Seafreight - LCL UK charges

The most important factor when importing anything is cost. Who do you have to pay and how will they want for their part in getting your goods to the UK?

How much varies per company, but what the charges are for, is generally the same.

Before going any further, if you are expecting a Full Container Load (FCL), then visit our FCL Charges page. ukimports.org

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Who do I pay and for what?

This really depends on the Inter-Company Terms (Inco-Terms) / Terms of Sale between the seller and you, the buyer. For full an explanation of these, please see our Inco-Terms page.

So, if all you have paid the shipper / seller is just for the goods, then you should expect to pay the following:

 

The Co-loader / Freight Forwarder / Shipping Company

The Co-loader is the UK company who is acting on behalf of the shipping company. The shipping company used would have sent through details of who's goods are in this particular consol and what charges are due. Therefore, just before your goods are due to or have arrived, this UK company will send you a 'Notice of Arrival' or contact you to advise when and where your goods have arrived and what charges you must pay to them. ukimports.org

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Freight Charges, Handling Charges Document Fees ...

Although the charges vary, most UK Co-loaders will charge you for the following (depending on the terms):

Freight / Shipping Costs -
To pay for the transit / shipping of your goods to the UK port of arrival ukimports.org

Handling Charges -
This is your share of the costs of moving and unloading the goods from the consolidated unit - usually either an aircraft pallet of seafreight container. This charge used to be set by the 'Far Eastern Freight Conference', but now varies depending on the UK agent used. ukimports.org

Document Fees -
Office staff have to be paid, as does the stationary that they use. Any document fees charges to you, would cover these. ukimports.org

Storage / Rent -
Usually when any goods arrive into the country, the goods are moved into a bonded warehouse, called an 'Enhanced Remote Transit Shed' or 'ERTS' for short (see our 'warehousing' page for more details). These warehouses are only to be used as temporary storage facilities, and as such any / all goods in them have to have a quick turn-around time. Therefore, anything not Customs cleared and removed after approximately 7 days (times may vary depending on location) after arrival, will incur charges of storage / rent. ukimports.org

Customs X-Ray / Scanner charge -
Customs randomly select goods for X-Ray examination. If your goods are among a shipment that has been X-Rayed, then you will have to pay your share of this charge (the larger your shipment in comparison with the other shipments, the greater your share). Note. ensure that you always ask for proof / evidence that your goods were amongst those selected. ukimports.org

Other Charges -
As you can understand different companies have their own procedures and charges. The above should be used as a guideline, however, if you are charged any other charges, ensure that they are legimate, and that you fully understand what you are being charged for. If you are not sure, then please contact us. ukimports.org

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Customs clearance

If your co-loader is charging you for Customs clearance, then ensure that they sound like they know what they are talking about, and that they are not over-charging you for this service.

As with most services, there is a lot of competition and differing extent of companies knowledge, so always ask a couple of companies for an explanation of the process and what you have to pay.

Once you have found a company to Customs clear your goods for you, ensure that you provide all the information and pay their charges quickly, as any delays could mean that your shipment incurs rent / storage with the co-loader / ERTS. ukimports.org

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Duty and VAT

If your goods are liable for import duty and / or VAT, then this can be paid in 2 ways.

Firstly, direct to Customs from your bank. It is always recommended that you are arranging your own transfer, that it be done by CHAPs (same-day) transfer. Your bank will charge you for this service, and is usually between GB£ 20.00 - GB£ 30.00. This could be cheaper than paying the Customs clearing agent. Ask what they would charge to pay this on your behalf.

Secondly, as mentioned above, the Customs clearing agent can pay this to Customs on your behalf, and you in-turn, pay them. Now, they are guaranteed to charge you for this service, which is known as 'Use of DAN' or UAD (which basically means, you use the agents Customs Deferment Account, which is like a bank account that some big companies hold with Customs). This is usually a percentage of the total amount of Duty and / or VAT payable, or a minimum of about GB£ 20.00 or GB£ 30.00. But what you also get with this service, is assurances that your shipment will Customs clear without any problems.

If you choose to pay directly yourself, as many people do, then your clearing agent will supply you with the bank account details of Customs. You MUST ensure that a 'FAS Reference number' and 'FAS TURN' are sent with your money transfer and that a completed form C514 is faxed, emailed or posted to Customs. ukimports.org

Contact us if you require more information. ukimports.org