Shipping coloured stones from US to UK - Global Express Mail or Registered Mail?

[virgoruby]

Hi,
I live in London, UK & want to purchase a coloured stone from a US vendor; I was offered 2 shipping options - Global Express Mail (USD25) or Registered Mail (USD10). I am inclined to use Global Express Mail, as it is trackable online, insured, and faster than Registered Mail (which apparently takes approx 10 working days), though I wanted to know if anyone had good/bad experience using Global Express Mail - do parcels often get stuck at the customs etc? Also, do you think it''s worth the extra USD15 to have it sent by Global Express Mail?
Thanks in advance.

 

[virgoruby]

FYI, I am thinking of purchasing a pink tourmaline from Dan Stair:
http://www.customgemstones.com/TOURMALINE/to1199.html
Opinions on the stone are appreciated too!

 

[morecarats]

The vendor should be advising you of the duty and tax implications of the different shipping methods. It''s not just a question of speed and security (though both are important), but one method may end up costing you a lot more.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 10/31/2009 6:36:00 AM
Author:virgoruby
Hi,

I live in London, UK & want to purchase a coloured stone from a US vendor; I was offered 2 shipping options - Global Express Mail (USD25) or Registered Mail (USD10). I am inclined to use Global Express Mail, as it is trackable online, insured, and faster than Registered Mail (which apparently takes approx 10 working days), though I wanted to know if anyone had good/bad experience using Global Express Mail - do parcels often get stuck at the customs etc? Also, do you think it's worth the extra USD15 to have it sent by Global Express Mail?

Thanks in advance.

hi vigor,
I'm in Australia not the UK, but I have enjoyed using Global Express before - in my experience, it's been the quickest method by far (only an extra day or so on top of Fedex), plus of course its nice to be able to track etc.

For the most part, I usually have my gems sent registered, unless I'm real antsy - it really just depends on how you quickly you'd like to see your stone, and whether you'd like to spend the extra $15 on $157 stone

Here, whether its Global Express or Registered or any other method has no effect on how parcels will move through customs, for the most part.
I will leave specific questions about UK customs to the UK posters here.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 10/31/2009 7:57:35 AM
Author: morecarats
The vendor should be advising you of the duty and tax implications of the different shipping methods. It''s not just a question of speed and security (though both are important), but one method may end up costing you a lot more.

carats, can you please explain the above?
I don''t know about the UK, but I do know it doesn''t matter what method gems are sent into Australia - the customs rules and charges are always exactly the same.

Why is it that using one method could result in more tax implications, is this something unique to the UK?

 

[LD]

I hope I''ve got this the right way round ............

Global express mail use USPS to send packages to the UK. Parcels are much more likely to be stopped by customs. Somebody at the customs office told me a few months ago that parcels from the US and China are routinely stopped (no idea why). If your parcel is stopped, you may then be charged (a) handling fee (b) customs fee (c) import duty etc. The fees will be based on the amount of the goods in the parcel. In some instances sellers will declare a lower amount but this can affect the insurance if the parcel is lost.

Registered Mail. I think that this comes by Royal Mail. It very rarely gets stopped by customs but you can''t guarantee that. Registered mail takes about 7-10 days. Bear in mind that if the Royal Mail are on strike in the UK, your parcel may get held up.

Hope that helps and apologies if I''ve not got the above exactly right.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 10/31/2009 8:26:54 AM
Author: LovingDiamonds
I hope I''ve got this the right way round ............


Global express mail use USPS to send packages to the UK. Parcels are much more likely to be stopped by customs. Somebody at the customs office told me a few months ago that parcels from the US and China are routinely stopped (no idea why). If your parcel is stopped, you may then be charged (a) handling fee (b) customs fee (c) import duty etc. The fees will be based on the amount of the goods in the parcel. In some instances sellers will declare a lower amount but this can affect the insurance if the parcel is lost.


Registered Mail. I think that this comes by Royal Mail. It very rarely gets stopped by customs but you can''t guarantee that. Registered mail takes about 7-10 days. Bear in mind that if the Royal Mail are on strike in the UK, your parcel may get held up.


Hope that helps and apologies if I''ve not got the above exactly right.

Wow,
who would''ve known it could vary so much! Thanks LD for elaborating, that is very curious..
Like I mentioned, as far as I know and in my experience (for Aust) of receiving large numbers of packages from the US using varying methods, the customs inspections and charges are the same regardless..

So, does that mean you guys are supposed to pay import taxes on every gem, regardless of its value?
Here, we only are required to pay if it''s declared at over 1kAUD..I always assumed something similar would apply to the UK..

 

[virgoruby]

My understanding is that importing loose gemstones to UK do not attract customs duty (am I right?), but import VAT will become payable at 15%.

However, I am also aware that different carriers have different procedures on processing the tax, so wanted to know what other people''s experiences were. And LovingDiamonds just answered all my queries - thank you so much!! Whilst I am a bit wary of Royal Mail strikes, I might just go with Registered Mail, as it appears to be less likely to be held up by UK customs

Thanks arjunajane for letting me know your experience using Global Express Mail to ship items to Australia.

And thanks morecarats for responding first to my post.

 

[morecarats]

I''m not an expert on customs regulations, but every country is different. From my reading, goods entering the UK are subject to VAT and possibly duty. The seller is the best one to advise, since he is the one who documents the goods shipped. In some countries, goods shipped by certain methods (such as courier) are always inspected by import customs, while goods shipped by other methods (such as the post) may or may not be inspected, depending on how the goods are described and valued by the shipper. Usually sellers work with buyers to understand the customs regulations in the destination country and find the best solution for the particular case. When shipping to the EU from a non-EU country it pays to be careful because of high taxes.

 

[MissDayna]

Hi Virgoruby, I''m in the UK as well and just wanted to chip in with my experiences

I''ve ordered gems from both Dan Stair and Barry Bridgestock before. The Dan Stair ones were sent by Global Express Mail. They were held up in Customs for a long time and I also had to pay charges to get them released (about £30 IIRC). The Barry one was sent by Registered Mail - which I expected to take alot longer but to my pleasant surprise it arrived a few days later, delivered by Royal Mail with no charges

Hope this helps,
Dayna

 

[virgoruby]

Dayna - Thanks for sharing your experiences!

It looks like Registered Mail is a better (& cheaper) option than Global Express Mail in case of deliveries from the US to the UK..

 

[Pandora II]

One thing to be aware of is that parcels can arrive with no customs charges... and then you get a letter and bill a few weeks later.

So far I have NEVER got away with not being charged VAT.

Worth remembering that you can''t get loose stone insurance in the UK so setting the stone will be at your own risk. Can be an idea to have the stone set in a cheapy setting the USA, insure it as a ring, then have it reset in the UK into the final setting. That way you are covered.

 

[SB621]

Honestly I don''t think it matters either way for shipping. Dan has sent me several stones- I live in Japan and I have had no issues with how he ships them or delivery problems. Good Luck with your purchase I think the tourmaline is a lovely color!

 

[kas baby]

I have a related question: do they notify you if the package is held up or if you need to pay a duty or anything like that? would you get a notification via your mail? just wondering because I''ve had three international purchases, two of which have gotten to me already and one on the way and there seemed to be no strings attached- they just showed up at my doorstep about the time they were supposed to- perhaps I got lucky?

just wondering for future reference

 

[LD]

Date: 11/1/2009 5:34:55 PM
Author: kas baby
I have a related question: do they notify you if the package is held up or if you need to pay a duty or anything like that? would you get a notification via your mail? just wondering because I''ve had three international purchases, two of which have gotten to me already and one on the way and there seemed to be no strings attached- they just showed up at my doorstep about the time they were supposed to- perhaps I got lucky?

just wondering for future reference

It depends on the courier company and the customs value. On occasion, if the customs value is low, it''s released and you get a letter a few weeks later demanding payment as mentioned above. If the service uses Parcel Force in the UK, they will sometimes hold your parcel at your local depot and won''t release it until you''ve paid the customs charges. You get a letter from them - sometimes as long as a week after the parcel has arrived with them and then you have to phone and pay over the phone before they release it. You can also pay at their depot. If you have a tracking number you can trace it that way and see if it''s held up. The international tracking number may be different but once you put it into the Parcel Force website it changes to the UK tracking number automatically and then gives you up to date details. Fedex is the same.

However, I''ve never been charged for anything shipped via registered mail. All parcels have come without any charges and I''ve been buying gemstones from abroad for over 10 years.

I always have my gemstones set in the UK. I use a couple of jewellers and normally get charged around £20 ish. This includes the setting, re-rhodiuming, polishing etc. It''s correct that the jeweller isn''t insured to set your stone but in all the time of having my stones set, I''ve only had one chipped (a blue diamond

)

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 11/1/2009 5:34:55 PM
Author: kas baby
I have a related question: do they notify you if the package is held up or if you need to pay a duty or anything like that? would you get a notification via your mail? just wondering because I''ve had three international purchases, two of which have gotten to me already and one on the way and there seemed to be no strings attached- they just showed up at my doorstep about the time they were supposed to- perhaps I got lucky?

just wondering for future reference

Not always. If I know a parcel is coming that has a tracking number, I track it obsessively and then ring the minute it gets to Stansted, pay the VAT by creditcard and have it sent on to me.

I''ve had things stuck there for weeks before I started doing this as they didn''t bother letting me know!

 

[virgoruby]

Pandora - Thanks for your advice - I didn''t know that you could get a bill even weeks after receiving the parcel.. that is something I need to be wary of.. though I am prepared to pay import tax/duty, as it is the law - that said, I really hope that those taxes are spent wisely by the government for better causes, like education and healthcare (as opposed to bailing out financial institutions!).

Sarahbear621 - thanks for sharing your experience re delivery to Japan, though I reckon Japan probably has a more regulated postal system (with a more rigid enforcement of import tax) than the UK, where the services can be erratic at times..

LovingDiamonds - thanks for yet more useful info.
Oh, and did you say your local jewellers set your gemstones, for £20????

Would you care to share their names & contact details???

I am still trying to find out good UK jewellers who can set gemstones or custom make rings.

Thanks everyone for your invaluable advice.
I am pleased to tell you that I have now purchased the stone from Dan - he was really friendly & very quick to respond to my emails.. he even gave me a little discount to cover the cost of shipping. In the end, I opted for Registered Mail - hopefully the little parcel will come through without any problem.