Thank you Ade. I am wavering.

Depending on the state you live in, there are potentially three other charges aside from the shipping cost:

1) Customs duty. Charged by the federal government, per discussions above. Depends on the classification of the item and its country of origin. Usually a percentage beyond an allowance limit.

2) Taxes. Charged by the state and/or local government (or outside the US, could also be federal government). Depends where you live. Usually a percentage of total value (with no allowance). Most US states do not charge taxes for internet transactions, but some do.

3) Brokerage fees. If there are any duties or taxes levied, most couriers will tack on an additional "brokerage fees" on top of the levy. Usually a flat rate in the $30-$50 range for simple imports not requiring special paperwork. Sometimes this fee is "waived" (or "included") in express/overnight shipments. Post office shipments usually don't have additional brokerage fees added.

Thank you adamz139

I think I may order the lens tonight.

though i think it may be

Parts and accessories:
9006.91.00 00 For cameras. . X.. . . . . . . 5.8%

not bad on a $2400 item that is $139 .. about the tax i would pay locally. still keeps me at about $1k less than buying from a store in the US.

if You will read the introduction You will know :), any way column 1 apply to You, column 2 is for cuba

I saw that listing as I did search. My question should have been

2.45% Free (A,AU,BH,CA, 45% <--- what is the 45% the smaller % is not worth worrying about, I was worried about the 45% number.

TaoTeJared said:
When ordering from the US, I have never had customs charge anything coming from China (HK). As far as I know and have experienced, there is ZERO import duty taxes (fees) on personal electronic items which camera's fall under.

The US is a Free trade countries where everything comes in free from almost every country.

Wow - I wish it were the same here!

One thing that needs to be said though is that the seller screwed up and when the lens FINALLY made it here (the max time allowed plus a couple of days - about a month), not only was it too late for the job I bought it for, but it was a flippin' CANON FIT!!!! by the time I had struggled to get them to admit it was their fault and so they had to pay return shipping then chase them every step of the way and wait the same interminable time for the replacement, I was as sick as a parrot and wished I hadn't been such a skinflint just to save £100! I spent more time stitching pano's than I could charge for so I actually made a loss...

When ordering from the US, I have never had customs charge anything coming from China (HK). As far as I know and have experienced, there is ZERO import duty taxes (fees) on personal electronic items which camera's fall under.

The US is a Free trade countries where everything comes in free from almost every country.

Guys, please use google from time to time, it took me no more tahn 60sec to get the document: http://www.usitc.gov/publications/docs/tata/hts/bychapter/1202c90.pdf
look for lenses/digital cameras and look at general tarrif. it shouldn't be more than 3% + some processing fee (in my country it's sth like $30)

As for buying from China, well I do it on monthly basis with all the small stuff I need (cables, chargers, small circuits boards), never had any problems. and as skintbrit wrote if a user is a power seller than You can be assured that the contact will be good, they need to maintain very high user rating in order to get better deals on comission, in other words if they have lower customer rating they pay more. moreover, very often those companies will declare a smaller value on custom forms and describe the product for Your benefit, i.e. gift, digital camera (0% tariff)
as for buying used stuff, well it's the same when You buy it over the net from some local (in-state, in-country) seller.

@ Spraynpray, yes you're right, paying by Paypal (or credit card) is Important from a buyers perspective. Are credit card providers jointly liable for the completion of the transaction in other countries, or is it just UK law that makes them so?

I've had no experience with US customs, but plenty in other countries. Basically, it's a gamble.

I've had stuff delivered with no duties at all. But I've also had stuff where I've had so much hassle and expense that I wished I'd never ordered the item in the first place. Declaring lower values doesn't seem to have any effect, and may get you in a whole heap of trouble.

I think it all comes down to the mood, on the day, of the individual who deals with your parcel.

Good luck.

@Skinty: I have bought from HK too (Tokina 11-16) and not had a problem but my sellers listing said that there will be no customs fees and if there are, they will refund them. Makes you wonder what their profit margins are if they can do that. Turns out the 'invoice' said digital camera - value 80$ - but I got away with it. As you said, if they are an eBay Powerseller, you're OK (but you must pay by Paypal!).

Thank you all. Yes it is ebay ... there is an icon saying top-rated seller, not sure if that is only because of his 99.4% rating

I have a call in to customs to see if they will give me a clue. If I find anything out I will post it here.

spraynpray said:
in the UK if you buy abroad and 'get caught' by customs it costs you a fee, VAT (20%) and import duty which happens to bring it up to the price you would have paid the good guys.

Listen to msmoto on this.

I'm with and not with you on this one spraynpray. You're absolutely right about the UK charges, and I have ALWAYS been stung whenever there was a chance :-( however I have bought plenty of big ticket items from HK, and have always found them to be above board and offering excellent after sales care. It obviously depends on the company, but the OP has done his homework by checking the feedback number and rating, and if it is what he says it is, I'd use them without hesitation. If you can IndyGeoff, try and buy from a power seller which this company may well be by the sounds of things (it is eBay yes?), as they have to maintain very high customer satisfaction feedback scores to keep that status, and they'll be very keen to make sure you have no reason to not leave 5 stars for everything. As far as I can see, if the cost of the charges (if levied) would still leave you with a substantial saving, in my opinion it's a no brainer. When it becomes more tricky is when you're saving $300 but the import charges would be $500. In those circumstances (and with my track record) I would buy from the high street, but in your situation, $1000 is a lot of money and by the sounds of things the US is far more lax with charging than the U.K. This is
Probably because as we are only the size of 1 US state, and ALL incoming international mail comes through 1 sorting office, HM revenue and customs are far more likely to spot your item.

in the UK if you buy abroad and 'get caught' by customs it costs you a fee, VAT (20%) and import duty which happens to bring it up to the price you would have paid the good guys.

Listen to msmoto on this.

thank you msmoto .. the item is a lens and it is advertised for $1000 less than me buying it here. The seller has over 30k feedbacks and a 99.4% positive.

I would just hate to think I am saving $1k on this lens and customs add $300-$500 more to it.

Ah, ha. another... I actually ordered a Zenza Bronica from Hong Kong in the 1960's. Price was about 1/3 that of the camera stateside. I do not remember any customs being charged at that time. However, some others have ordered equipment and what occurs is a customs broker becomes involved in some cases. They charge a fee, then assign a certain customs charge to the item. It is my understanding this is neither predictable nor consistent in spite of what the current custom rate may be on the item.

For me personally, I do not deal with unknown dealers, especially as the behavior may be inconsistent. Before ordering, Google the company name along with "reviews" and see what some folks are saying.

Overall, I have found I can save nothing anymore on these off shore deals. And absolutely no after sales support. In spite of some of the comments about the big dealers, I will go with the ones who are going to be there for me, such as B & H, Adorama, etc. the ones who help us keep the forum going. They are also the reliable ones.

I am about to order an item that will cost me just over $2000 and wonder if the customs people will hit me with any charges. I have ordered items before without a problem, however noting over a couple hundred.

Anyone (in the US) ever order something costing $2k+ from hong kong ? Did you get his with customs charges ?

If yes, what was the % of the selling price you were hit with ?

Thanks,