hvstar.net ~ UK based question

I'm unsure where this thread is best placed, so I'll try here in Market Watch.

I'm based in the UK and looking to place an order with hvstar.net next week, I expect the order to be in the region of £120 to £150.

My question is for people who are based in the UK and who have ordered from hvstar.

Do hvstar.net mark the full price on the package when shipping?

I would just like to know if they do this as it will no doubt be stopped and slapped with the relevant charges when entering the country.

Thank You

They mark full price to cover the insured amount, you will most likely get hammered for vat and import duty.

Buying in the UK is now cheaper than buying in the states mor most things with the current exchange rate collapse.

Cheers gazcoyle,

That's a shame, I've taken a rough estimate that a £115 order will come in at around £150, if stopped by customs - I think I've slightly over estimated there to be on the safe side using nearly 7% Duty and a £10 handling fee.

It may work out better if I use somewhere like Warehouse Express.

Thank You.

I have ordered twice from hvstar at bargain prices for b+w filters. Each delivery was made within a week. Each was marked "gift". Oh, they also chucked in a handy card reader for free ...

My filter was also marked as 'gift'.

I know that I'm not UK, but they also marked my package as gift for the customs declaration to get into the States.

Marking an item as a gift makes no difference in the UK, unless the value is under some small value (£28 rings a bell, but that may be wrong). The only way to avoid paying the appropriate import duty and tax is either luck, or marking the value of the contents incorrectly.

I've never heard of them marking as full price. I asked this before I bought from them and everyone was saying that they mark the package as a gift and with a low value.

I ordered my stuff (about £80 worth) and sure enough it arrived marked as a gift and with a value of $19.00!

They use Hong Kong post and not an international carrier, so Customs don't delve into the packages in the same way that they do with parcels sent via UPS for example.

Mike

Thanks for the info all.

I actually ordered one through eBay which came to £130 with Special Delivery, but the info is good to know for future purchases.