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Tue Aug 16, 2005 8:33 am  |
I was very pleased to receive my box of AlphaDerma products along with the free gift and samples as requested today.It took just over a week which is pretty good! I was not so pleased with the charges due to UK Customs....almost £30! Since the value of the goods I ordered was just over £100, the customs added an extra third of the price on top!
Is this a random occurrence or has there been a change in procedure does anyone know? My last order from EDS was for a similar amount in £s, was delivered in the same size box and was of a similar weight. There were no customs charges on this previous order.
Has anyone else in UK been charged customs on receipt of goods from EDS recently.
It does seem a huge percentage to charge and negates totally the savings made by shopping online from overseas.
Thanks in advance for any feedback
Andrevi |
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Tue Aug 16, 2005 9:24 am |
Hey there
I know what you mean. Ive placed tons of orders and never been charged but I placed a recent order for my Decleor shaving goodies and got a customs charge. I was shocked as this has never happened before.
Basically, the low down on customs is that anything over £18 is charged VAT and a £4 Royal Mail clearance fee.
Such is life I guess.
Email EDS and they might be able to help with future orders.
Farouk |
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Newly qualified doc whos potty about skincare! Combination, whitehead-prone skin with a dry cheek and 'o' zone. |
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Tue Aug 16, 2005 9:27 am |
Totally off the topic ive just realised im now a "Preferred Member" - that puts me in the same rank as the EDS queens Mabsy and Caspers Mum to name but a few - wahey!!  |
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Newly qualified doc whos potty about skincare! Combination, whitehead-prone skin with a dry cheek and 'o' zone. |
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Tue Aug 16, 2005 11:59 am |
Our customs & excise people want to put us off buying from abroad, unfortunately. I agree that the charges are a complete rip-off, but they're meant as a deterrent. Grrrr...not fair. 
From what I understand, it seems that whether you have to pay customs fees or not is relatively random - just depends on if your parcel gets picked on. With some carriers, you can virtually guarantee that you'll have to pay customs, but the standard US Mail service seems much more likely to get through without having to cough up.
It's all a bit of a lottery, I'm afraid. |
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Wed Aug 17, 2005 1:50 am |
I have never had any customs charges on my EDS orders, but I make sure that I never order to much at one time. I'd rather split the order into 2 and pay postage than get a huge Customs and Excise charge.
I have only ever had one charge and that was when I ordered my Esthers Secret masque and line serum, the charge made it ridiculously expensive so I decided not to order that anymore.. |
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[img]http://pic13.picturetrail.com/VOL470/2390945/6177231/92912749.jpg[/img] |
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Wed Aug 17, 2005 3:16 am |
| I also have ordered many times from EDS and never had to pay custom charges but the last two times i had to pay what a rip off it is putting me off ordering off this site. |
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43 fair, very dark hair combination/sensitive skin with freckles and broken capillaries at nose |
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Wed Aug 17, 2005 3:39 am |
I think even if you add on the 17.5% and the royal mail 'handling charge' (ie, extortion), stuff is still cheaper than getting it from the UK. Also, lots of stuff isn't even easily available except from overseas.
Go into harvey Nicks or SpaNK and see how much an agireline based serum will cost you to get it into perspective |
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my new jewellery website:www.gentle-medusa.com |
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Thu Aug 25, 2005 5:06 am |
Whilst on this topic, don't order anything over £18 worth from Cosmeticops.com. They use UPS as their couriers and they charge an extortionate £11 admin fee on top of whatever the duty fee is - so my bargain wasn't so much of a bargain in the end!!
Most times I have been lucky, but I think that if it goes with someone like UPS it automatically gets checked 
T x |
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Thu Aug 25, 2005 5:38 am |
| Cheeks wrote: |
Whilst on this topic, don't order anything over £18 worth from Cosmeticops.com. They use UPS as their couriers and they charge an extortionate £11 admin fee on top of whatever the duty fee is - so my bargain wasn't so much of a bargain in the end!!
Most times I have been lucky, but I think that if it goes with someone like UPS it automatically gets checked
T x |
every victoria's order I had via UPS got charged...still the best bras I've had.   |
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Using. ADCE day & night |
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Mon Aug 29, 2005 9:49 am |
| Eve wrote: |
| Cheeks wrote: |
Whilst on this topic, don't order anything over £18 worth from Cosmeticops.com. They use UPS as their couriers and they charge an extortionate £11 admin fee on top of whatever the duty fee is - so my bargain wasn't so much of a bargain in the end!!
Most times I have been lucky, but I think that if it goes with someone like UPS it automatically gets checked
T x |
every victoria's order I had via UPS got charged...still the best bras I've had. |
I think that UPS are in cahoots with customs and excise 
T x |
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Mon Aug 29, 2005 4:18 pm |
| lorrapaw wrote: |
| I also have ordered many times from EDS and never had to pay custom charges but the last two times i had to pay what a rip off it is putting me off ordering off this site. |
It has nothing to do with 'this site', it's the UK government randomly charging customs fees, if you hadn't been charged in the past it was just luck. EDS marks the package as merchandise, which is what it is. |
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V2J 6P7 |
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Tue Aug 30, 2005 4:30 am |
I know this isn’t the same as buying from EDS or any other online retailer, but...
When I ship (American) stuff (that isn’t readily available) to EDS members living overseas, I always put an itemized list of the package contents on the customs label and mark it as “Gift,” but when it says “Declared Value,” I always put down $0.00. I mean, my mom always taught me it was rude to tell someone how much you spent on a gift, or to ask how much they spent on a gift to you, so why the hell would I mark something as a gift and then blab how much I spent???
Anyway, does this help circumvent the customs’ man? Do you still get charged if there is no declared value? How does that work? I do not include any kind of “invoice” in the parcel so how could they possibly know how much the value of the contents actually are?
I only do this in order to try to ensure that my recipient doesn’t get charged anything, but if they charge you guys anyway, I guess it really isn’t worth the effort.... |
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Über-oily,semi-sensitive, warm/fair-skinned redhead, 38...Will swap/shop for members outside U.S. and/or make homemade skincare products upon demand-PM me for details. |
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Tue Aug 30, 2005 8:48 am |
Carrie,
I never get charged on the gifts you send me. I hope I never do in the future either. Thanks.
I think customs target companies that ship over here more than individuals I always got charged on my Esthers Secret stuff, every bloody time. |
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50, happy reluma user started 16.6.12 original formula. PMD user. started LouLou's ageless regime. |
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Fri Sep 02, 2005 6:47 am |
| I havent got charged yet thankfully though i was wondering what way you are charged - does it go onto your credit card?? |
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Fri Sep 02, 2005 7:47 am |
| When they deliver it, or when you pick it up at the post office, they won't give it to you unless you pay. |
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~normal but prone to dryness~slightly sensitive~usually clear~totm breakouts~mid 20s~ |
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Tue Sep 06, 2005 12:40 am |
| my last 3 packages have been charged. I doubt I can still shop here and fork out £60 in extra costs anymore |
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Using. ADCE day & night |
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Sat Oct 08, 2005 12:50 am |
DAMN I just received a postcard from the Post Office to say I have been charged a customs charge of £11.41!! This is the 1st time this has ever happened and I have ordered loads of stuff from America. Usually whoever sends anything marks GIFT on the label and they go through no problem. Oh well unless theres a way round this in the future wont be buying anything again from abroad.......  |
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Sat Oct 08, 2005 10:45 am |
| carekate wrote: |
I know this isn’t the same as buying from EDS or any other online retailer, but...
When I ship (American) stuff (that isn’t readily available) to EDS members living overseas, I always put an itemized list of the package contents on the customs label and mark it as “Gift,” but when it says “Declared Value,” I always put down $0.00. I mean, my mom always taught me it was rude to tell someone how much you spent on a gift, or to ask how much they spent on a gift to you, so why the hell would I mark something as a gift and then blab how much I spent???
Anyway, does this help circumvent the customs’ man? Do you still get charged if there is no declared value? How does that work? I do not include any kind of “invoice” in the parcel so how could they possibly know how much the value of the contents actually are?
I only do this in order to try to ensure that my recipient doesn’t get charged anything, but if they charge you guys anyway, I guess it really isn’t worth the effort.... |
It works Carrie for me in Canada too. Thank you, dear!
I buy a lot from the US and I keep my purchases (minus shipping) under $20 CAD (about $16 US but it fluctuates with the dollar value and customs calculates it the day they get it so it can be tricky). If the parcel is marked 'merchandise' and is valued under $20 CAD, no customs fees. If a parcel is marked 'gift' it can come in without customs charges if it is marked at a value less than $60 CAD. More than that and we pay fees on the gift. 
If fees are to be charged, they are $5 processing plus GST and PST on the value marked on the package.
In some ways I can see why governments do this, it's to force us to buy within our own country. I have no idea what the UK charges specifically but I know they have a flat fee too plus tax, I don't know the values but I'm sure there is a small amount you can import before charges apply. Go to your tax or customs website, the info should be there.
Sometimes when ordering from the States, I take the company's shipping charges into account and I calculate which would be more economical, and often end up ordering serveral small packages to avoid customs. It costs less in than on one big one. |
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V2J 6P7 |
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Sat Oct 08, 2005 11:31 am |
This is what PSF said re customs.. Know its not their fault just wish there was a way round it....
Unfortunately we are bound my international trade law when it comes to tariffs and customs. We are required to declare the value of the goods contained within the orders we ship. Especially with the current state of terrorism awareness, we are finding that more and more packages are being opened and/or investigated. Though we understand the monetary incentive of marking goods sold as gifts on customs declarations, it is a violation of domestic, foreign, and international law. |
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Mon Oct 10, 2005 3:17 am |
The only way around it is to mark an item as a 'gift' and keep it small(ish). If a parcel is large and is marked as gift then it might still get stopped at customs. Basically there is a sorting machine and small packages get through (with some random checks that is why small gifts sometimes get customs charges).
Larger packages it is just the luck of the draw if they are marked gifts whether there is a customs charge or not.
If it isn't marked as a gift then I think that you will always get charged VAT of your goods coming in to the country. It absolutely sucks and I have no idea how much I will be paying on my PSF and EDS orders.
I did ask EDS and they said they will no longer be marking items as 'gift' as they have had problems with items coming back. Unfortuantely it means that we don't get the amazing cheap prices but I think they are still lower than the extortians you pay at SpaceNK etc for some products.
If you are sending an item which isn't coming from a company (i.e. ebay orders/skincare stuff from carekate etc) then mark it as gift and generally an small/average parcel will have no problem coming right through. |
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Fri Oct 14, 2005 11:08 am |
well, as the only person from Japan here I guess my experiences are not very relevant to anyone else.. but...
packages I get through the regular postal service are never charged unless for a very high value (insured) like for $400 or so. Technically they should charge if over around $100 but because of the volume of good they dont.
BUT if you items come through a courier such as Fedex, UPS, etc. then you ALWAYS get charged the 10%. These companies MUST conduct the customs check.
Recently almost every box of goods I get has been opened for inspection, but none were charged (which was lucky as most had leather shoes in them which have an automatic customs fee of about $70 for any shoes up to a value of $200 - if valued more than that you also pay an additional percentage  ) |
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Mon Oct 31, 2005 7:25 am |
Hi
RE - UK postal/customs fees
I've just received a letter from Parcel FArce saying they have a package from me. Unfortunately EDS now send everything insured from Canada which means that it does not go via Royal Mail but goes through Parcel FArce and chances are you will be charged Customs fees BUT that's not all... Parcel FArce also charge a clearance fee of, I believe £13.50 as a standard charge ON TOP of the Customs fee?!
If EDS don't send items insured then packages would go through Royal Mail and their clearance fees are a lot less, around £4 I think.
Might be worth remembering that, if you plan on getting lots of goodies for Christmas presents.
Sarah |
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Tue Nov 01, 2005 8:01 am |
Oh, blimey! That's not good!
It's a real shame as EDS has such great products, service and prices. |
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