FAILE BOOK IMPORT DUTY PROBLEM.

[sacked]

I brought one of the Faile (artists studio ) limited edition books(50), from the USA and have just recieved an invoice from Fedex for import duty of £18.01 .I thought books were exept from VAT ?Did anyone else get one too ?Just wondered if anyone knows the law on this ?Your help would be much appreciated.BTW ,they have given me 5 days to pay..OR ELSE !!

[bristolboy]

I'm pretty sure they are exempt sacked.

[stanley]

They are exempt. You will probably have to pay to collect and then claim for refund.

[fingerz]

i think some1 did a thread on it before sacked,from what i remember you pay it then have to claim it back but dont hold me to that...

[martindk]

hehe - try waiting 5 days

[sacked]

Oct 30, 2010 18:43:20 GMT 1 martindk said:

hehe - try waiting 5 days

martin,sometimes you are not very helpful

Thanks to the others for your info.

[fragile]

Here's the original posts about the charges.

banksyforum.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=faile&action=display&thread=60389&page=11

[martindk]

Oct 30, 2010 18:45:37 GMT 1 sacked said:

Oct 30, 2010 18:43:20 GMT 1 martindk said:

hehe - try waiting 5 days

martin,sometimes you are not very helpful

Thanks to the others for your info.

you know you want to try it

[bullet]

Is it actually a vat charge or an admin charge.

They charge admin AND vat on that if there is any.

[francis]

do they want people not to read books? that's not very governy

[joevalentino]

you may find its a customs clearance charge, which is a courier fee, rather than an import charge

[sacked]

Oct 30, 2010 18:57:17 GMT 1 bullet said:

Is it actually a vat charge or an admin charge.

They charge admin AND vat on that if there is any.

£

Fedex international prority tax = 8.01.
Advancement fee = !0.00.

The consensus seems to be that because Faile marked it as 'commercial - Faile Artist edition' and not as a 'book'. Fedex would'nt know not to charge.I will give them a call.

[chablis]

Yeah cheers Fedex and Faile.

For my recent purchase, I got hit £38.05 being £28.05 vat and £10.00 admin, it was described as Faile Artist Edition with a value of $250. I took that one on the chin.

The other from the bigger edition, was described as Faile Book, value $50 and came in with no vat and no admin, also handled by Fedex.

I really hate taxes.

[bullet]

Thing is, if they insure you get that as they have to declare. No declare means no insurance.. So would you prefer it to go missing or get damaged or pay a bit extra.

[chablis]

It's a good question, at the end of the day, it is what it is.

What interests me though, is it a book, or is it art? After all that affects the charges, if it had been described as a book worth £250, it might have come through differently.

Yes. No charges!

[ricobenfico]

PM'd sacked...

[spaceshrew]

I also got hit with £38.05, i spoke to Faile, they didn't think it should have been taxed.

I emailed Fed-Ex, so far i've not heard anything, they said it was being looked into.

If you have paid, you might be up for a refund? I'll keep you posted on my case.

I think it was a mistake on the labeling, not mentioning it was a book?

[chablis]

At least they delivered the parcel first and invoiced later, for that I am grateful. Costs involved when you have to pay duty before something is released is the pits, all round they just start to escalate.

I feel a tiny bit sorry for Fedex they have to collect this by law and are never going to have conversations with happy people. I might just let this go, it sounds like the government needs it more than I do.

Spaceshrew, let us know how you get on though, and yes Faile et al. be more careful with your labelling please.

[sacked]

Oct 30, 2010 21:43:37 GMT 1 chablis said:

Yeah cheers Fedex and Faile.

For my recent purchase, I got hit £38.05 being £28.05 vat and £10.00 admin, it was described as Faile Artist Edition with a value of $250. I took that one on the chin.

The other from the bigger edition, was described as Faile Book, value $50 and came in with no vat and no admin, also handled by Fedex.

I really hate taxes.

Wonder why you were charged more than me ?

[spaceshrew]

Yer, no problem I'll let you know what happens with my case.

There were a few of us at work, that ordered the same Faile print,
from Paper monster.

One wasn't charged at all, one was charged around £40, and i was charged around £18, i seem to remember, seems really random how they tax art.

[fielder]

I too received a bill for £18.01 from Fedex. I wrote a letter to their Customer Services giving a full description and enclosing supporting documentation. Last week I got a reply saying 'Not all books are classed as printed matter. In this case this contains artwork and prints. If you believe this to be incorrect you can call HMRC on 0845 010 9000. They will be able to advise you further. If they agree that this should be Zero rated for VAT we need this in writing from the Customs Officer. We will then amend accordingly'.
I phoned the number and the lady checked with a customs officer who said it is classed as a catalogue and is covered under Public Notice 701/10 index No. 8 and is zero rated. I said can I have this in writing and she said I should email them at
[e-mail]
I did this but have not yet had a response.
This is such a pain and I'm pretty sure it's all due to the fact they didn't write the word 'book' on the customs declaration!

[toshspice]

Had this a dozen times with courier companies. They are just covering their backs with import duties. Write to Fed Ex and tell them that you have spoken to customs who have assured you that it is classed as a brochure., and therefore not liable for VAT Then tell Fed Ex that they can write to you to tell you why you should pay VAT they are demanding.

I just gave fedex a call told them that they were books and these shouldn't be subject to import fees and they called me back a day later to say all fees had been waived.

I'd just call and query payment and let them chase you!

[sacked]

Thanks for your help guys.I have emailed Fedex and as such the invoice is now on hold,till they contact me,Which they say will be within 14 days.

[spaceshrew]

As promised this is the reply from FedEx after around 3 weeks:

Dear Sir/Madam,

Thank you for your below email regarding invoice 542307236, shipment 793940073397.

Please be advised no duty has been levied on this shipment, it is VAT of £28.05 and our £10.00 admin fee.

The invoice is correct, and is based on the value of the goods as advised by the shipper on the commercial invoice.

Kind Regards

Lindsey Hood


I still can't see how this is correct, what do you guys think?

What they are saying is correct, based on the disclosed description of the contents. If customs don't see the actual word 'Book', how are they to know? Pay FedEx then write to Customs out of principal.

[sacked]

Nov 5, 2010 17:56:47 GMT 1 spaceshrew said:

As promised this is the reply from FedEx after around 3 weeks:

Dear Sir/Madam,

Thank you for your below email regarding invoice 542307236, shipment 793940073397.

Please be advised no duty has been levied on this shipment, it is VAT of £28.05 and our £10.00 admin fee.

Where do you live spaceshrew.I thought being charged £18.05 was rough.

The invoice is correct, and is based on the value of the goods as advised by the shipper on the commercial invoice.

Kind Regards

Lindsey Hood


I still can't see how this is correct, what do you guys think?

Where do you live spaceshrew ?I thought it was rough when they charged me £18.05 !!!

the disclosed value of the item + cost of shipping determines the amount of vat charged. it sounds like the disclosed values varied.

[spaceshrew]

I live in London, it just seems a bit random how they're charging customers.

This is what Fielder wrote, a much better informed forum member than me:

I too received a bill for £18.01 from Fedex. I wrote a letter to their Customer Services giving a full description and enclosing supporting documentation. Last week I got a reply saying 'Not all books are classed as printed matter. In this case this contains artwork and prints. If you believe this to be incorrect you can call HMRC on 0845 010 9000. They will be able to advise you further. If they agree that this should be Zero rated for VAT we need this in writing from the Customs Officer. We will then amend accordingly'.
I phoned the number and the lady checked with a customs officer who said it is classed as a catalogue and is covered under Public Notice 701/10 index No. 8 and is zero rated. I said can I have this in writing and she said I should email them at
[e-mail]
I did this but have not yet had a response.
This is such a pain and I'm pretty sure it's all due to the fact they didn't write the word 'book' on the customs declaration!