Customs charges?? Which US online shops if any??

What online shops/ ebay shops do you have to pay for customs with?

I was just wondering cause i'll be a bit put off if I have to pay for customs charges...

Do all shops in the US charge customs on arrival??


P.S sorry for the dodgey placement in the forum... i couldnt decide on what category to put it in.

It is not really to do with the Shop it self, but the item, you will have to pay VAT on items imported if above £18.

Some ebay sellers may be prepared to 'mark down' a value to below that threshold, or declare it a 'gift' which should help avoid charges, WindyCityWholesale would be an example. I am sure there are other sellers who will assist but many will declare the full value as it is obviosuly tied into the amount the package is insured for.

However, Customs over here are free to check an item out and if they believe it has been falsely declared you will still have to pay, or possibly lose the item (I think).

For the most part the Charges are paid on arrival but somewhere like FansEdge or Amazon.com you can pay all taxes in advance which can save a few pound as you avoid any 'Handling' charge by the delivery company.

Unfortunately if you are importing Customs is just one of things you will have to accept, last week I had to pay £19 to release my Lawrence Taylor M&N jersey (£11 VAT and £8 handling) which I wasnt happy about, but once I got the Jersey, all was forgotten

Pretty much anything over the £18 from a company will get stopped by customs. The official-looking packaging will grab their attention. Also since the shop will include a receipt for you, there's no way of marking down the price.

Getting things from ebay sellers is a bit easier as they can take all the tags off, put it in boring brown box and call it a £5 t-shirt on the label and customs will be none the wiser.