Say it isnt so

Ive just had a 'slight' disagreement with someone about how much we can spend on things to bring back here from Orlando

They are saying its about $130

i'd say its more likely to be £130 (bear in mind ive never travelled further than Germany so i dont really know)

who is right?

say its me

*gets down on knees* pleeeeeeeeassseee

$130 just seems like peanuts for even a short week long holiday like the one im going on.

[Bazz]

I thought it was something like GBP50 per person before you should declare it but may be proved wrong [:I]

[Pete]

Limits are:

- 200 cigarettes; or 100 cigarillos; or 50 cigars; or 250g of tobacco
- 60cc of perfume
- 2 litres of still table wine
- 250cc of eau de toilette
- 1 litre of spirits or strong liqueurs over 22 per cent volume; or 2 litres of fortified wine, sparkling wine or other liqueurs *such as port or sherry and
- £145 worth of all other goods including gifts and souvenirs.

So you're both wrong, but you were closer

[Bazz]

Didn't know because we always ignore it and just take it for granted we will be over the top

Surely a huge percentage of long-haul travellers have more than £145 worth of stuff they've bought? Can you imagine what scale of operation would be needed at customs at airports to go through all pax in order to catch all the breaches?!

Yeah of course we do - you might remember Wayne Rooneys Girlfriend coming back through MAN with £10k of shopping and getting a big tax bill [V]- I guess its whatever risk you feel comfortable in taking - there are some real knowledgeable shoppers on this site who will give you better advice than me - step up to the plate Sarah and Jacq - they will give you the inside line on what they do where they stash it - extra suitcases and so on[}:)]

[HighFlyer]

Originally posted by MarkJ
step up to the plate Sarah and Jacq - they will give you the inside line on what they do where they stash it - extra suitcases and so on[}:)]

Ahem .. [:I]

We all know its Richard who is the shopaholic in the family Mannion!


Chaddy,

If you spend over the alotted £145 you need to declare your goods to customs where they will kindly produce you a nice bill for the overspend. Now some people, dishonest people, will remove all the tags and packaging from their purchases so they look like items they already own and just stick them in their suitcase (easy to do with clothes). Now, obviously if you get caught doing this i dont need to tell you the repercussions. Or, you can of course just 'forget' to declare and hope your bags do not get searched.

Its entirely up to you and your concience as to what method you feel most comfortable with. Bear in mind that some destinations are shoppers havens so customs are more on the ball to these tactics.

Thanks,
Sarah

I don't know what you are talking about [?]

I always get my spend down to £144.99 exactly. [:p]

Oh dear... All that Canon gear in Hong Kong is already beckoning me!

John

£145. Wow I had no idea it was that low, thought it was like £600.

Just checked some more and there's currently a proposal to put it up to £340 though not yet agreed.

Still, £340 doesn't get much ...

Do what I did.

Stand next to the tool who decided to bring his sparkling new golf clubs through the green channel. Not under a coat either, oh no, they were ON TOP of the trolley.

Honestly some folk....[xx(]

I always think that the allowance is such pittance - if you buy a pair of sunglasses from oakley etc. then you're already at or above the limit[:0]

VS.

[Nottingham Nick]

This is a good link that explains the rules in simple terms.

Don't forget... if you bring in items valued over £145, and are caught by customs... you are liable to pay duty on the full amount, not just the value over £145. [V][V]

Plus, of course, any fines / excess duty they may impose.

Nick

[RichardMannion]

Originally posted by HighFlyer

Originally posted by MarkJ
step up to the plate Sarah and Jacq - they will give you the inside line on what they do where they stash it - extra suitcases and so on[}:)]

Ahem .. [:I]

We all know its Richard who is the shopaholic in the family Mannion!

No idea what you are talking about.... [:w]

The £145 limit is a joke - I think if you stopped everyone coming back from New York, 90% would be over the limit. Especially in the winter periods. HMRC picked on Colleen on purpose to try and serve as an example.

Thanks,
Richard

Well it's not really a joke is it. Think about what you are actually eluding to. Flights can be picked up VERY cheaply to the US and we all know that 'stuff' is cheaper in the US. If we all buy 'stuff' and bring it back and don't have to pay import duty etc then everyone eventually could start doing this which MAY then put UK businesses out of business meaning that you and I don't have any jobs.

The actual commercial ramification could be huge.

I don't want to get into big debates abouts the ins and out of importing, off-shoring etc, just wanted to point out there is more to this than just 'The Rev' getting some money in their coffers.

Paul

[RichardMannion]

Originally posted by p17blo
Well it's not really a joke is it. Think about what you are actually eluding to. Flights can be picked up VERY cheaply to the US and we all know that 'stuff' is cheaper in the US. If we all buy 'stuff' and bring it back and don't have to pay import duty etc then everyone eventually could start doing this which MAY then put UK businesses out of business meaning that you and I don't have any jobs.

The actual commercial ramification could be huge.

I don't want to get into big debates abouts the ins and out of importing, off-shoring etc, just wanted to point out there is more to this than just 'The Rev' getting some money in their coffers.

Paul

I know what you are trying to say Paul, but lets take the world of the EU. So I can fly over to Spain, and buy lots and lots of cigarettes for personal comsumption (if I smoked) and pay the duty on them in Spain, and still save money. Basically people do it as things are so over priced in the UK. Booze Cruise to France anyone?

I don't want to get into debate either as the tax laws in this country are poor in some aspects.

Thanks,
Richard

[honey lamb]

Originally posted by pixuk
Limits are:

- 200 cigarettes; or 100 cigarillos; or 50 cigars; or 250g of tobacco
- 60cc of perfume
- 2 litres of still table wine
- 250cc of eau de toilette
- 1 litre of spirits or strong liqueurs over 22 per cent volume; or 2 litres of fortified wine, sparkling wine or other liqueurs *such as port or sherry and
- £145 worth of all other goods including gifts and souvenirs.

So you're both wrong, but you were closer

Think yourselves lucky. Our allowance for all other goods from non-EU countries is Û175 which works out at about £120 [n]

I believe that the £145 limit cannot also be applied against a percentage of a single item. So if you buy a camera for £200 and declare it you need to pay duty / tax on the full value not just the difference even if this is the only thing you are bringing in.

The nice thing about travelling with kids is you get an extra allowance so on our last trip we had 580 (4*145) to play with - which in Vietnam buys a lot of clothes.

Generally I just ignore the limit within reason.

Phil

Originally posted by RichardMannion


I know what you are trying to say Paul, but lets take the world of the EU. So I can fly over to Spain, and buy lots and lots of cigarettes for personal comsumption (if I smoked) and pay the duty on them in Spain, and still save money. Basically people do it as things are so over priced in the UK. Booze Cruise to France anyone?

I don't want to get into debate either as the tax laws in this country are poor in some aspects.

Thanks,
Richard

Some of us frequent escapees lovingly refer to the UK as "Treasure Island", and with good reason:
Û500, $500, £500

And when Sony got upset about grey imports to the UK of PSP's I was mighty glad I bought mine in china, six months before its release in the UK and £80 cheaper than it initially retailed here for. Oh, and I had owned it for over a year before I bought it back into the UK

We get ripped off by everyone, both the suppliers and the taxman, and whenever I manage to get a little revenge, I'm happy!

It worked against me on one occasion though. My parents DHL'd me a package out to China with a new graphical calculator I needed and some christmas presents... All made in China, but I still had to pay an extortionate amount of duty to get them out of customs [:(!]