jonathan75

https://cleantechnica.com/2025/10/22/the-sodium-ion-battery-revolution-has-started/amp/

Hi all, Had my fair share of orders over the years from the usual firms in HK & CN, just not seeing bargains these days, prices have gone crazy. The 'poverty entry point' of £65 all in for a random motor hub to spoke up onesself has disappeared. Have others found this too? Any tips for cheap sources? Thanks, Jonathan

Could you say a bit more about this please, I think I may have had a similar experience over the past years but am not sure (it feels like something has somehow been sent FROM a Heathrow UK postal address rather than China, as though it had been shipped in a bigger box with more things, each addressed to their end-address, and only the bigger box maybe had the "sent from China blah blah" label on it, which of course I never see. (?) When that happens I always get the sense that the seller is doing the naughty with customs and taxes etc!!

By Buyer 2 acquiring beneficial ownership only of the now-second-hand item, with an agreement with Buyer 1 that B1 retains bare or trustee-like legal title and agrees to enforce the original obligations on B2's behalf as against New Bike Seller?

I've read this indicates that it's an item on which tariffs/VAT which would be applicable were it to enter the EU as its final destination, is unpaid. Quite surprised you didn't get hit for it at the UK end! As you say maybe grace period.

. I truly don't understand why either! I suppose thinking about it, it could be that because Chinese sellers enjoy subsidised manufacturing and subsidised postage for smaller packages, via Chinapost, which apparently exploits a rule in international postage treaties in a slightly dishonest way, it's possible for them to send dirt cheap things at tiny cost, so that the chances of there being anything of value are tiny, whereas from America, where shipping labour is unionised and everything costs a lot, the chances are anything you buy will have serious value.

Haha my family has lawbreaking in its blood, but I'm trying to reduce my desire to do it to zero for various reasons, be a better person etc. It takes me conscious effort...!

That sounds like it's probably right - that the rule is this: IF the sale says it includes VAT, then if it's under £135, and their VAT admin is legit, and it's not fags or booze (i.e. excise-duty-liable stuff) then no RM charge from anywhere we currently import from, including the US. unless something's gone wrong with the VAT admin in which case it might be possible to refuse collection, and seek a refund, although this will sometimes be a drastic option, as it will if successful cause a loss for the sender. Does that sound right?

I heard this requires something like the seller to have set up a special VAT account based somehow in the UK, and that it's improbable most sellers in distant marketplaces (e.g. Aliexpress) will actually do this, and so for now marketplace sellers will probably have a heavy incentive to fake the VAT numbers. I do feel like we're all getting to the bottom of what the rules are...! Edit - perhaps Aliexpress are offering a VAT collection service for their marketplace sellers. That would make some sense.

Today I read on the dot gov website that as from xxth Jan 2021, imports under £135 including p&p don't attract import VAT or customs duty. Does this mean the £8 royal mail customs processing fee is also gone for these items, given there's no customs 'duty' to process, or am I missing something here? After all it used to be 'keep it under £15 coming from China and you're golden" whereas now the £15 Low Value Consignment Relief (LVCR) has gone AND we're apparently still able to order bits of £2 tat from eBay arriving straight from China. It's unthinkable that a £2 set of ebay clothespegs DIRECT from Shenzhen is now going to attract an £8 Royal Mail customs processing fee, right? And there's now no legal difference between that £2 clothespegs package and a £134 clothespegs package from Shenzhen, right? So does this or does this not mean that the hated £8 Royal Mail customs processing charge is also abolished for the £134 clothespegs package? Jonathan M EDIT - assuming the answer is "yes Jonathan, the £8 customs processing fee has gone" then what happens to the wholly China-based seller in relation to VAT (given he has to collect it somehow)?

Thanks Kwozzymodo - that's really good advice, despite your good description I'm so 'green' that I think I'd better get a pro to do it, but I'll mention what you said, including to check the bearings and races. Appreciated.

Thanks [mention=20993]Andy-Mat[/mention] and [mention=4809]vfr400[/mention]. It sounds like a Bike Repair Person job to me. I wouldn't know where to start!

Hi, would anyone please know what's going wrong here? Something seems to be loose. I've posted a YouTube video link below. It's a Montague Urban I'm hoping to electrify. Thanks, Jonathan

If it was marketed as located in the UK, you can cancel by letting them know you don't want it any longer and intend to get it back to them, and are entitled to a full refund when it gets back to them, including the shipping fee to get to you. What might be worthwhile is if you find out what happens if you refuse delivery - will it be sent straight back to sender? That would save you time and hassle (and money...). Honestly I have enough trouble with suitable motors that break, let alone having unsuitable ones cluttering up my life too, I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

They really don't all look the same, and there is much information to be had from photos. If you don't want to stick out your tongue for doctor, fine. If you don't think people here know anything useful, you're wrong, but fine. But please don't tell doctor that there's no point in sticking it out because all tongues look the same. That's just exasperating.