The Energon Pub

Last week it was VAT on A3/Weirdwolf this time it's my Iacon package. £36 to get the carrier to release the package this time. On the plus side my Seekers will now definitely be with me by the week's end. On the downside I'm going to have to pass on a Primus with Unicron head that I would have been bidding on if it looked like it was going to finish relatively cheap. Ah well, easy come easy go.

Why the trouble? It's not the MP Megs, so why the holdup?

DJDrew&ScoobyDoo wrote:Why the trouble? It's not the MP Megs, so why the holdup?

Tax.. I hate it when they see the value of the package and then decide to keep it safe for you..

Basically because I've paid USD for these to FunPub and a US ebay seller respectively there hasn't been any UK Value Added Tax paid to the inland revenue on my purchases. In all the time that I've been importing toys these are the first times that I've been stung. Most private sellers that I deal with have the courtesy to tick the 'gift' box on the declaration. One plus side though is that the value hasn't been enough on either to be chargable for UK Import Tax as well, but the Iacon set is not far off the mark. If the pound wasn't so strong against the dollar at the moment...

I disdain customs. They are as bad in CANADA as in EUROPE. Retailers here do not carry most of the exclusives that are released in JAPAN and the US. How can they justify us paying customs fees if CDN retailers do not even carry the items that we are getting shipped to us and by default the local governments would not even see the taxes from those items. CLEAR STUPIDITY AND ANOTHER GOV'T CASH GRAB!

g1transformers wrote:I disdain customs. They are as bad in CANADA as in EUROPE. Retailers here do not carry most of the exclusives that are released in JAPAN and the US. How can they justify us paying customs fees if CDN retailers do not even carry the items that we are getting shipped to us and by default the local governments would not even see the taxes from those items. CLEAR STUPIDITY AND ANOTHER GOV'T CASH GRAB!

Yeah. That's why I prefer to use regular post or airmail as opposed to couriers. My stuff slips by customs no problem! Sure, it takes a little longer to get here, and it may not be the safest mode, but at least I can pick it up 2 blocks from my apartment and don't end up having to pay just to get it.

Plus, I work for UPS, and I know how much they gouge their customers on brokerage fees. In fact, they make more money on customs brokerage than the shipping of the package itself. Sometimes the fees are more than the item is worth. Kind of disgusting, isn't it?

kirbenvost wrote: Sometimes the fees are more than the item is worth. Kind of disgusting, isn't it?

Well if that ever happened to me then it would have to be a sufficiently low value item that I'd consider just cutting my losses. Most stuff that I import at that low of a value though is KOs straight from China, and as stated above all of my Chinese suppliers are in the habit of marking the 'gift' declaration.

But yes, the fees are a nightmare. Just had a look at the receipts for these two sets of VAT and charges that I've had to pay recently and out of the extra £60 that I'm out of pocket across both parcels £16 is fees. So either that Primus or the Cyclonus custom that are at the top of my wants list are just going to have to wait that bit longer. Botcon seems to be getting more expensive by the day, and I wasn't even there!

waaaaghlord wrote:

kirbenvost wrote: Sometimes the fees are more than the item is worth. Kind of disgusting, isn't it?

Well if that ever happened to me then it would have to be a sufficiently low value item that I'd consider just cutting my losses. Most stuff that I import at that low of a value though is KOs straight from China, and as stated above all of my Chinese suppliers are in the habit of marking the 'gift' declaration.

That could also be why my items get to me so easily, the almighty 'gift' declaration.

But yeah, I've seen $40 items shipped through UPS, getting charged $60 brokerage fees... and that's not just taxes and duties, 60 percent of that is what UPS charges their customers on top of shipping, just to get the package across the bloody US border!! It's absolutely sick.

I would never, ever ship or import with UPS, and I work for them. What does that say about a company?

Anyway, end of rant. I guess I can understand some things need to be taxed, but they overdo it a lot of the time.

'Gift' for me.

waaaaghlord wrote: Most private sellers that I deal with have the courtesy to tick the 'gift' box on the declaration.

"in a panic goes to check the scanned form sen to him by his last ebay seller from the states"

"sigh of relief"

after the hassle ive had with this one that'd be all i need!

Sounds like an important one Darkageis, what are you getting?

waaaaghlord wrote:Sounds like an important one Darkageis, what are you getting?

armada wheeljack, but the dude messed up and didnt send it at first, after 3 weeks i contacted him (found out about his mistake then) and he's sending me a cybertron cannonball as well for compensation.

ive been after wheeljack for some time now and im just waiting for something else to go wrong with it.

Nice one. He's one of about five or six that I still need to finish off Armada. Enjoy!