Import shocker.

Author
Discussion

Poshbury

Original Poster:

720 posts

126 months

Saturday 1st May 2021
quotequote all
I fancied buying a set of new fancy alloys for my Jag XFR a couple of weeks ago.
The price was £1,054 from the UK. I was gobsmacked when the Douanes charged me €652 import duties. Just how do these loons get their figures, that's more than 53% of the purchase price.

I queried it but got the usual shrug. At least they look good on the car.

Magooagain

10,784 posts

177 months

Saturday 1st May 2021
quotequote all
I'm shocked you didn't investigate how much the customs would charge before buying the wheels.

smifffymoto

4,771 posts

212 months

Saturday 1st May 2021
quotequote all
Germany and Spain are increasingly getting our money,shipping rates can be steep though.

Poshbury

Original Poster:

720 posts

126 months

Saturday 1st May 2021
quotequote all
Magooagain said:
I'm shocked you didn't investigate how much the customs would charge before buying the wheels.
As far as I was aware, it was 20% VAT & 10% import. Bizarre how they got to €652.
It would have been cheaper to drive over and get them fitted, nobody would have been the wiser.

Fast and Spurious

1,559 posts

95 months

Saturday 1st May 2021
quotequote all
You didn't get or ask for an itemised breakdown of the amount?

Poshbury

Original Poster:

720 posts

126 months

Saturday 1st May 2021
quotequote all
Fast and Spurious said:
You didn't get or ask for an itemised breakdown of the amount?
Yes, I asked the Douanes via email but they simply replied with the total amount due. I have already paid but have since had an invoice for the same amount stating the following;

Frais d'avance de fonds (cash advance fees) € 16.07
Droits de douane (tariffs) € 54.00
TVA douaniere sur merchandise (customs vat on goods) €307.00
Anti-dumping ( not a clue what that means) €269.00
Autres taxes de douanes (other taxes) € 1.00

I genuinely don't know how this is justified or worked out.

Rushjob

1,984 posts

265 months

Saturday 1st May 2021
quotequote all
Anti dumping - not heard of that before so...

From the Douanes website, anti dumping is.....

The purpose of anti-dumping and countervailing measures are intended to restore fair competition between products imported from third countries and products manufactured in the European Union (EU). The purpose is not to punish third-party imports or artificially increasing the cost of imported products, but to combat practices devoyed by the WTO. For this reason, these measures apply only to the imports of the countries from which the practices deemed unfair.

So its a not buying French tax - which is very French!!

Fast and Spurious

1,559 posts

95 months

Saturday 1st May 2021
quotequote all
Rushjob said:
Anti dumping - not heard of that before so...

From the Douanes website, anti dumping is.....

The purpose of anti-dumping and countervailing measures are intended to restore fair competition between products imported from third countries and products manufactured in the European Union (EU). The purpose is not to punish third-party imports or artificially increasing the cost of imported products, but to combat practices devoyed by the WTO. For this reason, these measures apply only to the imports of the countries from which the practices deemed unfair.

So its a not buying French tax - which is very French!!
The cheeky buggers!

Trevor555

4,504 posts

91 months

Saturday 1st May 2021
quotequote all
I'm in the UK and recently tried to buy some Skoda alloys from the Czech Republic.

They said they're not shipping to the UK at the moment as they don't know what's going on.

Does anyone know if extra charges like this are being slapped on coming into the UK for goods?

944 Man

1,814 posts

139 months

Saturday 1st May 2021
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A £250 fraudulent fleecing then?

Fatt McMissile

330 posts

140 months

Saturday 1st May 2021
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It would be interesting to know where the wheels were manufactured. There must be some indication on the packaging/labelling/wheels. OP?

leef44

4,758 posts

160 months

Saturday 1st May 2021
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I don't get this!

Anti-dumping rules came in to stop China making cheap solar panels as a loss leader to flood the market and kill the competition.

This import tax is stopping the EU from being competitive. Are they trying to screw themselves up just in case they come out of lockdown and haven't gone bankrupt yet???

alabbasi

2,697 posts

94 months

Saturday 1st May 2021
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Wow, who could have seen that coming?

neutral 3

6,504 posts

177 months

Saturday 1st May 2021
quotequote all
What a con !!

anonymous-user

61 months

Saturday 1st May 2021
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Leopardsatemyface

Fatt McMissile

330 posts

140 months

Sunday 2nd May 2021
quotequote all
leef44 said:
I don't get this!

Anti-dumping rules came in to stop China making cheap solar panels as a loss leader to flood the market and kill the competition.

This import tax is stopping the EU from being competitive. Are they trying to screw themselves up just in case they come out of lockdown and haven't gone bankrupt yet???
I'm not commenting on whether the anti dumping tax on the OP's wheels was correctly applied or not, if not there'll be a means to appeal the imposition,
but you'll have to have a pretty fancy argument to convince me that taxes on imported goods that are being dumped in your market in order to kill off your own industries are a bad thing.


Fatt McMissile

330 posts

140 months

Sunday 2nd May 2021
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bulldong said:
Leopardsatemyface
laugh

Poshbury

Original Poster:

720 posts

126 months

Sunday 2nd May 2021
quotequote all
Fatt McMissile said:
It would be interesting to know where the wheels were manufactured. There must be some indication on the packaging/labelling/wheels. OP?
They were manufactured in Taiwan.

Poshbury

Original Poster:

720 posts

126 months

Sunday 2nd May 2021
quotequote all
Fatt McMissile said:
I'm not commenting on whether the anti dumping tax on the OP's wheels was correctly applied or not, if not there'll be a means to appeal the imposition,
but you'll have to have a pretty fancy argument to convince me that taxes on imported goods that are being dumped in your market in order to kill off your own industries are a bad thing.
I wouldn't mind that if the French actually had an aftermarket alloy wheel industry, which they don't. In fact, modding cars is quite unusual here.

Rushjob

1,984 posts

265 months

Sunday 2nd May 2021
quotequote all
Poshbury said:
I wouldn't mind that if the French actually had an aftermarket alloy wheel industry, which they don't. In fact, modding cars is quite unusual here.
Borbet and Lenso spring to mind