Hi there,

Dunno about the UK but just got my U-571/American Beauty package without a problem delivered in The Netherlands... I expect a few shipments from Amazon shortly so I'll check the package.

Just picked the box from the garbage can: it has a sticker saying:
A1 NL, if undeliverable Please return to: Postbus 23020, 1100 DM Amsterdam

-- Mark

[This message has been edited by exm (edited November 01, 2000).]

Orders posted on 17th of October (Bond Gifset 3) and from 24th of October (American Beauty) have both arrived from the EU.

American Beauty arrived this morning. Seems to take exactly a week from the Netherlands.

Foxy

How do they work out the duty? I've got quite a few on route at the moment.

Unfortunately, I have heard of a lot of people getting hit by customs from Amazon.com lately....It looks like most of thier stuff is coming from the US direct now

------------------
Welshlad
There's no need for you to tell me you think I'm right - We'll just assume that!

I had Bond 3 last week with the usual yellow sticker. No duty/vat to pay.

Some time ago I got a duty/vat demand on an Amazon pkg. Bit miffed at the time, but that was the only one.

Precious : As I understand it ( and there may be errors here ), anything over GBP18 can be hit for duty VAT. Customs and excise publish an exchange rate they use. Once they have the value in pounds, they add 4% duty. Then on that figure they apply 17.5% VAT. Yes, you do pay VAT on customs duty. e.g. (18.01 x 1.04) x 1.175 = 22.00 = 4.00 to pay. Then, the carrier charges you to collect the duty for the C&E. The post office charges GBP1.50 but DHL and the other carriers can charge up to about GBP10.00. Putting 'gift' on the package theoretically puts the value up from 18.00 to 36.00. But if they open it and there's an invoice inside expect the duty to be paid on the entire value. Some people select 'Gift Wrapping' on the basis that the C&E wouldn't be callous enough to open something that is so obviously a gift. Hmmmmm maybe.

Thank for the information. Fortunately the dvd I've ordered didn't cost £18.00. Unless the include the cost of shipping.

Unfortuantely it's the total cost. Item + shipping that they charge on. Should've mentioned that.

Is it not just a case of less popular titles coming direct from the US because of anticipated lack of interest?

My friend received Rules of Engagement from the European hub yesterday.

Picked up my shipment of Bond 3 & American Beauty today at the postoffice in Amsterdam.
Was shipped oct.24,arrived at postoffice oct.30. No Blue sticker, just the normal A1/NL If undeliverable please return to Postbus in Amsterdam-sticker.
As I said before jonathan e.when i had to pay import taxes for my Bond 2 set from Amazon, it is still a lottery!

Including shipping charges when calculating if the package comes to more than £18/$30 isn't necessarily right. I've read contradictory reports in Customs & Excise own information leaflets/webpages!

Not a good way to inform the public methinks!

------------------
bsc
It is the essence of moral responsibility to determine beforehand the consequences of our action or inaction.

Just don't forget to ALWAYS mark your order as a gift!

If I have the package sent to a friend or relative but keep the same billing address and mark it as a gift do you think I would be ok? I've got $200 worth of stuff on pre-order an I think the duty would be quite expensive otherwise.

Well $200 is a lot... Why don't you split it up in like 3 or packages... That reduces the risk a lot!

Amozon have said they will probably ship it in a number of boxes anyway. I was trying to cut down on the postage costs. I may just cancel the lot and get it from play247.com.

Stop panicking !

I have imported over 200 DVD's from the states and have only paid duty twice.

My rules of engagement are as follows:

Never order more than 2/3 DVD's at a time.

If possible mark the package as a gift.

If you have brought them from an auction, ensure that the value placed on the customs form is no more than $15 to $20.


There are certain times of the year where Customs, do a purge on all international parcels, they cannot due to resources look at every package.

Big D:

I agree with your post. Also not that you should try to keep the value below $50 and preferably $40.

PS. I ordered 100+ DVD's and NEVER paid duty because of the above mentioned rules

The answer from Amazon:

quote:<HR>Thank you for writing to us at Amazon.com.

I am sorry for any mix-up or misunderstanding regarding customs and shipping from the US to the UK. I am not sure why you have not been charged for customs in the past. Is it possible that you had ordered from our UK site?

All orders placed on our US site are shipped from the US as are orders submitted to our UK site are shipped from Europe. I apologize if this information was not clear to you when you placed your order with us. It is possible that DHL is no longer delivering our shipments via Amsterdam. We really do not have any control over these sort of situations. I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

Please note that any customs or import duties are levied once the package reaches the destination country. Additional charges for customs clearance would have to be borne by the recipient; we have no control over these charges and cannot predict what they might be. Customs policies vary widely from country to country; you may want to contact your local customs office for further information.

I am sorry I was not able to give you better news regarding customs rates. In the future, you may want to check out our UK site before ordering from our US site. This will definitely save you on the customs fees. You can find our UK site at www.amazon.co.uk.

We do appreciate your business and thank you for shopping at Amazon.com.


Best regards,

Cynd LaBlue
Amazon.com
Earth's Biggest Selection<HR>

[This message has been edited by jonathan.e (edited November 03, 2000).]