UK customs issue

[brock, no the other one...]

Order number 2580854 was sent out marked as $42.45 of 'books'. It was actually metal minis, and the box was only 6in along it largest dimension, so the UK customs people took an interest in it. It's arrived ok, but it was seized and opened and assessed for VAT, which means an extra fixed charge on top of the VAT.

I'm not 100% sure whether the charges are an error, but previous mini orders have arrived without the VAT charge - not sure if there is a minimum value beneath which they don't bother to check. I think that they aren't usually marked 'books' though. It might be that what they are usually marked as is a VAT exempt category.

I wanted to let you know, as I don't want you to get into trouble for sending out incorrect customs declarations.

[Sara Marie]

Do you have a picture of the custom's form? Everything I can see from my end shows that it *should* have generated as "Toys/Figures" and definitely not as books.

Additionally, am I understanding correctly that you were charged an additional fee because it was mislabeled as books?

thanks
sara marie

[brock, no the other one...]

It's unlikely I'll be able to get a picture of the box as I left it at work to be recycled. If it's still there in the morning, I'll grab it and get a picture.

I don't think it would be fair of me to say I was charged because it was mislabelled.

It was probably stopped, opened and inspected because it was mislabelled. Because they inspected it, they charged VAT on it as they didn't think it was an exempt category (books are exempt).

Quite often, my minis arrive without attracting VAT even if they are labelled toys, so I think that there is a minimum threshold of value below which they don't charge (I can't believe that toys would be exempt). If they charge you anything, they then add an £8 collection fee on top.

So, 'because it was mislabelled, they were more thorough than usual', is probably the fairest way to put it. I have no idea whether what they charged was correct - neither do they probably.

Edit: My higher-wisdom, 'perception is my class skill' wife also remembers it being labelled 'books'. She picked up the parcel from my pigeon hole.

[Sara Marie]

Do you remember if the label was filled out by hand or if it was a printed label?

[brock, no the other one...]

Sara Marie wrote:

Do you remember if the label was filled out by hand or if it was a printed label?

Pretty sure that the customs declaration from your end was printed. It was a small box that had ended up with a lot of paperwork stuck onto it though.

[brock, no the other one...]

Sorry Sara - they were atypically efficient and collected the recycling last night.