Buying from Japan

[CountingToes]

Hi, I'm in the uk an there is a unit I want to buy in Japan, the unit is £1500, am I gonna be charged import tax on this? How much is it likely to be if I am? Has anyone had any experience in this area? Thanks for your time
CT

[Syn303]

Originally Posted by CountingToes

Hi, I'm in the uk an there is a unit I want to buy in Japan, the unit is £1500, am I gonna be charged import tax on this? How much is it likely to be if I am? Has anyone had any experience in this area? Thanks for your time
CT

Try this, and it will work out how much duty/tax etc you will be charged for importing this item. New Import Duty & VAT Calculation | DutyCalculator

Make sure you know how much shipping and insurance will be for this item.

[Llitsor]

It's basically VAT being added. Plus duty/handling charges. Figure on an easy 25% to the cost of most imports that come from outside of the EU.

[CountingToes]

Yer that puts it waaay over my budget, guess I'm just gonna have to wait :(

[backplay]

When i ordered outside Europe, i always asked to put "gift" on the package and never had to pay taxes that way.
Doesn't this trick work anymore?

[Carey M]

Well, at least the "gift" trick doesn't work in Finland anymore. If the customs official deems the goods worth more than 40 euros (or something in that range), you're paying VAT and import duty, "gift" or not. When I imported my JP-4 from Japan, I had it insured for a lesser value than I paid for it. A calculated risk, that paid off.

- CM

[jessem]

Does this happen with the US?

[bluegreengold]

Originally Posted by jessem

Does this happen with the US?

It theoretically *could* happen, but unless you are shipping to a business, you most likely will be able to receive goods from overseas without being charged duties. The limit is $200, but I've not heard of additional charges being added to overseas purchases delivered to the US either by courier or USPS.

[Rooftree]

Originally Posted by bluegreengold

It theoretically *could* happen, but unless you are shipping to a business, you most likely will be able to receive goods from overseas without being charged duties. The limit is $200, but I've not heard of additional charges being added to overseas purchases delivered to the US either by courier or USPS.

I bought a couple of synths from a seller in Japan and I didn't end up paying any duties on them. Each time, I was holding my breath waiting to find out if customs would hit me up for $$$.

[Plush]

I recently received a shipment by DHL express here in Chicago. Duty was charged and I had to pay by credit card before they would deliver it. Usually EMS mail will avoid duties in the USA. Don't know about the UK.

[KingVidiot]

I bought things via eBay from Japan with no problems. The shipping was more than usual, but it's coming a long way. It was worth every penny since I found things that were only released in Japan.

[CountingToes]

Are u in the uk?

[Novosibirsk]

Sorry to slightly derail this topic to North America, but I live in Canada, and whenever I've ordered a synth from abroad and it was delivered by Canada Post, I've never paid more than $20 in duties. To be fair, I've never had a synth claimed as more than $300. But still pretty awesome. They seem to mostly care about super-expensive items/tobacco, since I paid more duties on a $15 carton of clove cigarettes from Indonesia. I know, I know.

But when I've used UPS, I've always been dinged. So you pay duties/brokerage fees, and then they slap another mysterious "handling" fee on top. So, to get my Akai AX-60 ($350 claimed), I paid $80 shipping, $60 duties/brokerage, and then another $90 in "handling" fees. Absolutely bonkers. All this makes me never want to ship via couriers (and some sellers INSIST on using them) for buying synths from outside the country.

[jessem]

Originally Posted by bluegreengold

It theoretically *could* happen, but unless you are shipping to a business, you most likely will be able to receive goods from overseas without being charged duties. The limit is $200, but I've not heard of additional charges being added to overseas purchases delivered to the US either by courier or USPS.

I received gear from Modeless factory today. They are in Japan and shipped EMS, it arrived via USPS and I didn't have to pay anything. It was marked 1825$USD on the labeling, so I dunno.

When I bought the OP-1 they charged me 50$. USPS guy held it hostage for a check. :/

[ysmgj]

as everyone says, it depends on how its shipped.

private courier service companies almost always send you a customs clearing bill as that's what they have to do to get your stuff into the country.

EMS,... i found this after a quick google off the japan post website:

As opposed to general cargo shipped overseas, international mail, including EMS, is not required to declare goods to customs because the majority of service users are individuals.International mail, after arriving at the International Mail Exchange Office, is inspected by customs officers stationed at a customs branch office located within the post office.

not sure how that applies to the Royal Mail though since its private right?

[Carey M]

My JP-4 came shipped EMS, and I still had to pay VAT and import duty. So, I guess it depends on the vigilance of your country's customs officials

- CM

[ysmgj]

that sucks,.. kinda hard to ignore a jp-4 though :P

[Carey M]

Originally Posted by ysmgj

that sucks,.. kinda hard to ignore a jp-4 though :P

True And the bumpy ride to Finland cracked the voice controller board connectors (even though it was packed really well) so I had to send the JP to a tech, but I'm still very happy. It still hasn't cost me astronomically and now it's in tiptop shape.

- CM

[Liquid Legacy]

I'm considering buying a CS-30 from Modeless Factory in Japan, but fear of potential shipping damage is what's holding me back atm. The distance from Japan to Norway is a long way to travel for a heavy old instrument with fragile electronics in the hands of careless people. Seems like quite a few people have received damaged units on arrival. Risky risky! But still tempting as I've never seen a CS-30 on the SH market here in Norway. Almost starting to believe there aren't any working ones left here..

/rant

[xanderbeanz]

My Mono/Poly was bought from japan, it was £1000 including shipping.

When it got here the customs people charged me £70 in fees so i assume you'll be paying around £100, not an incredible amount but still annoying nonetheless.

[Fordy]

I bought an Andromeda from the US for £2000 and I was expecting the worst when it got here but customs only charged me just short of £60 which is a lot less than I was expecting.

[Ossicle]

Originally Posted by Carey M

Well, at least the "gift" trick doesn't work in Finland anymore. If the customs official deems the goods worth more than 40 euros (or something in that range), you're paying VAT and import duty, "gift" or not. When I imported my JP-4 from Japan, I had it insured for a lesser value than I paid for it. A calculated risk, that paid off.

- CM

At least in Finland the "gift" trick is technically tax fraud. However, I'm not sure the conduct of the customs officials you describe would be entirely legal either; I wonder if they can just assume, without any evidence, that a "gift" is not actually a gift and impose duties.