How much does it cost to ship 8 SmartSeats to the UK?  Can I buy your product in Canada?  Are there any customs fees included? International shipping can be expensive. And confusing.

If you’re purchasing our product and live in Canada or in the UK, we’ve put together some information that we hope will answer most of your questions.  If it does not, please feel free to contact us and we will be happy to assist you.

In general, the shipping costs quoted on our site at check out do not include taxes (such as VAT or GST) or additional customs fees that you may be required to pay in order to receive your package.

United Kingdom

The UK charges its citizens both Duty Tax (7% of the total product value) and VAT (an additional 18% of the total value of the goods, plus the Duty Tax previously assessed). Therefore, to calculate the total cost of your SmartSeats, you must first calculate your product total.  This is the price of your covers before shipping costs are added in (for example, $107.94 for 6 covers).  To this item total, you must add Duty Tax (7% of $107.94 = $7.56) and VAT (18% of the new total, $115.50 = $20.79).  So, if you live in the UK, the cost of your SmartSeats — before shipping costs are added in — is $136.29.  To this total, you must also add the cost of USPS First Class International Delivery.  These shipping fees vary on destination and are provided after you have added product to your cart and have entered your shipping address.

Canada

Canada charges its citizens GST and an additional handling fee of $8.50 whenever an item is taxed.  GST varies depending on location and the range is between 5% and approximately 15%.  These taxes are only assessed on goods valued at $20 CAD or more.  Because the amount of tax varies by province, the total cost will vary depending on your actual location, but the calculations are similar to the example above.  To calculate the total cost of your SmartSeats, you must first calculate your product total.  This is the price of your covers before shipping costs are added in (for example, $107.94 for 6 covers).  To this item total, you must add an additional 5% to 15% (5% of $107.94 = $5.40, 15% of $107.94 = $16.19).  So, if you live in Canada, the cost of your SmartSeats — before shipping costs are added in — is between $113.34 and $124.13.  To this total, you must also add the cost of USPS First Class International Delivery.  These shipping fees vary on destination and are provided after you have added product to your cart and have entered your shipping address.

When taxes are charged, Customs sticks a taxes-owing form on the package and the box is held by the Post Office as a COD. The recipient pays the fee when the package is retrieved from either Royal Mail or Canada Post.  Our experience is that Canadian Customs does not check every box, but that Customs in the UK does.

Featured image by DavidD, courtesy of Flickr.com