Reclaim VAT on order from EU

Major_Clanger_2

Hoping someone can help me out with the following questions....

I'm tempted to place an order for a watch from an EU based company. - value of ~£750. The company offers free delivery and free returns via DHL and the watch price is shows as ex VAT. So - if I place the order I assume that I will be charged 20% VAT when it gets to this country - but I'm not sure how to understand what other Duty/Handling charges DHL would raise (their website isn't very clear - at least to me).

Secondly - if I was unhappy with the watch and chose to return it - I would not expect to be able to recover DHLs handling charge, but I assume I would be able to reclaim the VAT and and Duty  - is that correct? If so - how would I go about it?

Thanks in advance, MC

November2

Found this online which might be of help,
orders above £135 it is more complicated as they also attract import duty, which can range from 0% to 25% of the item’s value depending on what it is, what material it is made from and its declared value. There are thousands of different rates of duty and the system is difficult to navigate. Clothes typically attract a 12% customs duty, but it’s hard to generalise.

VAT is then added to the total – at the prevailing UK rate, which for most adult items is 20%. The couriers also add their admin charge of between £8 (Royal Mail) and £11.50 (UPS), or 2.5% of the amount paid to clear customs, with a minimum charge of £11 (DHL).

You really need to look this up online and thoroughly read up on it before ordering. I believe wrist watches have a high rate of duty, it just says to phone for rate on the Gov help page!   You can claim the duty/vat back on the Gov.uk site if you return the watch by filling in the online form.