duty on parts from the UK
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.Originally Posted by Rick Kirchner
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.
John Nesbitt
ex-Swift DB-1
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.
Ian Macpherson
Savannah, GA
Race prep, support, and engineering.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
I export stuff to the US regularly. Shipments between $100 and $1500 USD. No one has ever mentioned an issue with duty or local state tax.
In my experience, DHL is the worst for international shipments. As your daughter discovered, they will simply sit on a package, waiting for the recipient to contact them about paperwork and duties/fees. Now, when I buy from the UK, I ask the vendor what shipper they use, and warn that, if it's DHL, the deal is off. Royal Mail is so much more predicable and less expensive.
John Nesbitt
ex-Swift DB-1
One more data point:
I placed an order in the UK last Tuesday for just over $1,000. The parts shipped via DHL and arrived on Thursday. There were no duties or fees other than the shipping charge, which I felt was reasonable. Maybe I got lucky.
Mike Beauchamp
RF95 Prototype 2
Get your FIA rain lights here:
www.gyrodynamics.net/product/cartek-fia-rain-light/
So you are the one who is scooping up everybody's good luck!
John Nesbitt
ex-Swift DB-1
You are probably already registered with DHL and Customs.
The big thing with my daughters shipment is they wanted tax data and someone who will be responsible. Now that she's 'on-file' a second shipment is likely to come through.
As my daughters luck goes.....
It appears it cleared customs Saturday night and it's now in DHLs warehouse in Van Nuys.
On another note, she ordered another dress from Bloomingdales that was shipped last week out of New York.
It was to arrive yesterday. Today she received notice from UPS that the train the package was on derailed and they do not know when it will be delivered.
Not to my knowledge. This was a simple online order paid with credit card.
I probably shouldn't have said anything because now I'll be cursed for any future orders.So you are the one who is scooping up everybody's good luck!
Mike Beauchamp
RF95 Prototype 2
Get your FIA rain lights here:
www.gyrodynamics.net/product/cartek-fia-rain-light/
I've placed several orders with Burton for up to prob $500.
no issues and fast via DHL
My last order >$800 from UK didn't have duties expected at delivery but showed up in a mailed notice/bill approx 1mo after. I thought I was lucky
Brandon L. #96 FF
-PM me for RF85/86 bellhousing
Make sure Burton are quoting prices excluding the 20% VAT as prices in the UK are typically quoted for UK delivery which includes 20% VAT, whereas VAT is not payable on export orders.
The 2.5% duties is correct, I shipped in a set of new magnesium wheels just shy of $10K US value and paid $285 in duties and fees via FedEx, albeit some entities have much higher customs brokerage fees.
Just to add to this, and not sure how relevant this is, but, some time ago I imported some A-Arm tubing.Duties and fees aside, I also had to pay California Usage Tax,essentially the equivalent of sales tax because I was the end user and not a reseller.It appeared in the mail nine months later.?
Graham
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