Blue Cavern

I won this auction

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... RK:MEWN:IT

And have just been charged £53.95 in customs duties for the pleasure of receiving it. Apparently there is a trade war going on between the US and UK and they are adding another 14% onto import duties for certain items, smurfs come under this bracket unfortunately. The duties for these items should be £30 plus the parcelforce fee (either £8 or £13.00) so I think the seller has over-insured the parcel and I hope to get at least £10 back, but like I really needed this at the moment, like a hole in the head. So be warned, import duties are hefty if you are in the UK and thinking of buying high value smurfs from the USA.

Great win, though.

As for all these tariffs and trade wars--I go to China every two years or so. China is a breeze entering and exiting compared to the US. On my last entry to the US in 2003, between customs handlers and security, people ruffled through my luggage three times.

The US also charges import duties on anything a US citizen brings from overseas, if its combined value exceeds $200 (less for non-citizens). No other country that I've visited does that.

Granted, I guess in your case, Britain (not the US) is charging you the tariff... but, yeah. It's a shame about the insurance. As far as Britain ought to be concerned, smurfs are just little plastic toys worth 2.20 pounds each... I guess you can't "understate" what you paid when the insurance covers $200...

Do you know whether the spat goes both ways? Is there a "tariff" webpage? I've considered bidding for smurfs from the UK--granted, in only 20 pound or so lots. This doubly stinks for you Brits and Europeans--with the dollar down, US goods come at a healthy discount to the pound and Euro.

I don't know what the tariffs are US end. How I handle it is I always insure the parcel at what I know I can replace the items at. So if someone paid me £100 for some smurfs but I can replace them for £70 then I insure for £70. I don't put gift because being a Limited Company I don't want to break any laws which technically ebay sellers are doing when they put something is a gift. Gift or no gift, you are still going to get charged duties if the goods are high value anyway. When I trade items with the US we always write that they are exchanged goods and this helps.

I think when buying from the UK as long as you don't go over approx. £30 you should be ok. It's the insured parcels that will get stung for duties anyway and most ebay sellers don't insure parcels of that amount anyway. I always think that for the amount I lose (none so far overseas) that I can afford to replace the occasional parcel at my cost.

Karen, if you want more historical Smurfs without paying those taxes, you can always check lots from within the UK. This lot has a Lincoln and a Washington (don't know the condition though), plus some other nice Smurfs (baseball catcher, fencer, ...). Maybe interesting?

Thanks Fram. I particularly wanted the ones in that auction because they were in such good condition. The problem I have is that I find it difficult to sell smurfs that aren't mint so I tend not to go too high on the lots where you can't see them properly. At that start price as it is at the moment it is worth a gamble though isn't it?

Well, it would be a pity if someone else wins it for that price If you would win the lot, and the history ones aren't to your taste, we can always see if we can work out a trade!

With regards to Fram's URL link, what is the smurf in the lower right-hand corner doing? Looks like he's holding a red stick straight up (I'm not referring to the fencer).

With regards to Fram's URL link, what is the smurf in the lower right-hand corner doing? Looks like he's holding a red stick straight up.

Hi Drunksmurf, that will be the darth fishing vader variation - no fishing rod just a light saber.


Karen, not great news...........

LOL Rachel. I decided to have a bid on these anyway Fram, it was after I spotted the fencer and the kayak because I don't have either of those for my own collection. I've got a long way to go to catch you lot up haven't I?

Well we don't have our own smurf shop yet Karen....so you win

I have neither the fencer, the kayakker nor the historicals nor any money to bid on them, so you win Karen!

Hi Karen..the exact same thing happened to me when I received a parcel from America. The postman was stood on my doorstep with a big parcel of smurfs, and he said I couldn't have them unless I paid him 50 pounds..and seeing as I had already paid 200 pounds for them..I was less than 'overjoyed'..but I had to pay it, or he'd have taken my smurfs away

I'm not sure if I mentioned I got my refund, all £4 of it, whoopey doos!!! It cost me nearly as much as that to send the packaging off to Customs & Excise to be assessed.

The import duties were something like 18.9%, a special rate applied to certain imports which is something to do with the trade war between the UK and the US. I won't be buying much from the States until things change.

Hi Karen,

Just thought of a solution to that problem that I'll PM to you.