"TROLL & TOAD (US) - international mail service" Topic

Hi all,

From here in the UK I have been regularly ordering stuff from Troll & Toad's website in the US. Surface mail is very cheap indeed, and the packages arrive within a fortnight. I have been super-impressed with their service (and have told them so).

Because I don't want to have to pay UK VAT (value added tax = 20% of the imported goods value, excluding postage, plus a hefty handling fee!) I have been scrupulously keeping my orders under £15.00 GBP in value (the level at which VAT kicks in on imports from outside the EU). But I notice that, contrary to my previous experience with buying stuff from the US, Troll and Toad's packages do not bear US customs declaration forms (which indicate goods value and origin, etc.) and that they arrive at my address via Belgium.

Is this now a common method of sending international mail to the UK from the US? And more importantly, does this postal route somehow obviate the need to pay UK VAT on imported goods?

In short, should I continue to keep my Troll & Toad orders under £15.00 GBP or is there simply no need?

Any advice here would be enormously appreciated – many thanks in advance.

Cheers,
Redcoat

Is this now a common method of sending international mail to the UK from the US?

- No.

And more importantly, does this postal route somehow obviate the need to pay UK VAT on imported goods?

- Yes and no – VAT is charged on entry into the EU, so they'd no longer be charged UK VAT, but would be liable for Belgian VAT instead (actually 1% higher than the UK.)

Really this is something that you need to ask the seller, though.

Dom.

In the USA there is an integrated label now which still prints the information on it (if it is done electronically) but it is one piece rather than a label and a separate customs label. If one goes to the counter to ship internationally they have to type it all in the system anyway so it is easier to do it online and affix the labels yourself.

The whole form looks like this now:

Image on the right

E-Customs Declaration and shipping info.

It makes things very easy