Buying from AliExpress

[Mr Pointy]

I'm looking at buying an item costing about £120 from AliExpress & need to work out if it's worth it. What is the likelihood of getting charged Duty & VAT? Good chance, little chance or pot luck? I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has experience.

[unzippy]

Unlikely. I ordered £250 worth of blinds and had no issues what so ever.

[Magic919]

They usually charge you the VAT at point of purchase these days.

[Xenoous]

I've ordered things totalling up to £50 on a couple of occasions and had no issues with customs/tax. I think you'll be ok.

[_Rodders_]

Just make sure it's not fake whatever you're buying. Lots of bike parts on AliExpress are knock offs.

[Mr Pointy]

Magic919 said:

They usually charge you the VAT at point of purchase these days.

So they do - thanks for pointing that out.

[ChrisSMorris]

Mr Pointy said:

I'm looking at buying an item costing about £120 from AliExpress & need to work out if it's worth it. What is the likelihood of getting charged Duty & VAT? Good chance, little chance or pot luck? I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has experience.

https://www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad/tax-and-...
Non-excise goods worth £135 or less = No charge

[Mr Pointy]

At the moment the £21 shipping charge is making it less attractive - it's not even a particularly large or heavy item. The total is up to £149 compared to about £165 via ebay (allegedly UK stock).

[Monsterlime]

Since AliExpress charge VAT on items up to £135, it appears Customs have stopped looking at or dealing with their parcels. Probably because the number of people who do spend that amount on AliExpress is vanishingly small.

I purchased several items late last year over that threshold, was charged no VAT by AliExpress and had no Customs/Import duties to pay at all. This is perhaps negligence on the part of Customs, or they just don't look at AliExpress stuff that hard any more since they signed the VAT deal.

Should I have declared them? Probably. Will I? I will not, and more importantly, feel no guilt at all.

[wiggy001]

Used AliExpress once recently. The sheer volume of spam emails from them since is enough to put me off using them again.

That and the completely random delivery lead times.

[SteBrown91]

I got stung for VAT and customs on an Ali Express item last year - it essentially made the item not a bargain anymore (a £180 item became £270-80ish). But It was large and an awkward shape so was low hanging fruit for customs (who opened it and lost the fitting kit!). I suspect if its in a generic box you can generally fly under the radar.

[ARH]

wiggy001 said:

Used AliExpress once recently. The sheer volume of spam emails from them since is enough to put me off using them again.

That and the completely random delivery lead times.

In all the years I have been using aliexpress I have never had a spam email. Yes they send a lot of tracking emails, and a follow up email for you to say you have received it.

If when buying you tick the free delivery box it will eliminate any delivery costs. If you check the item listing will tell you a delivery time. Most stuff is delivered within 7 days, unlike eBay these days.

As suggested be wary as you can be caught out by fakes, easy if it looks to good to be true it probably is. More expensive stuff is normally not great value, heavy stuff is very costly to ship.

[ozzuk]

I recently ordered the Death Star from Ali Express, £160 and no import charges. I'm free to blow up planets now.

I bought a Jaws model from Japan and got hit with 70 quid of charges.

I buy too many toys. I have no kids.

[wiggy001]

ARH said:

wiggy001 said:

Used AliExpress once recently. The sheer volume of spam emails from them since is enough to put me off using them again.

That and the completely random delivery lead times.

In all the years I have been using aliexpress I have never had a spam email. Yes they send a lot of tracking emails, and a follow up email for you to say you have received it.

If when buying you tick the free delivery box it will eliminate any delivery costs. If you check the item listing will tell you a delivery time. Most stuff is delivered within 7 days, unlike eBay these days.

As suggested be wary as you can be caught out by fakes, easy if it looks to good to be true it probably is. More expensive stuff is normally not great value, heavy stuff is very costly to ship.

I order 1 small item which was around £20.

I've just checked and I have received 152 emails from Aliexpress.

Never again.

[.:ian:.]

wiggy001 said:

I order 1 small item which was around £20.

I've just checked and I have received 152 emails from Aliexpress.

Never again.

[Somebody]

wiggy001 said:

That and the completely random delivery lead times.

It may be due to the lower volume of shipments (to the US) but all my recent purchases have arrived in less than a week as opposed to a month+ prior to Trump's tariffs.

[I am alright Jack]

ozzuk said:

I recently ordered the Death Star from Ali Express, £160 and no import charges. I'm free to blow up planets now.

I bought a Jaws model from Japan and got hit with 70 quid of charges.

I buy too many toys. I have no kids.

Nothing wrong with that. Every couple of months I buy another scalextric car, I don't have any track.

[CubanPete]

wiggy001 said:

I order 1 small item which was around £20.

I've just checked and I have received 152 emails from Aliexpress.

Never again.

Must be a setting. I don't get any emails from them.

[tight fart]

I purchased some bits from a UK eBay seller, when they arrived a week later they’d been sent direct from AliExpress..

[ARH]

tight fart said:

I purchased some bits from a UK eBay seller, when they arrived a week later they d been sent direct from AliExpress..

This is not unusual at all. Stuff is often drop shipped from China.

Even if stuff from eBay is sent from the UK it often take as long as from Aliexpress or Temu. Especially if the item is small and can be sent by letter post.