Parcel stuck in customs! Has anybody had this problem before

Hello
I ordered a airsoft rifle from Den Trinity Shop it arrived in the country last friday but since then it has been stuck in customs. I rang parcel force but they can't do anything about it because customs have the package and they have no control over the package once it's in customs. Has anybody had problems importing in to the UK and what is the best action to take. This is my first time importing from Hong Kong but have imported from other countrys but have never had this happen. The tracking detail are

05-02-2010	19:17	International Hub	AWAITING CUSTOMS CHARGING
05-02-2010	19:17	International Hub	AWAITING CUSTOMS CHARGES
05-02-2010	19:17	International Hub	Arrived in destination country
04-02-2010	19:48	Delivery Agent - HONG KONG - PTT	Left origin country
03-02-2010	18:35	Delivery Agent - HONG KONG	Collected from customer

It been there nearly 6 days. If anybody can help me it would be much appreciated

Rhodri

Hi Rhodri,
YES!! All the bl*$"y time HK and USA are worst lines through customs.
Paper work with packages is often NOT read by Customs for some odd reason!!!
There are two possibilities,

1) If its not opened and not labled as a Gun AND you are lucky, they are just working out the VAT/duty to charge you.
If this is the case it can take upto 8ish days to clear, then it will be sent to your local del depot and a bill sent out to you. Once you see it has gone to the depot,
a) you can ring them and pay the VAT/duty by phone and it will then be delivered to you.
b) If you do not ring they will write to you and send bill, you pay and it gets delivered. fastest way is (a).

2) They may see it is a Gun and detain it. You will then recive a "Notice of detention for imported goods" by post from the
UK Border Agency post detection team at Coventry International hub (they must post this within 5 days of detention). This will require you to submit your reason / VCRA defence for the import of the said items along with purchase invoice (form C160). (you have 14 days to do this)
Then if all OK they have upto 20 days to process and release the items to courier for delivery.
If not all OK they will seize the items and ?????the rest is up to them.

Good luck
Johnny

Thank for your reply Johnny

Regards Rhodri

Hi Rhodri

I've had the same issue, but received my parcel after 3 or 4 days at Customs. Once the parcel's tracked as leaving Customs and on it's way to the Delivery Depot, you'll receive a card through the post from the Courier (or a letter in the post) asking for the VAT, Duty and their Admin Charges to be paid before they'll deliver.
You can make payment on-line (as I did) It's no problem really, just standard practice.

JohnnyV has explained the other possibilities so there's no need to repeat them. Just make sure you've got your Re-enactor Group or Airsoft Skirmish site details ready as Customs may well ask for them all if they've identified your parcel as a Replica Gun.

Let us know how you get on. The first time that I imported it was held by customs for about three weeks before it was cleared. Now they seem to clear much faster. A tip that someone gave to me with reguards to guns and importing, it will get detained by customs, so you will get charged for any duty as it wont slip through. Apparently, and I say that as I have yet to try this myself, but apparently you can pay the duty on the item before it arrives if you know the value, and therefor avoid the £11.00 charge that parcelforce apply for the privaledge of paying it on your behalf. Next time I import I will definately try this. It will also no doubt speed up the customs clearence, and you will not have to wait the extra two days or so while parcelforce send you the card to tell you how much you need to pay them before they deliver your parcel.

I have had these problems with imports from the US and HK .

I imported a Makarov metal model from the US purely as local shops don,t stock them ,and that they cost less than HALF UK prices !!

Even with duties paid I reckoned I could not lose .

It got stopped at customs and after lengthy and time consuming communications the bottom line was I would have to go to court and PROVE that my item was UK legal !!

If I won - I got my gun - minus Court / Solicitor costs . If I lost then I got to pay their Court fees as well as mine !!!!!!

Prior to the VCR I imported stuff all the time . Now its all over .

To do so is to be taking a very big risk . I shall not be doing so again .

Carl.

Hi sorry for the late reply Things have been a bit mad in my world at the moment. I have had a few family problems so my mind has been occupied, because of this I forgot to send the paper work in time and would of had to go to court to get it back and had more important things to deal with. Finaly thing are good at home.
Special thanks to Miki Nakamure at Tokyo Toy Distribution also WWii Guns who manage to source me a new one. Once it was dispatched I email customs at coventry with a copy of my reenacting membership, contacts to prove my membership and a copy of the sale receipt along with the ems tracking number. It took a week and a half then they phoned me to say it had cleared. I now have my Marushin M1 Garand and very nice it is too I will be posting a review soon so watch this space.

Finally eh Rhodri? I'll bet you're more than a little relieved it's finally got to you.

Goes to show too that having the correct paperwork and exemption from the VCRA can, and does work.
If you hadn't got your Reenactors status, PLI docs etc then Customs would have siezed your Garand, never to be seen again and you may have got that "knock on the door"
Keeping it Legal works, everybody's happy

I'm looking forwards to your Review, is it as good as it looks?....