Can someone help me with a US to UK package issue, please?

[Threehearts]

I realize that this might not be the right place for this question, but I could really use some advice from a UK resident.

My daughter is entering her second year of a 3 year year university program. She lives alone full-time in an apartment in Manchester. When she lived far away from me in the US, I used to send her care packages and little surprises and it would cheer her up to no end as she was in university and feeling very lonely.

Since she moved to England I have sent her 2 packages and she has asked me not to send more. She is being charged a lot of duty and she has to go to a location not near her to sign customs forms and pay. The problem is that she is on a strict budget and the duty tax is quite high (ex: the duty cost more than the value of the boxed candy that I sent her).

Perhaps a UK citizen living in the US could advise me on how I might pre-pay any customs/duty taxes so that my daughter doesn't have that financial burden. I really miss sending her little things.

Thank you in advance!

 

[Woodview]

Your best bet is to Transfer Money to her Bank A/c

Then she can by various other types of candy from Europe & try them instead

 

[Threehearts]

Your best bet is to Transfer Money to her Bank A/c

Then she can by various other types of candy from Europe & try them instead

I'm not sure that a package containing some cosmetics, a new shirt and some letters from relatives will be quite the same as putting money into her checking account.

I appreciate your thoughtful answer.

When we lived in Europe, we learned the language of that country(my husband grew up there) and ate lots of local sweets so she is all set on that. My daughter has a disability and I was just looking for a way to send her some things from home. Surely, that is not abandoning the country she is currently living in or forgoing immersing herself in the local culture.

 

[nursejackie]

I lived in Australia for 3 years (originally from UK) and my mum used to send me little parcels, I loved them. Once she sent me Marks & Spencer crisps, which arrived as crumbs, but I still ate them. Another time it was Thornton's chocolates for Easter, but they had melted in the aussie heat then reformed as one big chocolate blob in the corner of the box.

Anyway, I didn't have to pay any extra duty in Australia, and so you got me thinking as I used to send gifts home to my nephew but my sister says she didn't have to pay any duty on the gifts that arrived from Australia, so I was surprised to read your post. It's nice to receive items from home, but maybe you could order gifts from a UK website and have them delivered to her, without paying duty? Not the same I know, but at least she would still be receiving surprise parcels from loved ones.

I grew up in Manchester, but now live about 25 miles away, I hope she is enjoying her time there

 

[mikalkwin]

I'm not sure that a package containing some cosmetics, a new shirt and some letters from relatives will be quite the same as putting money into her checking account.

I appreciate your thoughtful answer.

When we lived in Europe, we learned the language of that country(my husband grew up there) and ate lots of local sweets so she is all set on that. My daughter has a disability and I was just looking for a way to send her some things from home. Surely, that is not abandoning the country she is currently living in or forgoing immersing herself in the local culture.

I believe what was meant by OP is to send her money to pay duty/taxes. Not to replace the package. You could also check UK online stores. Most of US products are also sold online this side of the Atlantic. It would of course be more expensive than at your local store but if you add postage and duty, maybe not.

 

[Threehearts]

Thank you for your kind and thoughtful messages.

My last attempt was to send a gift card from Marks and Spencer. I got all the way to the final checkout and the order was rejected because I don't have a UK phone number. I am able to order some items from Amazon UK and they will charge me the duty but I was hoping to send some personal items as well as some her things from storage that she requested.

I just had items from Harrods sent to my home in the US with no duty on my end so it is evidently a US to UK issue. I also received many packages from the US to northern Europe when we lived there and didn't pay duty when picking up those packages.

I will keep exploring options. I very much appreciate your response. My daughter works in Disaster Relief and is very much enjoying her university program and the many people who have welcomed her to Manchester.

 

[Threehearts]

As far as sending her money to pay duty- of course I do that. For some reason, in order to pay the duty, she has to take a train and then a bus to a central mailing facility to sign off and pay the tax. I was hoping for an arrangement where I could prepay and then the box would be delivered to her apartment without any further actions.

My central post office manager said that it is not possible for me to pay duty/taxes in the US for a package arriving in the UK.

 

[McCrae]

I'm not sure that a package containing some cosmetics, a new shirt and some letters from relatives will be quite the same as putting money into her checking account.

I appreciate your thoughtful answer.

When we lived in Europe, we learned the language of that country(my husband grew up there) and ate lots of local sweets so she is all set on that. My daughter has a disability and I was just looking for a way to send her some things from home. Surely, that is not abandoning the country she is currently living in or forgoing immersing herself in the local culture.

If you are buying goods from a large international company you good buy any good from their U.K. website.

 

[DisneySwede]

When you send gifts to someone in the UK you may need to pay Import VAT and Customs Duty depending on the value of the items.

For goods to qualify as a gift the:

• customs declaration must be complete
• gift must be sent from a private person outside the UK to a private person or people in the UK
• gift has not been paid for either directly or indirectly by anyone in the UK
• gift is of an occasional nature only, for example, for a birthday, Christmas or anniversary

Gifts over £39 are liable to Import VAT. Customs Duty also becomes payable if the value of the goods is over £135.

If you purchase something from outside of the UK to give as a gift to a relative or friend, whether or not it is addressed to that person, it will not be treated as a gift.

This tend to be a problem for us in Sweden so I can give advice that works here is that make sure it is clearly marked as a gift, that it is marked as being worth under £39 pounds and unwritten rules here is that it helps when you handwrite/address the package and if you share the same last name to make that clear on the package.

 

[Threehearts]

Thank you, DisneySwede. That's incredibly helpful information. I love your DIS name. I lived in Gamla Stan for 3 years with my Swedish husband and consider that time one of the highlights of my life.

My mother-in-law spoke no English and I spoke no Swedish. She was the most wonderful person ever as was my extended family. I went every day to Swedish classes at university until I could speak the language fluently. She did the same, only english.

I used to receive a lot of packages from the US in Stockholm and I just don't remember paying the VAT. I am going to try your tips and hopefully things will work out.

Tack så mycket!

Susan

 

[cheryl.UK]

As the other posters have noted, having things sent from the US can be expensive. If it's under £39 it's also a good idea to list what's in it. My niece lived in the US and would send me gifts but she always did this and I never had an issue. She may still have to go somewhere far away to collect it however as they may take it back to the depot if she's not in when they deliver it.

 

[Threehearts]

Thank you, Cheryl.