Sorted and paid, thank you.

[SwiftheartBabbit]

Oh, that really stinks! Was not expecting this at all. Have shipped to other countries in Europe without having this come up, but I think this was my first time shipping to the UK. If I had known, I would've listed the price as being lower than it actually way, to avoid being hit.

Appreciate everyone's input so far. Any other suggestions would be great. I received my ponies from Icey last week without any problems.

[Icecrystalline]

Thanks SHB the thing is, I've had parcels with values of 40 dollars and more very recently and yet never had to pay customs. I'm 17 and a student, and I just cannot afford to pay these fees. If necessary, we'll have to trade back (which I don't want to do, but if left with no choice, will have to)

[hathorcat]

To put it simply there are 2 ways an item can be marked when posting...as "goods" or as "a gift" that's where your confusion on value on customs may be coming from.

GOODS:
1) If a parcel is under £15 in value on the customs form and marked as "goods" then it will pass through customs fine without a charge
2) If a parcel is over £15 in value on the customs form and marked as "goods" then it will be subject to import taxes

GIFT:
3) If a parcel is under £40 in value on the customs form and marked as "gift" then it will pass through customs fine
4) If a parcel is over £40 in value on the customs form and marked as "gift" then it could be subject to a charge

It sounds as though your parcel was marked as goods and with the $30 value fee which puts it over the £15 limit.

Unfortunately this is completely normal and anyone importing anything into the UK at the moment with a value over either the £15 or £40 value will be subject to customs charges in addition to a handling fee [handling will be anything from £8 to £25 depending on if it comes into the country via courier or Royal Mail].

For the last 12 to 18 months the UK has become stricter and stricter about this policy. Its HMRC's way of getting back tax which they think they are entitled to...if you buy something from the US and import it, the UK government dont get their percentage of the cut in VAT but you still get your product. Therefore, customs now strictly charge an equivalent percentage on items coming into the country as this way they get the tax they are missing. Is it fair that they do this on vintage ponies and trades? No - probably not. However, it is the law and anyone experienced and confident enough to purchase products from outside the country should be aware that this will happen.

If you cant afford to pay for the customs charge, then after a period [anything from 28 to 56 days] the parcel will simply be returned to the original sender. There will be no charge to you or the sender for this to be done. If the parcel was to return to your trade partner who could then resend perhaps marked as a gift if no transaction was actually involved then it would be under the £40 gift price. However, for this you would be responsible for paying the postage your partner would have to repay in order to resend the item - this may or may not be less than the customs charge [your partner would be able to confirm this]. As with all postage issues whether you are buying from an individual or a national retailer, all import taxes and charges are the responsibility of the receiver.

Unfortunately this means that if you wish to receive your item you will have to pay the charge...the only thing I would say is that you normally have a 28 day window in which to raise the money and make the payment so perhaps this gives you enough time to work out the funds.

[Oneleo1]

It's unfortunate and it is not what you are going to want to hear but you as the receiver are responsible for the charges incurred. It is under your countries law regarding packages coming into the UK. http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/post/internet.htm

It's not your sender's fault nor their responsibility to reimburse you for these charges. 

If you refuse to pay them then the item will be sent back to SwiftHeart.

     

It sucks that the postal service works like this, but Ponylady is right. The sender can be fined heavily for not obeying the regulations of the postal service and many people don't want to risk having fines imposed for sending things with incorrect customs forms

I am sorry that you are in this situation, I hope that you are able to get your package in the end!

[partypony566]

The thing is, if you buy anything from outside Europe even if it's a trade ( post office won't care, it's a parcel with a value on the front at the end of the day) you are responsible for any charges.

I'm awaiting a BJD from the US which I know I'll have to pay AT LEAST £40-50 customs fee on. The company I bought from will of course put the full amount on the customs form, as it's a sale and it is illegal for them to lie or put 'gift' on the form, and like cat says even if they put gift on the form, you'll still get charges. That's the law. It's VAT, import tax and we are responsible for it.

You know if you send the items back to SHB then it will cost you almost £11 anyway. Also if you do not pay the customs charge, the items will be returned to SHB and SHE will be charged a fee, which certainly will not be her responsibility.

So you either need to pay the customs charge, or you will need to reimburse SHB of the charges she will get if the items get sent back to her plus the postage she will have to pay to send your stuff back.

[HawaiianRain]

Honestly, it would just be cheaper to pay the customs charge on the package then to 'un-do' the swap. Like stated before me, the sender will be charged for having her package sent back if it was sent international first class.

[ponylady]

Thanks SHB the thing is, I've had parcels with values of 40 dollars and more very recently and yet never had to pay customs. I'm 17 and a student, and I just cannot afford to pay these fees. If necessary, we'll have to trade back (which I don't want to do, but if left with no choice, will have to)

If you have to trade back, the shipping to get your items back Ice should have to be paid by you.  SwiftHeart should not have to be responsible for these because you are choosing not to pick your items up at customs.  I am sorry but this is the way it works.  Like Party and Cat have mentioned you have a certain time period to pick these items up, maybe you could ask your mum to give you a quick loan till you get paid.

[tulagirl]

Sending trade items back can be risky thing because what if your trader doesn't get them back and they get lost in the mail?   What if your trader ends up with a fee for return postage on the item they sent you?  Then there is the issue of backing out of your trade after you have already sent your partner her items.  That isn't really fair to do to your trade partner because they wanted those and trusted that this trade would go through.  They shouldn't have to send them back now because you can't pay the fees to get the box they sent to you.  I think if you can babysit for a family, ask your family for a task in which you can make money or do some selling to get your cash so you can pick up your box is the best thing to do. Honor your trade agreement...raise some money.  When I was your age I kept kids...seems like there is always someone around that needs a little help and thats not a lot of cash..you should be able to earn it quickly and fix this that way.  Just a thought.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

It's unfortunate and it is not what you are going to want to hear but you as the receiver are responsible for the charges incurred. It is under your countries law regarding packages coming into the UK. http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/post/internet.htm

It's not your sender's fault nor their responsibility to reimburse you for these charges. 

If you refuse to pay them then the item will be sent back to SwiftHeart.

     

Ponylady has the best advice... the only way to deal with customs is to pay the fee they ask.  There is no getting around it.  I also would say it's extremely unfair to ask your partner to "trade-back" because "you don't have the money"!  It is not your trade partner's "fault" for "not checking gift" or including an appropriate value on the form that got Customs' attention.

I hope this can be worked out to all parties' satisfaction.   

[Ringlets]

Unfortunately, us UKers have to put up with these charges if we import items from outside of the UK/Europe.
Cat is right that if an item is sent as as gift, then the customs charges apply if the item is valued at £40 or more (thats around  $60, perhaps a bit more now ) , and if the item is not marked as as gift then the charges apply if the item is valued at £15 or more. It used to be £18 or more but they've lowered it now *sigh*
I know its a pain, but its really not up to your trade partner to pay, or to have to have the item sent back (which could lead to other issues as have already been mentioned here). . Do you have something that you can sell to raise the money? or could you do some household chores or jobs for friends or family to raise the money? 

[Icecrystalline]

I'm sorry guys, but it's not as simple as just earning some money. I worked all summer to buy just books and equipment for college, as well as a few items of clothing for myself. I have no money left. And please don't ask me to ask my family for money- I'll just say they're not in the position to either. (and yes my family do work). I'm going to go to my local PO and ask their advice. That's all I can think of, because when other oddities have happened surround RM, they've usually had a solution. Either way, I do not have the money. But I will think of a way to deal with this, whether something along trading back or whatever, I just need some time to think.
Thanks for your input everyone, I think my brain neeeds to recover from information overload..

[partypony566]

Honestly, the post office can't and won't do anything, HMRC want the money, it's a tax so it's the law that you pay otherwise you can't have your item unfortunately, and if you don't pay it, it gets sent back to SHB and she will get charged for it.

Maybe sell some ponies or dolls on here to raise the money?

[little.fox]

It seems very unfair that SwiftHeart should be penalized for your mistake Ice, if you can't redeem your package from the po, I don't see why she should be in any way obliged to return your part of the trade or send your parcel again.

[Icecrystalline]

Party: Sadly I have nothing left to sell. I have to think of something else. Thanks though. x

[Oneleo1]

I saw you have a trade thread, are any of those ponies still available? There are a couple that caught my eye