buying abroad

Can someone explain the procedure/pitfalls of going somewhere cheap like USA or (you tell me), buying something, throwing away the packaging, using it on your hols and just bringing it home?
Or maybe getting someone who lives there to bring it back next time they come home to their family?

You have to declare an import and will have to pay import duty, VAT, etc.

Those who fail to do that can have the goods seized as a consequence. I don't know whether the Border Agency actually prosecute as well.

How can they prove you didn't take it with you on the outbound journey?

The onus may be on you to prove that you did.

"Getting your things back
You can write to HMRC asking for the return of your things even if you agree they were seized legally. This process is called restoration.
When writing you should include:
your full name and address
any customs reference number shown on the Seizure Information Notice (ENF156) or Notice of Seizure
any proof of ownership - such as purchase receipts
an explanation of why you think the items should be restored to you - include the full circumstances and enclose any available evidence to support your claim
If you are asking for your things back because you believe they were not legally seized, that is not a valid reason for requesting restoration. Instead you must challenge the seizure using the process described in the paragraph above.
To find out more about getting your things back, or to find an example restoration request letter, see section 4 of Notice 12A 'What you can do if things are seized by HMRC'.

If I take my 645n and lenses over on a longish holiday and swap the body for a digital so I can crack-on with my holiday, they would have to be pretty eagle eyed and mean to seize it?

If you throw away the packaging there's no way they can prove you didn't take it with you. You don't have to declare what you are taking out of the UK, so customs cannot reasonably expect you to to prove you did not have the new camera with you when you left on your hols. If you want to to cover your ass a bit more, shoot some generic shots with the date set to a date before you left, and save them on your hard drive. I can't see that it would come to that, though, especially if you have a selection of old lenses with you that fit the camera. If you are planning on buying the camera as soon as you arrive, I'd just take the lenses and leave the film camera behind.

When I lived in the UK I bought several lenses and two cameras while abroad, and never had a problem.

The main problem with not declaring things (apart from the legal aspects of it all)is they become a grey import, and your guarantee is nullified.

Sigma check serial numbers and know in which country a lens was sold. No proof of legally importing the lens means no after care from Sigma.
I wouldn't be surprised if Pentax don't have a similar rule.

That said my first Pentax SLR was purchased in the US whilst on holiday there. I used it on the holiday, and got a world-wide guarantee certificate from Golden, but that was nearly 12 years ago.

You have a duty free allowance when traveling from a non-EU country to the EU. I believe in the UK is £390. So if you bought goods up to that amount you would not have to pay duties or taxes.

If you purchase an camera in store and pay local duty then the camera will come with a global warranty. if you purchase a camera without local duties then you are not likely to be covered as that is a grey import.

A friend bought a Bigma in the US. He didn't declare it on his return, and when it needed work doing to it, outside the warranty, Sigma came back to him and asked for a copy of the customs receipt. Not having one they returned the lens to him and refused to deal with it.

He suggested to them he imported it when moving to the Netherlands and they, quite correctly, said it should still have a customs receipt, even if he paid no taxes or duty on it, to show it was legally imported.

Even if you do legally import remember you only get a one year warranty on it. I don't think it's covered by EU or UK law.

I might give it a go with a lens but probably not a camera body. The one I imported was a film camera, so not much to go wrong with it, but I'm not sure I would try it with a digital in case there were warranty issues.

Import duty and taxes...are they payable on used items? I'm just thinking that if you went on a fortnights holiday to a place that sold photo gear cheaper than UK and bought something upon arrival, then took a few thousand photos with it...when you go back to UK it is essentially a used item not a new one? What are the regulations on this?

Karlo

I believe even genuine used equipment is sudject to duty,VAT,etc from outside EU

Yep, new - old makes no difference, you still import goods and have to pay duty/VAT!

I sent an old camera abroad for repair and got stung when it came back. I had to prove I sent it abroad and was only getting it repaired, which I could. Still had to pay VAT of the cost of the repair though. This camera was a 1937 model so was definitely used!

Thanks guys. Interesting stuff.

While on the subject of import duty and tax. Can anyone tell me where to find a list of the cost of these when importing (BUYING) things from Hong Kong. China. etc. etc. It would be nice to know these things before ordering.
CHEERS Vic.