Top 3 reasons that you should not buy prom dresses overseas
1. Overseas Prom Dresses will cost you 30% more than you think
If you’re importing a prom dress into the UK from a county outside of Europe you will be charged VAT and Customs Duty by HMRC if the amount you pay (for the item, shipping included) is over £70. VAT and Customs Duty are calculated based on the shipping and purchase cost. Once added on these taxes will normally increase the price of cheap prom dresses by around 30%. This means if you pay £50 for the dress and £70 for delivery the total you will end up paying will not just be £120, it will be close to £160.
What to do: Contact HMRC for advice on how to work out the VAT and customs cheap prom dresses attract.
So let’s say you receive a gown and wish to return it. What are your options with regards to cheap prom dresses which don’t fit or don’t meet their descriptions?
2, on the shipping charge, not the purchase price
Does the price of the gown seem too good to be true? Many sellers offer a very low price on prom dresses and make their money from charging very high shipping charges. They do this because they know that many consumers will focus on the purchase price, treating the shipping price as an incidental cost. In some cases, by the time you’ve added on shipping costs, you can end up paying more than three times as much as you expected.
What to do: Many people focus on the bargain purchase price and try to put the postage price out of their mind. When ordering a affordable prom dress from overseas the cost of shipping becomes part of your cost of purchasing the item. Always check the postage price and calculate the total amount that ordering this dress will cost you before making the decision to buy.
3. It will cost you money to return the Dress
If the factory agrees to let you return your prom gown then don’t forget that you’ll be the one who has to pay out for international postage to send it back to them.
What to do: Ensure that you bear this risk in mind when purchasing your gown.















