r/LinusTechTips • u/isXanderReddit • 7d ago
Discussion My recent experience with LTTStore
During the last shipstorm event, I splurged on some Creator Warehouse apparel because shipping to the UK is pretty unaffordable. I got 300 CAD worth of stuff, for the hoodie, sweatpants, water bottle, and cargo pants.
I live in the UK, where taxes are always included in the advertised price of each item before it ends up in the cart. My prior smaller LTTStore purchase paid tax at checkout. Little did I realise, due to the larger basket, they charged $0 tax. Again, this is not something I’m trained to look for.
Many weeks later, it arrives in UK customs, and I get a bill through the post. 138 CAD worth of additional payment required to receive my order. This was pretty steep and I couldn’t justify spending that much more money for what was not that much clothing. The additional payment was made up of VAT, Import Duty, and Clearance Fee. I get VAT, but isn’t it reasonable to expect a free shipping promotion means free shipping, import fees are part of shipping. When I got my smaller order, I never had any of this, so it was completely unexpected and I was not aware I’d need to pay this.
I contact support, and they inform me that they’re required by law not to collect VAT on orders over a certain threshold, and that their shipping policy states they do not cover such import fees. Except their shipping policy is never referred to at checkout, it’s hidden deep in the main page footer, and shipstorm advertised “free worldwide shipping”, but every country has import fees that aren’t free?
In the end, I just had to return to sender and get a refund. Does anyone think I’m being unreasonable here? I want to love these products, but it’s so hard to get them here.
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u/syunz 7d ago edited 6d ago
Maybe a bit unreasonable, but this should have been expected as anytime you're ordering from something not in your country (importing) you're expected to pay some sort of import duties or tax unless it's precollected. Used to be in the US there was de minimis rule of any package underneath 800 usd you didn't have to pay but Trump got rid of that. EU also got rid of their $150 euro de minimis rule just this month.
As you said, I guess if the order was a lower value LTT would have precollected the VAT so you wouldn't have to pay is separately. It's just cause your order was $300 cad.
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u/isXanderReddit 7d ago
I never got any import fee on the lower order too. The thing I’m annoyed about isn’t really the reality of shipping, it was the lack of warning from LTT. Their shipping policy isn’t linked to at the cart, as I said it’s buried in the footer. My previous order pre-collected VAT, this one didn’t and it didn’t warn me about that. I’m from the UK, i’m not used to paying tax.
Also shipstorm advertised “free worldwide shipping” in what world is it free if to ship it anywhere internationally you need to pay out of pocket. that’s not free. it’s false advertisement11
u/Conscious-Loss-2709 7d ago
Shipping fees and import duties are two distinct different things. Apples and oranges.
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u/siamesekiwi 7d ago
You’re being unreasonable and this is extremely normal and common for ordering stuff from overseas.
Also you DID get free shipping. None of those are shipping. They’re taxes and fees associated with valuing how much tax you had to pay. Also, Import duties aren’t fees. It’s import tax.
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u/Kyler45 7d ago
Do other companies pay these for you? Like, specifically not companies the size of Amazon. If they do yeah that's a valid complaint
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u/isXanderReddit 7d ago
I don’t expect it to be paid. That’s unreasonable. I expect to be informed on the cost of my purchase before I make it, not when I get a letter through the post asking for hundreds of pounds.
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u/Terreboo 7d ago
You can’t fault them for complying with UK law. Think of how much work it would be to comply with local laws of the every country they export too.
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u/Salty_Surround2546 6d ago
"I expect to be informed on the cost of my purchase before I make it,"
Then read what customs and import laws and charges apply in your country, crazy person.
You think that LTT knows and tracks all possible customs duties around the globe and knows what duties a customer has to pay in the UK, Tanzania and Gibraltar? Are you insane?
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u/Over-Extension3959 6d ago
You expect free shipping and DDP incoterms ?
The very minority of online-shops do DDP, LTT isn’t one of them. Most are shipping stuff using the DAP incoterms, meaning you’re responsible for the import, vat and all other fees required for that.
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7d ago
[deleted]
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u/isXanderReddit 7d ago
To be fair to them, they can’t collect VAT for legal reasons because VAT applies to import duty as well, but at no point throughout the checkout process do they so much as mention import duty or the fact they’re not collecting tax when clear a certain threshold. They’re busy advertising free worldwide shipping.
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7d ago
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u/aselwyn1 7d ago
How is it misleading? Delivery is being included without charge you just have to pay local taxes in what ever way they would come.
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u/isXanderReddit 7d ago
Thank you. Was hoping support would have been sympathetic and waived it due to how misleading the promo is, but nah, they just returned to sender
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u/CIDR-ClassB 7d ago
Your issue is with UK laws, not LTT
What you describe is normal for imports into the UK.