Buy from the UK
Summary: The discussion concerns considerations about purchasing from the United Kingdom. Several users are participating, but the specific details of the dialogue are not provided.
Hi folks, but now does buying from the UK involve extra costs? For example, if I buy something worth more than €150, what should I expect? Will I have to pay duties and customs fees?
23 comments
robertodimo87
·2 years agoBut if I get the price lowered to €140, would I at least avoid VAT?
marioelegio
·2 years agoNo, since July 2021 there are no VAT exemption thresholds.
VAT is paid on any goods imported from countries outside the EU customs area.
Under 150 euros, no duties are charged and VAT is collected directly by the platform at the time of payment. In the event of double VAT taxation (platform and courier), by presenting the receipts, you can request a refund of the amount paid in excess.
hi
mario
robertodimo87
·2 years agoSo if I pay, for example, 140+20 shipping, I don't pay customs duties. Is that right?
heavenwelkin
·2 years ago140 + 20 could be calculated as 160 euros.
Let's say that usually it will be calculated as 160 euros, so you will also pay customs duties.
Then there are also the handling fees that the various couriers charge (from 5 to 15 euros fixed for each shipment)
Best regards.
marioelegio
·2 years ago140 + 20 = 160 so you’ll pay customs duties and VAT will be calculated on 140 + 20 + duties.
Under customs regulations, shipping is an integral part of the value of the goods, if it is paid together with the goods themselves.
hello
mario
robertodimo87
·2 years agoThanks, it's not worth it
xavier1971
·2 years agoDear heavenwelkin,
my eBay purchase situation was exactly the same as fgrasso’s, so I don’t understand why in my case it would be normal to pay and in his not.
Also, I bought from the UK a couple of months ago and everything arrived without any additional charges (an even more expensive and larger purchase).
I’m more inclined to think it’s a random system by Poste Italiane to skim money from international shipments in a spotty way, a bit here and a bit there to avoid mass protests: this also happened to me years ago with the USA, where, with no logic at all, sometimes one package would be charged duty and another 5 or 6 wouldn’t.
In short, inconveniences that can happen and that it’s good to keep in mind when judging the actual convenience of the purchase.
As for your advice on how to behave in case of a request for money in order to receive delivery, I fully agree.
Regards
heavenwelkin
·2 years agoDear xavier1971
In your case, you wrote that you only paid the cost of the item + shipping costs and did not specify anything regarding the advance payment of 22% VAT.
Then if you expressed yourself badly and/or forgot to write that you paid the VAT, then in theory you need to have this payment certified and you need to contact eBay support, which will give you the instructions you need to receive a refund (if you were entitled to a refund for double charging of the VAT already paid to eBay).
Kind regards.
tobysays
·1 year agoFor me from
price :95gb
shipping 11.05
vat 10,59
so do I have to pay anything else?
heavenwelkin
·1 year agoUsually if you pay everything on eBay including VAT, and the seller also includes the eBay order summary in the customs documentation, you shouldn't have to pay anything else when the package arrives.
Kind regards.
fgrasso
·2 years agoHi,
after quite a long time I bought an item from the United Kingdom on ebay uk (last purchase made before brexit).
At the time of paying I see this:
Bid 52gbp
VAT 11,44gbp ?
shipping 18.24gbp
Does this mean the item will arrive in Italy without having to pay anything else?
Is the VAT paid directly by ebay.uk?
Thanks for the information
fabio
heavenwelkin
·2 years agoDear Fabio
From the screenshot you attached, I can read: VAT added to prices based on the delivery address. No additional customs fees will be applied.
In theory you should not have to pay anything else upon delivery because duty is paid above 150 euros, but a lot depends on the documentation the seller includes with the package and on the skill and competence of whoever handles the customs clearance of the package.
So, still in theory, since there is nothing to collect you should not even have to pay the carrier’s fees.
In the event that you receive a request for money from the mail carrier, I recommend that you do not send the shipment back by refusing the delivery on the grounds that you do not want to pay any import costs beyond what you have already paid.
I recommend telling the mail carrier that you do not have cash and that you will pick up the package at the office, where you will pay by card and you will be given a payment receipt.
With this payment receipt you may be able to dispute this charge by contacting eBay support and pointing out that the site says you will not have to pay anything beyond what you have already paid.
The same applies also in the accidental event of a double charge of import costs such as the VAT you have already paid: do not refuse to collect the package and do not give cash to the courier or the mail carrier because then you will not be able to dispute it with eBay.
Usually everything goes smoothly, but it is always better to be ready and prepared to deal with any unforeseen event.
Kind regards.
xavier1971
·2 years agoHello.
I’ve just had to pay customs clearance and shipping in Italy (€17.71) after having already paid shipping costs in the UK (£13.50).
I asked support for help, and they asked me for the receipt (always get it from the mail carrier!!) and said there might be a possible refund.
We’ll see what happens.
I’ll let you know the outcome.
Hoping I’ve been helpful, best regards.
sika700
·2 years agoThe shipping costs alone do not include customs clearance or import fees.
So, if you paid only for shipping, it is more than normal to pay the import fee upon delivery.
Kind regards.
heavenwelkin
·2 years agoHow long has it been since you last ordered from England?
Since Brexit ended, orders placed in the UK have to go through a customs clearance process.
To put it briefly, if you paid 17.71 euros to the mailman, you ordered an item including shipping for about 60 or 70 euros.
So I would say everything is normal, there is no reason to worry.
Best regards.
heavenwelkin
·4 years agoYes unfortunately now you have to pay import fees.
The costs are the 22% VAT which on 150 euros is 33 euros.
Then there are other VARIOUS import / customs clearance / commission costs which are 3-5%
In total, on top of shipping costs, you pay from 25 to 27% to import the item into Italy.
Best regards.
cloudstrife4646
·3 years agoA question: if I buy an item from the United Kingdom… in the listing I also see the line “import charges”.
once I’ve paid those (which are automatic at eBay checkout) will I have to pay anything else? Like when the courier delivers the package, will there be something to pay? Just so I know whether I can leave it with the doorman like any other package from Italy or not
actar80
·3 years agoYes, since it's now a non-EU country you'll definitely have to pay customs duties, but you can't know the cost in advance, so it's better if you receive the delivery yourself.
caca67
·3 years agoAccording to the international shipping program, there really shouldn’t be any additional charges, I’m quoting what’s written:
heavenwelkin
·3 years agoGood morning caca67
In fact, in the vast majority of cases when this service is used, nothing is paid upon delivery, whether for parcels coming from the UK or the USA.
But sometimes, for a series of circumstances unknown to us, it happens that a new tax is charged to us.
In these cases, the best thing to do is to pick up the parcel anyway, paying what the courier asks us for and asking for a receipt certifying the payment of these taxes.
Then you contact eBay to be directed to the procedure that provides for a refund of this possible double payment.
But I repeat, the eBay global shipping program works quite well and it is difficult to receive double taxation; if this were to happen, there is the possibility of requesting a refund.
Kind regards.
mescalito25
·10 months agoOk, but where and how do I pay these costs? Directly from the seller, or to the courier during
delivery? Thanks for any
heavenwelkin
·10 months agoUp to 150 euros / dollars / pounds, ebay takes care directly of collecting VAT and any customs duties.
So you will pay the respective share of VAT (and any duties) directly to ebay when paying for the item.
For amounts over 150 euros/ dollars/pounds, the courier/post office takes care of it directly and it is to them that you will have to pay.
Best regards
marioelegio
·10 months agoUnless the seller uses GSP, in which case the courier collects everything in advance through eBay even for transactions over 150 euros. But it is clearly stated in the listing that shipping is carried out from the UK with the GSP international shipping program.
hi
mario