Buying Goods From Hong Kong

[trt]

Looking for gadgets etc on-line a few weeks ago, I came upon a site from H/K which was very cheap with free shipping.
I ordered 3 alarm clocks to try them out, and although it took 3 weeks for delivery they were very good quality and the site would be ideal for Xmas presents for friends and some family members.

Where do I stand regarding customs and import tax etc.

The alarm clocks have a back light, date and digital thermometer, music snooze function and even birthday reminders.

[janbee]

Many amazon items come from that region. The delivery time is slow but it's cheap and it's free P & P. As far as I know, there no problem for me, with customs/tax etc.

[janbee]

trt, are you talking about the ali baba site?

[jomifl]

The company that sells them to you takes care of that by either making sure that the price is below the customs duty threshold by posting the items in small lots or lying on the customs form until they get caught. There are an awful lot of 'commercial samples' and 'gifts'. in the post.

[trt]

#trt, are you talking about the ali baba site?#

No janbee, its called tinydeal.com

jomifl, I was just wondering about import duty, if I ordered something over £50?

[jomifl]

trt, why not contact the vendor and ask them? I've bought qute a few items from China, some of them fine others complete kr@p such as mobile phone batteries. I've not bought anything expensive enough to deserve custom/import duty from China.

[Buenchico]

My post here explains how it all works (and saves me great deal of typing!):
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Shopping/Question1340557.html#answer-8971108

[TWR]

Just received a Peugeot Key From H.K. Trt, 5 days, so do not worry.

[hc4361]

Why would a seller in HK know about UK import and customs taxes? He'd sell worldwide and cannot be expected to know that sort of thing

[jomifl]

hc, I imagine a chinese businessman would indeed know about customs duty if his liveliehood depended upon it. I have noticed a recent trend where items sold from China are handled by agents in the target countries and arrive much quicker, days rather than weeks, and there is not therefore duty payable by the UK purchaser.

[hc4361]

So not buying from China, then, Jomifl?

[trt]

Thanks Buenchico, very helpful.

[jomifl]

trt, I recently bought a camera bag from China that is excellent value, at least with items like this you can see what you are getting but some items, like phone batteries, can be any old rubbish with a phoney(unintended) label stuck on. Some items that I might have bought from the US I get from China now because the USA companies are just reselling Chinese stuff plus export tax. So as long as one is wary, Chinese goods are OK and as they are desperate to gain a good reputation they do seem to deliver.

[DTCwordfan]

Be careful of cameras etc, there are plenty of scams there both on-line and even when shopping in HK, the old adage of it's ultra cheap, it's too good to be true and be aware. I would say anything more than a 20 per cent discount to the market, net of taxes/duty, and I would be wary.

[hc4361]

I had to laugh at the newspaper report of all the Chinese in London at the New Year sales, because, they said, they wanted to buy the genuine thing and not a rip off.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2253966/So-DO-Chinese-fly-5-000-miles-shop-West-End-Asks-Jane-Fryer.html