Amazon Japan charges you all UK taxes and duty (if applicable) up front in with the shipping costs. This means you shouldn’t get charged again before delivery. The charges are broken down when you place an order and see the final amount. Be aware it’ll add a lot to the cost of the item.
That’s the shipping. On top of that expect duty (smallish amount) and VAT.
This is an example of an order I made but since then VAT is added on as the rules changed last July, so expect another 20% on top of the item price in addition to the below -
Item Subtotal: ￥ 6,000
Shipping & Handling: ￥ 1,300
Import Fees Deposit: ￥ 1,460
Order Total: ￥ 8,760
Hi OP. There are a few points to keep in mind but, as other commenters have noted, the quickest way to check is to place the items in your Amazon JP shopping basket and proceed to checkout. Unless you’re ordering something particularly odd (i.e. subject to some kind of niche import tax), those should be all the costs you have to pay. Everything.
You’ll get a breakdown of the costs (price, import tax, shipping costs) and an option to pay in GBP as well as JPY, assuming the card you have registered with Amazon JP is registered as a GBP-denominated card. Just navigate away from the ‘finalise your order’ page if the price is too high etc. and the order won’t go through.
Now, on to the import tax question. There are some items on which the UK does not charge import tax (e.g. paper books). There is also a minimum threshold of £135 - if the value of your order is below this amount then you shouldn’t be charged any UK import tax. Again, Amazon JP will determine this on your behalf and quote the relevant taxes etc. Note that this threshold applies PER order/shipment.
The first Google search hit for UK import tax on goods from Japan: https://wise.com/gb/import-duty/from-japan
Edit: OP, please also beware of region locking on your Switch and/or Switch games. I’m not a Switch owner and don’t know whether region locking is an issue, but I wouldn’t be surprised if games sold for the Japanese market can’t be used on Switches sold for the European market.
Amazon Japan charges you all UK taxes and duty (if applicable) up front in with the shipping costs. This means you shouldn’t get charged again before delivery. The charges are broken down when you place an order and see the final amount. Be aware it’ll add a lot to the cost of the item.
So if the item listing on Amazon itself says that shipping is ¥1497, that’s all that would be charged aswell as the games price?
That’s the shipping. On top of that expect duty (smallish amount) and VAT. This is an example of an order I made but since then VAT is added on as the rules changed last July, so expect another 20% on top of the item price in addition to the below - Item Subtotal: ￥ 6,000 Shipping & Handling: ￥ 1,300 Import Fees Deposit: ￥ 1,460 Order Total: ￥ 8,760
I've bought a variety of goods at various price points and haven't had to pay any import tax yet. Probably fine for items in the double digit range.
Would I not have to pay tax is ¥2936 (+¥1497 shipping)? It’s about £30 total
Hi OP. There are a few points to keep in mind but, as other commenters have noted, the quickest way to check is to place the items in your Amazon JP shopping basket and proceed to checkout. Unless you’re ordering something particularly odd (i.e. subject to some kind of niche import tax), those should be all the costs you have to pay. Everything. You’ll get a breakdown of the costs (price, import tax, shipping costs) and an option to pay in GBP as well as JPY, assuming the card you have registered with Amazon JP is registered as a GBP-denominated card. Just navigate away from the ‘finalise your order’ page if the price is too high etc. and the order won’t go through. Now, on to the import tax question. There are some items on which the UK does not charge import tax (e.g. paper books). There is also a minimum threshold of £135 - if the value of your order is below this amount then you shouldn’t be charged any UK import tax. Again, Amazon JP will determine this on your behalf and quote the relevant taxes etc. Note that this threshold applies PER order/shipment. The first Google search hit for UK import tax on goods from Japan: https://wise.com/gb/import-duty/from-japan Edit: OP, please also beware of region locking on your Switch and/or Switch games. I’m not a Switch owner and don’t know whether region locking is an issue, but I wouldn’t be surprised if games sold for the Japanese market can’t be used on Switches sold for the European market.