So I'm in the UK and trying to place an order with a website in Canada. The value of my order is £162 but when checking out, in small writing it says "You authorise up to £243.00 GBP to include any additional seller charges related to shipping, tax or other. You only pay for what you agree to". Then underneath that it says "The merchant has requested an authorisation for this payment and the final payment amount may change when the merchant completes the order. On your way back to Penguin Palace [name of company I'm ordering from], we'll temporarily authorise £162.00 GBP on your card to help ensure your payments sucess. When you complete your purchase at Penguin Palace, this pending amount will be updated with your final purchase amount. If you choose not to complete your purchase at Penguin Palace, we'll void the pending payment and it'll usually be reversed within 1 working day"
Can anyone shed any light on this? Why am I potentially having to pay £243 for items worth £162 by selecting to pay through paypal rather than just using my credit/debit card? I'm obviously accepting of the fact that I will probably have to pay some sort of duty/import fees plus VAT but I thought that was advised of and colelcted later by Royal Mail or courier company once the item reaches the UK. Am I better off just avoiding using paypal to complete my purchase or will I not be stung with international fees other than duty/VAT?
