[Turtles]

I ordered some computer memory for personal use on Ebay from an American seller in January. The cost was 25 euros. I have seen proof of postage and the seller now says that the package is in the hands of the Spanish customs and have given me an id number. The Aeat site just lists all the Aduana offices in Spain and as I don't know which one them might have my item that is not much help.
The only relevant info I have found is on the UK Revenue site which suggests that if I am liable for any tax it might be VAT, but that this is not collected if the amount due is less than £9. This leaves me wondering why Spain would have halted my package.
I'm looking for an easy solution here as spending a day on the phone and in the car is not so attractive. Does anyone know what I can do, bearing in mind the low value of the item?

 

[thrax]

I've not come across this issue before. When we order from the UK, we get about a 90% success rate. We know that sometimes parcels go astray (we get packages in our PO Box for other people and point this out to the post office staff so no doubt some of our parcels go into someone else's box and perhaps they don't reciprocate) but if you have an id number from the seller (although how they know this is to me a bit iffy) I would first try the Aduana office nearest to where you live and take it from there. You never know, you might just get an English speaker (I don't know how good your Spanish is) who could explain what you have to do. Perhaps others on the forum are aware of this type of problem and how to resolve it.

 

[thrax]

Incidentally, I always order computer memory from Amazon and have never had any problems with customs.

 

[Madliz]

If the item comes from outside the EU it will be liable for import duty. I have friends who have packages arrive from Canada and they have to provide an invoice to Aduanas and pay tax before the item is delivered. You can normally track the package through the various stages with Correos. Check here for information - and good luck!

.: Correos :. Trmites aduaneros

 

[Turtles]

Thanks for the Correos link Madiz. It was more informative than Aeat. The id number was supplied by the US Post Office and doesn't register on the Correos item locator. Reading the small print it seems that I'm liable for VAT, which would be around 4 euros and "Fee" which would be another 20. All this is by the by however, as I am supposed to wait for Correos to deliver the parcel and ask for payment. There's no sign that they are planning to contact me. Of course the website suggests that I might also like to enter the traditional Spanish FAXMACHINEHELL. I know that I can avoid this protection(ist) racket by buying within the EU, but my reading of the rules led me to believe that such a cheap item that is duty exempt anyway would reach me unmolested.

 

[Solwriter]

We have had this happen to us a couple of times.
What we did was contact our local Correos to see if the package was there and go and collect it ourselves and pay the duties at the office.

On one occasion, the package was delivered to another Correos in our area. We were lucky in that the local office rang around for us and told us which Correos to go to to collect it.

They identified the package by our address incidentally, so all we needed was ID. But this was most likely the case of Correos staff being extra helpful, rather than following the rules to the letter.

 

[Turtles]

I will ask at Correos, but I'm not sure if they would have it or if it would be with Aduana somewhere. I've dug out the receipt and it's actually for 20 euros. Below 22 euros there is no VAT or duty payable, so I will not be pleased if I find my item and a jobsworth tries to charge me for handing it over.

 

[baldilocks]

I have ordered stuff from the US when that has been the only source and never had any problems. Normally the cartera (postwoman) either brings stuff directly to the house or drops a note off to go to the Correos to collect.

Seriously you should give serious consideration to using Amazon UK (I just got 2Gb memory that way) and if your bill is more than £25 the goods are delivered by courier in about a couple of days from despatch free of charge. What I do is have a wish-list of things that I'd like but are relatively inexpensive (DVDs, books, etc.) and when I need something to bring my bill up to £25, I just pull one or two items off the wish list - the savings in shipping costs often mean that the extra item is free.

 

[xabiaxica]

I have ordered stuff from the US when that has been the only source and never had any problems. Normally the cartera (postwoman) either brings stuff directly to the house or drops a note off to go to the Correos to collect.

Seriously you should give serious consideration to using Amazon UK (I just got 2Gb memory that way) and if your bill is more than £25 the goods are delivered by courier in about a couple of days from despatch free of charge. What I do is have a wish-list of things that I'd like but are relatively inexpensive (DVDs, books, etc.) and when I need something to bring my bill up to £25, I just pull one or two items off the wish list - the savings in shipping costs often mean that the extra item is free.

what a simple & good idea

 

[Turtles]

I buy stuff from Amazon all the time. On this one occasion I saw the product I wanted for a (completely legally) lower price from someone else.

 

[baldilocks]

what a simple & good idea

You know me Xabi - I'm simple through and through! Don't know about the "good" bit though!