Is Importing Cheaper Than buying UK Now?

[PeeJay]

Speaking of... .. do kids count as mules?? Or do they have to be 'of smoking age' to get an allowance?

Over 18s only

[ha_banos]

Speaking of... .. do kids count as mules?? Or do they have to be 'of smoking age' to get an allowance?

🤣

6a00d83452507269e201bb082b1f29970d.png

[Cigar_Addict]

Over 18s only

Leave them at home then 😅

[PeeJay]

Leave them at home then 😅

We've only gone adults only as long as I can remember now

[Very Old Man]

The important to thing to remember is that HMRC weigh the package so you will be paying import duty on the whole weight. I bought some custom dalias from an import company knowing full well that I would incur duty and the supplier put the actual weight of the loose cigars on the customs label. After duty they came in at around £17 each which I thought was very reasonable.

Just remember that forum rules forbid discussing the evasion of duty but I think the above should be okay.

This is not correct.
The suppliers have to fill in the customs form that sits on the outside of the box.
Suppliers state the exact weight of the cigars without packaging, excluding packaging.
Cigar Place is is a good example.

[simwells]

This is not correct.
The suppliers have to fill in the customs form that sits on the outside of the box.
Suppliers state the exact weight of the cigars without packaging, excluding packaging.
Cigar Place is is a good example.

Some do, the majority don't sadly and if the weight is not listed or incorrect they do weigh the full package then by the time you've tried to query it they're destroyed.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Cigar_Addict]

Hope this doesn't break any forum rules (please delete/edit if it does)

I have recently had an email convo with a supplier I used to use across the pond. They say that they include a detailed invoice with every international shipment that breaks down the tobacco weight into grams (ie, if you ordered say an ashtray as well, it would be listed as such, along with its respective weight).

Please correct any glaring errors (which there are likely to be), but using a Drew Estate Factory Smoke as an example, they are available in the UK for around £13/14 each

To import 25 worked out to be £9.46 a stick

To import 50 It works out to be £8.69 a stick

These will all fluctuate depending on the value & weight of the sticks you are after (these were calculated on robustos at around 300g for 25), plus there is no allowance criteria that I know of (ie not 50 cigars per person) so you could save more as the shipping doesn't go up massively (doesn't double) for twice the amount of sticks.

So, in general, they can be cheaper than UK prices, even with the taxes involved. Whether the hassle involved is worth it is subjective.

Now, some cigars that I would like (Partagas 1845 Clasico Robusto) are not available in many places so for these to work out roughly £15 a stick could be tempting enough for me to take the risk.

I hope this is understandable as I was flitting between multiple web pages & screens to try to get the data correct

[PeeJay]

Does that figure per stick include VAT, duty and handling charge?

[Cigar_Addict]

Does that figure per stick include VAT, duty and handling charge?

I used the calculator on the Gov website, which breaks it down like the following

Screenshot_20240731_074238.jpg

So I added the £63 (Cigars & shipping) to the £173.71 then divided by qty of sticks (25)

Like I say, hopefully this is accurate, unless I've missed something obvious?

[Cigar_Addict]

The Drew Estate Factory Smokes in question was £351 for 25 in the UK, opposed to $44 over the pond for the same quantity 🤯

[PeeJay]

I recently bought 50 Oliva Melanio Senoritas for £66 plus £112 overall charges so £3.56 each so yes it can be worth it. The equivalent cigars here are £8 each. I still prefer to pick them up on holiday though. You're relying on the vendor correctly labelling them and risking seizure if they don't.

[jpwinn6]

Just thought I would share my recent experience on this topic…

On the 21st of July I made two orders one from a website in Switzerland and one from the USA. Both were for 6 single cigars. I worked out the cost of bought from UK stores would be around £160, I paid around £85 for both including postage.

So far I received the package from the USA and had to pay £72 customs charge and the other package still hasn’t arrived and the tracking has been saying it’s in Heathrow since the 24th so that’s slightly worrying.

I think after these experiences I will just stick to ordering from the UK or ask family and friends to pick me some up when they are abroad.

[Cigar_Addict]

Just thought I would share my recent experience on this topic…

On the 21st of July I made two orders one from a website in Switzerland and one from the USA. Both were for 6 single cigars. I worked out the cost of bought from UK stores would be around £160, I paid around £85 for both including postage.

So far I received the package from the USA and had to pay £72 customs charge and the other package still hasn’t arrived and the tracking has been saying it’s in Heathrow since the 24th so that’s slightly worrying.

I think after these experiences I will just stick to ordering from the UK or ask family and friends to pick me some up when they are abroad.

Thanks for sharing. We're your calculations for taxes & fees more or less what you got charged?

[jpwinn6]

Thanks for sharing. Were your calculations for taxes & fees more or less what you got charged?

Yes it was bang on what I expected. I would rather pay the UK prices and not have to wait. Don’t think it matters too much for the amount I buy.

[ha_banos]

Recently had a cigar package sent within the UK lost by royal mail 🫡

But do shop around for UK pricing. There are offers occasionally. Otherwise, travel or mules .. sorry friends/family 😁

If only shipping was as reliable as they claim. But then they wouldn't offer compensation/insurance just in case... 🤷♂️

Besides there's fun in the chase no!?