Official Wii U GamePad Battery Pack (2550mAh, up to 8 hours!) - £22.84 delivered @ PlayAsia

Nyko 233° deal: hotukdeals.com/dea…056
Real photos of this product: neogaf.com/for…389
Manual: nintendo.co.jp/wii…pdf (Japanese)

Isn't the import VAT threshold £15? Then you'd have to pay 20% plus Royal Mail's charges? Or do Play Asia mark items as gifts?

I've often thought about getting one, but to be honest I've rarely found the power lead a problem, only on a couple of occasions when passing the pad in multiplayer!

This won't be customs free. The threshold was lowered from £18 to £15. You will end up having to pay an extra £12.51 if customs and Royal Mail get there hands on it. (£4.51 VAT charge from HM Rev and the infamous £8 Royal Mail handling fee)

Still want one though. Hopefully they release here. Is there any confirmation it will work in UK gamepads too?

You will NOT pay customs duty if its less than 9£ (duty, not the product imported).

Read more here: customs.hmrc.gov.uk/cha…ent

"Waiver of customs duty of less than £9 - Article 868 of EC Regulation (EEC) 2454/93 allows Member States to waive amounts of customs duty of less than 10 euros (sterling equivalent of £9)."

Besides that it's a small package, and probably will not be inspected.
(edited)

QuentinW

You will NOT pay customs duty if its less than 9£ (duty, not the product … You will NOT pay customs duty if its less than 9£ (duty, not the product imported).Read more here: http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageTravel_ShowContent&id=HMCE_CL_000014&propertyType=document#P225_25274"Waiver of customs duty of less than £9 - Article 868 of EC Regulation (EEC) 2454/93 allows Member States to waive amounts of customs duty of less than 10 euros (sterling equivalent of £9)."Besides that it's a small package, and probably will not be inspected.Read lessRead more

It's not the same thing what you are quoting. Duty and Import Vat are two different things. If stopped by customs you will be charged £4.51 + an £8 handling fee (for paying to clear the package into the country) from Royal Mail.

Customs duty is payable if a package is over £135. VAT is payable on everything over £15.

From your link, here is what you should be paying attention to:
"Relief from import VAT on commercial consignments, excluding alcohol, tobacco, perfumes and toilet waters, with a value below £15 - The Value Added Tax (Imported Goods) Relief Order 1984:746, Schedule 2, Group 8 item 8 provides relief from import VAT on consignments of goods not exceeding £15 in value."

This item is £22.58. Therefore it exceeds the threshold. You have confused duty with import Vat. Believe me. I import many items a year from the US. Some get through, some don't. The size of the package has no relevance on whether it will be stopped. I've had dvds stopped and large toys get through.

Thanks for clarifications. I guess Zavvi and others exploiting tax loopholes screwed us for good.

I think it will probably come through unnoticed by customs but of course no one can guarantee that. Still, its the only way to import it, as any shop located in Japan will not ship it (batteries are banned by Japanese post).
(edited)

QuentinW

Thanks for clarifications. I guess Zavvi and others exploiting tax … Thanks for clarifications. I guess Zavvi and others exploiting tax loopholes screwed us for good.I think it will probably come through unnoticed by customs but of course no one can guarantee that. Still, its the only way to import it, as any shop located in Japan will not ship it (batteries are banned by Japanese post).Read lessRead more

They did. It might get through, it might not. That's the risk we all take

I wonder if Royal Mail will deliver it though with there recent ban on batteries... I might have to look into it as I am after one of these for my Wii U. I didn't want to risk the Nyko one with the reported problems with them.

Ordered one. Heat from me at the very least.