I am looking at ordering my bridesmaids dresses from China and know I may end up having to pay customs tax. I know not everyone does have to pay this.. just the luck of the draw so to speak. If I do have to pay it, is there a certain amount I would have to pay? Is it based on quantity, weight, what it is...?
Happily married
18th June 2016
xx
CommentAuthorJennK
the HMRC site has advice :)
Customs Duty allowances
Customs Duty is only payable on goods from outside the EU over a certain value. This value depends on whether you're bringing the goods in yourself, or they're being sent by post.
If you're a traveller arriving in the UK from outside the EU, you only have to pay Customs Duty if you exceed your duty-free allowance.
If you're posting goods to the UK, or ordering them from a non-EU country, you only have to pay Customs Duty above a certain value.
Custom Duty rates for specific products
Customs Duty is charged as a percentage of the total value of the goods - that is the sterling equivalent of the price paid abroad.
To work out the percentage, each type of product is given a 'commodity code'. This tells you what the Customs Duty rate percentage is for that particular product, based on whether it's being imported or exported.
There are around 14,000 different classifications. The duty rate percentage for each may vary according to the country the goods come from. The average percentage is between 5% and 9%, but it can be as low as 0% or as high as 85%.
To find out the Customs Duty rate for a product you can contact HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) VAT Helpline or the Customs, International Trade & Excise enquiries.
Our perfect day - 08.08.15 <3
CommentAuthorFlossie
Thanks MrsK.. I tried looking on that website too but didn't see the page you have taken that from. If I've found the right commodity code, I'm looking at a 12% customs tax charge.. which would be £60 based on a £500 spend.
The dresses I've found are already about £40 more expensive than previous ones I have been looking at and there is an extra charge of £6-£7 to have a custom size made, whereas the other ones were free. Arghhhh I don't know what to do xx
Happily married
18th June 2016
xx
CommentAuthorFlossie
edited
Sent the pics to my bridesmaids and will see what they think - I have sent 4 to them in the last few days and have asked them to let me know which ones they prefer.
If they are happy with this one, I might be a littleeee cheeky and ask for a contribution towards them. The website currently has 20% off as part of their annual fall sale, so I'm hoping it will also be on next year and I can buy them then when we've been able to save up more money xx
Happily married
18th June 2016
xx
CommentAuthorJennK
You are brave :) I ordered mine through the same bridal shop as my dress. I would be panicky plus with the added confusion of customs tax etc. Are you making a huge saving against bridal shop prices?
Have you had a look to see if the dresses are available in the UK anywhere? I found bridesmaids dresses I wanted but they were in China so I had a look around and I have found them for the same price in the UK. You probably have but if not it's worth a try x
Got together on 14th March 2010
Got engaged on 25th December 2013
Became Mrs P on 14th May 2016 - best day ever!
CommentAuthorFlossie
edited
Oh yeah I will be saving a lot of money compared to bridal shop prices! I've never even considered getting mine from a bridal shop.. I have been looking online from day one. I'm not worried about the quality or anything. This company has fantastic reviews and they aren't massively detailed so there is not a lot to actually go wrong. My dress is one thing I wouldn't risk buying online as it would have more intricate detailing, but these are just fairly plain chiffon dresses so I'm not worried :)
C0@st have the same dresses but they are about £60/£70 more expensive per dress and also don't have the colours I need. Ordering online is the best bet for me as I need 4 different particular pastel shades, so that allows me to choose the exact colours I need xx
Happily married
18th June 2016
xx
CommentAuthorAprilS61
Could you email the seller for a quote of the customs charge? Might be worth a shot. Could end up being cheaper than you think (fingers crossed) xx
Mr & Mrs Swan 04/04/15
CommentAuthorGlitterfairy
On £200 worth of dresses I got charged £45 customs, that was 2 1/2 years ago though so may have gone up. There is one site which the dresses are cheap and the postage very expensive as this covers customs, the site I got them from was cheap postage, t pretty sure it still worked out cheaper than the other site
Our wedding day - 6 October 2012
CommentAuthorFlossie
edited
I don't get it then because looking at the commodity code the customs charge should only be 12% :/
Could you let me know what the website is that includes the customs charge?
Happily married
18th June 2016
xx
CommentAuthorGlitterfairy
I cannot recall the name of the site, I'm sorry, was a while ago we looked.
Our wedding day - 6 October 2012
CommentAuthorFlossie
No worries, GF :)
I have just emailed she who cannot be named to see if she would be able to make something similar for me.. I forgot I had her details. Worth a shot :)
Happily married
18th June 2016
xx
CommentAuthorclairenina
We had to pay customs duty on our favours, but can't remember how much it was. We paid at the door when they were delivered
CommentAuthorGlitterfairy
And remember anyone who needs to pay customs on the door to have cash as they don't take anything else.
Our wedding day - 6 October 2012
CommentAuthorFlossie
I've never heard of having to pay it at the door! I wouldn't even trust them if I had to pay at the door, would much rather receive something official than someone just stood on my doorstep requesting money!
Happily married
18th June 2016
xx
CommentAuthorAmyM573
Hey! Just to let anybody who's interested know....I ordered 5 BM dresses, 5 shrugs and a hair comb from the box of light which totalled just short of £400, including postage which was pretty pricey. I had to pay £119 customs for them. The dresses are absolutely gorgeous and I'm really pleased with them, plus they were really fast delivering (3 weeks!) it's worked out as about £90 per outfit which I'd struggle to get off the high street so I'm still happy but the customs is a bit of a sting!
CommentAuthorFlossie
Eeek, that's far more expensive that I thought it would be.. I'd be looking at even more for around £500 worth then :/ you're right though, it does still work out cheaper than off the high street. Good job I have a while to think about it... Thank you for sharing!! xx
Happily married
18th June 2016
xx
CommentAuthorGlitterfairy
I think it depends on the amount of items so that may be why it was that much. I could be wrong though,
Our wedding day - 6 October 2012
CommentAuthorclairenina
Flossie, they have the customs forms when they come to your door, and they also give you a copy and a receipt. I think it was DHL I dealt with. It was official, nothing dodgy, but always good to be vigilant x
CommentAuthorFlossie
edited
I think I'm going off the whole buying dresses from China thing now! What I'm reading and peoples' experiences are not matching up.. not sure if I want to take the risk as could end up paying near enough £150 just on customs, and while these dresses are cheaper than I would find in a store, they still aren't THAT cheap so I don't know if the extra charge would really be worth it.
I have spoken to 'she who can't be named' and she said she would be able to make the dresses for me. She is sending me material swatches so I can see the colours and has quoted me a fab price. Thinking this might be a better way forward xx
Happily married
18th June 2016
xx
CommentAuthorAprilS61
I had to pay custom charge for my shoes but I cant remember how much it was :/ might have been about £20. I got a card through the door to say I could pay online. The. We're delivered with DHL too.
My dresses from a bridal store were £180 each. Is that a big saving for what they would be if you got the, online? I know you want specific colours but it might be worh looking at the colour swatches and see what they have available and if they are any good. They probably have colours than you think xx
Mr & Mrs Swan 04/04/15
CommentAuthorFlossie
edited
They are £115 on the website I found them on. She who can't be named has said she can make them for me for £78 each, including postage.. so yeah a big saving either way! Because I have to buy 4 I really need to keep costs as low as I can.. In my mind I've always thought around the £70-£80 mark would be ok xx
Happily married
18th June 2016
xx
CommentAuthorAprilS61
Ooh she who can't beamed sounds like a good deal then :) xx
