Holiday Sampler Boxes from Rittenhouse Archives

[Guest]

[RupT]

I managed to snag one of these - and here's what it is

Its seems an email was sent out withthe follwing information....

The official Rittenhouse Archives Holiday Sampler Box! This box contains 40 random packs of cards from at least 12 different Rittenhouse Archives trading card sets. As an added bonus, each box of cards will contain AT LEAST 5 packs of cards that will contain either an autograph card, costume card or a sketch card!
To help make the holidays bright we are offering the Rittenhouse Archives Holiday Sampler Box at the special holiday price of $60.00. This is a savings of $24 from the SRP of a normal box of cards.

This special offer is limited to just 60 boxes. So buy one today for that hard to shop for friend or pick one up for yourself.

[RupT]

Okay here's a breakdown of what i got... (PS:  i got hit with a £10.12 customs charge too   )

Conan - 5 packs
Savage Sisterhood S8
Ode to the Cimmerian C10, C12
I REALLY like the base set to this, and since i never started to collect this, i think i will be tracking down the remaining base cards i need, and possibly the first to Chase sets!!

Stargate Atlantis - 5 Packs
Quotable Stargate Q4
Bit dissapointed in this as i collect Stargate it would have been really nice to have got something outta this lot - cards are still mega cool though

Stargate SG-1 Season 7 - 5 Packs
Behind The Scenes B13
Again nothing more, being a Stargate collector, it would have been cool to get something here too

Farscape in Motion - 4 Packs
Close Encounters C1, 7, 8, 9
nice cards, but not a collector of Farscape unfortunately

Battlestar Galactica: Premiere - 1 Pack
CC6 Cmdr william Adama   :metal:

Star Trek TOS: Art & Images - 1 Pack
Sketch Card - The Man Trap (sean Pence) :metal:
Great set - and over the moon i got a sketch )

Complete Lost In Space - 1 Pack
Auto - Marta Kristen as Judy robinson
I think i'm still looking for a bas set of these, they're nice cards

Outer Limits Sex, Cyborgs and Sci-Fi - 11 Packs
More base card then i shake a stick at (anyone want them?)
Monologue M2, 5, 7
Stars of OL S14, 15
Auto A13 Sofia Shinas (great auto, from one of the ony episodes i ever remember watching) But i got two of the Same auto in the 11 packs - hows that for rotten luck   :shakehead:

Deadzone Season 1&2 - 2 Packs
Behind The Scenes B11
Auto Blu Mankuma

Twilight Zone Shadows & Substances - 2 Packs

Twilight Zone Next Dimension - 1 Pack
Auto A36 Dennis Weaver

Twilight Zone Premiere - 1 Pack

Complete Babylson 5 - 1 Pack
Movies M7

Overall i'm very glad i made this purchase (i did think twice before pressing the buy button). Its great for me i suppose as i don't ever usually buy boxes, so its great to get a taster for these sets!! I'm i think i deifnaetly go ahead and finish Conan, purely cos its a lovely art set (even though i don't have any love for Conan)   

Only downside was pulling two if the same auto from 11 packs of Outer Limits (what are the chances of that hey?)   

Thanx Rittenhouse for this great Opportunity!! Keep up the good work for 2006!!!   

[RupT]

Did anybody else get one of these FAB boxes?

[sketchqueen]

"PS:  i got hit with a £10.12 customs charge too   "

Now, I'm confused and perhaps I don't have a clear understanding of Customs charges, but I was under the impression that ANY parcel coming into the UK from outside the EU was subject to customs charges - especially an internet/mail order Merchandise and especially one valued at $60.00.

So, why pray tell am I getting so many emails about this? The most recent one chewed me up one side and down the other - apparantly I was "supposed" to mark his order as a "Gift"? and now he'd like some recompense for the customs charges?

Help me Obi Wan ... I cannot solve this without you

[tialessa]

So, why pray tell am I getting so many emails about this? The most recent one chewed me up one side and down the other - apparantly I was "supposed" to mark his order as a "Gift"? and now he'd like some recompense for the customs charges?

I don't understand it.  Shipping/handling charges are TOTALLY different from customs charges. 

Legally as a business you really can't mark items as "gift" without getting into trouble with the USPS/Government at some point (it's not a "gift" when it's a purchase anyway).

There's no reason any sender should pay for customs charges.  It's the buyer's responsibility.  Of course I'm not in the UK so rarely get hit...

Oh, and Rup just copied what he wrote on the Card Talk board in response to another UK Card Talker who mentioned his/her customs charge.

[Roz]

Oh, and Rup just copied what he wrote on the Card Talk board in response to another UK Card Talker who mentioned his/her customs charge.

That was Bogleg/Graham. We'll just tell his Sister and she'll sort him out

[sketchqueen]

I guess I always just assumed it was the cost of doing international business, that the buyers would expect customs charges - after all, were I to live in the UK, ALL of my parcels would get nabbed for customs - that's how lucky I am

[tialessa]

after all, were I to live in the UK, ALL of my parcels would get nabbed for customs - that's how lucky I am

Ditto!  I've bought WAY too much... but then I look at all my cards & *sigh* can't part with any of them...  I should, but I can't...

[RupT]

Wow, oops sorry Joanna,. I was in no way blaming you matey.... was just simply stating.... i like to air my greviance at HMCE whenever i get the chance. ON the more than odd ocassion, parcels do slip by them and we don't get hit by the customs charge. The worst thing is that the actual customs charge is only £6.12. royal mail Charge an extra £4 for paying the charge and collecting on your behalf. Aren't they nice  Bloody 

By no way really should Rittenhouse be expected to pay for the customs charge. You are a business and as far as i know businesses can get in severe trouble if they mark down business items as gifts when they are not!!!

And yep, tialessa is correct, i was simply Ditto'ing what Graham wrote, as i got charged exactly he same as he did!!! Haruumph!!!

[Bogleg]

"PS:  i got hit with a £10.12 customs charge too   "

Now, I'm confused and perhaps I don't have a clear understanding of Customs charges, but I was under the impression that ANY parcel coming into the UK from outside the EU was subject to customs charges - especially an internet/mail order Merchandise and especially one valued at $60.00.

So, why pray tell am I getting so many emails about this? The most recent one chewed me up one side and down the other - apparently I was "supposed" to mark his order as a "Gift"? and now he'd like some recompense for the customs charges?

Help me Obi Wan ... I cannot solve this without you

Hi Joanna.
 It was me who posted on Card Talk about the customs charge, but it was in no way aimed at Rittenhouse or you. Not everything imported to this country gets charged duty. In theory, anything valued more than $18.00 should be charged, but this seems to be a totally random thing. In the same post I got the card saying I had to pick up a package from the sorting office, Sharon also had a parcel delivered from the US. This had a VERY large Ebay sticker on it, so you would assume it would have rung bells with the customs and excise people, but no. It escaped a charge.
Just so the government can squeeze every penny out of us, they don't charge on the value of the package. They add the cost of postage on it, so in fact I was charged for $73.30 worth of goods. To rub salt into the wound, £4.00 of the charge was for the post office to collect the money to pass on to customs.  I now expect to pay customs and count it as a bonus if I "get away" with it.
Living in the UK doesn't mean we escape the charge from the EU. Our last refuge of a tax free importation, the Channel Islands, is being closed with the introduction of 17.5% VAT.

I can only think that anyone asking for their custom charge back are just preying on your legendary generosity and just trying it on. Shame on them and their greed. Treat them with the contempt they deserve (and put a block on their emails).

Hope this clears things up and educates the uninformed on the board.

Your friend, Obi Wan Bogleg (and one day I will tell you where the name came from)  

ps. You've got a really nice signature.

[Nienna]

Just as an aside to this, it's sometimes hard for us here in the UK to know who out of the people we buy from on ebay are businesses and who are ordinary folks selling their cards - it's not always that obvious and quite often it's just one person linked to a store who is selling which adds to the confusion!
I've noticed more and more US sellers are stating they will only put down the final auction amount on the Customs form because this is how it's supposed to be done, and not a lesser figure.
I hesistate to ask whether sellers will 'help out' with these wretched forms, but then if you don't ask ... you don't get the help and a lot of times they're willing to go along if they can - sometimes they aren't prepared to help in this way and you have to cross your fingers and hope for luck to smile on you that your package slips through unchallenged.

Obviously it's a completely different thing when it's a business you're buying from and I know the postal authorities are very strict about how the forms are completed and fine those companies who don't comply properly.

Joanna - please don't fret over this cheeky person demanding recompense for his charges - it's a gamble as to whether we get charged Duty or not especially on the larger and more expensive (and often more 'visible') items, so he really should have expected to pay - we ALL should!
From what you quoted, it sounded as though he's asked for the forms to be completed in this way many times before - guess he's learned the hard (and expensive) way they have to be filled in correctly.

I didn't realise they were introducing VAT in the Channel Islands Graham - I suppose the appeal of places like play.com will be eroded once the VAT is absorbed into their prices.

[Roz]

I suppose this could get really complicated. If you buy from a State where they pay a purchase tax, in theory you would be entitled to a refund on this when it exits the States and then we should pay when it comes into the UK.

So all in all - it's a nightmare to begin to think about

[sketchqueen]

I must say, filling out customs forms is the bane of my existence   And, thanks Bogleg *blush* By the end of the day it's amazing anyone can actually read my handwriting

And, for the record, I would be quite peeved if I had a pay an extra charge for the postal service to transport my parcel to the Customs office - isn't that their job?

[Nienna]

I suppose this could get really complicated. If you buy from a State where they pay a purchase tax, in theory you would be entitled to a refund on this when it exits the States and then we should pay when it comes into the UK.

So all in all - it's a nightmare to begin to think about

All I know is we end up paying whether we should or not Roz!!

Joanna - the Post Office and the Customs people are two different departments, which is why we're 'obliged' to pay the Post Office handling fee for the postal staff to collect the Duty from us, which in they in turn pay to Inland Revenue on our behalf. I remember paying one of these extra charges with new unused postage stamps ... my postman suggested it and it's quite legal too!

[RupT]

Joanna - the Post Office and the Customs people are two different departments, which is why we're 'obliged' to pay the Post Office handling fee for the postal staff to collect the Duty from us, which in they in turn pay to Inland Revenue on our behalf. I remember paying one of these extra charges with new unused postage stamps ... my postman suggested it and it's quite legal too!

Hey Nienna, Inland REvenue and Customs (HMCE) are also two completely different departments 

[Roz]

Take a case today. Mark and I are VERY big fans of Sam and Max. It's a Steve Purcell Cartoon from back in the late 80s early 90s. There are lots of comics, some animated cartoons and (best of all) a LucasArts game.

Sam and Max 2 is in the works (finally) and we splashed out on a set of 2 lithographs signed by the legend Steve Purcell himself - $30. And a Tee shirt $17. We paid $32 to ship it (ouch) and got a £25 import tax charge ($40 ish). So all in all the cost of the goods themselves were minimal in comparison to what we paid. The lithos are just so awesome that we would have paid the world to have them, but the point is that it doesn't half jack up the cost a tad!

[kbmum]

You paid a $40 tax on $47 worth of goods?   That's outrageous!  I had no idea your import taxes were that high.

[Roz]

They shouldn't be. We pay 17.5% sales tax, but you also have to pay tax on the delivery cost (so as to avoid people saying the goods were a penny and the delivery was $100) - and to top that off the courier charges fees for taking the money (£4 Royal Mail, £8 Parcel Force, and £10 upwards for Fed Ex, UPS, etc).

So the actual tax you pay is all totally out of proportion in many cases.

[kbmum]

Sounds like it's time for a tax revolt.  You have plenty of tea -- you just need a harbor in which to dump it!

[Roz]

Sounds like it's time for a tax revolt. You have plenty of tea -- you just need a harbor in which to dump it!

Only if the water in the Harbour (Southampton? Portsmouth?) was boiling and we had a dairy farm close to hand

*waste not want not*

Anyway, these Holiday boxes were a treat and a half with way more than the $60 worth inside them (from the sound of things) so an extra tenner won't hurt anybody

What I find interesting is that Graham and Rup got the same tax charge, that's unusual,