Why are my international purchases stuck at UK customs?

[cosmosis_collectables]

On 22nd September I bought some models of cars from a seller in Germany as the models are almost impossible to find in the UK. The seller seems reputable and he dispatched the models very promptly. The package even reached the UK quickly, but according to tracking it has been stuck at UK customs since 24th September. Is ten days in customs normal? I've bought from overseas sellers before and I know things can be a bit slow. So is it just the more detailed tracking that is making me feel concerned?

[roger_roger_over_and_nowt]

What was the total value,i'm wondering if there are import fee's to pay before customs release them ?.

Any batteries involved or are they just static models ?.

[style_wise]

Delays in Customs, even for a few weeks, are not uncommon. What was the original estimated delivery date?

And as RRO&N asks, Is the parcel worth more than £135? Does it contain anything restricted or prohibited?

[cosmosis_collectables]

No. Definitely no batteries.

[cosmosis_collectables]

I think the estimated delivery date was 25-30th September. The package is
worth approximately £300 GBP

[narrowtraxx]

Lot of thieving happens at the Langley HWDC, a parcel I was sending to the USA got stolen from there in February this year.  

[cosmosis_collectables]

An update: After two weeks of no news, the package has now thankfully reached a Parcelforce depot in Coventry.  I dread to think how much the package has been thrown around. It seems that there are customs fees to pay (which I would have thought I had paid when I placed my order) and being money-grabbing Parcelforce there will no doubt be an exorbitant cheeky admin fee to pay. But unfortunately Parcelforce's website is currently experiencing "technical difficulties" that means I cannot pay the fees and arrange delivery. (Why does Parcelforce charge an admin fee when other couriers see no need to? After all, the service they provide has been already been paid for!)

[thesmokingrunner]

Morning @cosmosis_collectables 

Thanks for the update. I've been following this thread and wondered how things were progressing.

If the package came through Langley/Coventry then it seems that it wasn't sent via GSP. If an item is shipped using GSP eBay collects all duties 'upfront'. eBay similarly collects all duties for items costing less than £135 when shipped using a non-GSP method; anything over £135 shipped non-GSP and the buyer pays customs duty separately. 

As you previously mentioned that the contents of your shipment are worth around £300 customs duty would be, at a guess, around £60, plus Royal Mail's admin fee. RM's fee isn't that large actually - I've just checked and it's still showing as £8 (some courier companies charge a great deal more than that).

I'm not trying to defend the charge but it is for administration - paperwork relating to customs duty - so it's an addition to the service for which they have already been paid (delivering an item from A to B).

[cosmosis_collectables]

I've never knowingly seen any overseas sellers advertising GSP as an
option, which made me wonder if GSP was just a service for UK eBay users
selling internationally.
Thanks for the information relating to the fees etc.

[thesmokingrunner]

@cosmosis_collectables 

You're welcome.

As far as I know eBay doesn't provide GSP from all countries to the UK (and in the US GSP is now known as EIS - eBay International Shipping). I've had a quick look on the Help & Support pages and cannot find a specific list of which countries are included, but the H&S page for International purchases is worth a read through:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/buying/postage-delivery/changing-delivery-address-method/international-p...

Interestingly about half way down the article it does mention that sellers in Germany can post using eBay Speedpak, which appears to be the German equivalent of GSP. At a guess, though, your seller didn't use this method of shipping which would explain why you have to pay import duty and an admin fee to Royal Mail.