Is There Customs Charge On Wedding Dress Bought From China?

[HongKongphooey]

I'm thinking of buying my wedding dress from a Chinese website. Will I have to pay a customs tax when its imported? If so what percentage is it. Any advice grateful!

[jake-the-peg]

VAT at 20% plus an £8 handling charge

http://www.royalmail.com/business/help-and-support/I-need-advice-about-customs-requirements

(towards the bottom)

[boxtops]

Yes, you will, but please think carefully about doing this. I know people who have bought from those sites, and the sizings are (unsurprisingly) very much on the small side. Make sure what happens if you want to return it - it would cost you a fair bit to mail it back to them, and you'd need to be sure that you'd get your money back from buying from so far away.

[Tilly2]

This is why Pronuptia have gone into liquidation.

[bednobs]

lol tilly, because one person is *thinking* about getting a wedding dress elsewhere?

[lcg]

don't - there is a reason they are cheap! some are naff, have cheap material and look nothing like their pictures. the sellers are 1000's of miles away and don't care about customer service. you will need to try one on and be fitted for it to be truly decent. you can get a dress for all budgets. wouldn't you rather have the experience of going to get one?

[spudqueen]

bednobs - no - it's because lots of people are thinking of buying wedding dresses from abroad, over the interent.

[Buenchico]

Jake's answer doesn't tell the full story.

The first step in the calculation is to work out Import Tax at the rate of 12½% of the purchase price. Then VAT (at 20%) is calculated on the total of the purchase price, the cost of carriage and the Import Tax. (Yes, that really is a tax on a tax!). Then an £8 examination fee is added on as well.