United Kingdom - Express Delivery Express Delivery Firms in the UK
There are more than 4,000 express delivery firms in the UK. Service differentiation is reducing, with the lines dividing the courier, express and parcel sectors becoming blurred. Traditionally, couriers serviced the same-day market, express carriers serviced the premium (for example, next-day guaranteed) market, and parcel carriers serviced the non-premium (for example, non-guaranteed, three-day service) market. Express carriers provide premium, time-sensitive services primarily for B2B clients, although increasingly now for B2C clients, particularly as online retailers require premium delivery services to consumers. Many non-premium providers are including guaranteed delivery times, track and trace, and other 'premium' features in their services. The leading players in the industry are the four global players DHL, FedEx, TNT and UPS.
Delivery times from the U.S. to the UK vary depending on the type of delivery service used, i.e. priority or economy, and size and amount of product being sent, but can range from a couple of days to a week.
Express delivery companies can advise of the exact customs forms required for products. When products enter the UK, duty (if applicable) is added to the value stated on the customs declaration, plus cost, insurance and freight. Value Added Tax of 20% is then added to that total.
Duty rates can be found on the UK government’s Trade Tariff.
The standard rate of Value Added Tax in the UK is 20%, which is for most goods and services. However, there is a reduced rate of 5% for some goods and services, including children’s car seats and home energy and a 0% rate for other goods and services such as children’s clothes and most food. Exempt from Value Added Tax are items including postage stamps, financial and property transactions. Guidance VAT rates on different goods and services.
VAT Guide (VAT Notice 700)