When is a deal not a good deal?

A while ago I bought some plastic painted figures from Japan from the company ( hlj.com) and I based them up and was going to put them on here for shits and giggles but a letter came in the door this week from Federal Express (the carrier who handled the goods) looking for £15.85 administration and duty costs because I had spent more than £18.00 on said goods. The items had come to £31.00 approx originally including Federal Express postage (good deal)..... but was it, the extra charges of 50% of the original have soured me to the whole deal (which even with the extra cost is still not bad) but it's still extracting the urine.

I know companies don't want to lose business but a warning on the webpages saying to consider the extra charges you will incur if you order over a certain amount would help but doubtful it would be done or considered. I should have known better as several years ago I had ordered from the US and got hit with a far larger charge but I put it down to the..... Ooh shiny complex (terrible wargamers disease).

So no more international orders for me, well I have posted the pictures of the models with some size and comparison pictures and at the bottom a little bit of internet bullshit about what some call hidden fees and charges.

Rant over, have yourselves a good weekend and I have been invited to a 28mm French revolutionary game on Sunday so it's not all bad except that Ray is going aswell.:D

Now based up and varnished.

L to R, 28mm Hasslefree and Copplestone Castings.

R to L, 28mm Four A Miniatures and Lead Adventure Miniatures

Second group of robots (will think of a better name for them) in background.

VAT & Customs Charges

You may be buying items from a company that appears to be UK or EU-based, or may not have checked the origin of the company at all! The reason this can be an important factor is because if you are buying products from outside the UK, you will have to pay extra undisclosed hidden fees. Customs Duty (from outside the EU) and Excise Duty (from inside the EU but not within UK) charges are applied to a vast array of items that are brought into the UK. Only a few items such as antique furniture and books are exempt from these charges.



The customs charge will apply to goods costing £7 and over, and Import VAT is applied to goods costing £18 and over. The actual charge applied varies on the item, something that can be checked out on the UK Government’s HM Revenue and Customs website.

What is the rate of duty?


The rate of duty for any given product should be the same no matter into which EU country they are imported, but may differ depending upon the country of origin. Set annually by the EU, rates run from 1st January to 31st December and are published in a Customs Tariff issued by each EU country. Duty is usually percentage based, and averages between 5-9% with extremes of nil and 85%.