[speedski]

Originally Posted by strike4A

Ordered something else from Republic of Ireland before Christmas. It's being sent via DPD but has been stuck in Northern Ireland for past 10 days due to customs checks. Utter madness.

Its going to be a while -especially as if it doesnt have the right info and went in before DPD suspended the EU road network (IE > Northern Ireland > Ferry > UK on that route).

Air couriers in/out of UK are doing very well out of this...

[blau3er]

OK, so my understanding is as follows (someone with more knowledge please feel free to correct me)

1) when buying from a BUSINESS in the EU, they should be able to remove tax at their end from the total price and in turn we then pay it again on arrival of the package in the UK (plus courier fee) The caveat being that many EU business perhaps aren’t aware of this / dont want the hassle?

2) when buying from a PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL in the EU, e.g eBay purchase - they aren’t going to have the ability to remove VAT since the price doesn’t include that, and as such we then pay a further 20% bill on arrival of the package in the UK (again plus courier fee)

3) if I sell an item on eBay (as a PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL) to someone in the EU, my price cannot be amended since I am not charging VAT and as such the purchaser may well be subject to a further VAT / Tax bill on receipt of the package in the destination country (plus again a courier fee) - this would be the responsibility of the purchaser to check as far as I’m aware and eBay couldn’t hold the seller liable for this?

Apologies if I’ve got this wrong - just trying to understand it!

[moonshine]

i've a pair of climbing boots coming from Spain at the moment - they were €190 - i'll let you know the VAT / import duty due when i get them (hopefully in a day or so)

[moonshine]

Well, my boots arrived today from Spain. They were ordered on 10th Jan 21 and arrived from Spain via NL to GB and were delivered by Royal Mail.
The boots were £190 plus £8.50 postage
There was No import duty, VAT or customs declaration on the parcel.
Oddly, the firm seemed to send from Spain via RM TRACKED 48, with a UK address as the sender.
This is the packaging.

[MY340i]

just ordered from autodoc - its comming from germany so should be interesting

[Ennoch]

Originally Posted by moonshine

Well, my boots arrived today from Spain. They were ordered on 10th Jan 21 and arrived from Spain via NL to GB and were delivered by Royal Mail.
The boots were £190 plus £8.50 postage
There was No import duty, VAT or customs declaration on the parcel.
Oddly, the firm seemed to send from Spain via RM TRACKED 48, with a UK address as the sender.
This is the packaging.

Was that from Trekinn? I think some of these big companies have UK stock more often than they used to, and in some cases have been bulk importing stuff to the UK and then sending on from their UK distribution centres to centralise the VAT and duty process.

[Goneinsixtyseconds]

Originally Posted by moonshine

Well, my boots arrived today from Spain. They were ordered on 10th Jan 21 and arrived from Spain via NL to GB and were delivered by Royal Mail.
The boots were £190 plus £8.50 postage
There was No import duty, VAT or customs declaration on the parcel.
Oddly, the firm seemed to send from Spain via RM TRACKED 48, with a UK address as the sender.
This is the packaging.

Bloody miracle you got it at all with all the address blacked out

[moonshine]

Originally Posted by Ennoch

Was that from Trekinn? I think some of these big companies have UK stock more often than they used to, and in some cases have been bulk importing stuff to the UK and then sending on from their UK distribution centres to centralise the VAT and duty process.

Yes, it was from Trekinn, but the tracking info definitely showed dispatch from Spain

[strike4A]

I've bought stuff from AliExpress before and it comes with a Royal Mail label which is applied once the package enters the UK. RM must have arrangement with the Chinese courier company I think.

[moonshine]

Originally Posted by strike4A

I've bought stuff from AliExpress before and it comes with a Royal Mail label which is applied once the package enters the UK. RM must have arrangement with the Chinese courier company I think.

I got a photo with the RM labelling on the package before it left Spain

[speedski]

Originally Posted by moonshine

Yes, it was from Trekinn, but the tracking info definitely showed dispatch from Spain

Looks to be looking to use a mail reseller system - its not likely to have come from Spain (despite the tracking) - its just that Correos gets a cheaper rate for registered mail in the UK than you get direct from Royal Mail.

Its backed up by the fact the return address is a 3rd party logistics fulfillment co.

For example, I can put a correos label on a shipment to China, from the UK. I move it to China under X carrier and when it arrives in China the domestic post label is used. The recipient thinks it came from Spain, it didn't it came from UK.

[moonshine]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics...e_iOSApp_Other

British shoppers who bought items from European websites are facing post-Brexit demands of more than £100 in import duties that must be paid before parcel firms will deliver the items.

Despite claims by Boris Johnson that there would be tariff-free trade after the Brexit transition period ended on 31 December, consumers who bought items from EU websites are being chased for import duties, VAT and admin fees – which, they say, render the purchase uneconomic.

Lisa Walpole, from Norfolk, has been told she must pay £121 to the parcels firm UPS for a £236 clothes order she made from the Norwegian website Onepiece.com, which specialises in premium jumpsuits. At the time of the order the company had promised free international delivery.

Helen Kara, from Uttoxeter in Staffordshire, faced a UPS demand for £93 after purchasing £292 worth of bed linen from Urbanara.co.uk, which is based in Berlin, a fact she was unaware of when ordering.

Since 1 January, people buying goods from the EU – and vice versa – have faced import charges. The new rules have put thousands of specialist online businesses at risk as consumers on both sides of the Channel balk at having to pay the hefty import fees.

The UK government says European companies supplying goods valued at up to £135 direct to British buyers are supposed to collect VAT at the item's prevailing rate – in most cases 20% – at the point of purchase. The move was branded "ludicrous" by Assen-based Dutch Bike Bits, which is among the firms that has halted all sales to the UK.

The paperwork shows UPS invoiced her £81.85 for "import VAT", £28.32 in duties and the £11.50 admin fee, although in her case Onepiece has since said it will refund the extra charges.

"I have no idea whether these sums are correct. By my calculation I appear to have paid 34% VAT, which can't be right," she said.

A HMRC spokesperson said: "The value of the import VAT is calculated based on the value of the goods for customs purposes plus any customs duty, therefore it may appear to be higher than 20% of the original sales price."

[mikeoz]

Just a bump on this thread...any one else having issues?...

I was looking at buying something from EU which on face value is cheaper but could be hit with 20% vat plus duties which...which if that's the case as it's an expensive item I may as well but here??

[blau3er]

I have spoken to a couple of German parts suppliers that I have used many times pre-Brexit.

One simply won’t send to the UK now, on the advice of his financial adviser.

The other will, but has no intention of removing VAT at his end and has stated that any additional VAT charges on arrival in the UK would be the buyers responsibility.

I have a feeling that this will take a LONG TIME to resolve itself with regards to paying VAT twice.

[moonshine]

Originally Posted by mikeoz

Just a bump on this thread...any one else having issues?...

I was looking at buying something from EU which on face value is cheaper but could be hit with 20% vat plus duties which...which if that's the case as it's an expensive item I may as well but here??

no real update - except it appears EU deliveries are being delayed and subject to VAT and import duties.

If the EU supplier price is << the UK price, and you are not in a rush to get your item, you could chance your arm and still be £££ in even if import duty and VAT + handling charge are levied, but.....
if the € price is < £ , then the additional costs of import duty and VAT + handling charge may well off set any saving, plus there is a delay...

so my instinct would be to buy from UK supplier, (even at greater cost) due to certainty of delivery, price and timescale

[mikeoz]

Originally Posted by moonshine

no real update - except it appears EU deliveries are being delayed and subject to VAT and import duties.

If the EU supplier price is << the UK price, and you are not in a rush to get your item, you could chance your arm and still be £££ in even if import duty and VAT + handling charge are levied, but.....
if the € price is < £ , then the additional costs of import duty and VAT + handling charge may well off set any saving, plus there is a delay...

so my instinct would be to buy from UK supplier, (even at greater cost) due to certainty of delivery, price and timescale

Yeah thanks any idea what import duty % is..?

Item I am looking at is priced in £ with out any EU Vat etc..but if it's gets added then not really much difference..

[2CRO4TV]

Ordered an ssd off Amazon.de on Monday which was significantly cheaper than on the uk site says it will be delivered on Monday by ups but is already in the country 🤔. Will update when I turns up. Also got prime for a year just need to learn some German now 😂

[mikeoz]

Originally Posted by 2CRO4TV

Ordered an ssd off Amazon.de on Monday which was significantly cheaper than on the uk site says it will be delivered on Monday by ups but is already in the country 🤔. Will update when I turns up. Also got prime for a year just need to learn some German now 😂

Let us know...

Danke

[moonshine]

Originally Posted by mikeoz

Yeah thanks any idea what import duty % is..?

Item I am looking at is priced in £ with out any EU Vat etc..but if it's gets added then not really much difference..

Import duty appears to be generally 2.5% for items between £135 and £630 according to HMRC https://www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad/tax-and-duty

Plus VAT at 20%, plus importers handling charge

In Theory, the EU vendor should remove the sellers country VAT from the sale price, but they generally don't seem to be doing this at the moment, so one is paying VAT twice

[strike4A]

Originally Posted by moonshine

Import duty appears to be generally 2.5% for items between £135 and £630 according to HMRC https://www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad/tax-and-duty

Plus VAT at 20%, plus importers handling charge

In Theory, the EU vendor should remove the sellers country VAT from the sale price, but they generally don't seem to be doing this at the moment, so one is paying VAT twice

If you ask then they should take off their VAT (assuming over £135). Some EU websites now doing this automatically but it will take time for them to catch up.

To find out specific duty charges then dive in here with a spare hour or so... https://www.gov.uk/trade-tariff

[blau3er]

Originally Posted by strike4A

If you ask then they should take off their VAT (assuming over £135). Some EU websites now doing this automatically but it will take time for them to catch up.

To find out specific duty charges then dive in here with a spare hour or so... https://www.gov.uk/trade-tariff

Yeh thats the theory - but like many of us, our friends in maninland Europe are also unaware of the shambles that is the handling of this situation!

Most small businesses that I have spoken with don't have a clue and are very nervous / won't remove VAT at their end as they see it as an attempt by us to get the product at a cheaper price!

[moonshine]

Originally Posted by strike4A

If you ask then they should take off their VAT (assuming over £135). Some EU websites now doing this automatically but it will take time for them to catch up.

To find out specific duty charges then dive in here with a spare hour or so... https://www.gov.uk/trade-tariff

That is why I said "in theory".
EU sellers should deduct VAT, but few are at present. It is either too difficult or they are not geared up to don't it at the moment.
The situation may improve with time, or It may not... The EU Sellers may just decide to not sell to the UK as it is too much hassle.