Every product on this site is already in the United Kingdom when you order it. We buy our stock in from the United States in bulk, clear it through customs ourselves, and pay the customs duty and import VAT before it ever reaches our warehouse. The price you see at checkout is the price you pay. There is nothing to settle with the courier on the doorstep, and no parcel sitting in a depot waiting for you to pay a bill you were not expecting.
That sounds like a small thing. It is not. The same optic on a US retailer's website often looks cheaper on the product page and is very often not cheaper by the time it reaches your door. This page sets out exactly what happens to a parcel coming into the UK, where the extra money goes, and what you get from buying from a UK company instead.
What a US import actually costs you
When goods are sent to you from outside the UK, three separate charges can be applied before the parcel is released to you. Only the first two are taxes.
- Import VAT. The standard rate of VAT in the UK is 20% (gov.uk). On a consignment worth more than £135 you pay that VAT to the delivery company before you can receive or collect the goods (gov.uk). Most optics, rifle scopes and weapon lights are comfortably over that threshold.
- Customs Duty. Also charged on goods worth more than £135. The rate depends on the commodity code the goods fall under, so it varies by product and we will not quote you a figure we cannot stand behind — look yours up on the UK Trade Tariff before you order. What matters just as much as the rate is the base it is applied to: duty is calculated on the price paid for the goods plus postage, packaging and insurance (gov.uk). You pay duty on the shipping as well as on the scope.
- The carrier's clearance or handling fee. This one is not a tax and it is not set by government, which is why it catches people out. The courier that presents your parcel to customs charges its own fee for doing the paperwork and fronting the money to HMRC. Every major carrier publishes its own rate; it is charged per parcel regardless of the value inside, and it is payable before the parcel is handed over. Check your carrier's published schedule before you order from abroad.
The order the charges land in
The sequence matters, because each step is applied to the result of the one before it.
| Step | What is added | Who sets it |
| 1. The US price | The advertised price, usually excluding US sales tax | The overseas seller |
| 2. International shipping | Carriage and insurance to the UK | The seller or carrier |
| 3. Customs Duty | Charged on consignments over £135, at the rate for that commodity code, calculated on steps 1 and 2 combined | HMRC, via the UK Trade Tariff |
| 4. Import VAT | 20% standard rate, applied to the total including the duty from step 3 | HMRC |
| 5. Carrier handling fee | A charge per parcel for making the customs entry and advancing the tax | The courier |
Because VAT at step 4 is applied to a figure that already includes duty and shipping, the final bill grows faster than a straight 20% on the sticker price. None of it appears at the overseas checkout. It arrives days later as a message telling you the parcel is held until you pay.
Our guide to import duty, RFDs and what needs a dealer covers the legal side of the same question in more detail.
What we do instead
We take on that whole process before you are involved. Stock is imported from the United States to us, customs-cleared and duty-paid, and then held in our UK warehouse. When you order, it ships to you domestically.
- No duty, no import VAT, no handling fee on delivery. Every charge above has already been paid by us and is inside the price you see.
- No customs stage. Your parcel does not cross a border, so it cannot be held, re-weighed, re-valued or returned to sender because nobody was in to pay.
- One price, in pounds. No currency conversion at your card issuer's rate, and no foreign transaction fee.
- A UK company on the other end of the order. Xtreme Tactical Ltd is registered in England and Wales (company number 12470780, VAT number GB 345732102). Full details are on our about us page.
Delivery expectations
Orders are dispatched tracked from our UK warehouse. Because there is no customs stage, delivery is measured in days rather than in the weeks an international parcel can take once clearance, a payment request and a redelivery attempt are added on. Current services, costs and cut-off times are set out in our shipping policy.
If something is not in stock we will tell you rather than let the order sit — message us and we will confirm availability before you buy.
Returns and your legal position
This is the part that is hardest to see until something goes wrong. Buying from a UK retailer means your contract is with a UK company and UK consumer law applies to it.
- Your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 apply to us directly: goods must be as described, fit for purpose and of satisfactory quality.
- Returns go to a UK address at UK postage cost. Returning an unwanted item to a US retailer means international postage, an export declaration, and in most cases no refund of what you already paid in duty and VAT unless you claim it back separately.
- Faulty on arrival? Report it to us within 48 hours and we deal with it — replacement or refund. The full terms are on our warranty and DOA policy page.
- Cancellations and refunds are handled under our returns and refunds policy, by a company you can reach in your own time zone.
A note on warranty, stated honestly
The manufacturer's warranty on an optic is the manufacturer's, not ours, and that is true wherever you buy it. What differs is who you deal with first. Buy here and you have a UK retailer to raise it with, who can help identify the right manufacturer route, and you keep your statutory rights against us for faults present at delivery. Buy direct from abroad and you are on your own with a company in another jurisdiction. Our warranty information page sets out precisely what we do and do not take responsibility for, so there are no surprises.
Do optics need a licence in the UK?
No. Rifle scopes, red dot sights, magnifiers, mounts, bipods and torches are not firearms and are not licensed anywhere in the UK — you do not need a firearm certificate to buy any of them from us, and we are not a registered firearms dealer because these goods do not require one. Our guide to whether you need a licence for a rifle scope, red dot or torch explains where the lines actually fall.
Start browsing
Everything below is in the UK, duty paid, ready to dispatch: red dot sights, rifle scopes, weapon lights, scope mounts and bipods and shooting support.
Frequently asked questions
Will I be charged anything on delivery?
No. All duties and import charges are paid by us before the stock reaches our warehouse. There is nothing to pay the courier.
Is it cheaper to import an optic from the USA myself?
Compare the landed cost, not the sticker price. Add customs duty at the rate for that commodity code, then 20% import VAT on the goods, the shipping and the duty combined, then the carrier's handling fee, then international return postage if it does not suit you.
What is the £135 threshold?
It is the consignment value above which Customs Duty is charged and import VAT is collected from you by the delivery company rather than being included in the price you paid the seller (gov.uk). Most optics are above it.
Where does your stock come from?
Predominantly from the United States, because that is where most of these brands manufacture. We import it, clear it and hold it here, so that you buy it as a domestic purchase.
Do you ship outside the UK?
Get in touch before ordering and we will confirm what we can do for your destination, including who would be responsible for any charges at that end.