I had my pants down ready for The Glove, but they wouldn't do me, no matter how much I pleaded.

I was taken into the room where everything is bolted to the floor, and after a while stewing, punctuated by burly geezers sticking their heads round the door asking if I'd been read my rights, I was given a SERIOUS bollocking.

Bearing in mind I had just got off a plane from LA and 13 hours next to Miss Halitosis 1988, followed by meeting the world's most unreasonable Customs officer, this was pretty crushing.

The bastards told me that as I had crumbled immediately and confessed to the heinous crime of attempting to evade the duty they would be nice and let me off lightly.

Now, I had tried to pull off The Crime of the Century by cleverly telling them I had taken the guitar out with me. Genius. Except it had "Made in USA" on the fucking headstock. As such, someone, somewhere would have paid import tax on it, there would be a record. They would hold on to the guitar until such a record was found, or one of their experts valued the guitar and I paid the duty on that sum. Realising my bargain might end up being a total ball-ache, I 'fessed up.

Sooooo, I got shafted for the import duty (on the dodgy receipt I produced, he he, small victories etc), given a nice fat fine, and VAT on the fucking lot. I was also informed that were I to be caught trying to do such a thing again, I'd have the book thrown at me.

They explained they didn't even have to let me take the guitar, all rights forfeited the moment I decided I was Ronnie Biggs Jr. They wouldn't even sell the thing on, it would go in the incinerator, with all the other shite they confiscate. (I think this last bit was BS, but by now, if they told me I had to produce nude polaroids of my Mother to get it back, I'd have been breaking into Jessops to find an Instamatic, no problem)

I DO know HMC&E have more powers of entry (oo-er) and arrest than the Old Bill, and can simply come round to your house and kick the door in, warrant optional, and trawl through your life until they find something to fuck you for. Even the Filth can't do that, they have to have a damned good reason first.

Conclusion : Only fuck with HMC&E if you are
a. Very stupid.
b. Very very stupid.
c. A very stupid Master Criminal who likes being poor and eating porridge.


Oh, and the thick twats nearly came in their pants when they heard it was a "snakeskin" finish guitar, it took quite some time for it to sink in that it was a paint job (but then, as I have said, it was the world's arsiest officer I was dealing with). If there had been any snakeskin on it, it would have been confiscated, end of story.

[neilli]

Good summary! My experience was like the 'lite' version of that - not enjoyable in the slightest, but not half as interesting!