Buying an instrument from the UK - import duties

[arpthark]

Considering buying an instrument from a UK-based company. The price is reasonable and DHL shipping is $95.

However, this disclaimer is on their website:

"This order will be shipped to you from the UK and delivered on the date(s) shown above. You may also have to pay VAT, additional local import duties and administration charges for this order, subject to the duty thresholds in your country. You will be contacted by the local courier to make payment either prior to or on delivery of your goods if it is required."

Anybody in the US have experience with paying additional local import duties or administration charges? Just wondering if there is a hidden cost here.

Thanks all!

[iiipopes]

Let's take these issues in order:
1) VAT - the tax, roughly analogous to USA sales tax, that the UK government makes a retailer charge, because the retailer has "added value" to the item by definition at point of sale. The bad news is that this is roughly 15%. The good news is that you can get a form and request a refund from the UK government for the tax since you, as purchaser, are out of the country and not a UK citizen. Keep all your receipts, of course, to submit with the form.
Link: https://www.gov.uk/tax-on-shopping/taxf ... ll%20times.
2) The rest of it - lumped together, what we call "customs duty." Yes, you will have to pay customs duty if the USA government flags your package as subject to customs duty, as indicated by the declaration that is part of the external labelling of the package. There are several "calculators" online that can help you estimate the amount of customs duty you will be charged if your package is flagged. You should receive instructions as to how to pay so that the delivery can be completed.
Link, including logistical and payment information: https://www.cbp.gov/travel/internationa ... e%20(3%25).
Yes, since my first trip to the UK in 1980, and many trips since, I have participated in this process, from when it was completely manual forms to now being on-line.

[bloke]

Based on my buying and selling experiences having to do with Europe, duty that they pay on stuff from us is epic, and duty that we pay on stuff from them is negligible – this even though we give their countries endless boatloads of free money and services. Is everything I said after the dash a political statement? I would just characterize it as a parenthetical factual/informational statement.

[2nd tenor]

To be honest I’d advised anyone buying a non European made instrument to look for a USA importer instead. We pay import duties into the UK that might well not be refundable and additionally VAT runs at 20% but someone shipping outside of the country might not have to charge you VAT. If the item fails or needs warranty work then, with an import into the USA, you’re into a whole lot of additional bills and complexity. To an extent I won’t import anything expensive into the UK, it’s just not worth the hassle.

[donn]

but someone shipping outside of the country might not have to charge you VAT.

That's how I see it. It isn't like I buy a lot of stuff from overseas, but in my experience sellers who do regular international business charge VAT only where it applies, not to US customers.

[arpthark]

Thank you all for your input. As far as I can tell, looking at the Harmonized Tariff Schedule Ch. 92 (https://www.usitc.gov/publications/docs ... 100c92.pdf), the general duty rate on wind instruments is 2.9%, which would not break the bank in this situation.

[bone-a-phone]

I think it depends on the value of what you buy. I bought something from Wessex, and when the US gov't due to a paperwork glitch thought I bought a $30,000 item, they were very eager to collect a duty, but when that was corrected to show $3000, I never heard from them again.