Discussion UK imports, what did you pay? Is this right?

[Mr Whippy]

I'm looking to buy a Sliger case.

Density.sk in Slovakia seem to work out cheaper than a direct import from the USA, mostly on shipping costs I assume.



But it's not entirely clear what the total costs will be.

Density.sk say they'll sell sans VAT.

UK will then charge VAT at 20%, and a 2.5% customs duty. So 22.5%.

But then the shipper, DHL Express, say's they charge 2.5% of customs duty/vat (which is actually 2.5% of about £40 in my case, or about 75p), with the minimum charge being £11.


So I'm assuming the total cost will be an invoice from Density.sk for the product and shipping.

Then a 22.5% UK customs duty and VAT cost.

And then an £11 fee by the shipper.

This could be even worse if the item was from outside the EU or USA I think, due to trade agreement/tarrifs, which might impact the 'duty' part.



My specific values are:

€186.66 CL530
€36.90 shipping

Total invoice to Density.sk €223.56

~ 0.85 exchange rate = £190

+ 22.5% = £232.75
+ £11 shipping fee = £243.75


Does this sound correct to anyone else who's imported to the UK recently?



It'd be great if Density.sk or Sliger in the USA could give total GBP costs to your doorstep. Leaving these costs up to the consumer to determine is frustrating.

Or Sliger just find a decent UK reseller now the UK isn't part of the EU.


Thanks!

 

[Analogue Blacksheep]

I bought a Velka 7 from Density.sk last year, DHL shipped it. I got an email/text from them asking about paying taxes (waybill) about a day or two later. Paid it online and parcel arrived in the UK very quickly. It was about £48 around that time.

I prefer doing international orders with DHL, they keep things simple.

 

[Mr Whippy]

Thanks for the reassurance.

After more reading and asking around I pretty much got to:

Foreign currency > GBP.

+ 20% VAT to HMRC
+ 2.5% import duty to HMRC

+ shipper import fees
(FedEx are fixed price of £12.50 for values in the range of a case from Sliger, while DHL are £11)

Thus:

Total retailer invoice > GBP * 22.5% + £11 or so.


In the end I've just ordered from Sliger direct in the USA. I expect it'll be £280 for my CL530 in black with no IO, no fans, but with the handle and a vertical stand.
It's about £40 more for order completion and delivery in around 5-6 total business days, vs Density.sk who are about 3-6 weeks which is just way too long.

I really wanted to get a brushed aluminium panel with IO alongside a solid black one, and only Sliger offer separate front panels. However adding that on seemed to add disproportionately to the shipping price (separate heavy/large padded box perhaps?), another £30 or so I think.
So definitely something to think about when importing more items!


We definitely need a Sliger reseller in the UK!

The postage alone isn't cheap, but with the VAT/duty added onto the postage, and the final £10 as well, it's all quite a big premium.

 

[Arboreal]

@Mr Whippy, thanks for that useful post.
I was about to ask about UK import costs, as I have found a (long searched for) motherboard listed on ebay Germany which can be shipped to the UK.

 

[Mr Whippy]

Well my Sliger case is inbound. The speed has been really fast. Delivery tomorrow apparently and I only ordered it on Friday. Obviously there is a premium for this speed.

I'll update on all my costs/experience for others doing a Sliger import to the UK direct. It's all very straight forward to actually do, but it is quite different from a decision making perspective on costs/what will happen.


Cheers

 

[Arboreal]

Thanks, that'd be interesting to know.I

have a second hand Sliger S610, which i am really pleased with.

Well made and high quality construction, the handle is the icing on the cake!

 

[Overtek]

Should be no duty if the correct tariff code is applied, in '97 and completed in 2000 there was a global agreement (WTO) zero duty on computer parts.
Correctly coded, 20% VAT plus disbursement fee.

The uk is outside the EU whereever you import from will be like this.
However, with one exception, if from an IOSS, where VAT is paid up front and the disbursment fee is avoided.
Large marketplaces were forced to adopt this by EU, even aliexpess.
Good thing is it saves on the disbursement fee and streamlines through customs quicker.