I received an item I'd ordered from the US valued at $25. According to HMRC their July exchange rate valued this in Sterling at £15.88 - therefore liable (by 88p) for Import VAT of £3.17. That's not so bad, however Royal Mail then decided to apply an £8 international handling charge. Outrageous! Not only is this vastly disproportional to the value of the item, it doubled the eventual cost of my purchase. Continue reading "Buying from the States? Beware of Royal Mail charges!"