[Jandek] UK orders direct from Corwood

[krakow]

thanks everyone, 

A visit to the customs and excise website reveals that the duty free
limit for gifts is indeed £36, which at current exchange rates is
around $65.
Since the genuine value of 20 cds is only $80 with Corwood's excellent
prices, this makes me think that if a box of 20 was marked as a gift
and slightly undervalued (say $3 per cd = $60) then it should make it
through customs without being landed with the duty and VAT.

The charge is 17.5% VAT and I think 3.5% Import Duty, which would
bring the price for all 41 cds from $180.4 to $220 (or a difference of
a little over £20).

Maybe some people think I shouldn't be trying to get round these
charges in the first place, but when I'm buying something like this
for my own personal use, I don't see the reason why I should pay 20%
plus to the government, thereby negating the improved price from
abroad. Prices (cd  prices in particular are something that bugs me)
are so much higher over here that it's worthwhile buying from the US.
If I were buying them to sell on and make a profit from then I would
accept import and VAT charges, but not for a private transaction for
something just for my personal use.

Ross, you bought a box of 20 cds, did you pay VAT and duty on them? It
sounds like maybe you did from your post. Did Corwood not mark them as
a gift? What value was given on the customs forms?

BTW what kind of packaging does Corwood use? Both for smaller number
of cds and for the large boxes of 20 or more?

Thanks

krakow