Buying from ebay usa and importing to uk

if i buy anything from the usa, anything, either a full system, or even a second hand system, will i have to pay import duty and if so how do you know how much you will be charged etc,

If you buy stuff and import it personally they just increased the duty free allowance, I think up to about $1000. I would assume (but I'm not sure)(that the same thing applies o mail order stuff.

HTH Keith

I got whacked with quite a bit of import duty when I bought something large off of ebay. I think it was about 10% or something crazy like that. Also happened when I bought a pool cue from America.
Both from ebay.
But my mate has never had a problem and he has bought everything you can imagine off of ebay, so I think a lot of the time it's luck of the draw.

Depends on if the seller agrees to send the item as a "gift" by checking the box on the customs label, then you pay nothing. If i remember right anything over about 18 quid value of goods you do pay import duty on and you even have to pay on the handling charges for opening the packet! Do not take my word for it though i might be totally wrong

Originally Posted by TC3

Depends on if the seller agrees to send the item as a "gift" by checking the box on the customs label, then you pay nothing. If i remember right anything over about 18 quid value of goods you do pay import duty on and you even have to pay on the handling charges for opening the packet! Do not take my word for it though i might be totally wrong

I bought my neice a tiara for christmas (she's a little princess) and to my surprise when it arrived it had come from Hong Kong (althought the item location said UK). It avoided a duty charge by being ticked as a gift on the label...

A friend of mine a few years ago imported a bike what he did was had the seat sent over in a parcel then imported the rest of the bike as incomplete for spares, it was quiet a while ago so I don't know if you can still do this. It was cheaper to do it this way at the time.

[Biker Biggles]

I don't know much about import duty but your post made me wonder where Lynw is.Anyone heard from her recently?

Originally Posted by TC3

Depends on if the seller agrees to send the item as a "gift" by checking the box on the customs label, then you pay nothing. If i remember right anything over about 18 quid value of goods you do pay import duty on and you even have to pay on the handling charges for opening the packet! Do not take my word for it though i might be totally wrong

Doesn't always work, my PSP was marked gift but it got a customs charge added to it. Lynw is an expert on all this import type stuff.

Try Customs website here

looked on that site but it doesnt give u a very good understanding, most propeberly on purpose,