Importing from Peru to UK?

[lolabead]

Long shot but just in case anyone knows - if I purchase £24 of beads from Peru (delivery free) does anyone know what extra charges I'm likely incur at customs?
I have tried the internet but I just seem to go from page to page and never get an answer. many thanks :-)

[10k]

Yes, they will charge you only VAT:

You pay VAT on goods sent from non-European Union (EU) countries and EU special territories (eg the Canary Islands) if they’re:

• gifts worth more than £36
• other goods worth more than £15
• alcohol, tobacco products and fragrances (eg perfume, eau de toilette and cologne) - of any value

Customs Duty

You’ll be charged Customs Duty on gifts and other goods sent from outside the EU if they’re above a certain value, unless the duty comes to less than £9.

The value includes:

the price paid for the goods, postage, packaging and insurance

• Anything under £135: No charge
• Gifts worth £135-£630: 2.5%, but rates are lower for some goods - call the helpline
• Gifts above £630 and other goods above £135: The rate depends on the type of goods and where they came from

[trialuser]

They might sail through with nothing to pay.
They might charge vat as above.
And most irritating, depending on which courier you use, they may charge a tenner or so 'handling charge' to collect the charge.

[Melanie]

take a peek at www.dutycalculator.com - we use this to get an idea of duty/vat, so far has been pretty spot on

[lolabead]

clear, many thanks to you.

[Tabby66]

A lot of odds and sods come through with no charge.....this week though....£14.87 of which £8.00 handling charge!!

[pearlescence]

If they are loose beads - ie ingredients - there should be no duty. What you need to know are your customs codes which tell you and the officials what the goods are and how to charge them
So, from Peru (since it is a non-EU country) you'll have to pay VAT and around a tenner clearance charge from the courier which is the fee they slap on for taking the items through the customs process. There should be no duty on loose beads.

[lolabead]

thank you very much - yes they are loose beads, I didn't realise that!