buying jewellery in US

[smuggler]

hi all, regular poster here, assumed identity name for obvious reasons (to maintain element of surprise).

The time in my life has come to buy a certain symbolic piece of metal/carbon for someone else.

I was wondering how people here approach returning to the UK with valuable good such as this that may have been brought aboard. As far as I am aware there is a 2.5 % import duty + VAT on such goods.

So if you have bought watches or other jewellery abroad, and flown home with them, what do you do? Do you declare loudly, to all who can hear, your wonderful purchases? Or do you just walk right out to the taxi rank? And what happens if someone working for the queen stops you? Is it a case of 'oh, sorry, totally slipped my mind, here's 20%' or more like 'ah...'?

I would like to know what people may or may not have done in the past.

[LD1Racing]

stick it in your washbag and post home the paperwork, buy a box at home?

[andy_s]

Hi Peter,

Hide it in amongst your shreddies and distract them with half kilo of coke?

I'd just post the box & wear it or stick it in the hand luggage as you would if you'd had it for years.

Don't bother with a false 'tache or anything though.

[otherside]

If it's a diamond ring (which I'm pretty sure that's what you're alluding to), post home the important paper work, then put the ring on a necklaces and wear it on to the plane. If any one gives you guff, tell them it belonged to your very dear Gran.

I did this with the girls engagement ring, and had no issue. It's also one of the more safe places you can have it.

She uses this same trick when she goes home to visit her family in Russia.

[Tiggsy]

Had a honey moon in NY and bought wedding rings at Tiffanys and a couple of expensive watches. Posted the paperwork we wnated to keep (didnt want the ring papers) and wore the stuff.

[toohuge]

Did this recently with our engagement ring. The other half just wore the ring, the box was with her and the company that we purchased the ring from sent the paperwork back home, all of which arrived safely.