Buying pre-owned overseas

[LordGrover]

Probably a silly question; when buying a used watch from USA for example, is import duty and/or VAT still due?
I'd assume it is as it would be an obvious loophole for nefarious ne'er-do-wells.

[Mr Pointy]

Yes it does. The duty isn't very high but the VAT & courier charges have to be paid.

[sandman77]

Mr Pointy said:

Yes it does. The duty isn't very high but the VAT & courier charges have to be paid.

There isn't any duty to pay on a single watch.

[T6 vanman]

sandman77 said:

Mr Pointy said:

Yes it does. The duty isn't very high but the VAT & courier charges have to be paid.

There isn't any duty to pay on a single watch.

Think you'll find there is,
There is no charge for items below £135,

If it's a private sale you may find the person amiable to 'cough' declaring on the customs form a smaller figure .... Good luck

[Bernardino]

T6 vanman said:

sandman77 said:

Mr Pointy said:

Yes it does. The duty isn't very high but the VAT & courier charges have to be paid.

There isn't any duty to pay on a single watch.

Think you'll find there is,
There is no charge for items below £135,

If it's a private sale you may find the person amiable to 'cough' declaring on the customs form a smaller figure .... Good luck

Exactly this

[Username...]

Bernardino said:

T6 vanman said:

sandman77 said:

Mr Pointy said:

Yes it does. The duty isn't very high but the VAT & courier charges have to be paid.

There isn't any duty to pay on a single watch.

Think you'll find there is,
There is no charge for items below £135,

If it's a private sale you may find the person amiable to 'cough' declaring on the customs form a smaller figure .... Good luck

Exactly this

Which means that the item won't be insured sufficiently, which means you'll lose out if it's lost or damaged in transit. It might be a risk I'd take on lower value items, but not on something worth thousands...

I would be wary if buying a pre-owned watch from abroad unless the seller is very reputable. Sellers opinions of "mint" condition varies wildly, from "as new" to scratched to buggery.

I waited until the right watch came up at the right price from a UK shop.

[sandman77]

T6 vanman said:

Think you'll find there is,
There is no charge for items below £135,

If it's a private sale you may find the person amiable to 'cough' declaring on the customs form a smaller figure .... Good luck

You have misunderstood me. There isn't any duty (import duty) to pay on a single watch. You will of course have to pay VAT and whatever handling charge the courier adds but definitely no duty.

[mikeveal]

To clarify, you will probably be charged:

Import duty on 2.5% of item value if over £135.
VAT at 20% on both item value and postage cost, as declared on the shipping details by the sender.
A handling fee from the UK courier for processing this payment, often around £20.

Imports from the USA are pretty much always caught and charges made. Imports from other countries are not always caught. Don't ask me why, I have no clue.

[sandman77]

mikeveal said:

To clarify, you will probably be charged:

Import duty on 2.5% of item value if over £135.
VAT at 20% on both item value and postage cost, as declared on the shipping details by the sender.
A handling fee from the UK courier for processing this payment, often around £20.

Imports from the USA are pretty much always caught and charges made. Imports from other countries are not always caught. Don't ask me why, I have no clue.

No. Import duty for single watches into the UK is 4.5% up to a maximum of 0.80 Euros. This is below the 10 EUR threshold of dutiable value meaning you will pay nothing.

You are correct about the VAT and handling charge though.

[LordGrover]

Thanks all.

Hmmm. 20% VAT makes a difference. Many of the 'savings' buying abroad would be swallowed up.
I guess stick to UK/EU where possible.

[Username...]

LordGrover said:

Thanks all.

Hmmm. 20% VAT makes a difference. Many of the 'savings' buying abroad would be swallowed up.
I guess stick to UK/EU where possible.

With the current exchange rate, I often find the cost of imports from the states in £ roughly match the dollar figure once duty and VAT have been applied. I.e. You find a watch for $1000 (£720), but add duty, VAT, shipping and insurance and by the times it's landed it'll have cost you £1000.

[Bernardino]

I’ve bought two watches from dealers in the states, at the time the exchange rate worked in my favour so a good deal was to be had. Not sure if the current rates will help you.

The dealers I used had their own insurance for shipping rather than the carrier insurance and purposely lowered the stated value to avoid theft ( their words not mine)

[TiggerBits]

I have bought many new and used watches from abroad. That said, I have avoided the USA, because the postage and duty always makes the watch so much more expensive. It's a petty though, because watches in the USA appear to be so much cheaper

[Sy1441]

Username... said:

Which means that the item won't be insured sufficiently, which means you'll lose out if it's lost or damaged in transit. It might be a risk I'd take on lower value items, but not on something worth thousands...

I would be wary if buying a pre-owned watch from abroad unless the seller is very reputable. Sellers opinions of "mint" condition varies wildly, from "as new" to scratched to buggery.

I waited until the right watch came up at the right price from a UK shop.

The insurance and the customs declaration are two separate entities.

[TiggerBits]

So, if the watch is under £135 and second hand, is there anything to pay other than the shipping ?

Thanks in advance

[sandman77]

TiggerBits said:

So, if the watch is under £135 and second hand, is there anything to pay other than the shipping ?

Thanks in advance

Yes VAT (20%) is payable if the price of the watch is over £18.

[TiggerBits]

sandman77 said:

Yes VAT (20%) is payable if the price of the watch is over £18.

Oh, I thought that because it was used, it wouldn't be subject to VAT, but perhaps I am wrong then

[mikeveal]

Sadly yes, VAT is applied to used items that are imported.
VAT is charge on the item, and the postage and the UK courier will charge £20 ish to collect the VAT.

[kitz]

I think customs are concerned about guns being sent from the USA .

[-crookedtail-]

I’ve just done this and imported a used watch from Japan.

In contrary to popular belief I was actually charged duty, all £0.70 of it so rather insignificant in the scheme of things. This was via EMS so Parcelforce once it got to the UK, not sure if it changes depending on the courier.

Far more annoying was their charge of £25 for ‘handling’ which as far as I can tell is for keeping my parcel hostage for a week whilst they decide whether to give it customs or not!