personal imports from usa

[chrisb]

spending a very cold afternoon browsing us web sites. there seems to be a considerable saving even allowing for shipping.has anyone experiece of importing from the us. what is the position re import duty/taxes. the product i plan to import is available in uk but much more expensive
thanks
chris

 

[pvb]

Import duty varies....

What product are you thinking of buying? How much do you think it'll be in dollars? Shipping is often more than you think, and our wonderful Customs & Excise people add their idea of shipping cost to the cost of the item before calculating the duty and VAT. I've bought a number of items from the US - mostly saving money - but it's necessary to look very closely at UK alternative prices first.

 

[mithril]

Buy it from the states I know of loads of guys who do. Being BRITISH of course I couldn't do so my self.

If you pay whats asked and C&E dont ask then what have you done wrong. Is it your burden to inform HM's C&E beforehand? I dont think so.

 

[Evadne]

I think you'll find that legally it is. "I was getting away with it until I was caught" isn't usually seen as a valid defence. Especially if you advertise your intentions on this forum beforehand.