[GerryNick2]

I have purchased numerous grey imports from overseas and have found that the likelyhood of having to pay import duties can often be related to the country of origin and which courier the supplier uses. I have obtained several lenses from Hong Kong suppliers who tend to use TNT, DHL or Parcelforce and never had to pay any duties.

More recently I purchased a ballhead for my Velbon Luxi F Tripod from the USA as I was unable to find one in the UK,which came via UPS. The value of the item was £19, UPS charged a staggering £54 import duties which include their fee of £11 for collecting the duties.

I challenged UPS on the amount and after 2 weeks and 5 emails they finally conceded they had made a mistake and I was entitled to a refund of £36 but I would have to wait a further 30 days to receive the cheque. They would not budge on the £11 handling charge.

Talking to a few colleagues it appears that they also have experienced similar problems with UPS.

I would strongly recommend if purchasing from outside Europe and the supplier offers a choice of courier avoid using UPS.

Gerry