RC Model Reviews

I have not ordered from HK for almost a year. Today I bought a glow engine.
In checking out I noticed a customs declaration box which allows you to pick
the declared value from 10 - 100% of the actual item cost or
another box where you can check "gift". Being in the U.S. and the honest guy I am I picked the actual cost.

Just wondering if anyone else in other countries or u.S. have run into this since I don't remember this ever being there last time I ordered and if I will get another bill from customs since I didn't pick "gift" or have the shipment delayed because of this?

Yep, that's been on my checkout screen for quite some time.

I don't know if it works though -- I seem to recall quite few boxes arriving with significantly underdeclared contents despite me ticking the "100%" box.

For Canada it would be fine to declare 100% as long as HK could be bothered to add the harmonized tariff number to the documentation, there is no duty on RC or toys here.

VAT is almost never requested.

My orders have always been declared at 30%,never had a problem.(touch wood:))

In Australia we can import up to AU$1000 without paying any taxes, so i always declare 100%. Although if I ever bought over $1000 worth of parts (yeah right) I'd probably use 90% or 80% to get the figure under $1000.

Think yourselves lucky, very lucky. In good (yeh right!) old UK we are alowed to import up to a massive £15(AU$23). Over that you get charged VAT at 20% on the full value including the shipping cost plus a handling fee of between £8 - £12. But, you can sneak in small packets, undervalued, from HK ie servos, rx, electric motors etc. It often pays to split the order up and pay the extra shipping. You never get away with anything coming in from the USA.
HM Customs site http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPort ... t#P17_1516

It used to be like that here in the bad old days,but they just gave up.They only concentrate on illegal stuff like drugs and foodstuffs now.
Way back in the 70's,my father bought a 9mm scale locomotive from germany.Those things are perhaps 1/2 an inch wide.The barstewards had opened the damn thing up,suppossedly to check for drugs!My dad got it back in pieces,and it never ran properly.We tried to get compensation.Tough titty.Never got a bean.

I'm curious why Hobbyking sends thing threw U.S. post in a way that require you to sign for them. Is it only because its from overseas? Gets a bit tedious having to sign for a package worth $8. Plus It take the package 3 days longer to get into my door because they try to deliver to my door during the day wile I am at work. Without a signature it goes back in the truck and back to the post office the next day. For that i am getting a P.O. box to keep the package in once place.

I'm in Oz too and just never bother with the the declaration bit. HK mark it down to something cheap and call it toy parts (which cracks up my wife). Either way, when ordering from Honkers or Oz warehouse it arrives speedily and if I miss the post office doorstep delivery he leaves a card and it's at my local PO within an hour or so.

Also, 20% VAT in the UK? You poor bustards! Online purchases attract zero GST (VAT) here but even when it's applied it's only 10%.

Sid Sideslip wrote: HK mark it down to something cheap and call it toy parts (which cracks up my wife).

Around here a motorcycle or corvette would also be considered a toy.