[time-nuts] Be aware of test equipment seller orzel-enterprises on eBay

Jim Lux jimlux at earthlink.net
Tue Sep 11 13:00:38 UTC 2012


On 9/10/12 11:03 PM, Chris Albertson wrote:
> On Mon, Sep 10, 2012 at 4:11 PM, David Kirkby <david.kirkby at onetel.net>wrote:
>
>>
>> I've also had to pay inport duties and VAT on this, which comes to a
>> US equivalent of around $220. I doubt I will be able to recover that.
>>
>>
> Talk to your customs people.  Almost always oin most con tries if you
> "re-export" an item you can apply for a refund.  I don't know the rules in
> the UK but it works like that in the US and Canada.
>
> One amusing case was when I worked at Hughes Aircraft.  The company
> imported a rather large (close to $1M) diamond from Amsterdam and paid a
> large duty on it.  They sawed a section out of it to make an optical window
> for a probe to be sent to Venus.  Then after launch they applied for and
> got a refund of the duty because the diamond was exported out of the US to
> another planet where to this day it remains.     My point is that re-export
> is common and they should have a procedure for it.

We ship test equipment (and spacecraft) to other countries fairly 
regularly.  Generally, one acquires what is known as a "carnet de 
passage" (or simply a carnet) for the dutiable goods.  Such a carnet 
requires posting a bond or letter of credit or government memorandum of 
understanding that provides for payment in the event that the goods are 
not taken out.  It's not an "after the fact" thing, although I suppose, 
anything is negotiable, given sufficient time and money.

It gets even more complicated if you send something into space and it 
might come back (e.g. to ISS)

(same thing applies to taking an automobile through some places in 
Africa or South America..where the duty is very high on cars)




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