duty on parts from the UK

[Rick Kirchner]

Does anyone have a good method for estimating duty and fees from the UK to the US? I have about $1000 in a potential order from Burton I'd like to place.

Decades ago I bought a complete set of suspension from Alan Cornock, only to find I was just a few bucks over some limit that dramatically increased my costs.

Tried a couple of online calculators and it seemed like duty was not much compared to a lot of the BS the brokers piled on.

[John Nesbitt]

Does anyone have a good method for estimating duty and fees from the UK to the US? I have about $1000 in a potential order from Burton I'd like to place.

Decades ago I bought a complete set of suspension from Alan Cornock, only to find I was just a few bucks over some limit that dramatically increased my costs.

Tried a couple of online calculators and it seemed like duty was not much compared to a lot of the BS the brokers piled on.

I believe that the critical limits are $800 and $2500.

A shipment with retail value under $800 can enter duty-free under the de minimis rule (the limit used to be $200).

A shipment under $2500 would be classified as an informal import, subject to paperwork and duty, but free of having to post a bond.

Of course, broker charges are variable, and can be significant. A lot seems to depend on what shipper the vendor chooses. In my experience, outfits like DHL, Fedex, and UPS charge significant fees. Parcels coming via the Royal Mail much less.

Bottom line, if I were spending $1000 total, I might consider splitting the order into two separate orders, each under $800.

Caveat: My experience is from 2018, so best to confirm my numbers.

Update: Duty itself on car parts is not large - something on the order of 2.5% IIRC. On a $1000 order, your brokerage fees might well exceed the duty.

[Lotus7]

My recollection from a few years ago is also 2.5%.
What came up is that if the order seems larger than an individual might need, (yes, highly subjective), cusoms wonders if perhaps you are a reseller and should the IRS be involved?
It's perfectly legal for you to send multiple small orders to yourself at different addresses.

[Rick Kirchner]

I believe that the critical limits are $800 and $2500.

Update: Duty itself on car parts is not large - something on the order of 2.5% IIRC. On a $1000 order, your brokerage fees might well exceed the duty.

The 2.5% number rings a bell, and then on one of the free sites I saw the fees - and wondered why in the world I'd need to pay a bond for instance.
'
I think a few minutes with a spreadsheet and I'll be able to balance the costs of duty and fees with the additional costs of shipping.

I bought a dizzy a few weeks back from the UK and there was no duty, no broker, easy peasy.

[Rick Kirchner]

I played around with splitting the order into heavy vs light stuff, and it looks like any split will cost me an additional 50 pounds in shipping. If I sent it all in one it would be essentially the same as just the heavy stuff, so there must be a large fixed fee of nearly 50 pounds.

Burton sends their stuff DHL.

Kinda complicated to game this without full information.

[Rick Kirchner]

Has anybody brought in a de-minimis order via DHL? Were there fees or did you just pay shipping?

I've called and written DHL, they just play dumb, won't provide any info without a shipping number.

I've called and written the pricks at CBP, the e-mail replies are bot generated an worthless, and evidently I don't rate a callback despite leaving my number every day for two weeks. I was never able to get a concrete answer on the different limit for online purchases, so I'm splitting my order just to be safe.

[BeerBudgetRacing]

Has anybody brought in a de-minimis order via DHL? Were there fees or did you just pay shipping?

I've called and written DHL, they just play dumb, won't provide any info without a shipping number.

I've called and written the pricks at CBP, the e-mail replies are bot generated an worthless, and evidently I don't rate a callback despite leaving my number every day for two weeks. I was never able to get a concrete answer on the different limit for online purchases, so I'm splitting my order just to be safe.

Splitting is a wise decision.

We get packages from the UK a few times a year and for the most part they are around $500. Generally send postal.

Over a week ago my daughter placed an order for a few designer dresses from the UK via DHL as they promised 2-3 day delivery (and they would pay any duty). Unfortunately the shipment has been sitting at LAX for a week now. My daughter started calling about last Wednesday and DHL was just sitting on it. Needed her to complete a tax form and a declaration form.
Finally got all the paperwork sorted and now they tell her 1-3 days to process through customs. She might see them Wednesday and we leave Thursday! What a mess. The declared value was $1500 so all the above info makes sense.