Used global shipping programme now face UK customs charge?

[benton1.0194]

Hi,

My son who has an ebay account paid for an item to be shipped from the USA to the UK using the Global Shipping programme ensuring all cutoms import charges etc.would be met as specified in the GSP small print. However, he is now facing a bill by UK customs of over £80 as the import charges have not been paid. Can anyone advise what may of gone wrong and why he is potentially having to pay customs import duty twice? 

Many thanks

[rusticrye]

Either the global shipper has messed up, or UK Customs have messed up, neither of which seem likely, but they're so overworked due to the pandemic that it's not completely impossible.  Have you contacted the carrier who provided the bill, or the global shipper, to query this...? If not, do it now.

If neither have messed up, then it's likely that the seller shipped direct to you rather than to the US-based GSP hub. If this is what has happened, then you will have to pay the bill, in order to receive the goods, and lodge a claim with the global shipper to get a refund of whatever it is you paid to them.

Having said all that, as I've never come across this before, are you sure the bill is genuine...? How was it sent to you...? There are lots of scams which arrive by email or text, from criminal gangs purporting to be HMRC or various delivery companies.

@benton1.0194 

[john1297576]

You will have to ask GSP, I would never use such an expensive service, but I would have thought that GSP in some way indicate on the packet in the address perhaps that duty has been paid.

Are you sure that the US seller has not got round this in some way and posted direct outside the GSP or that the item is not allowed in GSP.