Shipping parcels from outside EU

Meri-Tuuli · Post by **Meri-Tuuli** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 11:49 am

Heippa

First of all, sorry if this has been done to death, but I couldn't find the info when I was searching the archives.

So I would like to buy a moisturiser from the US.
They ship to Finland.
Thing is, will it get caught up in customs?
The value will be $5 + shipping costs.

I'm guessing not, because the value is so small (a 2oz/trial size) and the package will therefore be small too.

What are the personal limits? I understand its something like 50e? And how does it work?

Kind regards

Meri-Tuuli

**Sponsor:**

Flossy1978 · Post by **Flossy1978** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 11:59 am

Just a get friend to send it to you. They can send it as a gift then.

This is what my friends do for me.

One has a paypal account, so I just put the money in there for her.

raamv · Post by **raamv** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 12:07 pm

http://www.expat-finland.com/moving_to_ ... stoms.html

Meri-Tuuli · Post by **Meri-Tuuli** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 2:53 pm

Hey flossy 1978,

Well I simply don't know anyone in the states that could do that for me. I'm not American/Canadian and I have never lived there, and the only person I know who lives in the States is my partners former boss. Not the type of person I can ask this sort of favour for!!!

Anyway, I reckon I'm going to chance it. $5 is really a tiny amount, the package will be tiny and the ingredients (of the moisturiser) are all completely safe, legal etc etc.

Its not so much the money (I'm not doing it because this product is cheaper in the USA or anything like that) but the fact that I have acne prone skin, and this moisturiser contains all the ingredients I am looking for (which are jojoba seed oil, glycerine, squalene,+ bisbolol in case you were wondering).

I'd love to buy such a product here, but there simply isn't one.

Meri-Tuuli · Post by **Meri-Tuuli** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 2:59 pm

Hey raamv

Thanks for the link, but I couldn't really find whereabout it was that showed what your personal limits (in value) on things were. Perhaps I'm being blind.

Anyway I don't even care that I would have to pay custom charges, just that I want to find skin products that work on my acne prone skin

I just what them to let the stuff I ordered through! (and of course, with not crazy import charges) -- I have nothing against paying the VAT as if I had bought the product in Finland.

In case anyone is wondering, I'm trying to get my hands on this:

http://www.danielkern.com/category-s/23.htm

The ingredients are great.

Flossy1978 · Post by **Flossy1978** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 4:26 pm

Wasn't it 50 euros or something that you have to go over before you have to pay extra taxes?

My husband buys alot of car parts from non EU countries. Old Datsun, Nissen etc parts that you can't get here. Sometimes the parts are under 50 euros and it's fine. Other time they're a little bit over and he has to go down to customs to talk to them about the taxes. Sometimes they're nice and don't charge him. Other times he has had to pay the taxes when the item is alot over 50 euros.

This is through the normal postal companies. Don't use UPS! Ugh.... they're horrible. Well have been to me. Claiming to have sent the parcel I got express and it took longer than normal mail would have LOL. Then got mad at me for not being home. Well.... it is the middle of the day, I am at work like most people! And they're really strict and I had to pay insane taxes (which is the right thing to do, but still... LOL. You can get through customs easily usually without paying them).

Your item is so small, maybe you shouldn't worry. Even if it is taxed, I bet it's a few cents if that.

Hank W. · Post by **Hank W.** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 4:48 pm

Well, if the customs + VAT is below 10 then they won't charge anything. If it goes 10,01 then you need to pay.

The biggest trouble is getting top the Customs P.O: (Vantaa is at the Airport) and then the thing they want to know *what* it is so they can get their magic number... camera, mechanic, large format film, without lense, origin USSR.... because some stuff has different fractional customs % and some do not because of trade rules and so forth...

raamv · Post by **raamv** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 5:57 pm

The limit you are thinking about customs duties is for people traveling from non-EU to Finland which is €150.

Check out page 11 on cosmetics from tulli:
http://www.tulli.fi/en/02_Publications/ ... 006_en.pdf
Some info in Finnish here:
http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/dd ... me?Lang=FI
and some faq for people bringing goods to Finland:
http://www.tulli.fi/en/Yleiset/FAQ.jsp

hanj · Post by **hanj** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 6:23 pm

i am not sure the exact amount.......but mail order stuffs.....if the value of your merchandise less than ~25euro...then it will pass through the custom with absolutely no problem. if the merchandise is abt 44euro...then there's a possibility it will be detained at the custom office where they will ask you for receipt/invoice...but tax shouldnt be applicable at that amount. please note by merchandise i mean the cost of the product itself +shipping cost. also, even if you declare the item as GIFT, there should be a value stated as well....they still detain those packages shipped from a business address and with GIFT and 0 dollar value.
Also the currency conversion to euro would be based on custom's exchange rate which they revise every month.

anyway...your case...shouldnt have to worry abt the tax....unless your shipping mode cost 80USD

Meri-Tuuli · Post by **Meri-Tuuli** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 7:37 pm

Thanks for the great replies!

As usual, I'm worrying about nothing (I do that alot).... yeah I'll try the $5 tube and see what happens. I can't image the shipping costs so great (you only find out at checkout), and we'll see what happens.

I would actually like to try getting my hands on their benzoyl peroxide product, but i think benzoyl peroxide is 'restricted' because you can only buy it at the pharmacy. You don't need a prescription for it, but still, its only available in pharmacies. And i don't want the rest of my order (the moisturiser) to go AWOL simply because its with the benzoyl product.

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