Visit MPB Visit MPB Visit MPB

Imports from Japan

manstanox
Posted 04/02/2014 - 00:29 Link
Does anyone know what the import duties are likely to be when importing new and/or used kit from Japan? I see that prices for Ltd lens sourced from Japan on eBay are quite low - presumably reflecting import duties payable in UK.
Gamka
Posted 04/02/2014 - 01:20 - Helpful Comment Link
There will certainly be 20% VAT and, I believe, 4% Import Duty, PLUS a fee charged by the Royal Fail for collecting the VAT and Duty, currently £15. If it comes with a courier you will get a similar fee.
Horst
Posted 04/02/2014 - 03:35 Link
Have a look at the Australian Ebay. The new lenses are the cheapest.
For used lenses either the Japanese Ebay, or the US Ebay, but watch the shipping costs from the US. They vary very much.

With new lenses and some used, the actual cost is about half or less than the UK cost. This should make it still a lot cheaper even with your import duty and VAT.

Do you pay VAT right from a low value import onwards, or from a higher value?
Here I Australia we don't pay none below $ 1000.-

If you buy from Japan, US or Australia, you pay with PayPal for safety reasons. ( money back guarantee)

Regards, Horst
gartmore
Posted 04/02/2014 - 08:08 Link
It is very easy to find out the accurate rates from the HMRC website
Ken
“We must avoid however, snapping away, shooting quickly and without thought, overloading ourselves with unnecessary images that clutter our memory and diminish the clarity of the whole.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson -
steven9761
Posted 04/02/2014 - 08:38 - Helpful Comment Link
Bottom line is: unless the item is at least 60% cheaper than UK prices, by the time you factor in the duty payment, import admin fees, VAT,shipping costs, etc it's not worth your bother. Note though, that CAMERA BODIES are duty-exempt, although you will still have the other add-ons to pay.
steven9761
Posted 04/02/2014 - 08:51 Link
Quote:

Do you pay VAT right from a low value import onwards, or from a higher value?
Here in Australia we don't pay none below $ 1000.-

Horst - here in the UK, VAT is charged based on category. For example, children's clothing is VAT-exempt, although it's payable on adult garments. It makes no odds whether the chargeable item costs one penny, or £1 million - vat is still applied. Having said that, any chargeable item below the current threshold of £15 being imported outwith the European Union is usually waved through, as it costs more in admin than the revenue it generates for the treasury. Mind you, all imports are scrutinised so that (as an example) a Pentax-branded lens declared at under the threshold will draw quite a bit of interest (checking for previous import history) to see if you are a regular importer of similar low-priced goods. It is usually the importers' responsibility to prove that his nice, shiny Pentax lens did indeed cost £14.99!! If it is a "used" (HMRC typically define "used" to mean any item over 6 months old, and has previously been used), then you only need to prove that you purchased said lens from the buyer at £14.99.
Edited by steven9761: 04/02/2014 - 08:52
Horst
Posted 04/02/2014 - 09:24 Link
Thanks for the detailed explanation.

With all the import duties and costs, it probably would be worth while to start manufacturing lenses and similar articles in the UK again.
It has been done before and the English lenses had an extremly good name around the world.

Start of with a 50mm f2 high quality lens. I would say there would be a market. At the start for either nostalgic or because it is made in England reasons , or just to see how good it is .

maybe?

Regards, Horst
manstanox
Posted 04/02/2014 - 09:49 Link
Thanks for the information. Let's take an example: A current offer on eBay has a new DA 35mm f2.8 macro from Taiwan at £377 (free p&p). That seems likely to be a landed cost of a bit less than £500 compared to the £639 price in UK. Clearly there are other risks but are these calculations correct?
Algernon
Posted 04/02/2014 - 11:14 - Helpful Comment Link
It's only £565 delivered from SRS inc. 2 year warranty and
usually next day delivery.
Half Man... Half Pentax ... Half Cucumber

Pentax K-1 + K-5 and some other stuff

Algi
steven9761
Posted 04/02/2014 - 12:41 - Helpful Comment Link
manstanox wrote:
Thanks for the information. Let's take an example: A current offer on eBay has a new DA 35mm f2.8 macro from Taiwan at £377 (free p&p). That seems likely to be a landed cost of a bit less than £500 compared to the £639 price in UK. Clearly there are other risks but are these calculations correct?

£377 will attract vat clawback of just short of £76, based upon 20% VAT.
The same amount will attract 6.7% import duty (based on the HMRC tariff number of 900219 00 00 (Lenses / Other / Other) being used), thus an additional £25.26 is payable. An admin fee for clearance is then added - the rate varies slightly from place to place, but typically is invoiced at around £15-£20, so the final bill should come to approximately £500 (as you correctly calculated). Note though, that the fact that free P&P is being offered, the shipper will despatch this via the cheapest means possible, opening things up to an element of risk (getting lost in transit), with possibly no real way to track and trace the shipment. For a wee bit extra, they may be able to ship this with a reputable courier company, but check with these companies to establish what their clearance fees are.
Gamka
Posted 04/02/2014 - 13:10 Link
steven9761 wrote:

£377 will attract vat clawback of just short of £76, based upon 20% VAT.
The same amount will attract 6.7% import duty (based on the HMRC tariff number of 900219 00 00 (Lenses / Other / Other) being used), thus an additional £25.26 is payable.

I guessed you would be along with the exact number - for some reason I had 4% in my mind.
steven9761
Posted 04/02/2014 - 13:19 Link
Gamka wrote:

I guessed you would be along with the exact number - for some reason I had 4% in my mind.

LOL!!.. You've got me down as the Pentax World's answer to football's STATTO!!
Edited by steven9761: 04/02/2014 - 13:46
Gamka
Posted 04/02/2014 - 13:29 Link
steven9761 wrote:


LOL!!.. You've got me down as the Pentax World's answer to football's STATTO!!

I did try to look it up but fr some reason it was asking for me to register and login ... but that would need a £300 pa payment!

I have just tried again and I can get there now.


I have also noticed some foreign sellers who are will act as agents and collect the Duty and VAT which they (supposedly) pass on to HMRC and the goods arrive duty paid so no RM £15 fee!
steven9761
Posted 04/02/2014 - 13:44 Link
Gamka - as I work for a courier company, we have to register with HMRC for this service, hence I can access the info. I don't think it's a good idea to trust an overseas seller with the duty/vat payments unless they clearly state to the carrier (TNT, UPS, etc) that the goods are being shipped FREE DOMICILE. That way, they have a clear duty to be responsible for making the payment to the carrier, and you won't get lumbered with a second set of charges.

Add Comment

To leave a comment - Log in to Pentax User or create a new account.