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mikehibbett
Frequent Contributor
Username: mikehibbett
Post Number: 1099
Registered: 04-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, 07 February, 2010 - 10:58 pm: | 
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I'm curious about the delivery time, and what the customs charges come out at.
Mike |
phonoplug
Regular Contributor
Username: phonoplug
Post Number: 34
Registered: 08-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, 07 February, 2010 - 11:24 pm: |
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Yep, I order from then every couple of weeks. Normally if you order before midnight it arrives in the morning 2 days later, i.e. order tuesday night and thursday it arrives. If you order Friday, it normally arrives Monday. Pretty good really.
I use the standard (free if order is over £50) delivery by UPS. There is always VAT to pay - cheque to the UPS driver, which strangely always comes out at more than 17.5%, but the UPS handling charge is covered by Digikey. Oh and there is not any import duty to pay on electronic components.
If you want just a few things, I could add them to one of my orders if that helps. I'm VAT registered, so would invoice you with the correct VAT at 17.5%. Anyway, just an offer.
Incidentally, Mouser offer a very similar level of service, and again free delivery if over £50. I order from them quite often too. |
mikehibbett
Frequent Contributor
Username: mikehibbett
Post Number: 1100
Registered: 04-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, 07 February, 2010 - 11:35 pm: |
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Hum, it's that "paying the UPS driver" that I don't like, as I'm not at home when it arrives. That's pretty good service from the US though.
I've just checked and the UPS centre is 5 minutes from where I work - looks like I'll be ordering from Digikey in the future.
Thanks for the offer to help,
Mike. |
arw
Board Administrator
Username: arw
Post Number: 824
Registered: 04-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, 08 February, 2010 - 01:22 am: |
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The difference in payment mentioned above (between 17.5% VAT and the sum paid to UPS) is probably UPS's brokerage charge - which could be £7 - £11 or more per consignment. Covers their processing fees.
Alan Winstanley
Visit EPE Online at http://www.epemag3.com
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phonoplug
Regular Contributor
Username: phonoplug
Post Number: 35
Registered: 08-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, 08 February, 2010 - 09:15 am: |
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Alan,
No its not actually. UPS normally charge £11 for brokerage but this is covered by Digikey. I think its down to the VAT being an 'estimate', though when the invoice is in GBP anyway I'm not sure where the estimation comes in!
I'm expecting a delivery today so I'll post up the details when UPS arrives. |
phonoplug
Regular Contributor
Username: phonoplug
Post Number: 36
Registered: 08-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, 08 February, 2010 - 10:48 am: |
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Ok, I take it back. Charges on my delivery today were spot on at 17.5%. I'm sure thats not been the case in the past, though perhaps those were smaller orders. |
741
Frequent Contributor
Username: 741
Post Number: 131
Registered: 08-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, 08 February, 2010 - 12:25 pm: |
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May be worth looking at an earlier post of mine:
http://www.chatzones.co.uk/discus/messages/5557/6080.html |
mikehibbett
Frequent Contributor
Username: mikehibbett
Post Number: 1101
Registered: 04-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, 08 February, 2010 - 01:39 pm: |
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Hum, thanks for pointing that out Alan. I'll have a chat with my local UPS office to see if I can get the full picture from them. I may end up taking Phonoplugs offer - I'm only purchasing a few pounds worth of components!
Mike. |
phonoplug
Regular Contributor
Username: phonoplug
Post Number: 37
Registered: 08-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, 08 February, 2010 - 01:43 pm: |
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Sure Mike, thats no problem for me. |
arw
Board Administrator
Username: arw
Post Number: 825
Registered: 04-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, 08 February, 2010 - 03:58 pm: |
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Wonder if the prices differences are down to exchange rates? Do you order in GBP or US$ ?
Alan Winstanley
Visit EPE Online at http://www.epemag3.com
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phonoplug
Regular Contributor
Username: phonoplug
Post Number: 38
Registered: 08-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, 08 February, 2010 - 04:08 pm: |
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Alan,
I always order in GBP. If you order in USD you don't get free delivery 
Only time I have had to order in USD was ages ago and it was because the items I needed (Linear Tech) they were not allowed to sell into the UK, so ordered through their US site in USD and magic, they sold to me in the UK! |
kayjay
Valued Member
Username: kayjay
Post Number: 12
Registered: 10-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, 16 February, 2010 - 12:03 pm: |
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I've not used Digikey but if there's a postal option rather than UPS you'll find that orders under £38 won't attract VAT.
When goods go into Mount Pleasant for customs & excise examination they are assessed for duty, if it's a postal package they apply the correct rules of £38 for personal items and £19 for business, amounts under those are sent out without a charge. If the goods are sent by courier services, any of them, they are assessed with VAT from £0, therefore attract VAT on every single penny. I've no idea why this is but I always made sure that my orders were delivered by post, it takes maybe a week but a whole lot cheaper, my business wasn't VAT registered at that time so it made good financial sense when buying products from the US. I never bought large amounts from the US which is why I could get stock delivered VAT free.
The amount of VAT you pay is linked to the exchange rate in as much as they convert the US$ amount on the label to sterling using that days rates, they then take the 17.5% of that figure. On the parcels that I had to pay VAT on I too found that it didn't work out at 17.5%, in fact one day I had two parcels that came through with the same value but were charged at different VAT amounts, needless to say I complained and got the overpayment back, you can also get any amount overpaid refunded if you ring the number on the label applied at Mount Pleasant.
The post office also apply their fee for handling etc, this is £9 and is added to the VAT amount so don't forget to deduct that before you work out whether you've paid 17.5% or not.
I hope that helps sort out some of the puzzles in the thread 
Keith |
phonoplug
Regular Contributor
Username: phonoplug
Post Number: 40
Registered: 08-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, 16 February, 2010 - 11:13 pm: |
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Sadly Digikey et al do not offer regular mail / airmail delivery. 1: because they cannot prove it was sent or track it, giving rise to calls/emails from customers wondering where their stuff is, 2: because its not insured so if it does go AWOL they have no claim, and 3: they are not trying to sell 'retail' so this puts 'retail' customers off.
Still, my offer stands if anyone wants something from Digikey, I'm happy to add it onto my next order if you don't mind waiting a week or two. |
741
Frequent Contributor
Username: 741
Post Number: 137
Registered: 08-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, 18 February, 2010 - 04:41 pm: |
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All the above is very interesting.
As a one-off goodwill gesture, Digikey refunded the handling charge to me. (See the link I posted above). Whilst this was very good of them, the knowledge that any order I make to Digikey attracts this charge has meant I never used them again.
kayjay - if I understand you correctly, if I order under £38 worth from the US of A and it comes by normal post there's no VAT (?)
However, phonoplug's comment
"there is not any import duty to pay on electronic components." makes we wonder iof I actaully need to worry about the £38 level (?) |
phonoplug
Regular Contributor
Username: phonoplug
Post Number: 41
Registered: 08-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, 18 February, 2010 - 06:05 pm: |
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Re my comment about there not being any duty on electronic components.
Import duty is not to be confused with VAT. Import duty is applied to some types of goods, in fact I believe to most types of goods, but not electronic components. In fact, inductors are liable to duty, whereas semiconductors are not. In reality, anything coming from an electronics component supplier will be considered to be duty excempt because its not worth going into the detailed breakdown of the various different parts within the shipment, most of which would be not be liable for duty.
Duty is generally between 3 to 5% of the value of the goods, depending on what they are. Customs+revenue publish two thick folders listing all the different tariffs and rates for different types of goods. I believe the reason for the import duty is to encourage procurement of goods made within the country rather than importing (or within the EU these days). I guess its a rather historical system now (particularly if you look at the different categories of goods listed).
VAT on the other hand is a different story. In theory anything imported is liable to attract VAT, though for low value items, its not worth the admin to do this, so I guess thats why the £38 rule applies with normal post, particularly as they are dealing with high volumes of low value items mostly anyway. The only way you can get round paying VAT (legally) is to be a VAT registered business where the goods are used for the business or sold on through the business.
Unfortunately end users have to pay VAT on the things they buy - thats what VAT is for. |
kayjay
Valued Member
Username: kayjay
Post Number: 13
Registered: 10-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, 18 February, 2010 - 08:44 pm: |
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741 - Your assumption is correct, you can order any goods from any non EU country and provided their value is under £38 you don't get slammed with VAT.
I used to sell candle making materials until I closed the business and a lot of things the hobbyists wanted weren't made in the EU but as candlemaking is so massive in the US it was always possible to get them from there. I would place orders via the net and make sure the converted $ to £ amount was under £38 for each one, so if I needed a lot of stuff I would just place several orders. The cost of postage didn't matter because it generally worked out to be similar for several small orders or one big one Incidentaly, you don't count the postage charge in the £38, the C & E are kind enough only to assess the value of goods and not the postage
Basically the rule is buy what you want from any country, if it's non EU make sure the individual orders are under £38 and you're on a winner. The duty issue is as Phonoplug says and is a completely different thing to the VAT assessment, having said that if an item attracts duty as prescribed in the lists it is still duty free if the value is under £38, so you are always going to get your parcel to you without any charges so long as it's under the threshold.
Keith |
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