UPS Strikes Again with 60% Import Fees

[mrka]

I ordered 200pc of an electronic item from China.. Value of each item was listed as $1.. So about 70p.. So total value £140...

UPS trying to charge me £93..

- FREIGHT IMPORT VAT - £46.51
- DUTIES £35
- BROKERAGE CHARGES £11.50

Is this right..

They say they are charging me 20p per piece on duties, each piece is only worth 70p.... So that's nearly 35% on duties?!

I am not importing enough overall to be charged... If FEDEX deliver it usually there is only £15 at most!

 

[japancool]

And what was the actual freight charge? Because VAT is charged on that as well.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

If FEDEX deliver it usually there is only £15 at most

Looks like you might have been getting away without paying duty/VAT!

Was shipping about £90?

Duty might be high, but you haven't told us what the products are - generally, they were about 14%, but it does depend....

 

[japancool]

I am not importing enough overall to be charged... If FEDEX deliver it usually there is only £15 at most!

And I don't know what you mean by this. There is no minimum threshold.

 

[DefinitelyMaybeUK]

Was shipping about £90?

Did you mean £90 - £35 => £55 shipping as VAT's charged on duty that too?

Isn't the item costed with its proportion of the shipping charge before duty is calculated? Even so, 17% does sound high...

 

[paulears]

Freight at the moment can be equal to the value of some items, or even more if they are big and bulky. UPS base their charges on declared values - so sometimes unit price will be cheapened and freight costs increased. The total then generates the VAT and duty. The £11.50 is perfectly typical. The duty as a percentage seems high - so you need to find out what they declared on the package. You always need to check the price delivered to you. They might say postage $X but it was a guess.

 

[japancool]

The lesson here is - understand what is SUPPOSED to be charged ((sale price+freight)*duty*VAT+admin charge), always assume it WILL be charged, and price accordingly. Do not assume you will get away with one element or another not being charged, and price accordingly.

 

[Ivanovitch]

I’m also struggling with UPS. Some strength training equipment (think strong metal) arrived a month later than expected broken in half and the delivery was not accepted. They have decided not to return to sender but rather open an insurance claim and destroy the packet. We’ve now got the invoice for fees, import duty, VAT etc. Obviously VAT etc. were expected but it’s questionable as to what exactly is payable when the goods were not received. The problem is that it’s impossible to contact UPS to discuss these charges. I’m always at the wrong department, somebody will call me back, they say they’ll transfer the call then the line goes dead.

 

[MOIC]

I ordered 200pc of an electronic item from China.

What was the item?

Value of each item was listed as $1

Listed as $1? Was this the correct cost?

Couriers and especially HMRC take with a pinch of salt costs that they think are unreal and will value the carton, as well as shipping, as they think are correct.

I wouldn't argue with them.