Just been told by Parcelforce that my long awaited fishing rod (Tenkara)
from the USA is in their depot.
(The tracking system said that they tried to deliver it, but they didn't .)
There is duty to be paid.
They told me I have two options
Pay the duty for it by card and they will deliver the next day, or go and
pick it up and pay for it at the depot.
Got to the UK - fast- but has been stuck in Customs Excise for 6 days.
The rod together with US Express delivery was a total £127-00.
I now have to pay VAT £14-78 and Parcelforce clearance fee of £ 13-50.
I have never bought from the US – wasn't expecting the extras to be as
much.
Whats your experiences ? Peter

This one comes up quite often on here.

VAT is now, presumably, 17.5% again and if Parcelforce send the rod, or whatever, to Customs you are going to get charged for it. Sometimes they don't..I think it depends on the individual who handles the parcel.

What is outrageous is that they charge VAT on the postage.

The only comfort, if that's the word, is that the Parcelforce charge is the same whether they collect £1 or £1,000.

Royal Mail is slightly cheaper at, I think, about £8.

With the current exchange rate it is questionable whether it is worth importing stuff from the US.

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Roy

I had the same experience a couple of years ago on a used Loomis rod from the USA . Also via Parcelforce - who had it two weeks before i was notified - and even then it cost me pretty much the same as you to get it delivered .

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Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day.
Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.

If you work on the basis of charges to be roughly 30% over and above your item price.you'll not be far out.

Jim

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The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.

Don't you just love it when an amateur starts playing with the pros !

And all for a rod probably made in China in the first place !! Ouch !!!

Still one in three approx you will avoid the VAT and maybe even the Duty especially if the sender can be persuaded to label it as a valueless gift - but then you won't be insured .

Why not roll over , play dead , and buy British ?

Steve Parton

I take all that in Steve.
Didnt want to buy abroad but couldnt find anywhere in the UK to get that product.
It was made in China like most things nowadays Peter

How on earth do you reach the melodramatic conculsion that ordering something off the internet (from a company that happens to be based overseas) is "playing with the pros" ?

I'd love to know how ordering a rod online, putting in credit card details is 'playing with the pros'.

bit rich that - the amount of "named" tackle that is made in China is huge. i bought a rather tidy aluminium flybox recently at a fair price to me but, on the back were website details of the Chinese producer. Checked this out - obviously buying in bulk cuts costs but ........ my supplier had obviously paid peanuts! I don't recall when i bought "British" that the origin was made clear.
ghg

So the next time I buy something, I will make sure that I get it from a UK
dealer rather than a foreign dealer ?.
Must make sure that a UK company gets the benefits of cheap goods from
China rather than some foreign one.
Must support Britain mustn't I. Peter

Bought a new factroy sage tcx 9ft6 7wt with paperwork from the ststes two weeks ago.Took nine working days to deliver. Cost 350 euro all in including p+p. The local tackle shop has the same rod for 700euro. Always better to cut out the middleman. No comparison!

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Born to fish, forced to work... Same thing!