For those of you that are unaware, should you purchase anything from outside the EU it may be liable to either Import Duty, Excise Duty and or VAT,unfortunately these are charges are unavoidable if the value of the item/s is over 18. More interesting is the highly contentious administration fees that courier firms will charge, supposedly for clearing your items through customs, just another way for these large companies to add to their bottom line, as far as I am concerned.
Last year I had an item delivered via one of these global courier firms, a few days later I found out I'd actually had an account with them (not), yes this was the dreaded invoice for Import/Excise Duty and VAT and all the documentation to go with it, including a 4 administration fee. Deciding I'd already paid enough I put it to one side, then came the reminder and then a letter from a collection agency. I did eventually pay this invoice, but minus the administration fee, heard nothing since.
Most recently I received a letter from Parcelforce informing me that they were holding a parcel for me awaiting payment of charges raised by HM Revenue
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