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Herc

GLS holding my parcel

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Herc

Long story short - sent my Franken Rolex 114060 to Italy for service and clean. 

Took its time to land but evidently got their. Got it sent back to me and have just found out it’s stuck in England customs who now want a receipt as they have checked inside the package and seen it was a Rolex Watch!! 

My Modder has asked me to provide an expensive receipt. (Thankfully have a few lunns jewellery receipts I bought for the wife) but where will this leave me now?? 

Will I get hit with a big customs bill? 

Postal service is GLS 

16/01/2018 22:36 The parcel has left the GLS location. United Kingdom
Edited by Herc

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Wriggles

A receipt for what? It came from an EU country to an ( for the moment) other EU country. Customs have no right to hold it, what reason have they given?

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Herc
4 minutes ago, Wriggles said:

A receipt for what? It came from an EU country to an ( for the moment) other EU country. Customs have no right to hold it, what reason have they given?

Tbh buddy I don’t know - it’s been lying in England GLS now since 16-01-18. Wasn’t until I kept pestering my modder and he chased up with the company where the watch is. 

He emailed me this morning looking an expensive receipt to provide to GLS. I’m lost too why they are wanting any info as it’s all within EU (Italy to Northern Ireland) 

this cost me £1400 back in Oct and was sent off immediately so I’ve hardly worn it and right now feels like it’s going to disappear by this company :( 

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Wriggles

So it's not that they've contacted you and said they want a receipt, it's the sender telling you this?

I'd be inclined to contact them asking why it's held. If you've got the shipping receipt for sending to Italy tell them you sent it for repair, it's inside the EU and you have the receipt to prove you sent it out for repair and see what happens. 

I've never had this issue inside the EU, maybe others might have some ideas but I don't think they have any right to hold it

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Herc

Thanks pal - yes should still have the receipt when I sent it to Italy. 

Nope I have had no contact regarding my parcel from GLS..  Just from my modder today looking a receipt for something expensive to provide to GLS?!?

would love to hear others input 

@Wriggles really appreciate the advise pal 

Edited by Herc

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Genius

Exactly what Wriggles said!

This is all inside the EU so tell them to fuck off and deliver your parcel!

No customs charges are due or could conceivable be due whilst we are still both members of the customs union

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Herc
10 minutes ago, Genius said:

Exactly what Wriggles said!

This is all inside the EU so tell them to fuck off and deliver your parcel!

No customs charges are due or could conceivable be due whilst we are still both members of the customs union

Thanks buddy I have pointed my modder this direction. 

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GingerApple

Don't bite my head off, but I've seen a thread on here (or RWI perhaps) where someone copied and pasted UK law that made it clear it is eligible for tax. As silly as that sounds.

Don't shoot the messenger etc...

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Herc
1 minute ago, GingerBubba said:

Don't bite my head off, but I've seen a thread on here (or RWI perhaps) where someone copied and pasted UK law that made it clear it is eligible for tax. As silly as that sounds.

Don't shoot the messenger etc...

If that is the case how do they work tax out - is it percentage based on retail cost or the receipt cost if I do send a receipt to them. 

I have receipts for jewellers here in N.Ire one this year for 3k so I’ll be taxed on that then ? 

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Genius
8 minutes ago, GingerBubba said:

Don't bite my head off, but I've seen a thread on here (or RWI perhaps) where someone copied and pasted UK law that made it clear it is eligible for tax. As silly as that sounds.

Don't shoot the messenger etc...

It is the case it would be eligible for tax if it had been shipped outside the EU even for repair and the sender had not filled in the proper export forms so that when it came back into the EU there was no customs paper trail so it had to be assumed the origin was not the EU

In this case it has not left the EU 

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Wriggles

This is all very strange. The one bugbear could be that customs think it's a fake and if you don't have proof of it being gen they will confiscate and destroy.

However, customs should never even have their grubby paws on this as it was an internal EU shipment and shouldn't have needed any customs clearance.

Very very odd. My limited understanding of UK customs practice is that they contact the recipient with a legal letter about counterfeit merchandise. This hasn't happened in this case as I understand it. So I'd be seriously questioning what the modder is saying. 

Why can't you contact GLS yourself and ask what's going on?

 

 

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MarkR

I'd ask your Modder for Cons/Parcel Tracking Number, just saying you'll also try from your end maybe, and contact GLS  https://gls-group.eu/EU/en/contact-form

 

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Herc
7 minutes ago, Wriggles said:

This is all very strange. The one bugbear could be that customs think it's a fake and if you don't have proof of it being gen they will confiscate and destroy.

However, customs should never even have their grubby paws on this as it was an internal EU shipment and shouldn't have needed any customs clearance.

Very very odd. My limited understanding of UK customs practice is that they contact the recipient with a legal letter about counterfeit merchandise. This hasn't happened in this case as I understand it. So I'd be seriously questioning what the modder us saying. Why can't you contact GLS yourself and ask what's going on?

 

 

I googled gls uk contact info which threw me to parcelforce gave them the tracking details and explained its being held in uk. 

The lady told me the sender needs to chase it up in his country. I googled gls and they have some aweful reviews of their delivery service and particularly there contact enquiries line. 

I can provide receipts not a problem but it would be a credit card receipt from the jewellers so won’t say on the receipt what I purchased. (Which is good on my behalf as it was a braclet and  Cartier watch for the wife) 

nope I’ve not had any contact with the company - just an email from the modder stating I need to provide him an expensive receipt which I assume is to show it was purchased in uk and sent to him for repairs. 

I’ll send my modder my Royal Mail receipt when I sent it to him and a screenshot of a recent legitimate purchase from a jewellers here in uk 

Edited by Herc

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Herc

Sent some receipts to my modder so hopefully he can help sort this for me.. GLS are not a very reliable company!! 

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deju
55 minutes ago, GingerBubba said:

Don't bite my head off, but I've seen a thread on here (or RWI perhaps) where someone copied and pasted UK law that made it clear it is eligible for tax. As silly as that sounds.

Don't shoot the messenger etc...

You can't be charged tax on good in the EU. 

I bought my Gen Rolex from germany, no customs at all.

if you pay tax in the country of origin you can't be re-taxed in the UK if it was purchased in the EU .

I wouldn't have sent any receipts, you technically are commiting fraud.  

 
Quote

If you buy goods online from within the European Union (EU)

You will not be charged Customs duty or import VAT.

Alcohol and tobacco products from within the EU cannot be sent to the UK unless arrangements have been made to pay UK excise duty in advance. For more information on this please see the ‘Distance Selling’ procedures in Public Notice 203 Registered Excise Dealers and Shippers.

The 27 EU countries are the UK, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Germany, Italy, The Irish Republic, Denmark, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Malta, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Romania.

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GingerApple
40 minutes ago, deju said:

You can't be charged tax on good in the EU. 

I bought my Gen Rolex from germany, no customs at all.

if you pay tax in the country of origin you can't be re-taxed in the UK if it was purchased in the EU .

I wouldn't have sent any receipts, you technically are commiting fraud.  

 

I think the logic was if it's being sent for repair/mod, that's a service,  therefore is taxable. I'm busy at work at the mo, but will try and find the thread later. I think the thread was titled 'customs seizure' or similar.

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deju
21 minutes ago, GingerBubba said:

I think the logic was if it's being sent for repair/mod, that's a service,  therefore is taxable. I'm busy at work at the mo, but will try and find the thread later. I think the thread was titled 'customs seizure' or similar.

Youre not that busy :baghead: you're sat getting your rep forum fix haha

I have shipped goods from my companies repair department to multiple countries in the EU and none were taxed by the receivers customs.

I think the only 2 countries that you could get taxed that are physically in Europe but not the EU are the Vatican City and Switzerland. 

 

 

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GingerApple
8 minutes ago, deju said:

Youre not that busy :baghead: you're sat getting your rep forum fix haha

I have shipped goods from my companies repair department to multiple countries in the EU and none were taxed by the receivers customs.

I think the only 2 countries that you could get taxed that are physically in Europe but not the EU are the Vatican City and Switzerland. 

 

 

Shhhhhh, don't tell my boss. 

I'm popping in and out very briefly, that's all.

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Glaude
2 hours ago, GingerBubba said:

I think the logic was if it's being sent for repair/mod, that's a service,  therefore is taxable. I'm busy at work at the mo, but will try and find the thread later. I think the thread was titled 'customs seizure' or similar.

Can't be taxable in any form, in any way.

This is GLS that's trying to grab money as if this was sent from outside EU, they know that you can always fight it in court afterwards but they also know that most people won't do it and will pay to get their product back.
They will eventually hide behind the "security check" to justify the opening and then they will eventually hide behind the "have to verify that this isn't illegal good" but in the end they should not be allowed to tax you anything.

Imagine this was from your uncle, cousin from Italy, you were there last month and you forgot your watch, they send it back to you, do you think this will be legal to tax it ? Of course not, this is your product, you have the right and ownership on it and all taxes are considered paid unless proven otherwise, but the proof isn't on you, but on them.

The sender (your modder) have to get a hold of GLS and tell them they have to release the parcel, he doesn't need any form of certificate to it because they don't have to know anything about this product, as far as they're concerned, this is just a watch.

2 hours ago, deju said:

if you pay tax in the country of origin you can't be re-taxed in the UK if it was purchased in the EU .

Most of EU countries are heavily encouraged to apply the VAT percent of the country from which the buyer is from on the product for an online sale.
For professionals it's a different story, they usually won't apply any sort of VAT between pro and let the country of the buyer deal with VAT balance.

And yeah as deju pointed, by sending a non-appropriate receipt or a fake one, you’re committing a fraud, so keep that solution for last resort if you managed to see that with only a receipt all of this could be resolved free of charge.
But just ask yourself this question : if this was a legit Rolex, eBay purchase that you sent to repair, you wouldn't have any valid receipt proving the authenticity to show ....

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GingerApple
3 minutes ago, Glaude said:

Can't be taxable in any form, in any way.

This is GLS that's trying to grab money as if this was sent from outside EU, they know that you can always fight it in court afterwards but they also know that most people won't do it and will pay to get their product back.
They will eventually hide behind the "security check" to justify the opening and then they will eventually hide behind the "have to verify that this isn't illegal good" but in the end they should not be allowed to tax you anything.

Imagine this was from your uncle, cousin from Italy, you were there last month and you forgot your watch, they send it back to you, do you think this will be legal to tax it ? Of course not, this is your product, you have the right and ownership on it and all taxes are considered paid unless proven otherwise, but the proof isn't on you, but on them.

The sender (your modder) have to get a hold of GLS and tell them they have to release the parcel, he doesn't need any form of certificate to it because they don't have to know anything about this product, as far as they're concerned, this is just a watch.

But if the modder has already told them that he's working on the watch, there's their proof....

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Wriggles
1 minute ago, GingerBubba said:

But if the modder has already told them that he's working on the watch, there's their proof....

Proof of what? That he performed some repair work? Bully for them, it's still an EU country and there is zero tax that customs can extract. 

Customs shouldn't be near that watch.

Someone is either incompetent or up to something.

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Glaude
13 minutes ago, GingerBubba said:

But if the modder has already told them that he's working on the watch, there's their proof....

They have the proof that this was a job done, they don't have the proof that this was a paid job, they need an invoice for that.
My example was just to show the stupid logic behind their tax claim.

If the modder has been stupid enough to include an invoice without any form of VAT on it... well that's another story and I don't know how UK work with such delegation of tax collection but in France they can not act as an official tax collector even it the VAT isn't good.
All is in the hand of the modder to this point, he just has to tell them that this was a courtesy job for a friend.

9 minutes ago, Wriggles said:

Someone is either incompetent or up to something.

Or like a lot of time in this sort of law/tax/jurisdiction story, we don't have all the elements to understand what is really claimed by GLS for what reason and to whom.
In my experience there's always a little forgotten detail that makes this story completely different.

But since we are talking GLS I'll go for your first proposition : incompetent

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GingerApple

That makes a lot of sense. Remember, my first post in this thread was just a vague recollection of what I thought I'd read in another thread. It's not an opinion I'm advocating.

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Wriggles
6 minutes ago, Glaude said:

They have the proof that this was a job done, they don't have the proof that this was a paid job, they need an invoice for that.
My example was just to show the stupid logic behind their tax claim.

If the modder has been stupid enough to include an invoice without any form of VAT on it... well that's another story and I don't know how UK work with such delegation of tax collection but in France they can not act as an official tax collector even it the VAT isn't good.
All is in the hand of the modder to this point, he just has to tell them that this was a courtesy job for a friend.

Or like a lot of time in this sort of law/tax/jurisdiction story, we don't have all the elements to understand what is really claimed by GLS for what reason and to whom.
In my experience there's always a little forgotten detail that makes this story completely different.

But since we are talking GLS I'll go for your first proposition : incompetent

The biggest flag for me is why the modder is asking for a receipt for a high value purchase. That makes zero sense. There is a lot of missing info here, but the only thing I can think that the modder wants to provide some high value receipt is that customs is asking for proof of ownership on behalf of either the sender or receiver. Which is completely illogical as it shouldn't have gone anywhere near customs as its being sent internally in the EU, there should be zero customs checks, unless someone is randomly checking packages for counterfeit items.....which is also not logical unless the sender declared something silly in the shipping note.....

All very very strange and even more suspicious.

 

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Glaude
10 minutes ago, GingerBubba said:

That makes a lot of sense. Remember, my first post in this thread was just a vague recollection of what I thought I'd read in another thread. It's not an opinion I'm advocating.

Don't worry fresh supporter, I wasn't going against you, just stating fact in order for OP to take the best direction.

Your information is good too, even a well law experienced people can miss out some finicky little details.

In fact without your post I probably wouldn't have bothered to respond to OP :D 

3 minutes ago, Wriggles said:

The biggest flag for me is why the modder is asking for a receipt for a high value purchase. That makes zero sense. There is a lot of missing info here, but the only thing I can think that the modder wants to provide some high value receipt is that customs is asking for proof of ownership on behalf of either the sender or receiver. Which is completely illogical as it shouldn't have gone anywhere near customs as its being sent internally in the EU, there should be zero customs checks, unless someone is randomly checking packages for counterfeit items.....which is also not logical unless the sender declared something silly in the shipping note.....

All very very strange and even more suspicious.

 

I don't think customs are involved for the moment, this is probably like DHL, GLS is making the custom job as a delegation of service in exchange of a fee for every check of parcel, but the inside EU shouldn't be concerned by this

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