Urgent! Posting abroad, need help with customer request

[thesoapdragon]

Hi everyone! A customer has asked me to post an item which will end up weighing approx 3kg to her in Norway. She has asked that it be posted as a gift as she will not be able to afford the tax otherwise. I really don't want to miss out on this order but am not sure of the implications. Can I go ahead with her request? 

[FionaJMD]

Hmmm, I am not sure of the ramifications of this one.  You have to look at the bigger picture - is this something which she is selling on or is it for personal use?  By saying it is a gift, is there a maximum value assigned to something which is a gift?  If it was lost in the mail and you had put it as a gift which say had a maximum insurance cover of say £50 and the actually value was £200, all you would get is £50.

[scotserve]

One she is asking you to break the law whether anything would come of it is a different story, Fiona raises a good point regarding insurance but an even bigger problem is that just because you mark it as gift does not mean their customs won't assess and tax it anyway so what's she going to do then. The choice is yours but watch you don't set a precedent for your business

[thesoapdragon]

when i go to the Royal Mail pricefinder it just tells me the value global service for that weight will compensate me for up to £100. It doesnt ask me if I am sending a gift.

[FionaJMD]

I think when you take it to the post office, you may find you have a declaration form to complete which asks for the contents.  Sorry I haven't really sent anything abroad.

[thesoapdragon]

She tells me it is for gifts for her family. I take your point about law, am I breaking it or is she? Hmmm maybe what I should do is go to the PO and ask what the law is. I could really do with this sale, but don't want to break any laws!

[thesoapdragon]

I think when you take it to the post office, you may find you have a declaration form to complete which asks for the contents.  Sorry I haven't really sent anything abroad.

yeah, true - that's what she wants me to lie about I guess. Bum, I know I am going to have to say no 

[thesoapdragon]

Forgot to say thanks guys   

[scotserve]

Yes you have to fill in a customs declaration but is Norway not part of EU ? therefor there is no import duty to be paid - sounds as though she is trying to avoid VAT - before you say no do a check online for shipping to Norway

[PewDrop]

Firstly, on the customs form CN22, tell the truth...always.
If it's a 'gift' it means a gift from you, not the customer.
If you sign the form, it's you they will seek for monies.

Norway.. they are not in the EU, they treat customs duties and VAT as part of their GDP and are very keen to gather the duties and taxes for the benefit of their country.
They will almost certainly inspect your parcel manually and electronically, one of the toughest customs forces in the world.
However some items do get fast-tracked through.

I've sent many pewter products to Norway and none have attracted duties so far.

Some info here..
http://www.norway.no/oss/#tema11

[thesoapdragon]

Yes you have to fill in a customs declaration but is Norway not part of EU ? therefor there is no import duty to be paid - sounds as though she is trying to avoid VAT - before you say no do a check online for shipping to Norway

I checked and Norway is not part of EU, but they do have trade agreements, which would take me all day to wade through  .

I cut my losses and sent her a very nice message saying I had taken advice and did not want to break the law therefore could not do as she asked. I asked her to check if there is a value limit before tax is levied and if so I can send her parcels seperately (but not labelled gift). She would then have higher postage costs but she would then need to work out if this is cheaper than paying Norwegian customs tax. Breaks my heart if I miss out on the order but hey ho I can also do without the stress of worrying if it is legal.

I also looked back at some old comments of my friends  in another place and they say they always put gift eg when posting to america. 

[thesoapdragon]

Firstly, on the customs form CN22, tell the truth...always.
If it's a 'gift' it means a gift from you, not the customer.
If you sign the form, it's you they will seek for monies.

Norway.. they are not in the EU, they treat customs duties and VAT as part of their GDP and are very keen to gather the duties and taxes for the benefit of their country.
They will almost certainly inspect your parcel manually and electronically, one of the toughest customs forces in the world.
However some items do get fast-tracked through.

I've sent many pewter products to Norway and none have attracted duties so far.

Hi and thanks! That site was useful and told me that duty would be levied on goods worth over approx £22.00 (200 Norwegian Kronor) so she would have to pay tax on my parcel if she received it all in one go. Have already told her I won't break the law so it's down to her now.

Some info here..
http://www.norway.no/oss/#tema11

[thesoapdragon]

oops not sure what happened there! Will try again....
thanks for that site it was very useful and told me that goods over a value of £22 or 200 Norwegian kronor she would have to pay tax on. So she therefore would have to pay tax on my parcel if she got it all in one go. Have already told her I won't do it so it's up to her now.

[thesoapdragon]

Thanks again everyone, and sorry for glitches am not quite used to this format!