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WARNING Fedex customs info for EUROPE

M

Michael Stanmore

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WARNING PEOPLE!

If you're a customer in Europe and dealing with fedex for your import duty and VAT etc...

The number they quote you off the bat is WRONG WRONG WRONG!

They take ONE code and apply it to the whole package!

They take the HIGHEST applicable code!!!

Then they take a 2.5% slice of the action for themselves for all that hard work!

Challenge them immediately and tell them that your shipment will be covered by MULTIPLE Taric codes, many of which exempt certain parts of your shipment from DUTY, such as the camera body!

Do your homework here on Reduser to find the codes and you'll save £3000...which you can buy an overpriced tripod with...like I will.

Fedex... you gotta love them. 550 bucks for delivery... then 2.5% off the top at the end!!! then they dump everything on your doorstop and leave.

What a fine company.
 
I did end up paying around £3000, but most of that was VAT which I got back. The import duty was around £600, but that was for the camera plus all my extra accessories/production pack/LCD/drive/CF module.

It didnt seem too bad, but at the time only a hand full of people had a camera in the UK and I didnt know what I should have been paying.
 
My problem with Fedex is their way of dealing with the customs overall..

Case1: Red accessories sent on the 3rd of May.. On the 6th Fedex reported that the shipment was in the customs.. After almost three weeks of calling Fedex daily, to get the amount to pay the customs I finally got the numbers, and after giving them my credit card, it took three days more..

Case2: Element technica accessories. Sent with UPS economy. It took five days, and I received the package.. UPS sent me a bill with the correct VAT amount two days later, and I could pay it afterwards..

UPS may cost more, but their way of dealing with customs are worth it..
 
As an Fedex account holder, when you take delivery in UK you agree to pay vat and duty.
The idea is that Fedex pay whatever the rates are in advance to speed delivery, based on declared value by the shipper.

But the driver cant tell you what the charge is!
So beware taking delivery of unsolicited items.

A few weeks ago a US client kindly sent me some promotional stuff.

I was sent a bill for duty, vat and handling.



Mike Brennan
 
darkline said:
I did end up paying around £3000, but most of that was VAT which I got back. The import duty was around £600, but that was for the camera plus all my extra accessories/production pack/LCD/drive/CF module.

It didnt seem too bad, but at the time only a hand full of people had a camera in the UK and I didnt know what I should have been paying.
Click to expand...

Yeah mate you paid about the right amount. Fedex quoted me 6 grand!!! I called them on it and he admitted how he came to that number!!!

So yeah. i'll be somewhere in the 3k range when the haggling is over.
 
Mickjoebill said:
As an Fedex account holder, when you take delivery in UK you agree to pay vat and duty.
The idea is that Fedex pay whatever the rates are in advance to speed delivery, based on declared value by the shipper.

But the driver cant tell you what the charge is!
So beware taking delivery of unsolicited items.

A few weeks ago a US client kindly sent me some promotional stuff.

I was sent a bill for duty, vat and handling.



Mike Brennan
Click to expand...

Wow... that sucks. So dodgy. I'm glad I'm not an account holder so I can iron out this stuff before I sign on the dotted line!!!
 
Peter_CGS said:
Case2: Element technica accessories. Sent with UPS economy. It took five days, and I received the package.. UPS sent me a bill with the correct VAT amount two days later, and I could pay it afterwards..
Click to expand...
Is it possible to chose the carrier that delivers the Red, or are we stuck with FedEx?
What I'd really prefer is to fetch the camera myself.
 
Man. I really feel for you guys...

Man. I really feel for you guys...

Why not just spend the 3000 euros on an international plane ticket, a nice Californian hotel, and a great bottle of wine.. and bring your baby back home with you after the trip? Trust me. Right now your money would go a long way here in the states.
:wink:
 
I'm quite happy with Fedex. No duty was charged for the camera. Fast and good service - maybe it's not the same every time and everywhere!
 
Skitch said:
Why not just spend the 3000 euros on an international plane ticket, a nice Californian hotel, and a great bottle of wine.. and bring your baby back home with you after the trip? Trust me. Right now your money would go a long way here in the states.
:wink:
Click to expand...

And then what...smuggle the camera back into Europe?
 
...because you still have to go to customs when you return, the only thing you save is 598 USD for Fedex Shipping. You still have to pay customs and VAT, but the VAT you can claim back if you are a registered company.

Manuel
 
smuggling is a bad idea, especially from USA to Europe. Customs also know that the exchange rate is in favor of Europeans.
 
Skitch said:
Why not just spend the 3000 euros on an international plane ticket
Click to expand...

You need to find yourself a better travel agent, mate. For 3000 Euros I could fly a couple of times around the globe. Coming to think of it, give me 2000 Euro, and I´ll book your flight. You save a 1000, I make a 1000+ and everyone´s happy :)

digitalfx said:
And then what...smuggle the camera back into Europe?
Click to expand...

Njet. Not only is that illegal, but a stupid thing to do, as I would get into deep trouble next time I tried to take the camera out of the country, and back in again. And it would save me very little money, as I´ll get all VAT back anyhow.

No, the reason I´d prefer picking up the camera myself is that I just don´t quite like some of the FedEx stories I´ve heard on this forum. Also, there can be custom´s trouble (we just had a couple of HDcam tapes sitting in customs for four f@@@ing weeks.) I´d rather take a flight to California, drop by the Apple store, enjoy the scenery and take a drive to the newly opened* Red Store. Then I´d take the flight back and in the custom´s area I would proudly go to the red zone and sort our the papers there.


*No, this Red Store does not yet exist. But maybe come November?
 
PS. Video camera require/includes tape unit on the camera. Digital still camera does not. I think the customs of the world must do a revision of the Taric numbers. DS.
 
I think you have to use Fed Ex. You can't pick up in person. If they deliver to CA you may have to pay 8% local tax anyway!

You can always ask C and E to help with the tariff and numbers. They phoned me once to actually try to save me money! The whole import number thing has been covered here a bunch of times and Rory Hinds posted all the tariff numbers back in January.

I think all UK stuff comes in through Stanstead so they should have a handle on all this by now.

Mike C
 
Skitch said:
Why not just spend the 3000 euros on an international plane ticket, a nice Californian hotel, and a great bottle of wine.. and bring your baby back home with you after the trip? Trust me. Right now your money would go a long way here in the states.
:wink:
Click to expand...

Believe me... I worked on that plan for a while... but it had all kinds of consequenses on claiming tax on the equipment...insurance... and then when the folk at red closed their doors to walkin pickups... well that was that.

I was hoping to be in the USA for the World Series of Poker... but waiting for my baby to arrive is better...and the WSOP will happen again every year.
 
I should mention that I managed to use all my Jedi persuasion techniques to convince the man at Fedex NOT to charge duty on ANYTHING in the package... :) Still gotta pay VAT though... :(
 
Myktyl said:
I should mention that I managed to use all my Jedi persuasion techniques to convince the man at Fedex NOT to charge duty on ANYTHING in the package... :) Still gotta pay VAT though... :(
Click to expand...

Dude,

Tell me you ARE VAT registered! If not you can claim back later when you do register, just check the time frame.

Mike C
 
Myktyl said:
I should mention that I managed to use all my Jedi persuasion techniques to convince the man at Fedex NOT to charge duty on ANYTHING in the package... :) Still gotta pay VAT though... :(
Click to expand...

Costelloe Michael said:
Dude,

Tell me you ARE VAT registered! If not you can claim back later when you do register, just check the time frame.

Mike C
Click to expand...

What's more if you're spending over around £30,000 (during a financial year) on equipment for your business (approx turnover figure please check for exact amount) that means you must register for VAT... by law!

The plus side means get all that VAT back the downside is you have to keep your paperwork very much in order for 5+ years.

Generally worth the money though and like I said if you spend over a certain amount you don't have a choice anyway.

Better check it out.

JohnF
 
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