AMAZON.COM Tax's??

[Poshteh1]

Originally Posted by nametag

If the order is over around £15 and you have the cheapest shipping option then it is likely you'll have to pay some customs fees. I think this is VAT + Royal Mail's 'handling fee', or something like that?

If you select their Expedited or Express delivery options, they will prompt you to pay an 'import fee deposit' which is an amount they will pay on your behalf, and if it isn't claimed then you get it refunded (I know this happened to me once ages after I'd received the item and assumed the whole deposit was used). I'm currently waiting on an item coming via this method, but I'm assuming it will bypass the 'royal mail handling fee' and so I won't get any extra charges for it!

If you want to avoid these for sure order from a site like axelmusic, movietyme or blubast ard as they ship to you only after they come into the UK and as such there are no extra fees.

I order from Amazon.com frequently, but I've always kept my total under or on the import limit. But there are some Blus that I want to order which are over the limit. I'm aware of the expedited shipping option and the import fee deposit, but I wanted to know how it works? If your item goes through without charges, does Amazon inform you and refund you? If so, how long does it take them?

[ScarfaceJoker]

Originally Posted by Poshteh1

I order from Amazon.com frequently, but I've always kept my total under or on the import limit. But there are some Blus that I want to order which are over the limit. I'm aware of the expedited shipping option and the import fee deposit, but I wanted to know how it works? If your item goes through without charges, does Amazon inform you and refund you? If so, how long does it take them?

Normally takes about a month to refund the money - I think they must do a round-up on a certain day each month and refund all their customers in bulk.

I keep forgetting about it so it's nice to see the refund pop-up in my inbox for an order I've forgotten I've got already!

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Poshteh1

If your item goes through without charges, does Amazon inform you and refund you? If so, how long does it take them?

I think that's their policy but I think you're paying for faster shipping as well so you might not get loads back. I had the I Am Legend UCE the other day on normal shipping, it came pretty fast with normal shipping and came to over £15 with Postage & Packaging (Import Duties never crossed my mind until it turned up!).

[Poshteh1]

Originally Posted by chip75

I think that's their policy but I think you're paying for faster shipping as well so you might not get loads back. I had the I Am Legend UCE the other day on normal shipping, it came pretty fast with normal shipping and came to over £15 with Postage & Packaging (Import Duties never crossed my mind until it turned up!).

I also ordered the I Am Legend set, arrived in 2 days with UPS with regular shipping. I think Amazon.com are shipping out orders with faster postage methods to make sure customers get there items in time for Christmas. Another order also came within a few days with standard shipping.

Did you have to pay import fees for the set? As it was under £15, shipping costs aren't included.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Poshteh1

I also ordered the I Am Legend set, arrived in 2 days with UPS with regular shipping. I think Amazon.com are shipping out orders with faster postage methods to make sure customers get there items in time for Christmas. Another order also came within a few days with standard shipping.

Did you have to pay import fees for the set? As it was under £15, shipping costs aren't included.

No thankfully. The BD itself was under £15 so it was under the limit and I don't think Postage & Packaging factor in to import duties unless the goods themselves are over the limit (then the percentage is taken out of both goods and services?). I think it (without checking the invoice) was less than 50p over. I would have been really p'd off if I'd been hit with a charge!

[Jaspar]

I have ordered numerous times with the expedited shipping option and paying the import fees deposit, all my orders were under £40. then 3 week ago one order was £42 , amazon sent it very slow, came through royal mail. was charged customs off £12 and £8 RM fee, i complained to amazon said they would look into it still not heard, sent a claim to customs , doubt i will get anything back. be careful

[Indiana Jones]

Originally Posted by Jaspar

I have ordered numerous times with the expedited shipping option and paying the import fees deposit, all my orders were under £40. then 3 week ago one order was £42 , amazon sent it very slow, came through royal mail. was charged customs off £12 and £8 RM fee, i complained to amazon said they would look into it still not heard, sent a claim to customs , doubt i will get anything back. be careful

If you paid for expedited shipping and the extra for the import fees then they should refund you, keep at them.

If it was sent normal mail then customs had every right to charge you so they won't give you anything back.

[Sky_Captain]

My last two orders were bumped up to expedited shipping, even though I chose standard.

[yeslek]

the £15 limit seems rather vauge as I've noticed that anything below £20 seems to mostly slip through the net.
My last three N.American order's were, 2 at £17/£18 and one that was £31...this last one I had DHL customs charge which sounded much fairer than the crappy RM fee+customs thraping I 'could' have gotten.

so basically, order a single blu an you probably wont get charged by customs. Order any higher and its almost certain. based on my experience at least