[sniperschool]

ok...question...who buys sneakers from the US...and who has got charged import duty and VAT when they arrive...S/.

[mr.pure]

Everybody on here most probably, why, what can you do about it ?

[sniperschool]

am thinking am thinking...i bring a lot of things into the UK...i have a place in NYC and LA but i am a UK resident...i get everything sent to either home there...then sent as personal effects...means losing the tags and boxes on lots of things or at least sending them in a seperate package on seperate days...i have US ebay account which cuts the cost of paypals scummy exchange rate...mr. pure it was you that got me thinking...there must be a way to help some people out here...obviously need to be careful as the fines are killer...my pops works in shipping and he is always advising me against it...put parallel trading is legal and a good way to make/save money...i fly over all the time and bring back as much as i can...not saying send me your money kids...just thinking out loud...you got places like eastbay and my local sportieLA which still sell small size IB's for $170...how much are people getting charged on VAT and tax?... any one had any fakes siezed?...S/.

[mr.pure]

I paid ?46 in duty, VAT and charges for a pair of trainers that cost me ?180, just the other day.
I have an Access USA account for buying and shipping US goods.

[sniperschool]

were they new?...do you know if they work out the fees on the price paid or for the UK equivalent...i never understood how that works with items that are not for sale in the UK...last week i got a watch that retails for ?850 in the UK for $214 new...Fedex invoiced me when it arrived but after i pointed out that it had no box/no paperwork and was posted from an individual not a company (was from a company but got it sent to NYC home) they canceled the invoice...that is the only time i have ever had one...maybe there is a way to do a once a month shipment from the US as personal effects...could work if they were delivered to london and people collected from there...would be a hassle with re-sending them to everyone in the UK...even if duty is paid it could save a fortune on shipping...i got 9 pairs sent for $75 last month...ideas ideas ideas...S/.

[mr.pure]

They were new with tags on, which is quite important to some of us.

[sniperschool]

yeah i had noticed that it was...S/.

[Sooper]

Yeah ive been taxed a few times normally weeks after ive got the goods, i think it was Fed Ex? Its a pain in the arse cos you want to buy more shoes in one go as they are cheaper but you may get stung with the tax.
Tricky situation! Bloody Taxes!!

[Sneakerphile]

I think it comes down to how they are shipped and how big the package is.
Everytime I get kicks from PYS, I usually order two pairs, and I have yet to get busted for import tax. They are sent by USPS and usually turn up within a week. I know others here have ordered three or more pairs from them and got busted on tax, so I think size is definately an issue *fnar fnar*
Also, I think the value presented on the package is a factor too.

[Teaj]

right on both counts......throw in a bit of luck for good measure!

if you go ahead with it sniper then I'd be up for booking a couple of spots in the box

[sniperschool]

hmm...thanks for that contribution...very productive...S/.

edit...
you cut out the post that this was refering to...wasn't being mean to mr.SS...S/.

[2057denise]

just ask the seller to mark them off as gifts
i shipped a few shoes last week to the uk and no one had any duty fees
from experience i can tell you its always the fedex/ups that come with extra fees at your door
canadapost is the shit, havent ever paid any duty fees

[mr.pure]

I wish you luck in all this Denise, sounds like you know what we sneakerheads want.