• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Over seas shipping

Share this page

Got_All_4

Got_All_4

Luke Skywalker
Country flag
Offline
Been looking at a set of new wheels for my TR3A and shipped from England. Concerned about import taxes, UPS broker fees and what it takes to get them here. Has anyone here on the forum made a large purchase and had shipped to the states? I've had smaller items shipped and did nothing other then pay the shipping to the states. This is a larger item weights 80 plus pounds and a higher value so I'm thing there got to be more. Heard of some horror stories of huge charges.
Can anyone help. Thanks
 
would it make a difference if it was shipped by a trader or private individual,
I know here in the UK no matter what if we buy from outside the UK we pay import duties on total cost including postage and packing,
plus we pay VAT even if the item is sent by a private individual
 
A number of years ago Mark (Abarth69) ordered a set of wheels from England - at the door in about 4 days. I suspect he had to pay tax and duty but the tax and duty threshold is waaaay lower in Canada than the USA.

QUICK search: Generally, goods with a value greater than US$800 are subject to duties and taxes in the US. However, this US import tax threshold only applies to certain goods. There are exclusions that can be imported duty-free and are not liable for customs tariff.
 
For discussion purposes only.
Importing expenses: Shipping fee, No Vat, no US tax, 2.5% duty, plus US customs admin fee, probably less than 50 USD for customs fee. UPS may charge a fee for preclearance.
good luck!
 
Once was told it mattered whether "new" or "used" were descriptors, with "used" being the less burdened with duties, taxes, etc.
 
gladius said:
UPS may charge a fee for preclearance.
Click to expand...
Of course I'm on the wrong side of the border but my company exports from the US to individuals (generally small orders -- we import as well, but we're talking a container at a time). Certain shipping methods include the customs clearance fee (not the taxes/duties, but the UPS "legwork" fee) -- IF you contact the shipper ahead of time and make arrangements. That generally includes giving them a credit card number so they can charge the taxes/duties directly to your card rather than paying and then collecting from you.

We have had customers (again, outside the USA) get burned because they had previously imported a car or something, and THAT shipper was their "shipper of record". UPS was obliged to submit the papers to THEM, which costs a UPS fee... plus the fee for the "shipper of record"... plus the taxes and duties! In one case the fees were more than the taxes AND the cost of the goods we had shipped. Contacting the shipper ahead of time solves that issue.

To DrE's point about "used" -- our Canadian customers ask us to highlight whenever we are sending used parts, or else they declare that the parts are meant for a vehicle older than a certain age (25 years?). I haven't looked into whether the USA has a similar allowance.
 
I am looking at new and I've heard the used parts there are no duties just shipping. Anyway I was thinking of contacting UPS to see how to handle this. I'm not apposed to paying someone a fee for their legwork. Just don't want to overpay from the horror stories I've heard.
 
Got_All_4 said:
I am looking at new and I've heard the used parts there are no duties just shipping. Anyway I was thinking of contacting UPS to see how to handle this. I'm not apposed to paying someone a fee for their legwork. Just don't want to overpay from the horror stories I've heard.
Click to expand...
Might be worth contacting the vendor - I doubt you are the first to order their wheels to the USA
 
Actually still working on this and just started back up due to a bunch of events. Called UPS international could barely understand the guy but no help. hard to convince them I want to receive a package not ship one.
 
I think UPS International is only for people looking to ship (as you found out the hard way). I think you need to contact a local UPS office. If you have a UPS Store near you, call and ask them to direct you. Otherwise 1-800-PICK-UPS (742-5877) or try the online chat on ups.com.

The "virtual assistant" just came up on the ups.com site, so I figured I'd try. Got a little information about paying taxes and duties (basically what has been said above), but when I pressed for information regarding customs clearance it suggested I contact them via email, phone, or online chat.
 
Ok Thanks I'll try that. Also found this today. May help someone in the future.

> Internet Purchases <
  1. International Postal Service: Merchandise shipped through the international postal service is forwarded upon its arrival in the United States to one of U.S. Customs and Border Protection International Mail Branches for clearance. If the item is less than $2,000 in value and is not subject to a quota or is not a restricted or prohibited item, a CBP official will usually prepare the paperwork for importing it, assess the proper duty, and release it for delivery. This procedure is generally referred to as a mail entry. Packages whose declared value is under $800 ($100 if being sent as a gift to someone other than the purchaser) will generally be cleared without any additional paperwork prepared by CBP. However, CBP always reserves the right to require a formal entry for any importation and generally exercises this option if there is something unusual about the importation, or if important documents such as an invoice or bill of sale do not accompany the item.
 
Back
Top