Light in the Box - lesson learnt!

Ouch! It is a shame they never warned you of this before.

This happened to me too, and they were too small.

I loved them so much I went through it all again to get the bigger size.

Anything you buy from overseas stands a chance of this happening I'm afraid!

Oh man that's even more painful Vix!! Seems to be applied somewhat inconsistently as I've had stuff from overseas before and not been charged. Oh well not to worry heh!! What's £20 in the face of the thousands being spent ?

Haha you've hit the nail on the head mrs D

I cried the day my shoes came and didn't fit. I couldn't get the bigger size either. They were also funny about returns so I just decided to sell 'em on here.

About a week later the letter from fedex popped through the door saying they'd paid my customs fee and I owed them £24 quid. To say I cried then as well would be an understatement! (ok I ripped up the customs bill and threw it around like you see on TV and stormed up to bed) Broken-hearted! Then a month or so later I got in my head to check Lightinthebox again and lo and behold the shoes were in stock in the bigger size and I battled my better judgement, and decided to order again. So glad I did!

I did look at light in the box the other day, glad you put this thread up, will bear it in mind. what a pain you wasnt warned though x

A) do you love them?

b) would you have had to spend at least £70 to have lovely shoes delivered from the UK?

If both answers are yes, then don't worry about it

The import tax limit is £150 although I still think you need to pay VAT on the imported item.

Of that £21.20 around £10 will be to the delivery company that 'handles' the package on your behalf.

Not really Light in the Box's fault. I get stuff in from the states all the time, Camera stuff and I get hit often.

Hate to be a stick in the mud but something like this they do have to make you aware of and it is on their site:

https://www.lightinthebox.com/knowledge-base/c10/a2744.html

I got my dress from Light In The Box, and had to pay £123 import tax. However, all in i still only spent £450 on my dress and i love it as much as the £1000+ ones i tried on in the shop... but it did have me mad for a day or two....

sadly thats the way of the world. A lot of overseas companies let you pay tax direct to them so you won't get an unsuspecting bill when it arrives ( normally cheaper too) Sorry I know that doesnt help.

Also I think that if the shoes are too small and you send them back, your will have to pay tax on the replacements...

Oh my gosh, I was going to buy from these but so glad I didnt now. I had to pay £40 tax on my dress when it came from abroad but argued it (and won!) with Customs as the dress was only £5.99 but the P&P put the price up.

I hate it when things like that happen.

More importantly though, do you like the shoes? and do we get a flash?

I just got a DHL bill for £9.87 for my dress...but as my dress was only £116 delivered cant complain too much (not from light in the box but same topic)

Och I do know it's the way of the world and it was my own naivety as I didn't check. You have to seek out the small print to be fair and a warning at checkout would have helped but it's happened so hey-ho! As I said, lesson learnt and hopefully it's a head up to others too. At least you can make an informed decision before buying.

Helen well done you for arguing and winning your case! Fantastic!

I am waiting on the shoes arriving at work today so fingers crossed they fit! I have flashed on a couple of other threads but here's the shot from the website again! I have a lace dress so they match the theme....I hope!!!!!

Glad you posted this, i have had my eye on a few things from there, which are alot cheaper than most places but it would be better if they would tell you about it!!

xx

I have those same shoes and they are really lovely, so I am sure that you will be really pleased. I have seen very similar ones online for £200+ so although I too was miffed by the extra cost on delivery... well worth it though... shame they are all I have bought so far... eekkkk! x

@helenparki

You got your dress for £5.99 ?!?!?! Well done you!!!! Thats AMAZING ?

After 2 missed attempts they arrived at work today and I heart them! V pretty on and a comfy height! Eeeeeek!!!! Wedding shopping is the BEST! I can't think of another time in my life I will frivolously spend so much money on such a happy event! Brill! ?

Does anyone know how you can try to calculate potential customs charges before ordering? Would it be a percentage of the whole cost of the order or only on the items (ie if you're paying £65 for a dress and £15 for postage)

My bridesmaids are looking at ordering their dresses from this site soon. OMG will they have to pay more than the stated price? I don't want them to feel ripped off after i am asking them to buy their own dresses.

I'm not sure how to make head or tail out of this, but I found this when I was looking at American sites for ideas and uncovered that import tax may be applicable. I didn't get any further with it as I was only casually browsing but maybe it'll help someone here: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/tax-and-duty.htm

If it helps others calculate, i've now had a go at calculating the tax online. For 3x dresses which are £65 on the site, by the time they are delivered they will be about £108 each. It's easy to estimate the shipping, just add to basket but don't pay.

Just a heads-up for anyone importing: always double-check with a UK import tax calculator. You’ll thank yourself when your parcel arrives Import Tax Calculator UK

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This kind of experience is unfortunately becoming more common with large overseas marketplaces. When communication, quality control, or returns go wrong, it can turn what should be a happy purchase into a stressful situation. Threads like this are really valuable because they help future buyers make better-informed decisions.

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Thanks for documenting what happened — it genuinely helps others shop smarter.

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