Anyone With Experience Of Shipping / Posting Goods To The Uk (Namely Customs And Excise)?

[tlusername]

I am contemplating shipping / mailing around 50 items of clothing to sell in the UK which will be manufactured by some relatives in Thailand. I have so far found out that I will need a bill of laden, commercial invoice and a packing list and I have the marketing side worked out and where to sell. The part where I am totally green is what method of delivery to use and how that will interface with customs and excise.

Obviously the cheaper the better, but from what I have so far worked out it will need to be a company that can handle the documentation needed by HM customs and excise, so we have the likes of DHL etc, but they are quite pricey and when factored in with the VAT it will take a fair sized bite out of the profit.

I also don't want to bulk / buy / import as initially we only want to do a test run with 50 so we can see how things work out without losing to much cash.

Anyone have any experience in this area? If so and you could share with me a company recommendation and how the import documentation and tax costs are worked out it would be very much appreciated. I have been on the HM customs website and lost the will to live trying to work out what was required of me.

Thanks!

[raro]

you will also need a Certificate of Origin to bring garments into the EU. If your relatives make the clothes, I doubt it is possible as they might not be member of the Thai Chamber of Commerce...

[tlusername]

you will also need a Certificate of Origin to bring garments into the EU. If your relatives make the clothes, I doubt it is possible as they might not be member of the Thai Chamber of Commerce...

Hi Raro,

Does one need to be sourced for every delivery or is it a one time issue valid for a period of time?

Are they difficult to get and any tips on how one goes about this?

Thanks

Edited December 29, 2010 by tlusername

[TravelerEastWest]

If you are looking to keep costs low and paperwork simple to test your plan:

Break the 50 items up into packages of less than 2 kilos

Mail them to the UK using airmail small packet rate via registered airmail. The registered cost is exactly 55 baht. The small packet rate will be around 300 baht plus minus a bit. allow one to three weeks and a signature will be required for delivery.

Mark the customs form which you glue to the box with the true Thai value and a general description.

You will most likely not have any duty or VAT to pay

No certificate of origin needed. No invoice, no paperwork other than the customs form.

If you use UPS you will need roughly 3 copies of a commercial invoice they can give you a template example via email. One copy of country of origin form which you will sign yourself. Again UPS will give you a template.

For small amounts the above will work fine. I just sent some silk fabric to the UK via UPS so the forms are fresh in my mind. It is possible that finished clothes might need an extra form or two. Simply call UPS in Bangkok their rates are high but they will help you understand the forms needed.

Keep in mind using the mail is the way to go to test small amounts.

[raro]

you will also need a Certificate of Origin to bring garments into the EU. If your relatives make the clothes, I doubt it is possible as they might not be member of the Thai Chamber of Commerce...

Hi Raro,

Does one need to be sourced for every delivery or is it a one time issue valid for a period of time?

Are they difficult to get and any tips on how one goes about this?

Thanks

Sorry for the late reply...I had a bit of a month....

Yep, you would need this document for each individual shipment.