Getting special online US cigar deals in the UK..(Help and Advice please)

[PADDY]

I'm a member of Cuban Crafter (online) cigars. Offering great deals on cigar batches and humidors.

However, if I buy them online and they come over from the US, will I be stung by customs?

If so, how do I get around this dilemma?

Also, any UK suppliers that do great deals (I cannot imagine they will even touch the likes of this US company).

Help and advice appreciated 'mis amigos!'

 

[scotrace]

.

I have no advice for you, Paddy. But if you try the JL Salazar brand they offer, I'd love to know what you think.












(My gracious - you can get Cubans - the real deal - and you want stuff from Nicaragua?)

 

[Salv]

Paddy - it depends on the value of the goods imported. Matei started a thread a while ago asking pretty much the same question and I posted this:

Import VAT should be payable on all goods that cost £18.00 or more, but as Fleur says it's a lottery as to whether you pay anything. I wasn't charged import VAT on a gab jacket and a pair of trousers from eBay that cost me about £50 recently, but I was charged for some records that were valued at £25.
<snip>
HM Revenue & Customs explain their charges briefly here. There's also a downloadable .pdf document available with more detail but when I tried to view it I got an error message saying that it was damaged...

They warn that...

Note: Some unscrupulous overseas suppliers openly advertise on the internet, or on their web-sites that they will deliberately either misdescribe items or underdeclare their value in order to evade customs charges that are legally due on importation. You should be aware that although the foreign sender may have completed the customs declaration form on the parcel you are regarded (in law) as the importer of the goods and responsible for the information on the declaration, and any customs charges that may be due. This means that if you purchase goods from these suppliers and the declaration is found to be false or misleading you may be liable to financial penalties or criminal prosecution. Furthermore the goods themselves will be liable to forfeiture. It is in your own interests to ensure Customs declarations are completed properly.

There's an online US-based CD seller that specializes in independent releases in all genres, and they have apparently done this in the past (not that I've ever ordered anything from this seller and avoided paying import VAT... oh, no m'lud ...) and HM Customs have apparently kept a special eye out for CDs sent by the seller.

I don't know what constitutes a good deal for cigars and humidors, but have you looked at Tomtom or London Cigar?

 

[Paul]

When you import into the UK one thing that can make a big difference is the charges which the shipper adds on for doing all the paperwork this is not a percentage but a flat rate fee so it could be worth looking around a little and seeing what these are.

 

[RedPop4]

I dont' see why you'd have trouble. Last time I looked, the UK did not have an embargo against the U.S. or our products.

My favorite line from Cuban Crafters is the La Carolina brand, which was the Cupido brand. Cupido was one of the few really good cigars which came onto the market during the Cigar Boom of the early and middle 1990s. They did it by starting small with only one blend and in only three vitolas (sizes.) Around 1999, the came out with a second blend with a Criollo wrapper, again in only three sizes.

Sometime later, two or three years, they expanded the number of vitolas in each line. But sales flagged some. Since they were by themselves and didn't have any other brands to maintain sales, they got into financial trouble. In 2004, they sold the blends to Cuban Crafters who renamed it La Carolina.

They also make good humidors and the best odor-eating (for lack of a better term) candles out there.

 

[Salv]

I dont' see why you'd have trouble. Last time I looked, the UK did not have an embargo against the U.S. or our products.

The only problem is with the amount of money charged by HM Customs and Excise. From the Customs and Excise website:

Customs duty - this is usually charged as a percentage of the value. The percentage varies depending on the type of goods and their country of origin. Duty is charged on the price paid for the goods including any local sales taxes plus postage, packing and insurance costs. However, postage is excluded from the calculation for duty on gifts sent by post except for Express Mail Service (EMS).

Where the value of gifts is below £290 per consignment a flat rate of duty of 3.5% will be applied, but only if it is to your advantage.

Note: Customs duty will be waived if the amount is less than £7.

Excise duty - this is charged on alcohol and tobacco products and is additional to customs duty. The excise duty on wines and spirits depends on the alcohol content and whether wine is sparkling or still. Duty on cigarettes is based on the percentage of the recommended retail selling price combined with a quantity charge. On other tobacco products eg cigars or hand rolling tobacco, it is charged on the net weight.

Value Added Tax (VAT) - Import VAT is charged at the same rate that applies to similar goods sold in the UK. The value of the goods for import VAT is based on the value for customs duty plus any import duties charged.

So if Paddy is importing cigars from outside the EU he will at least be charged Excise duty, calculated on the weight of the cigars, and VAT at 17.5%. If he imports enough cigars so that Customs duty exceeds £7.00 he will be charged that as well.