hobby link japan

Hi
was looking at the 1/12th scale cars they have works out @£100 inc delivery... my Q is do i have to pay duty or anything like that? have never ordered anything from abroad before is there any catches etc?
are these people ok to deal with?

regards

dave.c

Hi
was looking at the 1/12th scale cars they have works out @£100 inc delivery... my Q is do i have to pay duty or anything like that? have never ordered anything from abroad before is there any catches etc?
are these people ok to deal with?

regards

dave.c

There is only two 1:12 kits I would ever want to buy, the MP4/6 and Ferrari 190. Both are on HLJ website but I would never order them as I KNOW the customs man, and his TAX of death stamp will want his cut, plus the post office charges etc.

This will be -

* Customs duty - if the amount of duty is £7 and over and
* Import VAT - if the value of the goods is £18 and over.

Toys and games are what model kits are classed as, this will be 0.47% + S class import tax at 17.5%. Therefore £100 with taxes and import, and you WILL be charged this, will be around £11 for the postal collection charges, .47% of the goods total (Very low) but a nice fat £17.50 for the tax man. Could end up costing you around £30 more to get the goods into the UK.

Be careful..!! I looked into this, and decided against it. I can never get the 1:12 kits I want in the UK at a good price, an I would prefer to go without then give the tax man anymore of my money..!!

I don't think they charge tax for the postage charge, so if there is £30 worth of shipping, this will ease the costs a little.

thanks for the advice i thought there may be a catch...
BTW i am very pleased with the honda you sold me ...

cheers

dave.c

thanks for the advice i thought there may be a catch...
BTW i am very pleased with the honda you sold me ...

cheers

dave.c

Your welcome. Have fun building it, read the FAQ on here.. Lots of useful information... Loads of great how to's. you will learn lots hanging out here.. Great place for model car builders..

Oh, and HLJ are fine to order from, just keep the orders small, as I got stung not long ago for import tax, and the post office takes their cut as well.. Starts to work out more if the taxman takes a fancy at your goods..!!

I have ordered 2 1/12th Skylines in the past from HLJ. As they came in pretty big boxes, it must've caught the attention of the taxman who rubbed his hands together with glee :evillol: and I was charged tax and handling charges. Also as it was delivered by Parcel Force, I had to pay at the door! :mad:

However, they are great kits!! :naughty:

I have 2 1/12 kit.

1. Tamiya Porsche 935. Got it from scaleracecars.com and asked to declare a lower value. So I paid a bit customs fees, but not much. Nice kit for the price !

2. Caterham Seven JPE!!! Damn this kit is hot. got it from ebay at the incredible price of 170$ (this kit retail for 333$us) Asked the seller to declare a lower value and got it with minimal custom fees.

HLJ don't declare lower value, so you are screwed. Raibow10 does declare lower value. you should look at them and save few buck

I have 2 1/12 kit.

1. Tamiya Porsche 935. Got it from scaleracecars.com and asked to declare a lower value. So I paid a bit customs fees, but not much. Nice kit for the price !

2. Caterham Seven JPE!!! Damn this kit is hot. got it from ebay at the incredible price of 170$ (this kit retail for 333$us) Asked the seller to declare a lower value and got it with minimal custom fees.

HLJ don't declare lower value, so you are screwed. Raibow10 does declare lower value. you should look at them and save few buck

The problem with that is in the UK, HM Customs and Excise will open the package if they suspect it might be worth more, they are allowed to inspect any package they feel like, even more so in the threat of national security, as UK laws are changing at the moment in the wake of terrorism. And if the goods are marked down, or marked as gift, and they find out otherwise, the importer can be prosecuted - NOT the exporter as this would involve extraditing the seller into the UK, as UK law has no power for overseas sellers unless it’s trafficking, or smuggling and this would involve secret services and Interpol where they WILL have full corporation of any governing bodies national security force, but they have full legal rights once inland and in the UK on UK shores. Hence why the importer is legally binding to ensure all packages heading to them from overseas is legally declared. A fact MANY Internet shoppers when buying overseas clearly forget.

They can even take the goods as the matter goes to court and the buyer /importer pays all legal bills as deemed by the CPS and even after this, you might NEVER see the goods, depends how the hearing went and what ruled in what favour. The UK is the WORSE place in the world at times for the heavy handed greedy little taxman, reasons why I tend not to buy large items from overseas.

If he orders from HLJ it will be perfectly legal as the package will be correctly marked and exported legally with no risk, but will be taxed, if he orders from somewhere where they might mark the goods down, it’s a risk HE will have to take. He might loose the goods or even face prosecution, and for a measly 1:12 model kit, I would either go without or pay the import duties.

If this was a private ebay sale, it could easily be marked as a gift, but HLJ will include an invoice. Not so easy to hide the true value.. I’ve ran the risk once with a seller on here with some model kits, but TBH the cost was $60, and this in the UK in pounds sterling was around £30. 9 out of 10 times HM customs will ignore this, perhaps open the package if they feel like it, but x-ray will show it was perfectly harmless and it went through without even a stamp on it..

His best bet is to keep looking on ebay TBH. 1:12 kits come up all the time there.

this forum is amazing my eyes are sore from reading it and looking at the build pics and topics.. i had the pleasure of seeing mickbench's models in the flesh and the subaru he has done looks just like the one in the tamiya book..great stuff on here and some very talented model makers

dave

I'd say if you want to buy 1:12 kits, buy from a reputable dealer in Hong Kong on Ebay, that way they will make as a GIFT at low valve and HK prices now cheaper that Japan for Kits.
There is loads of 1:12 F1 kits on Ebay every week within the UK.
The way I look at it having bought 3 off 1:12 Skylines is I can't get them in the UK at all, so include the Tax and VAT etc to your price before buying and you can only be susprised when you get away with it :)

I'd say if you want to buy 1:12 kits, buy from a reputable dealer in Hong Kong on Ebay, that way they will make as a GIFT at low valve and HK prices now cheaper that Japan for Kits.
There is loads of 1:12 F1 kits on Ebay every week within the UK.
The way I look at it having bought 3 off 1:12 Skylines is I can't get them in the UK at all, so include the Tax and VAT etc to your price before buying and you can only be susprised when you get away with it :)

Agreed..!! In accordance with UK law, gifts are taxed at higher values, and I would look for a seller from HK under the name of Tomchina. He sells many Tamiya F1 kits and has some 1:12 kits as well. If you send him a message he can also sometimes find you a kit. A very trustworthy ebay seller, and his prices are priced as US $, and when put against the strong pound, he works out cheaply. The FW13B..?? 1:12 is currently on there, priced at £58 I think after currency conversion. Not a bad deal, as this is a £110 kit.. A very NICE kit it is too..!! Not as nice as the MP4/6 or the 190..!! Classic F1 kits..