[sdiy] Shipping PCBs to the EU ???

[Tom Wiltshire]

On 11 Aug 2008, at 19:14, Paul Schreiber wrote:

>> Beware, though, that then the recipient will have to pay import tax &
>> duties. Not that there's anything wrong with this but in some
>> countries in the EU (like Denmark, where I live) a "service fee" will
>> be added - in Denmark this amounts to DKK 200, or about 40 US $ - not
>> a big issue if you're importing a $1000 synth, but fairly steep if  
>> all
>> you want is a $10 pc board.
>>
>
> In most countries, there is a minimum value where duties and fees  
> are not applied. Usually it is $25 or so.
>
> All I can say is, every package I have shipped this year that was  
> declared as a "Commercial Sample"
> was returned or never made it there. Again, ONLY since the  
> beginning of 2008.
>
>> From 1998-2007 I shipped over *400* packages to
>> Europe/Russia/Japan/Australia, every
>> one was a "Commercial Sample" and every one got through.
>
> But not *now*.

I've received a commercial sample from Analog Devices this year, so  
it *is* possible, at least in some limited cases. I'm in the UK,  
which is obviously part of Europe unless you ask the wrong half of  
the people who live here.

I've also had extremely variable experiences with British customs as  
regards import duties and taxes. Sometimes they seem to go "Is it  
full of drugs? No, ok, send it on its way!" and other times they dig  
out the big book of bureaucratic rules and throw every charge they  
can think of at you which, like Silas pointed out, can be crippling.
Unfortunately I haven't managed to see any logic or pattern in their  
behaviour, so I can't offer any useful advice (except "send it  
somewhere else!")

Good luck!

T.