Ebay import tax from EU

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Looking at lenses on ebay from germany, italy, france...
And it says: "International postage of items may be subject to customs processing and additional charges."

Do it may or not get taxed?
I thought it wouldn't but don't want to gamble.
 
There will be import charges. Small items can be shipped around if labelled 'Gift' but I think the value is limited. See this: Brexit rules It's for sellers but the same principles apply. We have gained a lot from not being in the EU but we have lost many conveniences; swings and roundabouts I suppose.
 
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my understanding is that, for the case of a private buyer in the uk purchasing goods from a private seller in an EU country then the situation is exactly the same as for a private seller in Japan or the USA etc:

The seller has to complete a customs declaration on shipping.

HMRC will then charge the appropriate amount to the buyer which will be:

If above threshold: VAT at 20 % on the total of cost of goods + shipping ( no import duty though from the EU - but this is usually small anyway ). You will also have to pat a courier/post handling fee typically 8-15 gbp.

I think ebay has an arrangement where they show prices incl vat etc for business sellers listed on ebay uk.

You can check for private sellers by looking at their BIN price in euros on the country site eg ebay.de and seeing if they square with prices on ebay uk.

EDIT - not sure about this country of origin thing- ie reselling jap lenses could attract an import duty ???

I just assume, ballpark, adding about 25% to the listed price include shipping to allow for taxes from japan eg
 
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Isn't it basically; if its £135 value or less then there are no fees any more (regardless of EU/USA/Japan)?
I have had stuff through since January though that didn't attract any fees; I guess its a bit of a gamble these days on Europe (like the rest of the world) you might get hit; you might not.
 
chrism_scotland said:
Isn't it basically; if its £135 value or less then there are no fees any more (regardless of EU/USA/Japan)?
I have had stuff through since January though that didn't attract any fees; I guess its a bit of a gamble these days on Europe (like the rest of the world) you might get hit; you might not.
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believe so. normally think of camera stuff as being well above that.

www.gov.uk

Tax and customs for goods sent from abroad

VAT, duty and customs declarations for goods received by post or courier - paying, collecting your goods, getting a refund and documents.
www.gov.uk www.gov.uk

EDIT: - Just read this:

"eBay will collect and remit VAT on orders up to a value of £135 imported into the UK and sold to consumers. There will no longer be a VAT exemption for small consignments up to £15"

in the following:

Your VAT obligations in the UK & EU

If you sell goods in any EU country or in the UK, you may be required to register for Value Added Tax (VAT) and to collect VAT on your sales. If you are a non-UK or non-EU seller with goods in the UK or EU, or you sell goods into the UK or EU, eBay will account for VAT under certain circumstances.
www.ebay.co.uk www.ebay.co.uk

Now I'm confused about what happens to stuff under £135. Not clear if this applies to everyone ie private sellers in the EU and not just EU businesses
 
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greyowl said:
Now I'm confused about what happens to stuff under £135. Not clear if this applies to everyone ie private sellers in the EU and not just EU businesses
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Applies to everyone, there is a field when listing to set the VAT rate. If you leave it at 0 they won't charge additional VAT. You also really need to use eBay's shipping labels too or the customer could still get stung on delivery.
 
What about sending gift.
Now when i send a packet to my family in france, i need to add a very detailed list of every single item and there cost.
I'm worried one day they'll make them pay tax on the present i send them.
 
chrism_scotland said:
Isn't it basically; if its £135 value or less then there are no fees any more (regardless of EU/USA/Japan)?
I have had stuff through since January though that didn't attract any fees; I guess its a bit of a gamble these days on Europe (like the rest of the world) you might get hit; you might not.
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That is interesting as I often look at lenses from Japan ,and there prices are very keen .. so if under £135 there’s no extras at all ?
 
This is a ukgov doc:

www.gov.uk

Import VAT and Customs Duty on gifts

Find out about Import VAT and Customs Duty when you send gifts into the UK.
www.gov.uk www.gov.uk

basically, if under 135 then no import duties are due ( but this is minor anyway - most of cost is VAT )

for anything over 15, VAT is charged on total of ( cost of goods + shipping ). There is a PO or courier admin fee on top - at least 8.

There is/was an exemption for VAT on goods below 15 but I think ebay may have withdrawn this.

I used to mentally add about 25% to the Japanese prices to get a ballpark estimate.
 
the black fox said:
That is interesting as I often look at lenses from Japan ,and there prices are very keen .. so if under £135 there’s no extras at all ?
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No, below the import duty threshold of £135, overseas sellers are supposed to collect UK VAT at the point of sale, e.g. through the ebay payment system, or deal directly with HMRC if they are selling independently. Over that threshold, both VAT and duty (where it applies) should be collected on import, e.g. via the courier. Either way, VAT has to be paid and there is no longer an exemption for items below £15. This isn't just an ebay thing, the law has changed.
 
Retune said:
Citation needed. It's all snakes and no ladders as far as I can see.
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Well, our vaccination program is going great guns and the EU's is rubbish, so that's one ladder.
 
ShinySideUp said:
Well, our vaccination program is going great guns and the EU's is rubbish, so that's one ladder.
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The EU certainly aren't doing well there, and the posturing about export controls is silly and counterproductive. Everyone needs to work together to solve a global problem. But being a member would not have prevented us making our own arrangements, as some EU countries have also done. Our deals with AZ and Pfizer were cut when we were still operating under EU regulations in 2020. Any member state is perfectly entitled to grant national emergency use authorisations for vaccines and drugs, and to source supplies as it sees fit.
 
OK this question about import duty and VAT comes up a lot here and in every other forum that has people buying stuff from abroad.

We try to answer it but maybe apart from people who have had to use the system, although everything is documented somewhere its almost "the right notes - but not necessarily in the right order" as far as I am concerned.

None of us are "thick" so it suggests to me that the foggy mire that keeps surrounding this issue is because there doesn't seem to be a "plain english" basic statement of how much it is likely to cost to buy stuff from abroad - and this has been complicated 10 fold by the fact that many people just used to buy stuff from France, Germany etc without having or needing to think about import duties, VAT, courier fees etc.

Just my take on it FWIW.
 
Retune said:
The EU certainly aren't doing well there, and the posturing about export controls is silly and counterproductive. Everyone needs to work together to solve a global problem. But being a member would not have prevented us making our own arrangements, as some EU countries have also done. Our deals with AZ and Pfizer were cut when we were still operating under EU regulations in 2020. Any member state is perfectly entitled to grant national emergency use authorisations for vaccines and drugs, and to source supplies as it sees fit.
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There is one more thing in our favour now we are not in the EU and that's that we don't have that blithering idiot Ursula von der Leyen looking after our interests.
 
ShinySideUp said:
There is one more thing in our favour now we are not in the EU and that's that we don't have that blithering idiot Ursula von der Leyen looking after our interests.
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Yes, we are so lucky to be free of blithering idiots looking after our interests in Boris Johnson's Britain.
 
Do people really think von der Leyen is doing a good job? And before anyone asks, yes, I think Boris is doing as well as anyone would in this situation, I can't imagine the mess we'd be in if Jeremy Corbyn had become prime minister.

However, I shall refrain from further political comment as this thread, and this forum, is probably not the place for it even though I love a good debate.
 
ShinySideUp said:
Do people really think von der Leyen is doing a good job? And before anyone asks, yes, I think Boris is doing as well as anyone would in this situation, I can't imagine the mess we'd be in if Jeremy Corbyn had become prime minister.

However, I shall refrain from further political comment as this thread, and this forum, is probably not the place for it even though I love a good debate.
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Political threads are in the Out of Focus or Hot Topics areas of the forum. This is not the correct area for those topics. Feel free to join or start a thread over there - CAUTION - It is monitored & a level of respect has to be entertained - even if you don't agree with them (or the Mods) lol. It can be a little feisty at times.. ha ha ha..
 
ShinySideUp said:
Do people really think von der Leyen is doing a good job? And before anyone asks, yes, I think Boris is doing as well as anyone would in this situation, I can't imagine the mess we'd be in if Jeremy Corbyn had become prime minister.

However, I shall refrain from further political comment as this thread, and this forum, is probably not the place for it even though I love a good debate.
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Feel free to re-post in the 'Official TP political thread' or the Virus thread over in Hot Topics (I think you may have to request access to that area to protect the sensitive!).
 
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