Fed Ex and VAT

[Bullseye]

With the new import codes Sideshow is going to have alot less direct purchases from the EU. After 12 months of smooth running since they pulled out of the EU it now looks to have been a very bad decision for EU collectors.

 

[microdragon]

With the new import codes Sideshow is going to have alot less direct purchases from the EU. After 12 months of smooth running since they pulled out of the EU it now looks to have been a very bad decision for EU collectors.

The most annoying thing is we can only buy EXs of new stuffs from SS website. That means we must to pay the custom and fedex fees.

 

[RollingJ]

Wow. Glad I checked here and saw that the rates had gone up. Already had enough nasty surprises from Sideshow via Fedex. Looks like I'll be cancelling my latest orders. Too bad, especially given the announcement of the DC license

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

Wow. Glad I checked here and saw that the rates had gone up. Already had enough nasty surprises from Sideshow via Fedex. Looks like I'll be cancelling my latest orders. Too bad, especially given the announcement of the DC license

SSC needs to do something to keep customers like this form leaving them.

With the new import codes Sideshow is going to have alot less direct purchases from the EU. After 12 months of smooth running since they pulled out of the EU it now looks to have been a very bad decision for EU collectors.

NEW codes? Got any info on these new codes?

 

[RollingJ]

Well it comes down to what is most profitable for them. Does the amount of custom they will lose from collectors like me dropping out outweigh the costs of discounting international orders to balance out costs? I doubt it, but who knows. I'm not a big spender by any means, but they'll be losing at least £1000 a year from me. It's a shame.

 

[siningy]

Is it possible to use a shipping proxy service for EU customers? I've only used a proxy service for having stuff sent from Japan but I believe there are US proxy services that can have stuff shipped to you. This way you could choose to have items shipped USPS which is generally cheaper and they can declare the items lower (I'm not sure if this is legal) to help with import fees.

 

[RollingJ]

No, not legal

 

[Adoptedscot]

NEW codes? Got any info on these new codes?

Opening post if this thread, plus don't forget that VAT is now 20%:

OK guys Ive done some digging on this because as I found out today some of us are been charged more than others on the VAT into the UK, currently I have been charged at the going rate of 17.5% whereas others are been charged at 5%, and this is the reason why. It is all open to interrpretation of what FEDEX think it is and what they put on the form.
Under section 702 and 718 of the UK Inland revenue custom and excise Statues can be determined as works of art because they are original sculptures, if on your invoice you have Tarif Heading 9703000000 this then refers them to the sections I mentioned earlier.
On my invoices I have original sculpture and statuary, so according to these sections I should be paying the reduced 5% rate, but if you read the info 702 (section 11) or 718 (section 20) then it can be open to interpretation i.e. are they all made from the same mold?? Well Fedex would never know this, so they should be putting us down for the reduced rate of 5%.
So if you are on 17.5 % on your invoice there should be 5 headings
A B C D E
B00 S VAT amount F
If you are on 5% then
B00 A VAT amount F
The A means reduced 5 % the S means standard 17.5 %

Anyway Ive asked Fedex to look into my invoices especially with my Punsher due next week, Ill let you know how it goes, worse case is I still get charged at 17.5% best case I get it reduced to 5% and hopefully this will help everyone because it will be noted.

One reply from another member that looked into it:

Hey guys, I emailed SS about this, and here is their reply. As you can see, it's not really their fault, more the greedy government:

Thank you for your email and for your interest in Sideshow Collectibles.



I apologize for any confusion regarding the recent changes of the harmonized codes that we have used. Unfortunately we have recently been informed from various customs agents that the previous code that we were classifying our items with would no longer be acceptable. In order to comply with these requirements we have updated the harmonized code that we put on all our customs paper work. These new codes will be used on all future outgoing orders.



We know that with the recent state of the world’s economy personal finances are more important then ever. As such Sideshow Collectibles makes every effort to save our customers money where we can. For all our international customers, we have been offering a discounted shipping rate for all outgoing orders. This discount is based off the shipping dimensions and the cost of the item. In most cases this discount is 40-50% of the actual shipping cost which we are happy to pay as a token of our appreciation for your business and loyalty. As an example of the discounts that we offer, the shipping costs to the UK to send a Neytiri Statue, item 300031, cost $70.31. As a courtesy Sideshow only charges $28.74 to the customer, and we cover the rest of the shipping cost in an effort to help with the inevitable charged duties and taxes. We also include a $25 gift code into your promotional wallet as well as offer Reward Points for every item purchased through us



We find that with these added benefits as well as our 30 return policy help make up for the increased taxes that are being enforced by your government. We of course appreciate your loyalty and your past patronage. We hope to continue to offer you all the assistance you need in the future.



I thank you for your understanding. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

Best Regards,

Michael Tolentino
Customer Service Manager

Then SS popped in to answer the query directly, see post 118:

Greetings from across the pond!

I would like to confirm that we have been advised from many customs offices around the world that the Harmonized code that we had been using up until recently will no longer be accepted. We apologize for the added cost this will add to our international orders, but unfortunately we have to comply when shipping internationally.

We are still discounting ALL our international shipments by an average of 40-50% and we are still sending gift codes directly to your promotional wallets (if you do not receive them, please let us know) and we are still offering 5% cash back with our Reward Points Program.

We know that times are hard and we apologize if this news has come as a surprise. For more information regarding the duties and customs charges, please follow the provided link: https://www.sideshowtoy.com/helpdesk/?p=95

No, not legal

Lowering the value on the customs declarations forms is indeed illegal.
x

 

[Python]

Need to pay for their expenses fiddling somehow....

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

Spoke with fedex to get an estimate of my Cyborg Darth Maul PF charges.

The way it works for me is 20% of the total cost of the item (statue and shipping) and a £10 fedex charge.

This is for statues, the women told me that for statues there is no Duty charge, i asked her about 12 inch figures and she said there is a duty charge for items over £130 but i would have to contact customs for the amount on figures, if any.

So i've added up the total customs and fedex prices for items pre-ordered bewteen now and October and it works out to anout £242 in total. Tjis is without Duty charges as its too late to contact them now.

 

[microdragon]

the duty should be 5% and 20% vat.

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

i just checked my Iron Man MK Vi from SSC, i paid £36.26, that's £26.46 Customs and £10 fedex

On the back of the SSC invoice it states, "harmonized code 9503 00 000"

It states Item Value 214.99 i assume $ as this is the items price without shipping from SSC.

it States customs value: £132..33.

if i use a currency converter with USD "Item Value" & GBP "Customs value" it matches cost..

if i calculate the Customs Value at 20% VAT i get = 26.46 which is the customs charge for this order.

So it seems i'm getting charged for the items value but not the shipping, which is good as i though i was.

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

the duty should be 5% and 20% vat.

my Mark VI Iron Man above had a Customs Value of 132.33, yet on the fedex invoice i was charged the EU VAT of 20% and the £10 fedex charge, there was no mention of Duty or any additional charge.

Could it have to do with the Harmonized code or the Tax Type B00 or MOP "F"?

Curiously the £10 Fedex Charge is listed as "Clearance Administration Charge Variable at 0%"

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

it looks like for Colossus and Kratos this year i was charged 5% under the "A" coding as Art.

i rang up about Darth Maul and inquired about this, she said no cos it's only for one-of-akind art, yet these two had it so i'm betting that when the invoice arrives it'll be at 5%.

EDIT: the invoice i got with the Premium Format states, Harmonized Code; B 9503 00 000, Models for Entratainment made of Polystone "For Adult Collectors Only"

The Comiquette and Maquette states: Harmonized Code 9703 00 0000 Original Collector's Sculptures ans Statuary, in any Material.

So i dont know why this is labelled so differently and will be taxed at 20% while the Comiquettes i got weren't


EDIT 2: i spoke with SSC and the lady had no idea about harmonizing codes, i tried to explain that they identify the type of product and wanted to know why the same type of product was listed as the same identifying code of a 12 inch figure when it is a statue the same material as colosssus





I also sent this to better explain the difference...

"I spoke with a customer service agent about the following problem, however she didn't know about the subject and informed me she would find out and contact me, however i think it's best to explain the problem in writing to better get across the issue.

I have been reviewing my Sideshow invoices and FedEx invoices to better calculate the customs VAT cost of my current pre-orders.

I received yesterday the Cyborg Darth Maul Premium Format Statue (Order: TB86751), and noticed something wrong on the invoice provided on the box by Sideshow.

The invoice i got with the Premium Format states, Harmonized Code; B 9503 00 000, Models for Entertainment made of Polystone "For Adult Collectors Only"

i noticed this Code and description was different to the last two statues i received.

The Invoice of my Colossus Comiquette (Order: TB93135) states: Harmonized Code 9703 00 0000 Original Collector's Sculptures ans Statuary, in any Material.

The harmonized Code for these two statue are different 9503 and 9703, i noted that the Harmonized code for 12-inch figures i have received from Sideshow use the same code as the Darth Maul Statue 9503.

The reason i am very concerned about this is that here in the UK i get charged 20% VAT on 12-inch figures being Imported, but for the Colossus Statue and Kratos statue (using the 9703 code) i am charged 5% VAT as they were labeled with the code and description "Sculptures and Statuary", under UK law Stautes and other Art is charge less Tax than 12 Inch figures so this difference in codes and description makes quite a difference.

The Darth Maul PF is a Statue made of Polystone so i cannot understand why the harmonized code for 12 inch figures was used instead of the same code as Colossus and Kratos Statues, this mere code and label change will result in me having to pay Customs est $50.82 more than i did for Colossus and Kratos statues.

I understand that Sideshow has no control over customs charges, but in this case Sideshow has declared the Statue as a Figure on the Sideshow invoice that Customs bases its charges on, and the result will cost me greatly more than it did for previous statues.

Please look into this and issue me with a new revised invoice with the correct identifying Harmonized code and description of the item as a Statue"

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

Got this from SSC...

"Thank you for your email and for your interest in Sideshow Collectibles.
_
I apologize for any confusion regarding the recent changes of the harmonized codes that we have used. Unfortunately we have recently been informed from various customs agents that the previous code that we were classifying our items with would no longer be acceptable. In order to comply with these requirements we have updated the harmonized code that we put on all our customs paper work. These new codes will be used on all future outgoing orders."

Thise means that the Beast Comiquette will be charged 20% VAT instead of the 5% that colossus was.

This is another slap in the face of Non-US customers, they so reduce delivery but the price hikes back up again because of this.

 

[Python]

We all knew that anyway but it still sucks monkey balls.... i just cant get over the fact we pay 20% vat on the shipping and customs charges also.

 

[microdragon]

For the EXs, you still get them from SSC, but for regulars it's much cheaper to get them from local.

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

For the EXs, you still get them from SSC, but for regulars it's much cheaper to get them from local.

which retailer?

i checked forbiddenplanet and Angel is £283 with delivery and SSC is £250 with shipping & customs

 

[Python]

which retailer?

i checked forbiddenplanet and Angel is £283 with delivery and SSC is £250 with shipping & customs

Some items work out cheaper, others not so much, also check Play.com, FP.com and FP.co.uk regularly as prices vary a great deal and have been rather high lately. That said, lets use the Predator LSB for example, i have the EX on order direct which (assuming $30 for shipping) will come to about £304.60 including vat and customs charges...

Direct £304.60
Play.com £349.99
FP.com £299.99
FP.co.uk N/A

For the sake of £5 i decided a direct order would be fine to get the ex, although the reg will probably come down in price at a later date due to the massive number being produced! Its just a case of checking all sites regularly, the Non refundable deposite through a massive spanner in the works though... Sideshow knew exactly what they were doing by introducing that...

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

Some items work out cheaper, others not so much, also check Play.com, FP.com and FP.co.uk regularly as prices vary a great deal and have been rather high lately. That said, lets use the Predator LSB for example, i have the EX on order direct which (assuming $30 for shipping) will come to about £304.60 including vat and customs charges...

Direct £304.60
Play.com £349.99
FP.com £309.99
FP.co.uk N/A

For the sake of £5 i decided a direct order would be fine to get the ex, although the reg will probably come down in price at a later date due to the massive number being produced! Its just a case of checking all sites regularly, the Non refundable deposite through a massive spanner in the works though... Sideshow knew exactly what they were doing by introducing that...

you forgot delivery charges on FP.com


i've got HT Baby Doll on order at FP.com for £145, its about £152 on SSC, saves a little, not much but if ordering many it adds up.

for statues there can be a big difference on some, yet with play.com nightcrawler is now cheaper than SSC but was much more expensive when first released.

getting tha good deal on play means waiting for the sale, and thats risky as it might sell out/


i've had to cut back to four items per QTR, which i hate right now with everything being announced, i cant wait for the 1st QTR ordering to begin.