PROJECTEO

If you like instagram, you're going to love this post! I first heard about Projecteo on the Skunk Boy blog; I ordered one straight away and it just arrived this weekend. It looks like a little toy but it's actually a teeny tiny, fully-operable projector! The projector costs $25.99 and a wheel of 8 pictures (uploaded via instagram) is $8.99 which is about £22. Once you've bought the projector, you can keep creating and purchasing individual wheels to store and share your favourite memories. I loaded mine with 8 pictures from our holiday to Thailand last year and it was so fun to show my boyfriend the slideshow under the covers (I couldn't wait for it to get dark before trying it out). Plus, shipping to the UK is free, so you can keep ordering without worrying about postage prices (scroll to the end of the post to find out how to avoid customs charges). I think they would make such sweet gifts and I can't wait to order more wheels!

Here's a code for $5 off your purchase (and a $5 credit for me, too!): FRIEND0B4C

A (long) note about customs, duties and how to avoid them
Once upon a time, I learnt the hard way about import charges when I ordered a dress from the US and was slapped with a hefty bill. Now, I always carefully check the fine print when ordering things from the States to see what hidden charges I can expect. Projecteo point out on their website that some of their UK customers were getting charged: here's how to get around it.

1. Import duty
Orders with a value of £135 and over will incur import duty, which is a percentage of the value of the product. You can work out what your charge will be using this calculator. Orders under £135 will not incur an import duty charge so if a website offers free shipping to the UK, it's worth splitting large orders into two (or more!) separate purchases, if you can.

2. VAT charges
I thought I'd bypassed any additional charges because my order was only of a $35 value, but I didn't know about VAT.  The VAT itself was only £4, which I was happy to pay, but the Royal Mail handling fee was £8, taking the charge up to £12 and half the value of the total order! Not cool. Orders with a value of over £15 will have a VAT charge added to them, which needs to be paid before they will deliver your package - the price of the Projecteo itself is just over £15, so it will be an unavoidable cost, but in the future, you can purchase 2 wheels at a time without any hidden extras. I hope that helps!