Custom charges from Japan to UK

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sara

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Has anyone in the UK ever bought a camera for Japan and got charged for customs? Thing is I bought a lens from Japan last time but I don't remember getting charged, unless I did but was forgotten.

I saw a really good M6 from Japan and it's £800+ but this means I'll get charged a hell lot for customs I thinking? :/
 
If you have to pay VAT that would come to another 20% I think? Surely you would be better looking somewhere like apertureuk for one?

~S
 
Yeah I know just that they have none at the moment and I was quite desperate.
I mean if custom charges are crazy I'll just wait for aperture to receive one which could be never!
 
sara said:
Yeah I know just that they have none at the moment and I was quite desperate.
I mean if custom charges are crazy I'll just wait for aperture to receive one which could be never!
Click to expand...

Really? - according to their website they have an M6TTL for 890 in EXC+. Have you tried calling them?

~S
 
Steinberg2010 said:
Really? - according to their website they have an M6TTL for 890 in EXC+. Have you tried calling them?

~S
Click to expand...

Not looking for a TTL version.

Will check other sites recommended thanks! 😀

Wasn't actually planning on buying one now but big project coming up may as well use it.
 
sara said:
Has anyone in the UK ever bought a camera for Japan and got charged for customs? Thing is I bought a lens from Japan last time but I don't remember getting charged, unless I did but was forgotten.

I saw a really good M6 from Japan and it's £800+ but this means I'll get charged a hell lot for customs I thinking? :/
Click to expand...

Yes, and yes. It seems to be a bit more hit and miss than from the USA, where I'll get charged 100% of the time. From Japan, I get away with it, maybe more than half the time, but I had to pay on my last purchase. There is duty at 20% and also "fees" from the courier. £800 for an M6, plus that may not be worth it.

Try Red Dot Cameras, they often have a decent price on an M6.
 
sara said:
Not looking for a TTL version.

Will check other sites recommended thanks! 😀

Wasn't actually planning on buying one now but big project coming up may as well use it.
Click to expand...

I quite curious to know what kind of project is this that you must have specifically an M6 for it. What is it?
 
ruby.monkey said:
Could be worse. I recently bought a camera from an American eBay seller. Total price including postage? $210 (roughly £130). VAT charge? £870, or $1400 in Monopoly money.

Nice one, HMRC.
Click to expand...

You must be bloody joking! Seriously?

That is theft! IF they carry on like that they'll end up killing online commerce. I suppose that must make your local retailers happy.
 
RFluhver said:
You must be bloody joking! Seriously?

That is theft! IF they carry on like that they'll end up killing online commerce. I suppose that must make your local retailers happy.
Click to expand...

I assume that's a mistake! Have to get a refund from HMRC.

They won't kill online commerce, just discourage buying stuff from outside of this country, which is pretty much the intent. Import duty is really just a punitive fine for having the temerity to purchase goods outside of the UK.

It is probably a necessary evil at the moment though.
 
RFluhver said:
I quite curious to know what kind of project is this that you must have specifically an M6 for it. What is it?
Click to expand...
I don't need an M6 for this project, I was going to shoot part of it with my M2 anyway, and I just was going to get an M6 because I'm off to Barcelona at the end of the month and it would be nice to travel light.

I'm just documenting an upcoming exhibition but photos will be up at exhibition (possible going around the world for 3 years).

Like I said, I don't need an M6 for this, but the M has been my primary camera for about 2 years now...so it is "my camera I shoot with" anyway.

Ruby.Monkey - That is big joke, I agree probably a big mistake :S
I hate customs charge, I don't even know why it exists.
 
Recently the customs seem to have clamped down on all imports. Last month I got charged 20% VAT and hen an additional 10% "Handling fee" on an item that was only £65 in the first place. This didnt happen until the last 12-18 months.

Sara - i have sent you a PM about an M6 I was going to put in the classifieds....
 
I live in Japan and, being English, go to England every year. About 2 years ago, I bought a used M8 while I was visiting UK. The customs charge was in the 100s of pounds. I should have waited till I was back in Japan. Last year I bought a new M9 and had it shipped to Japan. I was charged much less in import charges.
Postal fees and customs charges just seem so incredible to me whenever I go back to Britain.

Did you look on Yahoo Japan Auctions? I posted my M7 for sale there a couple of weeks ago, with a start price of 155,000 yen. No takers, but someone asked me to drop the price to 120,000. I was surprised to find that, at least on Yahoo Auction Japan, M7s are not going for very much more than M6s.
 
OP, try ebay.de, .fr, .it 🙂 also many camera shops out there, if you dislike buying from individuals. no customs charges. I'd keep eye on LUF classifieds too, many Euro-region items sold there.
 
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