Thread: Import Duty on TM Strops (UK)

I'd like to order one of Tony Miller's super-dooper strops. They seem to be excellent value for money, especially compared with the prices from some shops here but I was just wondering if anyone has any experience of how much tax will be charged when importing it?

Hi Rupert? I have recently bought a razor from the classifieds and a paddle strop from SRD. What they do is allow you £39.00 free then charge you VAT on the difference between that and the value that the shipper has to declare.There is also a handling charge , on the strop for $59.00 it came to an extra £20.00 and the same for the razor. Customs will hold the item then send you a letter with a phone number to call and pay, then they deliver it. So the cheaper prices don,t work out unless you are getting a real bargain or the item is one you just want.

There are way's round these tiresome issues though!

importhits you pretty hard at about 32 usd here in norway (then they add shipping to value too) 25% VAT plus they charge about 30 usd extra to bill you

VAT + handling costs will be charged above a certain value of the package. I have to 19% VAT + apporx 5% handling charges on everything over 45 Euro. Here even the value of the stamps attracts VAT!

Taxes may be lower or non-existent if you receive the items as a present ...

They tax gifts over a certain value too. The threshold's a little higher, but not much. I can cope with the duty. It's the handling charge that really get's my goat!

Thanks for the info. Any way I do it, I'll be paying way less than most retailers in London want to charge me for a run of the mill Dovo (about £120 at best!), so I'm happy to pay the bit extra for customs. I'll take note of the suggestions but am happy to go with the charges if TM isn't entirely comfortable!

Originally Posted by ben.mid

They tax gifts over a certain value too. The threshold's a little higher, but not much. I can cope with the duty. It's the handling charge that really get's my goat!

Do you also have handling charges if it's sent by regular mail ??
I know there's handling charges if commercial post companies are used but I'm not sure about us post

Originally Posted by ben.mid

They tax gifts over a certain value too. The threshold's a little higher, but not much. I can cope with the duty. It's the handling charge that really get's my goat!

As a citizen of the EU country with the highest tax rates I mind the duty as well. I really don't mind the high income taxes I pay in Belgium but the amount of duty + vat + handling costs we have to pay on top of imports is ... too much.