Which box to tick on customs sticker?

[mymiyel]

Hi just a quick one: on the little customs sticker on airmail packages, which box do you tick - gifts? others?

I know you're not supposed to put gifts but if you put others do you have to do anything else, and are you liable for any more charges if you are exporting stuff you've sold??

[AnnieAnna]

If it's coming to you , you are OK up to a value of £18 (which I think included the postage which seems unfair), then you need to pay VAT....and the Post Office slaps on £14 or so for collecting the money off you. (Feel free everyone to correct the amounts I'm doing this from memory.)

If you are sending something abroad it's your poor customer's problem to pay whatever tax applies in their country. How they are supposed to work this out and pay for it in advance, I haven't a clue, and it's different for every country.

If you are receiving stuff from abroad on a regular basis you can get the paying of the VAT automated. You apply for and get given a TURN or Pseudo TURN number which you ask people to write on the parcel and stuff is delivered to your door without a hitch........
To get your number you have to read a lot of frightening stuff, ask a nice Customs and Excise man for help, get laughed at because you are very small and find out you don't need to know the frightening stuff because the Post Office or Fedex or whoever fills in the customs form for you (the little green sticker) and your number is for sticking in a computer.

If, however, abroad is in the EU, it's a different set of rules......along the lines of whatever you do in England do it in the EU.

Be careful if you tick 'samples'. The stuff must not be fit for resale. The box can be opened and the stuff 'made' unfit for resale.

And have you noticed you can insure your parcel for loss or damage while it's in England, then after that...it disappears into the big blue yonder.....

And everything I've sent to America, North and South, has arrived (one, important documents, eventually...2 months later!) but of the parcels sent to a certain country in Africa 2 out of the 3 never arrived.

AnnieAnna

[Rachel-Carlyle]

Be careful if you tick 'samples'. The stuff must not be fit for resale. The box can be opened and the stuff 'made' unfit for resale.

I didn't know this... thanks! Gosh you find the best information in here!

Anyway, I just sent a parcel to Aus, and ticked the 'other' box. There wasn't one for business, or just to specify a sale, so I guessed at other. *shrug* If the buyer had to pay vat, she didn't indicate such in her emails to me.

[silvermaid]

If you are going to send anything marked as a 'gift' make sure there is no invoice or business card in the parcel in case it gets opened by customs. A note with your name and address and 'hope you like it' will stop it looking like a sale.

Melanie

[somerset artist]

Having sent many items to the US using this little customs form, I always tick 'other'. To date - 5 years or more - I have had no problems. Althugh sometimes things tend to take a long time to arrive, especially in the US.

One tip given to me buy a friendly post office was not to put too high a value in the 'whats it worth' box. If the value is high it may go 'missing'! most of the stuff I send - paintings and dolls house items - are pretty low value anyway and so far nothing has gone walkabout, which is more than can be said for this country.

Andrew

[AnnieAnna]

Ah ha! Catch 22. If your parcel gets marmalised you might want compensation....but if you said it wasn't worth anything......

But on a serious point I'm coming to the conclusion it might save a lot of aggro and money to break deliveries up into several small low value parcels rather than one big high value one.

AnnieAnna

[silvermaid]

You have to be careful about overvaluing as well. I bought some lampwork beads from the US which came to under £18 ($36 at the time) including P&P and she put down the value of the beads as £37 ($75) so I had to pay another £9 to pick them up from the post office. ( the PO fees were lower then) When I asked her why, she said she valued her beads higher than the amount I paid, and of course if they had gone missing I would have had £37 compensation.
She never gave a refund and they were gorgeous beads, but it was very annoying.

Melanie

[somerset artist]

AnnieAnna, I totally agrre with you about breaking up a larger parcel into smaller ones.

Yes it is a catch 22 situation sometimes but - touching wood - so far so good.

Andrew

[nattynetty]

I always put 'Other' on mine, the post mistress would tell me off if I put 'gift' as she says it's obvious it's not a gift cos my business address is on the envelope.

One tip given to me buy a friendly post office was not to put too high a value in the 'whats it worth' box.

Yep I always underestimate the value to prevent the parcels going walkabout too, and on description I just put 'craft materials' as I figure putting things like 'gems' might tempt the not so honest folk.

Ah ha! Catch 22. If your parcel gets marmalised you might want compensation....but if you said it wasn't worth anything......

The most likely problem would be the parcel getting lost and in that case the customs sticker is lost too so not a problem. I always pack my parcels with vast amounts of bubble wrap etc I've never had a damaged parcel but I guess those who sell glass products or artwork may need to take that possibility into consideration when putting down the value