Not sure why, but to Norway, I never paid anything from Osborne, but always from Urbanski

I guess it depends on how they fill the customs declaration. If the seller send as a gift, it suposed to be duty free.

Up to a few years ago I bought many 16mm features from the US. All arrived without any fees being charged. But now things have changed. Import duty is now being charged at 20% of the US purchase price plus the same on postage.
The demand which pops through the letterbox can be quite daunting. It has to be paid before delivery is effected.

It doesn't seem to matter how it's declared Mat's. All anyone can do to help is Mark the films at a nominal value but this still involves other risks then.
I don't import much these days, the pound has just sank too much for it these days.

Someone also said put the item as old home movies as this seems to be duty free. Bit risky if its opened for checking though. Having said that its not a lie, it is old home movies.

have gone onto gov. website to try and verify what you would pay. very complicated and I think life is too short. have decided not to import from ouside eu.
shame because I really wanted that film"lady Killers" and there is what sounds like a very nice copy at a dealers in the usa.
from what I could gather,you pay vat and import duty on anything over £136.

Norway has a limit of just over 30 pounds and that is including shipping costs. Yay for Norway :-(

I've had loads of films sent from afar over the recent years David.
I'm certain the figure that exempts anyone from paying import tax is much much lower here in the UK.
I can't remember the exact figure Parcel Force quoted me each time I had to go to their depot for a parcel retained due to owing excise duty, but it was less than £50 from memory and films that were declared at their owners perceived valuations to their insurance companies, often worked out extremely expensive by the time the film finally arrived in my own hands.

That proved really annoying to me when some overseas sellers insisted on valuing their films for much higher amounts than I purchased them from them!

If it's something you really are struggling to find nearer to home, even in Europe say, then it may be considered worth the while as a pursuit, but otherwise I would never recommend it to a collector who would always want to be able to get his or her money back should they tire of the hobby.

They would be left sadly disappointed I'm afraid.

You've really got to want the item I'd say.

Also, things have only got a whole lot worse since the announcement of Brexit and the slump to the UK Pound vs US Dollar or AU Dollar for example.

If anything is purchased from a member country of the EU then VAT would have been added to the purchase price. Therefore, you don't pay twice. The article will not attract VAT when it arrives in the UK.
For articles from outside the EU into the UK the limit is only £15 before duty/Vat is payable.

I knew it was low Maurice, now you've confirmed just how low thanks!

Almost anything worth importing on cine film will therefore be liable for excise duty from anywhere outside the EU and in my experience, hardly anything gets past them!

All you can do is have a trust arrangement with the seller where the declared value is at least a little less than you paid for the item.

Not all of course, will agree to this though.

And not only that, Andrew, such an import takes weeks to eventually clear Customs with mountains of correspondence to sort out continual questions. And then, the final kick in the teeth, a nasty bill to pay.

yes gents,think I will leave this one. Brexit will make things even worse,and make it just as difficult to buy from Europe.

Buying from Europe, poses no problems for the time being at least, but overseas from places like the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Japan etc etc, that's where the frustration comes from due to HM Customs & Excise enforcement team and the extortionate amount they can charge at times.

Strangely enough Maurice, on Super 8mm film stock at least, with of course no hazardous risk in travel, I've always received notification that my goods have been shipped and detained in very reasonable time without any real unusual lengthy delays from one state or country to another. However I have always paid for a reasonable service like Fed Ex for example, and always had them sent as air mail so I receive them quickly.