Importing to the UK!

[Dharma572]

Hello all! I posted this in the 'Newbie thread' but no one answered so thought I'd post here to see if I have better luck. If this is against the rules I'm really sorry!!!

So anyway... I bought The Lion King on Blu-Ray from Amazon.fr a few weeks ago. It was the first time I'd ever imported anything into the UK. (I'm a BluRay rookie) Altogether, the price came to £24. For one Blu-Ray. Is this normal or is that expensive for what it is?? I've heard a lot of people saying that they get new dvds for cheap from there but it seems a bit pointless to pay an extra £10.

Is there a way to get it cheaper?? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Dharma572

Is there a way to get it cheaper?? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Importing to the UK from Europe is always going to be expensive due to the Pound/Euro exchange rate. Plus the Postage & Packaging charges are added on. I would say if you do order something make sure it something you'll appreciate and won't mind paying a slight premium for especially for a brand new release.

Imporing from the US is similar but there are bargains to be had as long as you don't want the Blu's in a few days and are prepared to wait otherwise the P & P can sometimes add up more than the actaul Blu-rays themselves. Most of the US import websites offer similar deals but if you're order goes over the limit (which will soon be £15) you'll be stung by a customs fee, a few offer to pay the charges for you (like Amazon) or ship from within the UK.

[Albatross365]

I imported a Blu-Ray from Amazon.fr because it has no UK release or scheduled release date and is only available here from 3rd-party sellers and was cheaper to buy from Amazon.fr once you'd factored in shipping.

The Lion King is being released here on 7th November and is currently £14.99 on pre-order. I'd have waited and saved a tenner.

I'd only do it if what you want to buy has no release date like the film I got

[Tdonnelly3]

Do amazon.com charge for shipping? I dont mind waiting a while if theres a free option

[DaveSimonH]

Originally Posted by Tdonnelly3

Do amazon.com charge for shipping? I dont mind waiting a while if theres a free option

There is no free option and you will be waiting a couple of weeks on average for the the cheapest deliver option (roughly £4.22 at the moment).

[classicfilmcollector]

http://www.blubastard.com

ships from London

[Brvtality]

Originally Posted by chip75

a few offer to pay the charges for you (like Amazon)

They don't, do they? I got charged £14 on two Criterion blus!

[yeslek]

Originally Posted by classicfilmcollector

http://www.blubastard.com

ships from London

axelmusic also ships from UK I believe
I used both axel and bb with no complaints or customs charges on either

[Poshteh1]

I'm really annoyed with the customs limit being lowered to £15, as I frequently import Blus. It's already hard enough trying to keep an order below £18, and now it's going to be even harder.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Brvtality

They don't, do they? I got charged £14 on two Criterion blus!

It would depend on what postal method you used, with expedited shipping Amazon takes care of the charges for you. Did you use expedited shipping?

Amazon Global Program

Import Fees Deposit
The Amazon Global Program offers customers a unique service: duty and tax estimation during checkout and customs clearance on your behalf for certain eligible countries. When products are shipped to the eligible countries using eligible ship options included in the Amazon Global Program, an Import Fees Deposit will be estimated and collected for the shipment. With your authorization, such funds will be used by the carrier or another agent to pay the Import Fees on behalf of you (or the recipient's behalf) to the appropriate authorities of the destination country (See detail below).

Read below for the answers to further questions about the Import Fees Deposit and applicable Terms and Conditions, and visit our Amazon Global Program store to browse products that are available for shipping to the countries participating in the program.

Which products does the Import Fees Deposit apply to?

Items sent to eligible countries via Priority International Shipping and in certain cases via Standard or Expedited International Shipping will have an estimated Import Fees Deposit applied to the order. The payment of import fees is the responsibility of the importer and is levied based on the laws of the country into which the products are being shipped.

What if the actual Import Fees are less than the Import Fees Deposit I was charged?

If the actual Import Fees (paid by carrier on behalf of the recipient to the customs and tax authorities of the destination country) are less than the Import Fees Deposit collected by us on your behalf, you will automatically be refunded the difference to the payment method you used for the order. You will receive a notification e-mail to confirm the amount of the refund. The process takes 60 days from the shipment date.

What if the actual Import Fees are more than the Import Fees Deposit I was charged?

For items sold by Amazon Export Sales, Inc., you will not be charged any additional fees if the actual Import Fees exceed the Import Fees Deposit we estimated. For items sold by Merchants, please check the applicable Merchant's policies.

How do you estimate the amount of the Import Fees Deposit?

The Amazon Global Program uses software to determine the estimated duties, taxes, and fees associated with each item in the order for the destination country selected during the checkout process.

How can the estimated Import Fees Deposit differ from the actual import duties and fees payable?

The Import Fees Deposit is an estimation of the taxes and duties that may apply and is not an actual calculation of the taxes and duties. In addition, customs regulations and tax rates applicable to certain goods may change between the date the taxes and duties were estimated and the applicable taxes and duties on the date of entry. Also, classification of goods in various countries and regions may be different.

[Poshteh1]

I plan on ordering a few Blus from the US before the customs fee rise this coming Tuesday. However, I would like to know, if my packages are shipped before the 1st November, will they still be in line with the old limit of £18 or will the new £15 limit be taken into account?

Thanks

[Simon_LDT]

Originally Posted by Poshteh1

I plan on ordering a few Blus from the US before the customs fee rise this coming Tuesday. However, I would like to know, if my packages are shipped before the 1st November, will they still be in line with the old limit of £18 or will the new £15 limit be taken into account?

Thanks

I guess if they put the order date on the package it will be okay for the £18 limit but if not, they'd just put it through with the £15 limit if it's after the 1st when they inspect it.

[flyinmunky99]

I really want True Romance and The 13th warrior french editions but Amazon.fr wont take my visa debit card for some reason

[yeslek]

Originally Posted by Poshteh1

I plan on ordering a few Blus from the US before the customs fee rise this coming Tuesday. However, I would like to know, if my packages are shipped before the 1st November, will they still be in line with the old limit of £18 or will the new £15 limit be taken into account?

Thanks

wait what, I thought it was the end of November....
guess am gonna be paying through the teeth on the Requiem SB - £17.36 from, amazon.ca at the moment WITH postage so would have been fine

[Poshteh1]

Originally Posted by yeslek

wait what, I thought it was the end of November....
guess am gonna be paying through the teeth on the Requiem SB - £17.36 from, amazon.ca at the moment WITH postage so would have been fine

It's this Tuesday coming up, 1st November I'm afraid! However, you should be fine with that order, as for customs, the price of the actual item is only taken into account, not the shipping cost. As that Steel is $19.99, which is just a little over £12, you should be fine!

[logboy]

everyones criteria varies, so worth spending time figuring out for yourself rather than spending years always needing to sift threads for answers that match info you may not have originally shared that affect your criteria.

early in my DVD buying I used uk-based companies to buy from, but any non-USA based co selling USA stuff has to get them from somewhere, so you might as well do it yourself rather than paying them. note that the limit on values before you get hit for duty, vat & "collection fees" (from post office) is the value of goods not total cost including postage. I plan ahead, wait for discounts, put items in packages together & wait to see if I change my mind by looking ahead, waiting to order, look around for prices, moving when things balance out.

amazon uk marketplace is an effective source for USA discs, & prices / sellers same a lot of the time, but difference is many sellers are aware of need to avoid price limit / charges. they might say theyre shipping from USA, but discs come from EU or uk often for most popular sellers.

[Paul P]

I have checked the HMRC website and it looks like the rules have changed since I last did some digging. It used to be the case that the intrinsic value of the goods, for import purposes,was the cost of the item, plus postage, plus insurance. (So it used to be advantageous if the postage was franked without a monetary value, as then the postage could not for part of the calculation). It also used to be the case that the £18 limit was only nominal and it was tied to a Euro value (can't remember the actual value now but may have been 30 Euro) which was then converted to pounds sterling, so if the Euro was strong, the '£18' actually became much more. Think they wised up to that one so now appears to be just a Pound Sterling figure. The limit from 1 Nov is £15, however the intrinsic value for import purposes is the price EXCLUDING postage, packaging and insurance. The exchange rate used is fixed for a month and can be found on the HMRC website. It was worth the digging, as I was used to having to include the postal charges when working it all out and did not buy some titles :-(. Now I can :-)

[Paul P]

It may still be the case however that if you exceed the intrinsic value, that the value of the goods for import duty and VAT purposes, includes the cost of insurance and postage. The HMRC website is really terrible to navigate and find such information.

[The Driver]

Originally Posted by Paul P

The limit from 1 Nov is £15, however the intrinsic value for import purposes is the price EXCLUDING postage, packaging and insurance. The exchange rate used is fixed for a month and can be found on the HMRC website. It was worth the digging, as I was used to having to include the postal charges when working it all out and did not buy some titles :-(. Now I can :-)

Has been like that for many many years AFAIK. There used to be some confusion but the laws really only ever applied to the goods. At the end of the day the "service" is part of the final value of the goods. Shipping costs have never been a "service" anytime I'm aware of because -simply- there is no law where importation requires notification of that charge ie it's not asked for.

Importing to the UK: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/post/internet.htm

November's conversions http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsP...E_PROD1_031689

I've been buying DVDs and stuff since before 1995 off the Internet and always used numerous methods of doing so. Now, it's a bit more difficult but people simply need to pay what's due or plan better.

[logboy]

i think people get confused about keeping the value below £18 cos they're looking for the declared value of goods to go above that before they charge you VAT and duty, but if it does go above that, the amount you're charged calculates a percentage based on the total value that's estimated to include the postage / courier rates rather than just on the value of the goods themselves.