Amayama Delivery

Colin M · December 19, 2014

I would be grateful if anyone who has used Amayama before could give me some advice on what happens at this end when the item has come into the country.

I have an item that has been sent via Japan Post and I have been emailed delivery information which includes a Tracking Number.

I have been on the Japan Post website and entered the tracking number. The item is in customs at Coventry Parcelforce (arrived there on 16 December 2014).

Please can someone advise me what happens next? Do I need to do anything or will it somehow just arrive at the house?

Thanks.

Colin

jamesm182 · December 19, 2014

Usually anything I have had with a customs charge etc will go to the sorting office where you go and collect it and make the payment (at least that's what I think I remember!).

Chris Skelton · December 19, 2014

But they should at least TELL YOU it's there! Maybe it's the seasonal chaos?

Ring the local/relevant office?

{Unless you're importing a LS400 Ser 4; then just redirect it to MY house.........}

ambermarine · December 19, 2014

The item will be delivered in due course that is PO speak for whenever ,I waited over 3 weeks for an item that I paid air frieght charges on from the states so I could get it quickly it had been sat in customs and the best bit is they charge for this diservice.

Colin M · December 19, 2014

Thanks for your responses.

I am not in any rush to get the item so I will wait a while longer before trying to make contact.

Having looked on Google for the phone number for Coventry Parcelforce, there are quite a few posts on different websites about the difficulty of getting through on the phone to anyone ...

Bluesman · December 19, 2014

If there are any taxes to pay these days they tell you by letter that whatever needs paying before the will deliver it, this is done online easily.

British customs are dreadfully slow. Mike.

lurch · December 19, 2014

Yep last stuff I had they sent me a letter and I phoned them up and paid overphone then item was delivered.

cruisermark · December 19, 2014

Normally i ring them as soon as the item is in the country and find out whats happening - if there is a charge i pay it over the phone and it gets delivered in 48 hours.

This saves time because normally they write to you if there is a customs charge

lurch · December 19, 2014

Yeh last time I had a complete 5 th gear assembly for Rav 4 and they wanted £64 duty but still saved over £250 on uk prices, hopefully for the ignition switch I've just ordered won't be much to pay.

Malc · December 19, 2014

I had a small package from the USA recently, Post Office popped a card thru' my door ( with other post ) telling me I had to collect a package and pay £8+ ? for the Post Office service charge on handling the parcel. ...... all correct postage paid by sender BUT Customs clearance necessitated the Post Office to handle the parcel a bit differently, there was zero duty to pay btw if my memory serves me right.

Not impressed

Malc

Colin M · December 21, 2014

Thanks, guys, for all your help with this.

I think I will leave chasing it up till after Christmas now, unless it turns up of its own accord beforehand.

Colin M · January 4, 2015

I now have had the item delivered and here is an update on how things went.

Nothing happened before Christmas but on 27 December I received a letter from Parcelforce, dated 23 December, stating that the item had cleared Customs. The letter indicated that no Customs Duty was payable but Import VAT of £8.80 was payable, along with a Clearance Fee (zero rated for VAT purposes, you will be pleased to know ...) of £13.50. So, in all £22.30 to pay.

The letter stated that 'So we can deliver your parcel as quickly as possible to you, the easiest way to go online to arrange payment of these Customs charges. If you pay online, delivery is usually made the next working day after payment is processed'.

OK, so I pay straightaway on the same day. A dropdown menu gave me a choice of delivery dates, the first one of which was 30 December (presumably because Monday 29 December would be the day payment was processed and delivery could then be the next working day). Since we were out most of the 30th, I selected the following day 31 December as we were in all day until early evening.

31 December came and went without any delivery. So I rang Parcelforce on 2 January but not by using their premium rate number of 0844 2096159. If you have not come across the www.SAYNOTO0870.com website, it is well worth a look for alternative numbers. Typing that number in came up with 02476 817101, which apparently only worked after 5 pm, and 02476 213458. I tried the latter number as I was ringing in the morning and it worked fine. Pressing 1 on the menu took me straight through to a person who could deal with my query.

I explained that I was expecting a delivery on 31 December and was asked for the parcel's tracking number. The person I spoke to said that the parcel was being held in Birmingham awaiting payment of customs charges. So I told her that these had been paid on 27 December and I had received an email the same day confirming payment and indicating that the parcel would be released for delivery. She checked on the system and said, yes, the charges had been paid. She would contact Birmingham office but it would be Monday before it could be delivered. I said that was OK as I would be in all day Monday. At 8.45 on Saturday morning, the doorbell rings and a man from Parcelforce arrives with the item.

While it was good to get the parcel on Saturday rather than wait till Monday, the parcel needed signing for and no-one had checked with me whether I would be in on Saturday. It would have been easy to check as my phone number was on the paperwork on the outside of the parcel ...

So, in all, it was about a month from ordering the item to delivery. I ordered it on 3 December and paid for it on 5 December. it was sent from Japan on 12 December and arrived 4 days later in Customs on 16 December. Things went smoothly up until that point but, as you can see from the above, less smoothly thereafter.

In sum, Amayama Trading/Japan Post 1 HMRC 0 ...

I have set out the information above because it may be helpful to anyone who has not used Amayama before but who might be thinking of doing so.

This has not put me off buying again from Amayama. The item was well packed and even with postage and customs charges was less than half the price I would have paid for the item here.

Chris Skelton · January 4, 2015

You have to realise that 'service' is an outdated concept in this wonderful country of ours.

I get hi-fi stuff from .....South Korea....Japan....Taiwan.... that arrives in 3 days initially, well packed with tracking etc.

but, as you say, after that it gets used as a football, sits on a shelf, etc.

steve2006 · January 4, 2015

UK Parcel delivery over Christmas and the New Year appears to have gone down the pan. I ordered electronic components on 29/12/2014 and paid for next day delivery by UPS. Having not arrived I phone the supplier on 31.12.2014 to be told it was "out on the van for delivery today and we'll refund your next day delivery charge"

Roll onto 2/1/2015 and still no parcel again "it's being delivered on 5/1/2015, UPS are very busy"

Perhaps they could take on some City Link staff then to fill the gap.

This is only coming from Preston,I could have drove up there and back in 3 hours.

Bluesman · January 4, 2015

I now have had the item delivered and here is an update on how things went.

Nothing happened before Christmas but on 27 December I received a letter from Parcelforce, dated 23 December, stating that the item had cleared Customs. The letter indicated that no Customs Duty was payable but Import VAT of £8.80 was payable, along with a Clearance Fee (zero rated for VAT purposes, you will be pleased to know ...) of £13.50. So, in all £22.30 to pay.

The letter stated that 'So we can deliver your parcel as quickly as possible to you, the easiest way to go online to arrange payment of these Customs charges. If you pay online, delivery is usually made the next working day after payment is processed'.

OK, so I pay straightaway on the same day. A dropdown menu gave me a choice of delivery dates, the first one of which was 30 December (presumably because Monday 29 December would be the day payment was processed and delivery could then be the next working day). Since we were out most of the 30th, I selected the following day 31 December as we were in all day until early evening.

31 December came and went without any delivery. So I rang Parcelforce on 2 January but not by using their premium rate number of 0844 2096159. If you have not come across the www.SAYNOTO0870.com website, it is well worth a look for alternative numbers. Typing that number in came up with 02476 817101, which apparently only worked after 5 pm, and 02476 213458. I tried the latter number as I was ringing in the morning and it worked fine. Pressing 1 on the menu took me straight through to a person who could deal with my query.

I explained that I was expecting a delivery on 31 December and was asked for the parcel's tracking number. The person I spoke to said that the parcel was being held in Birmingham awaiting payment of customs charges. So I told her that these had been paid on 27 December and I had received an email the same day confirming payment and indicating that the parcel would be released for delivery. She checked on the system and said, yes, the charges had been paid. She would contact Birmingham office but it would be Monday before it could be delivered. I said that was OK as I would be in all day Monday. At 8.45 on Saturday morning, the doorbell rings and a man from Parcelforce arrives with the item.

While it was good to get the parcel on Saturday rather than wait till Monday, the parcel needed signing for and no-one had checked with me whether I would be in on Saturday. It would have been easy to check as my phone number was on the paperwork on the outside of the parcel ...

So, in all, it was about a month from ordering the item to delivery. I ordered it on 3 December and paid for it on 5 December. it was sent from Japan on 12 December and arrived 4 days later in Customs on 16 December. Things went smoothly up until that point but, as you can see from the above, less smoothly thereafter.

In sum, Amayama Trading/Japan Post 1 HMRC 0 ...

I have set out the information above because it may be helpful to anyone who has not used Amayama before but who might be thinking of doing so.

This has not put me off buying again from Amayama. The item was well packed and even with postage and customs charges was less than half the price I would have paid for the item here.

Good old Parcelfarce/HMRC, they never dissapoint living down to everyones expectations of if they can get it wrong they will, and they will go out of their way to make sure it does go wrong.

Bluesman · January 4, 2015

We live in a country where companies survive and thrive on getting things wrong so that you have to ring massively exspensive phone lines to try and get things sorted. Hundreds of companies in this country would go bust without it.

SAYNOTO 0870 (well done Colinm for mentioning it) Everyone should use this. I have for years if I cant find another number there I gopogle the comapany and get head office numbers on normal phone numbers. Mike

Malc · January 5, 2015

saynoto0870 is brilliant,..................... usually one can get to a non-premium number.

So with the import charges, it seems that we need to factor in about another £22 for charges even when the full postage/carriage and customs duties have already been paid.

And this seems to apply to most packages imported then ?

Rip-off or wot !!!!

Malc

Colin M · January 5, 2015

Of the £22, I think the £13.50 fee is more or less a standard figure irrespective of the cost of the item imported.

The remaining amount is Import VAT and so presumably will be affected by the cost of the item i.e. the more the item (and delivery) costs, the higher the amount of Import VAT.

My Import VAT was £8.80 which is about 20% of the cost of the item and its delivery (which was just under £48). The normal rate of VAT is 20% and what I paid is actually a bit less than 20% (£9.60 would be 20% of £48). I am not sure why I paid 80p less than £9.60.

Colin M · January 5, 2015

Have you taken into account the cost off delivery from Japan, Mike?

My item cost (to the nearest pound sterling) £28 and delivery from Japan was £20, making the total of £48.

Is the cost of your ignition switch £32 or does the £32 cover cost of the switch and its delivery?

I entered my details into www.dutycalculator.com to see what the Import VAT should be and it came out at £9.60, so how HMRC calculated £8.80 I do not know.

You can enter your details into the website - there are 3 free calculations.

Colin M · January 6, 2015

Yes, it would be nice if VAT on delivery was excluded but sadly VAT is imposed on both goods and services and delivery presumably counts as a 'service'.

Even so, still a good saving on the cost quoted over here!

lurch · January 6, 2015

My 5th gear assembly I got from them for my Rav 4 cost me £34.00 delivery and HMRC charged me £64 charges, but saved a packet still with Toyota uk wanting £523 for parts, my total cost was £286.All genuine parts in toyota packaging.

My ignition switch is still sitting at Coventry and has been before xmas, says its processed and import charge applies, still waiting for letter to see how much. Total so far LS ignition switch £29.69

cruisermark · January 6, 2015

My 5th gear assembly I got from them for my Rav 4 cost me £34.00 delivery and HMRC charged me £64 charges, but saved a packet still with Toyota uk wanting £523 for parts, my total cost was £286.All genuine parts in toyota packaging.

My ignition switch is still sitting at Coventry and has been before xmas, says its processed and import charge applies, still waiting for letter to see how much. Total so far LS ignition switch £29.69

if you want to speed thins up you can ring them and pay over the phone without having to wait for the letter

you just need the tracking number

lurch · January 6, 2015

My 5th gear assembly I got from them for my Rav 4 cost me £34.00 delivery and HMRC charged me £64 charges, but saved a packet still with Toyota uk wanting £523 for parts, my total cost was £286.All genuine parts in toyota packaging.

My ignition switch is still sitting at Coventry and has been before xmas, says its processed and import charge applies, still waiting for letter to see how much. Total so far LS ignition switch £29.69

if you want to speed thins up you can ring them and pay over the phone without having to wait for the letter
you just need the tracking number

Thanks for that will give them a call.

lurch · January 6, 2015

Just been told I have to pay £19.14 which makes the total cost for the ignition switch £48.84 a saving of £40 so happy with that, just got to pay online tomorrow when at local depot for some reason and then be delivered Thursday.