UK Costumer are get customs charges - Matty: can we have a shipping separetely option

[Tiggerbeast]

Hi folks,

I occures to me that UK customers are being stung because our items are being shipped in one big package. I think there should be a 'shipping seperate' option where two or more items are seperate from each other.

[Rodster6]

I have messaged matty about this many times and they don't care.

[demiscy]

Why don't you order the items one by one?
It will cost the same, no?

[Woodland Warrior]

Why don't you order the items one by one?
It will cost the same, no?

If you have a sub, you have no choice. But then again you don't have to buy a sub. But then you have to face the prospect of figures selling out in less than a hour and the WSOD. I guess you pay your money and take your chances.

It would be lovely if Matty offered Tiggerbeast's option but I don't know if there are enough of us to warrant their effort.

Still the figures are awesome and normally worth the extra wait and money.

[Rodster6]

Why don't you order the items one by one?
It will cost the same, no?

Because I have a sub I don't have a choice of getting them delivered separately. I won't get a sub next year though.

[byinfernoslight]

If you have a sub, you have no choice. But then again you don't have to buy a sub. But then you have to face the prospect of figures selling out in less than a hour and the WSOD. I guess you pay your money and take your chances.

You also then don't get the sub exclusive figure.

Being hit by customs each and every month is very annoying and makes it doubtful I'll get a sub again next year, but I doubt Matty cares too much - they just aren't enough UK subscribers to warrant a change.

If there were they'd open up the oft-requested distribution centre in Germany and thus we wouldn't be hit by customs charges and save on shipping costs.

[Toymaker]

Take it ransom notes for BA Skeletor and King Hsss are turning up then?

I was hoping after the no custom charges last month, Mattel had found a way around this (though I still got charges on my seperate Tytus)

[Tiggerbeast]

I just got stung for £12.98. That it! I'm calling my credit card company. I can't afford this. This wouldn't happen if Matty didn't bundle it all together.

King Hsss is definately the doom lord of MOTU for me.

[Rodster6]

As much as I love this line, it's not worth more than what they originally cost. An extra £12-£18 every month or two is more than I am willing to pay for them. The stuff with King Hiss being assembled wrong, no extra heads so I'm stuck with goofy looking Leech and Clawful and mattys up yours attitude to the reverse shoulders and customs charges make it easier for me to skip the sub. I don't want any variants and the sub exclusives so far have not interested me so I don't mind missing out on those.

[urbanmyth]

Curious what the difference for you guys is in additional shipping to ship separately versus the single shipment with higher customs? Also, when you normally order two or more things online, do you generally place two separate orders?

I guess I have not had to face customs charges before but I kind of feel like this isn't Mattel's fault. The majority of the US subscribers are begging for shipping more things together to cut cost and the international customers are wanting the shipments sent in as many small shipments as possible. Even IF Digital River was good at working with customers, this seems like a difficult place to put them, asking them to customize everyone's subs.

[robaczek]

Before I say anything let me just point out - customs sux and I wish there was a way to avoid them BUT let's do some math here:

1xBA Skeletor = $9.95 shipping
1XKing Hsss = $9.95 shipping +
-------------------------------
$19.90 = £12.37 - so... as much as I hate to say it with the previous package missing the customs, it pretty much evens out.. and here's why: if you consider that we paid $12.1=£7.52 for the shipping last month and if bought separately it would be more then 3x$9.95 = $29.85=£18.56 (because of the size and weight of Shadow Beast) then we already saved on shipping alone minimum £11.04 (£18.56-£7.52).

So even with the customs now in place, we are 'loosing' the cost of the original shipping (since the customs come up to the actual cost of shipping 2 figures separately).. so in result £11.04 - £6.19 (original shipping $9.95) - we are still £4.85 ahead ;-)

So so far, I'm trying to stay positive and keep my fingers crossed - each month there's no customs I'm (belive it or not) saving money ;-)

Hope this will help some of you to look at it from a different perspective and continue to enjoy your figures ;-) It sure helped me.. ;-P

[Rodster6]

It's a little more frustrating for me as I don't even want BA Skeletor. I don't mind getting the odd figure I don't want in the sub as I can hopefully sell them but when it causes me to have to pay extra it gets annoying.

[Kowl]

Please help me understand this issue!

What is the issue with UK (and other foreign country) custom charges? Aren't these an import/export law item? Is "avoiding" custom charges and making items as "gifts" technically theft of fees due to your respective government?

[Rodster6]

I would like to know why the govornment deserve to be paid a fee, penalizing me for buying something from abroad which is not available in this country. To me this is theft. So I am more than happy to avoid these fees and 'steal' the money from going into govornment pockets. Though I'm gutted if this means some politician can't get his pool cleaned this week. #sarcasm#
If we were not charged almost double for things compared to prices in America etc maybe people would not want to buy from outside the EU so much.
The govornment gets far enough tax from me. Half of which they waste on non-sense.

[Kowl]

I would like to know why the govornment deserve to be paid a fee, penalizing me for buying something from abroad which is not available in this country. To me this is theft. So I am more than happy to avoid these fees and 'steal' the money from going into govornment pockets. Though I'm gutted if this means some politician can't get his pool cleaned this week. #sarcasm#
If we were not charged almost double for things compared to prices in America etc maybe people would not want to buy from outside the EU so much.
The govornment gets far enough tax from me. Half of which they waste on non-sense.

Okay... trust me... I understand the concept of paying customs fee... I regularly buy items from Germany and I always end up having to pay additional US custom fees because of the dollar amount of non US product purchased.

There is also a huge "buy American" push going on in the US because of the bad economy. I can assume the EU has the same type of campaign to promote EU company purchases.

I just don't think non US customers are going to have any luck getting Mattel to violate international import/export laws. It is one thing to get a US pal to ship you something marked a "gift", but it's another ballgame when asking a company to do it. There might be severe penalties for companies that get caught violating custom laws.

[guitargod694]

I just don't think non US customers are going to have any luck getting Mattel to violate international import/export laws. It is one thing to get a US pal to ship you something marked a "gift", but it's another ballgame when asking a company to do it. There might be severe penalties for companies that get caught violating custom laws.

Yeah, there definitely are legal ramifications for companies for doing that.

But no one here has asked for that.
They are just asking to ship items individually to avoid customs.
Because packages under a certain value (I believe around $30, no?) do not get customs charges.

[byinfernoslight]

I would like to know why the govornment deserve to be paid a fee

I don't think most people actually mind paying VAT too much on what they import. It's the £8 'handling charge' added on by Royal Mail that's the real kicker.

[Rodster6]

Some way matty package seems to avoid customs as none of us got one last month for the huge box of Shadow beast, Bow and He-man. Shame they can't just always do that.
If matty did write a lower value on their custom declaration or that it was a gift, I think that is then the receivers responsibility and not matty who would potentially get in trouble or be held responsible.

I don't even agree with paying VAT on things not produced in the UK let alone the handling fee! Once again I don't see why the govornment should get paid every time I buy something especially when they spend alot of the money on things I don't agree with, that's why I buy second hand as much as possible to avoid it.

[byinfernoslight]

Some way matty package seems to avoid customs as none of us got one last month for the huge box of Shadow beast, Bow and He-man. Shame they can't just always do that.
If matty did write a lower value on their custom declaration or that it was a gift, I think that is then the receivers responsibility and not matty who would potentially get in trouble or be held responsible.

Customs is always hit and miss. Sometimes stuff gets through and sometimes stuff doesn't. I was charged the Royal Guards, other people weren't. I don't see how Mattel could have any control over it.

And yes, it is Mattel who'd be in trouble for falsifying customs declarations since it's their signature on the form.

[Toymaker]

Yeah, there definitely are legal ramifications for companies for doing that.

But no one here has asked for that.
They are just asking to ship items individually to avoid customs.
Because packages under a certain value (I believe around $30, no?) do not get customs charges.

Exactly, a Sy-Klone and a Panther sent together would incur charges, sent separatley wouldn't.

However, whether Megator is sent with or without the monthly figure, we will still be charged for him!

[byinfernoslight]

Exactly, a Sy-Klone and a Panther sent together would incur charges, sent separatley wouldn't.

However, whether Megator is sent with or without the monthly figure, we will still be charged for him!

$30 is borderline and depending on fluctuations in the exchange rate it can be above the limit. For example I was charged for Battlecat.

[Toymaker]

$30 is borderline and depending on fluctuations in the exchange rate it can be above the limit. For example I was charged for Battlecat.

Really, sorry dude. I never got charged for BC, Orko or Gygor, but have for Mo-Larr vs Skeletor (which is why Mo-Larr should have been a solo figure, well that and the not forcing another Skeletor on us to get a unique figure), Tytus and the Palace Guards. Also got charged for He-Man and Beast-Man, which is where I learned not to order things together!

[Rio Blast]

As explained above, the customs charges cost is roughly the same as the additional cost of shipping things separately. Plus there is always a chance stuff will escape the customs charges (I've been very lucky in this respect) while separate shippings will always have additional costs. So I think people are better off having things shipped to them together rather than individually.

I am not defending customs charges, I do not like them, especially "handling charges". But even if Mattel had a European distribution centre so the figures could be sent to European customers from within the EU we would still face higher costs as the products would have VAT added-on and labour costs in countries like Germany and the Netherlands are much higher than they are in America.

[chaoslordmarduk]

Hi.

I knew that i have to pay handling fee to the Austrian Post AG. Last year when i ordered the subscription it was as followed:

up to 22€ value (without shiping) nothing
over 22€ value (without shiping) -> 20% VAT of value with shipping + 6,5 € handling fee.

BUT.... what happened? the Austrian Post AG increased the handling fee with 1.1.2011 from 6,5€ to 12€

12 € is almost the price of a single figur. 12€ every month where more than one figur is released( 2 out of 3 month).

I don't mind to pay VAT but I find it ridiculous that if mattel would send my subscription seperated i would save a ton of money.

I realy hope something goes wrong with my next subscription renewal process

[Zodach]

I don't know if I would expect Mattel to change things so international customers can avoid paying customs charges. That is something your country and postal service are responsible for. And I highly doubt there are enough figures being purchased internationally for Mattel to open up a distribution center in Europe.