Shipping to UK (customs question)

[Cassie85]

So I plan on sending a care package to a friend in the UK (I love in the US for reference). I have no idea how customs work, and would feel terrible if I sent her a package and she had to pay money for it. I've Googled it, but came back more confused than I already was. Can someone explain it to be how it works?

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Don't undervalue on the form!  But UK-ers can only accept packages that are under like $20 USD without customs fees.  And there is NO guarantee that you can get through a package with low/no fees even if you mark "gift".

Basically, you are importing it into their country no matter what.  It doesn't matter if it's a MLP, a set of tires or a left-footed shoe with a hole in the sole, it's being imported and the UK collects as much customs fees as they possibly can from imports.    You can presume she will have to pay *something* for the parcel...  

[nhal039]

I always mark parcels as a gift and value as $10, they never get fees a card always helps when it is a gift.

[Libelle]

Here is some official information about customs charges  (click on 'next' at the bottom of the page to continue reading). Basically, gifts under £39 are exempt from customs charges (= taxes + duties). Here is some official information as to what classifies as a gift. Like nhal039 said, a card always helps, as do wrapping paper and ribbons - anything to make a gift look like a gift.

[tulagirl]

Remember it is against the law in all countries to lie on a customs form.  So if your items in the box are worth more than ten dollars and you lie on the customs form you are breaking the law.  Sigh...wish it wasn't true but it is. When you sign that customs form it is an oath that your declarations are genuine, honest and correct.  If you think customs agents don't check.  Think again. I got a call once over a box sent to me with undervalue customs form.  My country was suspicious. I knew nothing of it, but when the agents called I told them exactly what it was, to open it if they would like and there should be a receipt in there to prove the amount.  I also told them I would pay a duty if needed, but I didn't feel there would be one.  There wasn't, but you need to know that if your are caught it isn't good.  Just a warning.   I have also gotten calls from Italy regarding customs forms I have filled out. I have had to prove the amount paid and usually this is a case of the person trying to break the laws in their own country by not paying fees. It is because of this I am super honest with my forms. Marking as a gift is important but it will not help with customs fees if they go over a certain amount.  The other person will have fees even with a gift.

[Taffeta]

The key things to remember about the UK customs are the following, I think:

Mark gifts as gifts. This is not a guarantee they won't get a charge, as some people think it is, but it is best to identify a box as what it is, so leaving it to the experts to decide. The thing with gift is that it is more likely to be looked on leniently as it is not a business transaction, thus the threat to national commercial interest (the alleged point of this) is considered minimal. But it doesn't mean it is exempt. The only time I have encountered complete exemption from customs on high value boxes was when I moved stuff back from my trip to Japan and because it was my stuff being sent from me to me, none of them got charged even though there were lots of books and CDs and stuff associated with my research. But you can't fake that. If you are sending to another person then the chances are there might be a charge.

Our exchange rate is currently bad against the US$. That means that a lower threshold gets a charge now than it used to. I am not certain of the exact threshold.

Items that have been purchased ought to have the retail value paid for them.

HMRC (our customs people) charge more often now than they used to. More packages than not get charged, and more gift packages get charged than used to some several years ago. It is a little bit convenient how that coincided with the recession, but whereas it used to be that a lot of packages of second hand toys got through and most gift packages got no charge, now they do. And most of that charge is the handling fee and NOT the charge for actual import. It's just how they work.

In short, all you can do is mark your form honestly. It is a gift, mark it with the actual value of the items and hope for the best. It might incur a charge with the recipient. Unfortunately that's just how it works these days.

[Libelle]

but whereas it used to be that a lot of packages of second hand toys got through and most gift packages got no charge, now they do. And most of that charge is the handling fee and NOT the charge for actual import.

Yikes, I'm truly sorry, Taffetta. I honestly didn't expect that, but I value the information for future swaps!

Seems like I'm really lucky with customs over here in Germany. When my local customs office accepts something as a gift, there aren't any customs charges. And I've never seen any vintage toys or beautifully wrapped items being rejected as gifts. Theoretically, there would be a tiny fee for handling and storage (about 2.50 € for handling and 0.50 € each day for storage), however, if the total is below 5 €, the fee is waived.

[Taffeta]

Well, I would estimate that the number of gift packages over the threshold now that get charges are at least double the number that did before. It is because they aren't really being charged customs fees so much as VAT (tax) and handling cost. And that apparently can apply to anything coming in, even if it is a gift. Apparently.

But packages marked as gift are more likely not to be charged (benefit of the doubt at customs office). There is just no guarantee that they won't be, and it has got more likely they will as time has passed.

[Ringlets]

Sorry it took me a while to respond, and you may have already had enough help by now (thank you peeps ) but here is a quick reference

This parcel is for a friend, right? so it is a gift  .   Just to keep things simple here's the prices for when you get charged customs tax etc in the UK;

 Gifts: no charge unless the gift is over the value of £39  ( around $49-$50 )
Non gifts/sales: Anything over the value of £15  (around $20 )

(this applies to  parcels sent from non European countries BTW, so US, Australia, NZ, etc . It's different for parcels from Europe..at least ATM .  )

[Tulips]

I don't have much to add except... what currency should you put the value down as?

I've very rarely posted internationally but I've heard of customs officers not looking at the currency and overvaluing packages when converting into local currency. For example: the package is worth $45 USD, or roughly £35, which is under the £39 limit but the customs officer sees '45' and thinks £45 and slaps on fees that shouldn't be applied.

So should you put the value down as your country's currency, or the receiving country's currency? Would it cause issues if there was a case and a refund was required but the post office argues the value because of the currency? Sorry for piggy-backing my question on this thread.

[Libelle]

So should you put the value down as your country's currency, or the receiving country's currency?

With sold/purchased goods it is vital to quote the currency used in the transaction and written on the bill, because customs will require a bill for proof of value. (I have had to drop by at my local customs office several times with a print of the paypal transaction for proof of value.)

With gifts, I would put down the sender's currency. If customs makes a mistake, the receiver will always be able to dispute the fees. If customs were really stubborn, they could ask for proof from the sender, i.e. require a print of their original bill, so, again, the sender's currency is the one that needs to be put down on the customs form.

Would it cause issues if there was a case and a refund was required but the post office argues the value because of the currency?

To be honest, I don't understand your question.

[Ringlets]

I don't have much to add except... what currency should you put the value down as?

I've very rarely posted internationally but I've heard of customs officers not looking at the currency and overvaluing packages when converting into local currency. For example: the package is worth $45 USD, or roughly £35, which is under the £39 limit but the customs officer sees '45' and thinks £45 and slaps on fees that shouldn't be applied.

So should you put the value down as your country's currency, or the receiving country's currency? Would it cause issues if there was a case and a refund was required but the post office argues the value because of the currency? Sorry for piggy-backing my question on this thread.

Put your own currency  (so for you its AUD $  yes?  , and a gift for a friend )   make it look clear so it isn't so easy for them to mistake it for a "£" ( GBP) . I haven't had any issues with this personally but I do know of stories of customs not checking the currency and putting a tax on by mistake. I think it's not common cos I've bought lots of international stuff and also my best friend lives in the US - we exchange massive gift parcels - and I haven't had issues. When I post to my friend I mark as a gift (which it is) and I write the currency in £  GBP on the value bit,  when she sends parcels to me she also sends as gift and marks the value in  $ USD.
I would think that if you did have an issue and your friend accidentally got charged fees that she shouldn't have had due to a currency mix up, then she should get refunded. There is usually some info on the fees sticker they add to the parcel when they've charged you and I think it does say what you can do if something is wrong  (I cant be 100% on exactly what is on there now though as I haven't landed a customs fee for a while thankfully!! ) .
Here is what it says on the Royal Mail (UK) Website about fees though in case anything did go wrong  (from here https://personal.help.royalmail.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/143/~/when-you-have-a-fee-to-pay-grey-card.
 :
I don't believe my item should have incurred a Customs charge, what should I do?

If,after paying for your item, you believe the charges have been wrongly applied we recommend you contact Border Force. If your challenge is successful, the charges will be refunded. If Border Force were responsible for the original charging error, the refund will also include our £8.00 handling fee. If however, the goods have been mis-declared the RM handling fee will be non-refundable. Details on how to challenge the charges can be found on the HM Revenue & Customs Opens in new window  website. 

Hope that helps a bit