Buying from Europe- import duty?

se2020

If i buy something from Europe today (via ebay) will I get charged import duty if it does not arrive before the 1st of Jan?

Basically,  is duty charged on the date of sale or the date it actually arrives into the uk?
Thanks!

martindow

As I understand it items in transit will go through on the old terms even if they arrive at the border in January, providing it is clear when they were sent.  So if your seller sends before the end of the year there should be no charges.

In practice with the lack of preparation here I could imagine a lot of items coming through in January completely unchecked.

From January continental companies will send nett with no French, German, etc.VAT added.  UK should then charge VAT and there will be clearance charges to pay as well as happens at the moment with imports from outside the EU.  Duty charges only come into play with large value consignments.

se2020

Thanks!

That raises the further question of,
If, after January I buy something on ebay from Europe what happens?

On a used item from a private seller I would expect to be charged import duty/vat/fees.

But what about items from business sellers?
Should I pay for the items then request a refund of the local vat? Or, ask them to send me a new invoice before paying?

Or do you think sellers will only offer gsp for the u.k.?

Double-sided question as I also sell items to Europe myself...

Spoonie_Turtle

I have read somewhere that eBay and Etsy already deal with Australian GST for items bought internationally, so I personally am hoping they will extend that to import VAT for UK buyers too. This is pure speculation though, because I don't recall reading anything official.

The EU are also removing their €22 threshold in June or around then, so everything they buy from non-EU countries will be subject to import VAT regardless of the value as well. 

soolin

se2020 said:

Thanks!

That raises the further question of,
If, after January I buy something on ebay from Europe what happens?

On a used item from a private seller I would expect to be charged import duty/vat/fees.

But what about items from business sellers?
Should I pay for the items then request a refund of the local vat? Or, ask them to send me a new invoice before paying?

Or do you think sellers will only offer gsp for the u.k.?

Double-sided question as I also sell items to Europe myself...

Sellers cannot control the VAT you pay so except for very rare circumstances what you see for the item and postage is what you pay to seller, plus on arrival (assuming seller has not used GSP) you will pay any appropriate tax, duty and handling.  Exactly the same as buying from outside the EU currently . 

Spoonie_Turtle

This explains that online marketplaces should deal with the VAT https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-vat-treatment-of-overseas-goods-sold-to-customers-from-1-january-2021/changes-to-vat-treatment-of-overseas-goods-sold-to-customers-from-1-january-2021

Items bought before the 1st Jan will be subject to the current rules (including £15 LVCR) 

Transactions before 1 January 2021

The new rules will apply to all sales that have a time of supply for VAT purposes of 1 January 2021 or later.

For example, if an order is placed and payment received from the customer on 31 December 2020 then the new rules will not apply, even if dispatch and delivery take place after 1 January 2021. Therefore, for imports the consignment will remain subject to import VAT (unless it is below the Low Value Consignment Relief threshold of £15) and supply VAT should not be charged. For goods already in the UK at the time of supply the VAT liability will remain with the seller rather than the OMP.

soolin

Spoonie_Turtle said:

This explains that online marketplaces should deal with the VAT https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-vat-treatment-of-overseas-goods-sold-to-customers-from-1-january-2021/changes-to-vat-treatment-of-overseas-goods-sold-to-customers-from-1-january-2021

Items bought before the 1st Jan will be subject to the current rules (including £15 LVCR) 

Transactions before 1 January 2021

The new rules will apply to all sales that have a time of supply for VAT purposes of 1 January 2021 or later.

For example, if an order is placed and payment received from the customer on 31 December 2020 then the new rules will not apply, even if dispatch and delivery take place after 1 January 2021. Therefore, for imports the consignment will remain subject to import VAT (unless it is below the Low Value Consignment Relief threshold of £15) and supply VAT should not be charged. For goods already in the UK at the time of supply the VAT liability will remain with the seller rather than the OMP.

Thank you that is very useful.