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Has anyone bought anything from the US??

I bought a white shock from a guy on another forum, had a letter this morning saying i'm being stung for another £25 VAT/Duty...is this right??

furygan man wrote:Has anyone bought anything from the US??

I bought a white shock from a guy on another forum, had a letter this morning saying i'm being stung for another £25 VAT/Duty...is this right??

From HM Customs - yep that's the deal when you import something.
Below a particular value (which is quite low) goods are exempt.
There is also a myth that if things are marked as gifts they are exempt - they're not.

TBH, it's a risk you run - sometimes you get away with it other times you don't.
A big heavy thing like a shock is probably likely to attract more attention

Won't be doing that again!!

I arranged with my seller to label my power commander as personal gift with a value of 55 dollars....

There are a couple of way to try and get round it.

These are to get the seller to mark it down as a gift and state the value below the threshold of gift tax (I don't know what it is). This is the most common trick, so probably the most checked.

Alternatively get the seller to mark the package as obsolete motorcycle parts (customs can x-ray and see what's in there) with a value of say $30. If they check they will see they're bike parts, but will not have a clue if they're current or obsolete.

The thing you need to keep in mind is that you will get stung for about 20% plus charges, if the seller agrees to mark it down at a lower value then chances are you'll get away with it, but like they say, a heavy item like a shock could arouse suspicion.

I bought my crash helmet from the states, they were going for £200 over here, I paid £100 from the states, but got stung about £40 in taxes and charges, but still a bargain

I always ask that the documents state "Replacement for faulty goods" - has worked for me up to now

i got stung for my pifke belly pan too £25 bummer , i thing if it was sent as a replacement or a gift below £100 it would of been fine ,