Guangdong - duty costs

[assumpta]

Hi, I am looking to get my dd a petite size 4 prom dress for June. It is proving very difficult. I decided to check on eBay and have found a seller but it is coming from Guangdong.

It says postage is free and the dress is very reasonable. Do I have to pay duty on top? Or how does it work? I have checked in feedback and can see no mention of it.

[fergoose]

It depends if the seller marks it as a gift or not.

I would be very wary though - some prom/bride dresses from China are fabulous, others arrive and they are terrible - nothing like the photos or description. And if you want to return for a refund it will cost you a lot of money.

[assumpta]

Which one will I not be charged for, gift or not a gift. I understand that it may not be 100%, but I might be able to tweak. It's so difficult otherwise. She's a tiny dot!

[salcz]

Saying it's a gift will be free.
I work for DHL and regularly deliver ebay prom dresses. The duty varies hugely from about £3 to £100+. There is no way of knowing until customs get it and make the decision based on the value stated on the paperwork. There have been instances where the sender has massively inflated the value on the paperwork compared to what was paid for it resulting in very unhappy customers.

[assumpta]

Ouch!!! The price of the dress is £30 something pounds so I wouldn't want to be paying much duty if any.

[sarahtigh]

sellers on ebay should not mark items as gifts, it is against ebay rules and is illegal, I say quite clearly in my terms and conditions that items will not be marked as gifts or undervalued

if duty is payable there is £8 charge from royal mail for administering it on top of any duty payable