Chinese seller with shipping from Switzerland, info on VAT and customs duties
Summary: The participant gigi.sballo asks for information about VAT and customs duties for a Chinese seller shipping from Switzerland. heavenwelkin does not provide any further details or clarification, leaving the original question without a complete answer.
Hello,
I would like to buy an ebike costing 300 euros from a Chinese seller who, however, ships from Switzerland to Italy; given that when I search on the Internet I clearly find that, since Switzerland is a NON-EU country, I will therefore have to pay 22% VAT afterwards, plus duties because it is over 150 euros, when I ask the seller to tell me the extra amount on top of the 300 euros, he tells me the following:
No customs duties are предусмотрed: although the value of our products exceeds 150 euros, which is the tax threshold, since the category we require is that of electronic products, the customs costs are zero.
And then, when asking about VAT instead, he writes to me: VAT is included in the sale price and is 22%
Could you tell me if the seller is lying because he doesn’t want to lose the sale?
Another thing I don’t understand is that if he were telling lies, it seems strange that he has all positive feedback and no feedback mentions having had to pay extra VAT and duties on top of the price paid; could you help me decide whether I can trust what the seller wrote to me?
Thanks in advance to everyone who replies.
Best regards
heavenwelkin
·2 months agoIf an item is physically located in Switzerland and has to be shipped to Italy, the 22% VAT is paid.
Up to 150 euros, eBay should handle it directly.
Over 150 euros, you’ll be asked for it by the courier.
Regarding the feedback issue, let’s say that if you were to leave negative feedback stating that you had to pay the additional 22% VAT, this could be considered non-compliant with the feedback guidelines, since the feedback does not concern problems with the item, delivery times, etc., but rather something the buyer should know before purchasing (the fact that the seller lied to you should be completely irrelevant because the buyer must still be informed before buying); this type of feedback could be removed at the seller’s request, perhaps that’s why you don’t see negative feedback regarding VAT payment.
Kind regards.