SmoothStepper sealed pack

[Jeremy]

FedEx are probably the worst for high charges, in my experience. There is a cut-off value (€10 for import duty, €22 for VAT), below which imports shouldn't attract a charge, but I know that the like of FedEx etc rarely take note of this.

It's not so much the duty or VAT that I find irksome, but the hefty "handling fee" that these companies charge for making the duty/VAT payment on your behalf.

I've had cause to question the level of this with one company, TNT, who, like you, wanted to charge me more than the value of the goods in fees. After writing to them a couple of times to try and get the (incorrect) bill adjusted, they just seem to have dropped the matter.

You can avoid duty for some imports by getting yourself an End Use Authorisation number. I have one, it's free from HM Revenue and Customs and allows the import of certain items from outside the EU without attracting import duty (although VAT is still payable). In my case the parts have to be for aircraft construction, but that covers pretty much anything with a connection to engineering in my experience. The saving isn't great, but it does mean that you can sometimes by-pass the handling fee from the freight companies, by declaring that you will pay the VAT directly to HM R&C.

Jeremy

[bruce_miranda]

SOLD via eBay.