pack40 0 #1 June 10, 2003 I hope somebody can help me. So the story is: Sometime in the mid future I am planning to buy a complete rig (that would be my first rig). The big problem I have is: if let's say I search on the net and at Square1 I order a rig. When the send it to me to Budapest, Hungary as soon as it arrives to Hungary the customs officer will open it check it. As its value around 5000USD it exceeds a limit so I will have to pay 25% Value Added Tax and another 12,1% customs/import fee. That is why I can not order directly. My solution is I have a person I trust, living in Vienna, Austria who is an Austrian citizen. He can order from Austria the rig to be delivered to Austria, to him. QUESTION: What is the limit in value after an Austrian (or maybe anybody from European Union) has to pay VAT and/o customs fee? What is the percentage? In Hungary unfortunately it is like 200-300USD. Thanks OVER Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PurpleBadger 0 #2 June 10, 2003 If you can't find a way round the taxes, take a holiday! The money that you would save by say ordering the rig from Square1 and having it sent to say Skydive DeLand (to avoid state sales tax) could well pay for a week or so vacation and buy a few jumps/beers Of course you may technically be meant to declare the rig upon your return, but by that time it is a used product anyway Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pack40 0 #3 June 10, 2003 Not that easy. First for a Hungarian citizen it is very dificult to obtain a US visa. It is easy if you own a nice flat you have a nice car and a nice privat enterprise so you can prove that you will return. There are tonnes of stories of simple toursits who have been sent back directly from the airport from US. Than at the airport in Hungary the customs officer will for sure make you pay customs fee for the rig. Some people that is why made the little trick bought an old rig when leaving the country decleared it, upon arrival to the country where they wanted to buy the new rig they through the old rig into the first waste bin, and came back with the new rig. What did the customes officer saw: one rig out, one rig in. But if the new rig will be in Austria by the time I go there I simple buy an old rig saw a nice label on it with the new rig's serial number. So even if the officer will look at the serial number which I won't think will happen everything is OK. To Austria I can go anytime and if I am lucky at the border during the weekend when thousnads of people are there I won't be noticed. Or the Austrian person will bring it to me and the Hungarian customs officer when seeing an Austrian passport can not say anything, as the person will be a "fake skydiver" coming to skydive to Hungary. BTW: It is really absurd that for a rig with 5000USD value I have to pay 1800USD tax and custom fee! For that money I could buy another container or a canopy. OVER Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
falxori 0 #4 June 10, 2003 i've bought my container online, sent it to my uncle in boston, and then asked my cousin to take it with him from boston, here to israel, avoiding tax and customs. (told him it was nothing more than a small backpack...) bought the canopies from my local dealer and put it all together here. a complete rig might be a bit more complicated to send with a friend. but that depends on the friends you have going to the US and back... good luck O "Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grega 0 #5 June 10, 2003 another way is to lower the invoice price to let's say 1000$. and pay taxes for only that price. All you have to do is convince customs officer somehow that the rig is actually only 1000$... at least that's what i did and it worked. i saved about 800$ "George just lucky i guess!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pack40 0 #6 June 10, 2003 Of course I would do that, but I must know exatly the tax/customs limits in Austria. If it is let's say 4000USD that would good because it is nearer to the real value. OVER Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dragon2 0 #7 June 10, 2003 You sure the limit could be that high? Over here (Holland) you pay tax if the tax amount is over €10 (or something simirlarly low). Ie not really a limit. I was stuck paying 19% over both my canopy and shipping and handling costs and then 4% over that. Costs me a bundle but still about €200 cheaper then buying the canopy over here.... I didn't have anybody ready to sneak the canopy in, that time. Will definitely arrange something, next time...... ciel bleu, Saskia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sundevil777 93 #8 June 10, 2003 Would tax authorities be able to get you in trouble after the fact? Of course none of you actually did this stuff, just hypothetical, right.People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
falxori 0 #9 June 10, 2003 hypothetically speaking, no. i got a used item (didnt buy it directly from the dealer) and it was brought to me as a present. actually, from what i know there is a way to import it directly without any tax by classifing it as something else than sporting goods. not sure what else it could be classified as, but customs regulations have many loop holes... O "Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0013 0 #10 June 10, 2003 Quotenot sure what else it could be classified as, but customs regulations have many loop holes... O textile :) study material, safety gear for your car...-------- www.youtube.com/l0013 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rpanter 0 #11 June 11, 2003 For $500 I'll deliver you the rig to Graz, Austria. I visit my grandmother and uncle there quite a bit. I can bring in a rig for "personal use" and not return with it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pack40 0 #12 June 11, 2003 Tax authorities can cause no problem. but the customs office can. Background: Once my father bought a cordless telephone, they have caught him at the border to pay customs at the end they said that either he takes it out of the country -when leaving the country a border policeman/customs officer stamps on a paper that the goods have been taken out of the country- or pay the customs. So, my father went to the border got a stamp spent 5 minutes in Slovakia. U turn and came back with the phone. Maybe the same tric can be played upon arrival of the rig, I will say that I do not need it and I will take it out of the country -a border policman stamps the papers-. And I bring it back through a different border post 10km away. OVER Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pack40 0 #13 June 11, 2003 Textile noooooo. Simple framed rucksack for hiking. If they open you say you packed the tent and the sleeping bag in it already. Oh, you've also have alpinist ropes. Maybe you can classify as dirty linen. Let's chnage the topic title to: "Smuggling for Beginners: Lesson 1" OVER Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TattooedMoFo 0 #14 June 13, 2003 Ask Square 1 to ship your rig as either "Demo goods" or as "Goods repaired" this will get you around the customs/tax issue. If there is any invoices or forms of the like, get them sent in a seperate envelope and not together with the rig. The only thing with this is the value of insuarance may be lower, but if it is sent via Fedex, UPS etc then you shouldn't have the worry of it getting lost. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
