Ordering from the USA

[ali187]

Question for the experienced folk on the forum who have bought gold or silver from the US.

Do you pay customs if you order from lets say a company like Apmex? 

How about an individual off ebay or like this forum? 

Thanks in advance 

[Pete]

If you order from APMEX there is a minimum order amount of $250 I think - don't take this as gospel.
They then add about $50 for shipping so your basket will show $250 and nil for shipping but when you come to pay it will be $300.
When I last purchased from Apmex, many years ago, their minimum order to us Brits was around $2,000 so I stopped using them.

There is no duty to pay but there is definitely VAT.
VAT on gold ( check the rules for gold as there are certain rules w.r.t. gold purity etc ) should be nil and 20% for everything else.
VAT is charged on the declared total amount including the cost of shipping.
Depending on the carrier there is likely to be an additional fee for processing the VAT ( deferment they call it ) on your behalf.
Numismatic / collectibles have their unique commodity code meaning VAT should be at 5% but never is so you have to appeal and try to get a refund.
Every time I have made a detailed claim it has worked but can take around 4 weeks to receive a refund cheque from HMRC.
Indeed I have one sitting on my desk right now waiting to be banked after importing some coins from Australia.

Adding up the costs, the poor exchange rate with the dollar, various fees etc. sometimes what looks like a bargain can work out as expensive or maybe even more than buying in Europe or at home. You've got to include everything before thinking you are getting a great deal.

Also anything purchased on eBay ( USA ) with the seller shipping using the 'global shipping programme' is a total rip-off and probably best avoided.

If you purchase a coin from a USA forum member say for $100 and they ship it with a declared value of $5 it will pass through without any charges.
The only thing to consider is whether or not it was insured for its declared value meaning a write off if lost in transit.

 

[ali187]

Thanks for the detailed response Pete.

Just to confirm you said if I purchase coins from a forum member and they declare the value at $5 it will pass through.So that’s no VAT? Wouldn’t that be the case with anyone shipping a “small amount “ of coins let’s say a coin or 2

[Pete]

36 minutes ago, ali187 said:

Thanks for the detailed response Pete.

Just to confirm you said if I purchase coins from a forum member and they declare the value at $5 it will pass through.So that’s no VAT? Wouldn’t that be the case with anyone shipping a “small amount “ of coins let’s say a coin or 2

Read this -

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/notice-143-a-guide-for-international-post-users/notice-143-a-guide-for-international-post-users

 

[dicker]

I recently bought from the US mint.  Easy and simple and duty paid to the UPS delivery service.  
 

Not cheap but effective

[TonyS]

19 minutes ago, dicker said:

 

Not cheap but effective

 

I’ll vouch for that! More like daylight robbery.

[dicker]

Dispensed from Memohis TN of all places!

[dicker]

Memphis, rather

[Abyss]

As the Silver Forum for premium members now has price comparisons USA dealers  https://www.thesilverforum.com/compare/ and placed my 1st order Gold from USA with APMEX bullion for six 1 oz Gold Queens Beast coins arrived today posted the photos in the today I received thread here I would revive an old thread with my experiences of the process and some tips and advice...

I rang AMPEX bullion using tool free number via SKYPE inquire about the quality of the coins I was interested in buying (they had source them from other dealers in the USA but I was assured high quality) and no issues with selling new customer in the UK proceed as normal on the website and the back end AMPEX system will automatically detect I am an international customer and generate all invoices and shipping bills accordingly.

I was charged extra $2.24 for an international order but when the coins arrived in the UK held up by customs had to pay Government charge £2.59 plus UPS Brokerage Charge £11.50 but no VAT or import charges on the total percentage terms the charges were very little for the items received. I have paid membership to Revolut no exchange fees and I received slightly better rate than Transferwise.

My real concern inaccurate descriptions when traveling through UPS system as it initially stated twice cleared and released by customs but this was not the case. I rang UPS daily from 5th October delivery stuck doing a warehouse scan but nobody at UPS could help me saying in transit and I should be patient. I finally received phone call from UPS Friday evening 9th October asking to sign an investment in Gold Declaration (for company name and position put in Personal Investment). When buying gold from USA and courier company is UPS when it arrives in UK need to contact

Customs clearance request from 08.00 - 18.00 Monday - Friday on 03457 877 877 Option 6,1 provide tracking reference and ask Investment Gold Declaration form generated and pay associated charges.

Overall AMPEX bullion packaging 1st class, coins arrived as described, once packaged released by UK customs arrived next working day via UPS. Lessons learned for the future about not trusting tracking information and phoning the correct department at courier company handle this type of package.

[Fivepoundfred]

I have purchased from both the US mint and Apmex who normally ship with UPS and have never had any problems or delays. Often any delay is caused by the import duty / vat issue but when using UPS you can eliminate this problem when buying gold by emailing their customs dept an Investment Gold Declaration form with your tracking number as soon as your parcel lands at Stansted. From memory i think the UPS Philadelphia - Stansted flight runs four times per week and normally arrives at Stansted at 9pm.

Abyss has provided a form in the previous post which will make life easier for first time users.