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Permalink Reply by ChickenboneJohn on August 26, 2014 at 4:21am

Yes, you're likely to have charges - VAT at 20% on anything over £15 value, plus a Royal Mail flat rate handling fee of £8.00...it's a pain, but it happens. There may also be customs duty on things over about £135. There's no point in asking the USA seller - the tax and duty is levied at the port of entry, it's nothing to to with the seller- it's all the buyers/importer's  responsibility.

I import a fair bit of of stuff from the USA and you just have to get used to it I'm afraid. Sometimes stuff doesn't attract the attention of the powers that be, but more often that not you'll get hit.  And by the way, if you get your seller to (illegally) under-declare the value,  Border Agency are wise to that dodge, so it's also possible that they will hold onto the stuff until you make a true declaration of the value - you'll have to produce invoices  or other proof of purchase - and they won't release the goods until you've produced all the paperwork and paid all the charges.

This isn't a scare story or a result of me looking up the info on the web..I have direct experience of all this palaver.

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Permalink Reply by jabes on August 26, 2014 at 5:16am

thanks for your reply John, i was looking to a budget of around £80 all in..

Wayfinder the nearest proper tobacconist is 50mls from my location ,i asked them about cigar boxes a couple of years ago and got emphatic 'NO!, quite unfriendly i thought ,and did offer to pay...

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Permalink Reply by The Phrygian Kid on August 26, 2014 at 2:27pm

Paying sale tax on second hand items, especially if it's just packaging, stinks.

Sorry to hear it. Find something else, if the box has too much value it defeats the entire pursuit imho.
Cookie tins can work awesome ;)

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Permalink Reply by jabes on August 26, 2014 at 11:53pm

yeah i know, that's what i've been doing,it's just the cbgs i have made sold no problem,i just want to let my hobby pay for itself..

incidentally, at a festival the other week a lady remarked to her companion " hey that'd look great hanging on the wall" i couldn't resist saying " ah ,that's art then ,be another 40 quid" needless to say there was no sale. they weren't buying anyhow ...;)

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Permalink Reply by jabes on August 26, 2014 at 11:57pm

the boxes from cbdeals are $3-$4 each, it's the shipping etc that stuffs it..

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Permalink Reply by Slowpaw Steve T on August 27, 2014 at 5:32am

I've bought a lot of boxes from USA,  the shipping charges vary greatly depending on the seller but if you buy them two or three at a time it will be cheaper, most come out about 10 or 15 pounds each if they're decent boxes like Punch. one guy I buy many from is markinsofla on ebay, he's pretty reasonable,  keep the buying value under 20 dollars per ship and you won't have to pay import duty. :-)

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Permalink Reply by BrianQ. on August 27, 2014 at 5:53am

Maybe this will help? UK based.

http://www.cgarsltd.co.uk/accessories-empty-cigar-boxes-c-319_546.html

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Permalink Reply by Slowpaw Steve T on August 27, 2014 at 7:02am

he's good I've had a lot of small boxes off C-Gars :-)

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Permalink Reply by jabes on August 28, 2014 at 9:39pm

thanks for you input everyone, I'll keep scouting around.

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