Importing a bike from overseas.

[Imlach]

The calculation is like this

import duty is levied on total price, then VAT is charged on top.

Bike + Postage = £360
Import Duty* (14% for bikes) = £50.40
VAT on total = £82.08
Fedex handling fee (2.5 % min £12) - £12

so additional fees

£50.40 + £82.08 + £12 = £144

so you've come out slightly better than expected.


* this will depend on the tariff code used but 14% the fee for bikes where most of the value/components is of nonEU origin. I'm guessing that either the bianchi frame is built in taiwan or the seller hasn't used the right tariff code , which would reduce the import duty.

Either way its only going to make £30-40 difference to whats owed.

What's the 14 percent?

 

[Woz]

Mmmh. Just seen that Royal Mail charge a fixed fee of £8 for customs clearance. La Poste charge a mere 2€ if you do it online.

The £12 min charge for FedEx sounds too low for them. Dirty old trick using 2.5% of the value sounds just like them.

 

[Imlach]

I don't get the 14 percent thing on top of the vat

 

[Mod-Master]

No one gets it, it’s all to complicated for my singular brain cell…

 

[Imlach]

All I know is that I've had 2 parcels go through with no customs fees to the UK recently and for that I'm very happy. Sold a fork, sent as pressie, arrived no problem. Just karma'd some raceface cranks, sent as pressie, no fees. I want to try with a full bike sometime to see if my luck continues

 

[Mod-Master]

What raceface cranks?

How dare you not alert me…

 

[Woz]

I don't get the 14 percent thing on top of the vat

It's the Customs Duty rate set by the UK Gov for items not declared as Gift. The X% value depends on the type of goods and Country of Origin.

All countries have this. It's a basic mechanism of a Trade Barrier to protect home made products and industry against far cheaper imports.

 

[Imlach]

It's the Customs Duty rate set by the UK Gov for items not declared as Gift. The X% value depends on the type of goods and Country of Origin.

All countries have this. It's a basic mechanism of a Trade Barrier to protect home made products and industry against far cheaper imports.

Oh okay, thanks.

 

[Imlach]

What raceface cranks?

How dare you not alert me…

Just some hollowtech Turbines I had laying about

 

[Mod-Master]

By “lying about” you mean in a display case?