Import customs charges - Should I pay?

[sidekickdmr]

Morning,

I’m always buying stuff online, and never really have any issues, however I needed something a little more specialist and the only item I could find was on ebay (English ebay) but based in Tampa, Florida. If there was an English seller I would have used them, but there wasn’t.

Postage was $85, and I needed 2 items from them, this means ebay would have charged me double postage, so I went on their website (which they ask you to look at in the ebay listing) and ordered both items directly with them, as postage was only $85.

Nowhere on the ordering, or payment pages did it mention import tax etc, but the website was set up to accept English addresses.

Today I have got a letter from parcel force saying that I owe £96 Customs duty and import VAT.

Having never really purchased anything from outside the UK before I wasn’t even aware this was a thing, I would understand booze or cigarettes, but something for home DIY.

Is this something you would expect the seller to pay, or is it a case of I should have known and now I have to pay myself?

Thanks

[steveo3002]

you have to pay it not the seller....if you want the goods then pay it

[eybic]

Unfortunately I suspect you'll have to pay up or not have the goods. Pretty much anything you buy from outside of the EU will have some kind of duty/ vat to be paid and it's likely there will be some small print on their site.

It's your responsibility not the seller.

[spookly]

Yes, it is a thing.

Anything you order from outside the EU can be subject to varying rates of VAT and duty depending on what it is. You can look these via HMRC website. There are some exemptions depending on value and purpose (gift etc).
You will also normally be charged a handling fee by the carrier, in this case Parcelforce.

At this point you can either pay it or not receive it. If you receive it and then get an invoice later (won't usually happen, but can) then I would suggest paying it - HMRC aren't known for letting things lie.

[sidekickdmr]

Apart from a nasty suprise letter like the one I got today, how was I supposed to know I would be £100 lighter?

Surely if someone is selling something on ebay for X, X is what you pay, if they are putting a listing on english ebay then that should be the price for it, in england......

How do they calculate the amount, guess the value, ask the seller the value, open it and look online?

[spookly]

Just to add... there is now a scheme where sellers in the US include taxes/duties into the sale price and it is marked as pre-paid before the seller sends it. you can see plenty of examples of this for US adverts on Ebay UK.... but if you buy from somewhere that doesn't specifically tell you it is VAT/DUTY prepaid then it probably isn't.

[markmullen]

It's a hazard of buying from overseas, and it is down to you to pay it.

Why should the seller pay because you chose to buy from him in a different country.

[TooMany2cvs]

sidekickdmr said:

Apart from a nasty suprise letter like the one I got today, how was I supposed to know I would be £100 lighter?

Basic research.

You have, I take it, heard of the EU's single market? It's been in the news quite a bit recently.

sidekickdmr said:

Surely if someone is selling something on ebay for X, X is what you pay

No, because the seller might sell it to somewhere that import duty and VAT rates are different.

sidekickdmr said:

if they are putting a listing on english ebay then that should be the price for it, in england......

It's on eBay globally. BTW, there's no such thing as "English eBay", and there's no "English" taxes at all.

You import, you pay the duty and tax.

[PanzerCommander]

As others have said its standard with importing things from overseas.

You pay import duty on the item + postage. Then you pay VAT on top of the item + postage + import duty. And then add the couriers handling fee (usually at least £10) to that.

[Jasandjules]

This is a reasonably straightforward matter, with two choices.

1. If you want the item, pay the money. It will then be delivered to you.
2. If you don't want the item, you don't pay the money. It will not be delivered to you.

[Heartworm]

Completely your responsibility, always been the buyer responsible for any import fee's from outwith Europe.

[eybic]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/gds/UK-Buying-USA-Import-VAT...

[98elise]

In the US they normally price without tax anyway don't they?

[duckwhistle]

It's just one of the things you are assumed to know about like car tax,council tax etc. If you buy abroad and bring back goods personally you have to declare them at Customs. This is no different apart from someone else bringing the goods in on your behalf.

[sidekickdmr]

Great, so I’m Dammed if I do (paying over the odds on a already over-budget project) and dammed if I don’t (would get a refund, but not including the $85 shipping costs.)

But thank god they taught us algebra at school

[TooMany2cvs]

sidekickdmr said:

Great, so I’m Dammed if I do (paying over the odds on a already over-budget project) and dammed if I don’t (would get a refund, but not including the $85 shipping costs.)

How is your poor research and lack of understanding of basic concepts anybody's fault but your own?

It'd be remarkably good customer service from the seller to give you a full refund, given that the only reason for returning the goods is your own cluelessness - and of course the shipping both ways would be your responsibility.

[steveo3002]

always someone elses fault hey

[Trabi601]

I look forward to lots more posts like this when we exit the EU!

[sidekickdmr]

Hey, I’m not blaming the seller, it appears I should have known this, but I didn’t, and I would say that at some point you didn’t either.

I’m annoyed at the situation, not the people.

However a little "*please be aware that there may be import tax and customs charges to pay depending on your countries policies" on the payment page wouldn’t have gone amiss.

[feef]

I used to think this sort of thing was common knowledge, but it became quite apparent from talking to folk (usually down the pub) during the referendum that many folk have no idea that buying from outside the EU would incur tax and duty charges.

Some switched on sellers do, sometimes, massage the value figures on the documentation so you pay less duty, and I've had some stuff shipped as 'samples' before, but there's a risk associated with that should it go walk about en-route