Custom Forms

I've sent a few items to Canada, Finland and Sweden. There are minimal forms to fill out. Pretty painless if I remember correctly.

Thank you UPS ! John use the postal service......UPS is brutal in their charges. The Universal Postal Union rules require customs form for most packages or valuables (IE goods of any kind) over two ounces, throughout the world. The most familiar form is a CN-22. Hope this helps. (Retired Canadapost)

So you just hit on the reason that many sellers will not send items outside of the US since the sale part can go smooth but the customs delays and charges ruin the sale.

In the UK the value of the item is determined by the amount on the customs form as well the cost to post the item.

So if the item is not marked as a gift, if the value is over £15 which is about $23.50 then the buyer will be hit with a handling fee and vat (sales tax at a rate of 20%). Customs duty kicks in at £135 which is over $211.

The gift limit is £36 which is only $56.

Customs is also very slow and in my experience you have no idea who the package is from until you have paid the fees to get the item. Even when they mess up and charge you vat when the item was under the limit, you don't get the handling fee refunded.

Here is the web site with the UK info - http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channels...ument#P8_229

Ken

Yes

Google: usps international mail manual

http://pe.usps.com/text/imm/welcome.htm

123.63 Documents and Merchandise
In Exhibit 123.61, the "Type of Item" column has several references to "documents." For this purpose, "documents" refers only to printed documents, not to electronic storage media or devices such as CDs, DVDs, or flash drives. Examples of documents include the following:
a.Audit and business records.
b.Personal correspondence.
c.Circulars.
d.Pamphlets.
e.Advertisements.
f.Written instruments not intended to be resold.
g.Money orders, checks, and similar items that cannot be negotiated or converted into cash without forgery.

Examples of items that do not qualify as documents â€" rather, they are considered merchandise, so the sender is required to apply a customs declaration form and declare a value â€" include the following:
a.CDs, DVDs, flash drives, video and cassette tapes, and other electronic storage media â€" regardless if they are blank or if they contain electronic documents or other prerecorded media.
b.Artwork.
c.Collector or antique document items.
d.Books.
e.Periodicals.
f.Printed music.
g.Printed educational or test material.
h.Player piano rolls.
i.Engineering drawings.
j.Blueprints.
k.Film.
l.Negatives.
m.X-rays.
n.Separation negatives.
o.Photographs.