Looking for an CNC xPro controller board

[m_c]

As an addendum to this old thread:- If goods are marked as 'Zero value - Warranty replacement' could HMRC disagree and charge what they like ?

I have had goods (10 electrical sockets from China, which I paid $15 (£12)) and then customs wanted £8 Import charges and VAT and Royal mail added £7 handling charge. I refused the goods and they went back to China, who sent another lot, which came straight through.

In short, yes. If they deem something to of been under/wrongly declared, then they can charge duty to what they deem to be a realistic price I.e. if something is commonly sold on websites for say $100, but it's only declared as $10, then they can apply duty to $100. The only way you could appeal it, is if you had proof that you only paid the declared amount. The same applies to warranty replacements, in that HMRC could ask for proof that the original was in fact faulty, and you didn't pay for the replacement.

Ultimately, it's a numbers game. Customs don't have the manpower to check everything, so they just check anything obviously wrongly declared, along with a random selection. I'm sure they will have some algorithms to seek out certain items/known offenders, but chances of getting something checked is slim.

I know personally, I've only ever had one parcel opened by customs (they have customs tape to let you know it was them that opened it for inspection), which I suspect was due to the size/weight of the parcel compared with the declared value.

[cropwell]

In my case HMRC got their estimate of the goods wrong - the exporter declared exactly what he was paid.

If you have the original invoices and receipts for Duty and VAT, you can appeal and may win if you can also present documentary evidence of the warranty claim.

The bit where you lose every time is Handling Charges, even if you win your appeal the Royal Mail will not refund their fees.

[m_c]

I don't mind paying the relevant duty, but it's the handling fees that are the killer, and are just a stealth way for the parcel companies to make money. £8 isn't that bad, but to charge upwards of £20 for processing is taking the piss.