Taiwangun Shipping Disruption (Brexit Related Content)

[Piman]

I have spent more than I should on Airsoft and the significant majority of this has been in the UK. I have only really gone overseas when I can't get what I wanted in the UK (and that includes most of this order from Taiwangun). UK stock is very hit or miss and that is especially so right now where it seems many products are out of stock.

James

 

[Speedbird_666]

I've never bought from a store it's always been online - I feel shaken by these new charges to the point where I can't validate paying that much for what is essentially shipping. I'm in a bit of a conundrum personally about carrying on (maybe this is because I'm as we all are starved of a game day) but yea I'm upset by this and dont fancy paying UK prices. 

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That's fair enough. But it seems the days of cheap guns from Poland have gone. I've been buying guns in the various sales over the last year from UK stores, there were many bargains to be had. Not TaiwanGun cheap, but still significantly better than normal UK retail.

I have spent more than I should on Airsoft and the significant majority of this has been in the UK. I have only really gone overseas when I can't get what I wanted in the UK (and that includes most of this order from Taiwangun). UK stock is very hit or miss and that is especially so right now where it seems many products are out of stock.

James

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May I ask, how much was your order total? I'm trying to wrap my head around the 'Government Charges' bit and see if roughly correlates with Import Duty and VAT.

 

[Neptune]

Well UPS have charged me £32.11 in  brokerage fees on top of 'government charges'.

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What was the original order total?

 

[Lozart]

Well UPS have charged me £32.11 in  brokerage fees on top of 'government charges'. Absolutely disgraceful. Was expecting the usual £12. The 'government charges' are not what I expected but it did say these are subject to change. The delivery has not yet left Poland so I wait to see what actually happens when it arrives.

James

Actually, looking at the invoice I have a horrible feeling that I have yet to be charged VAT and duty for the UK. In which case I have no ideas why there are these charges.

View attachment 69278

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No, the "government charges" are your VAT and Duty. Those brokerage charges are steep, but it's one of the things UPS are known for. The fact that they've shown an exchange rate calculation at the bottom of the invoice suggests that the PLZ to GBP rate has shafted you a bit too. What did you buy? That will affect the duty rate.

 

[Piman]

Well that's just it. For VAT and duty it seems low and given there is a line specifically for VAT that is zero worries me that that has yet to come. It was just under 800.

James

 

[ak2m4]

800GBP?  Do you have a screenshot of the actual invoice?  Interesting to see.

Very strange, "government charges" can't be VAT and Duty, too low.  VAT alone would be £160.  

 

[Lozart]

Well that's just it. For VAT and duty it seems low and given there is a line specifically for VAT that is zero worries me that that has yet to come. It was just under 800.

James

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For some reason I thought you were the guy that was looking at a £200 order! Yeah, that looks too low.

 

[Piman]

I have a pdf of the invoice they sent to me and it is for the correct amount. As far as details from UPS the attachment above is all I am getting in relation to the charges.

Shortly after paying I have received an e-mail from UPS with the following statement.

" you have a shipment coming, and we have received your payment of import fees. No further action is required on your part."

I am not sure how much I believe that. The current tracking shows delivery is due this Thursday although the latest status is:

"Your parcel is delayed due to a Brexit related disruption. We are adjusting delivery plans as quickly as possible."

However  it has stated that several times during it's journey. I will update all once I receive it.

James

 

[Tommikka]

It depends on how strict they are on the definition of ‘brokerage’ on the form.

Brokerage could cover other elements of handling an import, either specialized services for large shipments or the handling fees we would normally expect.

https://www.ups.com/gb/en/shipping/zones-and-rates/additional.page

Ideally that’s all you’re going to end up paying.

£90 would be the VAT on a £450 purchase

Duty could be £0 depending on the item category

Carrier handling fees can vary and may be a percentage of the value when thresholds are crossed

 

[kasaran]

£90 for just shy of 800 isnt horribly high? suspiciously low.  but if thats the case then my wishlist from TG isnt dead yet xD (mine would total around 400 to 500 before tax etc)

 

[Piman]

£90 for just shy of 800 isnt horribly high? suspiciously low.  but if thats the case then my wishlist from TG isnt dead yet xD (mine would total around 400 to 500 before tax etc)

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I would be cautious about that. Either they have made a mistake or I am getting another large bill on arrival into the UK.

James

 

[GothicGhost]

Not airsoft but I order some flight sim stuff from the Netherlands  in January for £170 and I never got any fees from UPS or customs vat and duty.

And it had the invoice and order total on the box so customs could see it easy.

 

[ak2m4]

Not airsoft but I order some flight sim stuff from the Netherlands  in January for £170 and I never got any fees from UPS or customs vat and duty.

And it had the invoice and order total on the box so customs could see it easy.

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Were you charged any local VAT? 

I suspect just like when you order from HK, that due to the amount of parcels coming in not all get stopped.  This is especially true when going through the national carriers like Royal Mail / Parcel Force / EMS

 

[Piman]

Not airsoft but I order some flight sim stuff from the Netherlands  in January for £170 and I never got any fees from UPS or customs vat and duty.

And it had the invoice and order total on the box so customs could see it easy.

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I suspect there is a lot of room for errors at the moment in the current Brexit/Covid chaos. I suspect this was missed as they try to work through the back log. 

 

[EvilMonkee]

My Gunfire Order from the 9th has only just hit the UK - my mates arrived a few days ago and he didnt get hit with VAT at all so we will see what happens.  Could be that they are just so swamped at the moment.

 

[Tommikka]

Not airsoft but I order some flight sim stuff from the Netherlands  in January for £170 and I never got any fees from UPS or customs vat and duty.

And it had the invoice and order total on the box so customs could see it easy.

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Over £135, so ought to have been picked up on entry

It’s either managed to get through due to the quantity going through, or there are a couple of companies who have retrospectively charged after delivery in the past 

 

[RebelScum]

OK.  So on a TG order of £193.32 (including £9.69 postage), I've just been advised that the import charges are as follows:

NOTE: the total value used for calculation of all Duty-based fees is 0.00.

Government Charges: 47.09

Brokerage Charges: 11.50

Freight Charges: 0.00

VAT: 0.00

Given UPS haven't filled in the VAT total and have zero-rated the duty, I would still hazard a guess that the £47.09 includes VAT and duty.  The UPS handling charge is £11.50, on par with what Parcelforce tend charge on import.  

I honestly think this is pretty much on par with what was expected, as I was looking at about £40 in VAT and under £10 on duty (despite what the UPS receipt says).  The handling fee is ridiculous, but I've been paying that on imports from the US for years, so again was expected.

Overall, it is probably marginal in terms of whether any additional costs have been incurred.  If you meet the minimum spend, it seems about the same, and still cheaper for me than getting the kit/RIF in the UK.

 

[Piman]

Has your shipment arrived yet?

Mine was originally due yesterday but they are quoting 'Brexit' delays at the moment and have not updated the estimated delivery time. It is still in Poland at the moment.

Interesting how my order had 3 times the brokerage charge. I guess they decide to rip me off for more money as it was a larger order even though the effort for them is the same. That's disgraceful.

I also note (sucker that I am), having placed another order with Taiwangun, that their shipping cost has gone up 50%.

James

 

[Lozart]

Has your shipment arrived yet?

Mine was originally due yesterday but they are quoting 'Brexit' delays at the moment and have not updated the estimated delivery time. It is still in Poland at the moment.

Interesting how my order had 3 times the brokerage charge. I guess they decide to rip me off for more money as it was a larger order even though the effort for them is the same. That's disgraceful.

James

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It entirely depends on what it says on the CN22 customs declaration. Your order was a lot larger so I would expect higher charges but you've not said what it was or what was on the CN22.

 

[Piman]

I expect higher charges in regards to duty and tax but not handling fees. I do not know what is on the CN22 but the shipment included many spares and parts as well as guns. However things are not looking good as the shipping has update to:

"UPS is holding the cargo at a secure facility, pending instructions and agreement."

I suspect paperwork issues.

James