Expensive hidden charges on goods bought online from the EU since Brexit

Jeffros

I bought a kitchen tap from Amazon recently - there was no information online given that it was coming from Germany. It cost £171.58. I paid the amount stated on the Amazon website and then a few weeks later received a bill from Parcelforce stating I needed to pay them £45.43 customs charges before they would delivery it. This was a shock and I just thought wouldn't it have been more customer friendly for Amazon to have informed me of this before I purchased it as they do for US goods, so I could have made a more informed decision.

sheramber

 When did you order it?

jon81uk

Did you buy from Amazon, or a marketplace seller on the Amazon site?
You need to check who you are actually buying from when using marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, etsy etc.
For goods under £135 or €150 VAT will be added by the marketplace (Amazon eBay etc).
For goods over £135 (and any value of alcohol/tobacco) then Import Duty may also be due at the relevant rate.
See Buying things from Europe from 1 January 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Once you've checked who the seller is and where they are based then check what the duty will be.
Yes marketplaces could make this clearer than import taxes will need to be paid, but I think Brexit has caused a lot of problems and we won't see solutions to them for years.
Also there is a chance some of those EU based sellers may choose not to ship to the UK any longer if it gets more of a faff.
Basically brexit is a bad thing.

pbartlett

I have not bought anything from Amazon recently, but is it clear when you are buying that goods will be shipped from the EU - or is it something you just cannot find out at the time of ordering?

KxMx

EU themselves are abolishing the low VAT threshold soon, Brexit has merely sped this up for us by a few months.

https://www.avalara.com/vatlive/en/vat-news/eu-2021-ending--22-import-exemption--import-oss-returns.html

jon81uk

KxMx said:

EU themselves are abolishing the low VAT threshold soon, Brexit has merely sped this up for us by a few months.

https://www.avalara.com/vatlive/en/vat-news/eu-2021-ending--22-import-exemption--import-oss-returns.html

That’s not really relevant in this case, given the value it’s the £135/€150 import duty threashold that applies.

Browntoa

Not "hidden" to me 

Import tax always been applicable to goods ordered abroad , now we are outside the EU we are liable for import tax for goods ordered from there as well

brennanas

I've started buying goods from Japan now that the EU tariffs no longer apply and there is no duty to pay under £135.

sheramber

That is because the supplier has registered for UK VAT and pays it.
That is what EU businesses need to do as well but some have not caught up yet.

pogofish

We already have a great number of threads on import charges and TBH, it really surprises me that anyone still gets "surprised" by them.

If you are in no hurry, It is also dead easy to avoid the handling fee and minimise any charges to the actual duty payable by doing your own import paperwork. Chapter and verse on how to do it has been on here longsince!

jon81uk

pogofish said:

We already have a great number of threads on import charges and TBH, it really surprises me that anyone still gets "surprised" by them.

If you are in no hurry, It is also dead easy to avoid the handling fee and minimise any charges to the actual duty payable by doing your own import paperwork. Chapter and verse on how to do it has been on here longsince!

In this case the OP was surprised by the fact the seller is listed on amazon.co.uk but based in Germany. They didn't get shown that the marketplace seller was non-UK. Amazon would handle the VAT if the item is under £135/€150 but as it was over that then Import duty may be applicable so the OP got a surprise.

I don't think Amazon UKs system has fully caught up to the new Brexit systems to be able to show whether you may get import duty when buying from a marketplace seller.

But yes I agree if you know you are buying from a non-UK supplier there is plenty of information already on this forum.