Is this the letting off steam thread?

[Bob Cotsford]

I've just had one of 'those' slips in the post asking me to sponsor ParcelFarce.

I ordered some items from HK, I'm quite happy to pay the £10.88 import duty, but surely PF asking for a £13.50 'clearance fee' is extracting the urine?

[Steve Hargreaves - Moderator]

Well they have to make a profit somehow Bob.......

Sadly this is the risk we take in ordering from HK.......£13.50 to shuffle some papers seems to be about the going rate (UPS used to charge about £12)

Be happy that the extra tax you have paid will stave off UK bankrupcy for, ooooh, another nanosecond or so....

[Phil 9]

the admin or clearance fees are always about 12-14 pounds no matter the size of the order so the duty may be £3 or £3000 but the charge is the same. so making small orders relatively more expensive.

[Bob Cotsford]

Roll on the day HKUK got all their stock in!

In the same post I got what looks to be some contact lenses for Akabijou Shimal. Now I hadn't noticed that I'd got a lodger, but he must be as short sighted as me So much for postcodes ensuring accurate deliveries - only so long as you type your postcode in accurately Akabijou!

[Pete B]

At last I've found something cheaper in France

When I got back from the UK a couple of weeks ago, there were two HK packets awaiting me at the local Post Office. One, value $37, had been selected by Customs for charging, the other, value $46, had not.

Customs charge for VAT was €5.75 (£4.49), the handling fee was just €3.15 (£2.46)

This is the first time I've been charged after 30+ orders, so I'm not complaining.......but it seems Parcelforce are rather taking the mickey with UK customers

Pete

[GrahamC]

Maybe if Bob has had a parcel for someone else incorrectly deleivered to him by parcelforce he should offer to return it to them providing they pay an administration fee of £13.50 to cover his time in contacting them, provision of appropriate storage, and provision of an opportunity to collect an item delivered in error.

I wonder how much luck he would have!

[Bob Cotsford]

What a strange day - Royal Mail deliver a blackmail demand from ParcelForce along with an incorrectly addressed/delivered packet (should have been ** Grove not ** Crescent, not the first time), then some tradesman knocks on the door asking for the packet's addressee. I gave him the packet along with directions to the correct address - wierd.

Now off out to the garage to see if I can muck up painting the Skybolts cowl -- again! - then off to the field.

Have a nice day.

[Gavin Mack]

To avoid vat and parcel farce fee when ordering from Hobby king ensure the declared value to be less than £18. ONly problem with this is if the parcel is lost you can only claim back declared value.

[Olly P]

I'd send them a bill for £13.50 admin, £10/day storage and £5 collection fee....

[Bob Cotsford]

well I emailed 'em asking why it's not a %ge of the duty, not that I expect a real answer. 'Because we can' comes to mind, along with 'stand and deliver' and it's more up to date equivalent 'g'is yer wallit'

[Simon B]

Parcelforce pay the customs charges and someone's labour is included. If we want to avoid these charges we should use our LMS!

[Bob Cotsford]

In this world where even the government aknowledges the internet why can we not pay HMRC directly without handing over this ransom to a middleman?

So what do you do when your LMS doesn't stock something you want?

[John Privett]

Posted by Gavin Mack on 24/07/2012 11:03:26:

To avoid vat and parcel farce fee when ordering from Hobby king ensure the declared value to be less than £18. ONly problem with this is if the parcel is lost you can only claim back declared value.

Hmm, so on a public forum you're encouraging tax evasion?

[kevin b]

Evading tax is a bigger national pastime than ours. I mean for instance, how many M.P.'s do you know of who fly model aircraft ?

There are 2 reasons for buying goods from off-shore. One is the total lack of availability locally, specialist components for instance. The other is to get them cheaper than through the local supplier. Factor in transport costs and you will find that the savings are pratically all down to tax, or lack of it.

Yes, personaly I would like to deal with the tax people direct, but lets be honest. Are they going to want to deal with hundreds of thousands of importers a year, or the Post office at no cost to themselves ?

Support your local model shop. They probably have a website and can post items to you as well. Plus they can communicate in english ! Our hobby has never been (relatively speaking) so cheap.

Kevinb wind up department.

[Simon B]

Bob, When my LMS doesn't stock something I save myself a ton of grief and buy from another UK supplier.

[Bob Cotsford]

and if it's not available at reasonable cost in the UK? Pay through the nose?

I always buy from the UK as first choice, but during the recent deluge I fancied an RC shark - a HK product. Try buying that in the UK.

In fact I claim sole resposibility for ending the wet season by ordering this Shark. Now where do I get an RC dromedary to end the dry spell?

[Pete B]

This page on the Parcelforce website contains the following:

We have two levels of clearance fee for import parcels. There is a charge of £13.50 for express parcels imported through the EMS (i.e. International Datapost equivalent) and GLS (i.e. Euro 48 equivalent) networks and also for high value standard parcels (valued at over €1000). For all other import parcels, an £8 charge will apply.

I've never had occasion to request EMS delivery from HK, having always used the airmail option to France which takes a bit longer but is cheaper and just as reliable.

Two issues here, possibly. It seems from forum chat that EMS delivery tends to attract Customs attention more than normal airmail post. Secondly, the Parcelforce charge mentioned on the forums always seems to be £13.50. Does everyone use EMS or are PF getting away with charging the higher fee for airmail parcels?

Pete