Advice on Import Duty on Jewelry Shipped from US to Canada / UK???

[Jacey]

Hi all,

Can anyone help me on the issue of import duty when shipping by Fed-Ex from the US to either Canada or the UK???

I''m buying an engagement ring from GOG for my Canadian girlfriend. We live together in the UK, but travel to Canada later this month where I plan to propose to her!

My concern is this: it''s the 7th August today, and I travel on 22nd. GOG have said they can get my ring made up (A .66 POH in a Vatche setting) in time to ship it to the UK for the 21st, and have quoted a price approx $4857 & shipping ($100???). But I''m worried that any delay in customs would mean I fly to Canada the next day without the ring so cutting it a bit fine?!?!!?

My other option is to arrange to have the ring shipped to Canada, so if there is any delay I''ve got a couple of weeks to sort things out, collect the ring, and carry on with the proposal!!

Can anyone clear up the duty situation for either option please? How / when do I pay the import duty on a package being shipped to me from the US? How much will it be in each case? And what is the risk of it being delayed in customs and ruining my plans completely?!?!?!

All answers welcome!

Cheers,

Jacey

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 8/7/2008 8:15:28 AM
Author:Jacey
Hi all,

Can anyone help me on the issue of import duty when shipping by Fed-Ex from the US to either Canada or the UK???

I''m buying an engagement ring from GOG for my Canadian girlfriend. We live together in the UK, but travel to Canada later this month where I plan to propose to her!

My concern is this: it''s the 7th August today, and I travel on 22nd. GOG have said they can get my ring made up (A .66 POH in a Vatche setting) in time to ship it to the UK for the 21st, and have quoted a price approx $4857 & shipping ($100???). But I''m worried that any delay in customs would mean I fly to Canada the next day without the ring so cutting it a bit fine?!?!!?

My other option is to arrange to have the ring shipped to Canada, so if there is any delay I''ve got a couple of weeks to sort things out, collect the ring, and carry on with the proposal!!

Can anyone clear up the duty situation for either option please? How / when do I pay the import duty on a package being shipped to me from the US? How much will it be in each case? And what is the risk of it being delayed in customs and ruining my plans completely?!?!?!

All answers welcome!

Cheers,

Jacey

Import duty for the UK is about 20% (17.5% VAT and the rest in Duty).

The parcel will either just be delivered and you''ll get a letter with a bill a few days later, or the parcel will be held at the airport (nearly always Stansted for some reason).

They never seem to tell me when they are holding something, so I advise getting the tracking number when it''s sent and following it online so you know when it''s being held. You can then call Fedex and pay by credit/debit card over the phone.

There is no way that you will get the parcel on the 22nd if it is shipped on the 21st. The quickest I have managed is 3 days from sending to receiving. If the parcel is due to arrive in the UK on the 21st and is being shipped via Fedex, call them in advance and see if you could pick it up at the depot.

I''d think it''s much safer and easier just to ship to Canada.

 

[Jacey]

That''s really great - thanks for the advice and the info regarding UK customs! Does anybody out there have any info regarding Canadian customs & import taxes???

It seems a shame that even though I''m ordering online from overseas I''m not seeing too much benefit in cost savings! Would you say it was a better option to source a similar ring in UK / Canada and collect it personally (it''ll hopefully be worn home so would not be flagged up to customs?)

And last of all, is there anyway of claiming back the US tax paid on the ring at the time of purchase? It seems unfair to pay tax in both countries???

Whay cant the tax man just be nice to us for a change...?!?!?!

 

[Lord Summerisle]

you will only have to pay one lot of import duty.

So if you are shipping the diamond initally to Canada, but reside in the UK... then you should beable to get a rebate on the tax paid to the Canadian authorities upon leaving the country... and then declare the ring to UK customs on your return, and pay them.


and TBH, you are saving a great deal buying in the US over the UK, even including the taxes

 

[LostSapphire]

Date: 8/7/2008 9:20:14 AM
Author: Jacey
That's really great - thanks for the advice and the info regarding UK customs! Does anybody out there have any info regarding Canadian customs & import taxes???

It seems a shame that even though I'm ordering online from overseas I'm not seeing too much benefit in cost savings! Would you say it was a better option to source a similar ring in UK / Canada and collect it personally (it'll hopefully be worn home so would not be flagged up to customs?)

And last of all, is there anyway of claiming back the US tax paid on the ring at the time of purchase? It seems unfair to pay tax in both countries???

Whay cant the tax man just be nice to us for a change...?!?!?!

Be very careful how they ship it: Some carriers will charge brokerage fees on items from the US to Canada, and that can be hefty.

Fedex does not charge brokerage fees, but GOG may be a bit wary to ship it to a CDN address if you don't actually reside in Canuck-Land...

(I'm in Canada and am having a shipment from WF at the end of this month sent to me). Here's how WF does it:

WF ships via Fedex. Fedex takes it to the USA/Canada border, where it sits at customs. Once it lands at customs, I am responsible to fax to their office a One Time Power Of Attorney (OTPOA). Upon their receipt of the OTPOA, they take it across the border and it is either delivered straight to me, or, the option is to deliver it to a secure Fedex pick up site. (That arrangement MUST be negotiated prior to shipping: you can't change your mind once it's in transit). So what is usually an "overnight" delivery is technically 'overnight' to the border, at which point it starts again once it's cleared customs. I'd expect 2-3 business days.

Please be very aware that the insurance of the package only applies as long as it is in Fedex's hands: once they've dropped it off at your shipping location, it's no longer insured. So it might be better in your case to have them ship it to a Fedex pick up Depot.

Fedex does not charge brokerage fees, but their shipping may be a bit higher than usual.

I understand that "set" jewelry (ie: not loose stones) have no duty applied, only GST and if applicable, PST (ie: Ontario it's 5%). I believe you can apply for a rebate for the GST and perhaps the PST once you've returned home....but something tells me that the CDN government in their wisdom, dropped the GST rebate on their last budget proposal.

So best of luck with this. I would think the most difficult problem you may have is arranging a delivery point on the CDN side: being a non-resident, GOG may balk at that. Some purchases in the USA are ONLY deliverable to the billing address of that person's credit card, so check that all out first.

Hope this helps. Someone posted this for me a while back so I'm not going to take the credit for the info, just passing on the protocol!

LS

 

[Jacey]

Thanks LS - that''s great information and exactly what I''m looking for. If I can''t pay with a UK credit card if shipping to a Canadian address, I''m sure I can arrange a bank wire or something similar to get around that issue?

Funnily enough, I''ve stopped dealing with GOG now and have switched to Whiteflash anyway.

GOG said there would be a shipping cost of $100 to Canada, whereas WF dont charge to Canada, and WF have also sourced the same setting for $100 less than GOG.

In general, I wasn''t overly impressed with GOG - they didn''t respond to my questions over email, and never seemed too interested in spending time talking to me on the phone. Maybe I caught them on the wrong day, but they actually made it quite hard for me to spend my money with them. Their loss I guess!


Cheers,

 

[Lord Summerisle]

Date: 8/8/2008 4:16:28 AM
Author: Jacey
Thanks LS - that''s great information and exactly what I''m looking for. If I can''t pay with a UK credit card if shipping to a Canadian address, I''m sure I can arrange a bank wire or something similar to get around that issue?


Funnily enough, I''ve stopped dealing with GOG now and have switched to Whiteflash anyway.

in most cases i dont think they can accept UK credit cards... but a few of my friends who have purchased from whiteflash have been able to pay via PayPal with a UK credit card - saving the hassle of a Bankwire.