import duties

by **croker** May 8th 2021, 2:53 pm

hi, Does anyone out there have any experience or knowledge of importing studio ceramics from canada ,regarding customs and vat, I dont seem to get any helpful info from gov customs etc, thanks.

by **denbydump** May 8th 2021, 3:08 pm

I believe, if the country of manufacture was the UK, and it is clearly stated
on any paperwork. they are exempt.

by **denbydump** May 8th 2021, 3:59 pm

I know collectors who needlessly paid duties on rare items of eg. Denby and Langley
from North America, even though they are usually marked "made in England".

Unfortunately studio is not normally marked in that way, so you may have to
somehow prove it's origin in any dispute.

by **NaomiM** May 8th 2021, 6:26 pm

How many ceramics are you importing and who from? Is it a potter or off a reseller?. If it’s off eBay then Ebsys Global Shipping Program includes Customs charges, I think. But I could be wrong
There’s Duty and then there’s VAT. VAT is charged on anything above £15?? Or £50?? (It changed recently but depends on what’s being imported and whether it’s a Gift or from a Company.
Make sure they don’t include postage in the value of the item; I had one reseller do that and it cost me more than the pot was worth.
Duty is charged on anything over £150?? (Again, I’m not sure of the current figure) plus VAT.
There will also be a handling charge, which is a percentage of the customs fee, plus a minimum charge of around £6 - on top of the VAT &/or Duty charge.

by **croker** May 8th 2021, 9:52 pm

hi naomi,Thanks for the info, the piece in question is in waddingtons auction the price will probably be around £3000 -£6000.I have already registered and left a bid on line but the hassle in trying to get info from customs etc makes me wish i hadn't bothered .Shipping companys are not much help either.

by **croker** May 9th 2021, 9:12 pm

hi, I think i have got it sorted now, my reading of it is if the item is classified as a work of art or a collectible then it has only 5% vat on import plus import duty+ handling which amounts in total to around 10% . To qualify the item must be hand made not a multiple, must be over a certain value (not specified) the total amount for customs is the cost of the item +shipping + any other cost involved. The auction commision in canada is lower than the uk, only 20% total in waddingtons. After all this work i will probably be outbid anyway, still an interesting exercise.

by **NaomiM** May 10th 2021, 5:56 pm

I don’t think it includes shipping. None of the overseas sellers i buy from include postage costs (except for one, who didn’t have to; postage was four times the amount of the item).

For reference, in case anyone has a similar query, I include a photo of the charges sticker on a box i received from the US last year.

Note there are a lot of scam emails around asking people to pay £1 for delivery. It’s never just £1; handling alone adds an extra £8 or so, and then there’s the Duty &/or VAT on top.

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