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Post by riogrande on Dec 5, 2016 8:03:17 GMT -8
I have an item a modeler in the UK is interested in buying so I went to the USPS to get the shipping cost options.
Along with the shipping costs, there is a USPS Customs Declaration form where you declare item description, quantity, weight and value. Is there any advise on how to best fill out these forms, especially regarding tarrif's etc. I recall somewhere someone saying list items as toy trains rather than model trains as it made big difference. Comments?
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Post by Colin 't Hart on Dec 6, 2016 4:49:32 GMT -8
I can only speak from my experience here in Sweden (and prior to that, in The Netherlands).
Tullverket here in Sweden has become much more "strict" in the last year or two. Prior to that, it seemed to be random that a shipment would attract import duties (plus a processing fee, which can often be more than the levied duties). In The Netherlands it also seemed to be random which shipments would attract attention.
I do believe that my last shipment from the US was marked "Toy trains" and it slipped through without being levied.
My suggestions:
* Mark as "Toys" or "Toy trains". The connotation is that the items are less serious, and hence of lower value.
* If they are used items, you can declare the value as you see fit.
* Relatedly, a way to reduce the shipping costs: I don't think USPS has such a service, but some countries offer "oversize letter" -- Here in Sweden it's anything that doesn't fit through the "slot" with a maximum weight of 2kg (I believe there is also a size limit). It can be sent for the price of a letter of the same weight plus a 13 SEK surcharge (USD 1.42 at today's exchange rate).
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Post by riogrande on Dec 6, 2016 11:57:14 GMT -8
Taks Colin, appreciate the feedback.
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Post by kentuckysouthernrwy on Dec 7, 2016 16:59:05 GMT -8
Be honest. Toy vs model I'm sure toy would be fine.
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Post by riogrande on Dec 8, 2016 5:15:53 GMT -8
What is the saying? The difference between men and boys?
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Post by grahamline on Dec 8, 2016 9:42:49 GMT -8
Customs services have often had different rates for toy items and scale model-collector items -- not sure which way it works in the UK. There was a US case back in the 1960s that involved Roco Minitanks. Kids were brought in to testify that Minitanks were lousy toys because they were too fragile. For a company like AHM that was importing a lot of items at the time (before they became SKUs) the difference in import duty was significant.
I've always used USPS to send items to friends in England; never heard a squawk about import duties from the other end but maybe they were being polite.
What you do not want to do is label a package as containing something other than what it is.
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Post by areibel on Dec 8, 2016 18:38:35 GMT -8
What you do not want to do is label a package as containing something other than what it is. Yup, This! It will ask for a value, you can shave it down a bit but if you put $10 on a $100 item they will notice it, you probably won't catch as much flack as the guy receiving. Marking it as a toy train hasn't caused any problems. You can mark it as a gift, but that can backfire as well. I've shipped to Europe and while their taxes might seem high they seem to deal with it. |
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