Buying from Japan to Italy
Summary: The discussion concerns a purchase made from Japan to Italy. However, the specific details of the content of the messages are not indicated.
I bought video games for a total of $8.50 and with the payment fees on eBay the total came to $10.37.
When the package arrived I had to pay another €6.12 and on the parcel it says VAT PAID IOSS + a code.
It had been years since I last bought anything from Japan and I had never had to pay customs duties, not even for larger purchases.
Was it right for them to charge me? What is the spending limit for packages exempt from customs duties, or with what kind of shipping can you avoid them?
2 comments
heavenwelkin
·1 year agoYes, it's right that they charged you the 22% VAT, and then the courier fees for collecting the payment.
$10.37 converted to euros at the current exchange rate gives me €8.89.
That's about €1.95 in VAT and probably €4 in fees that the courier / post office takes to handle all the customs clearance paperwork and collect the money.
if you already paid the VAT on ebay, you have to hope you didn't pay cash to the postman, otherwise no VAT refund on ebay.
Regards
technopartsbay
·1 year agoYou didn’t pay any customs duties: the threshold for application is 150 euros.
Today everyone calls even things that aren’t customs duties “customs duties”... but let’s go through it:
- On eBay you didn’t pay any “fee” (that’s paid by the seller) but VAT.
- The seller correctly wrote on the package that the VAT (VAT) had already been paid (IOSS code) but the Post Office (as often happens...) applied it again.
- In addition to VAT, the Post Office also applied the customs “clearance fees” for processing the parcel: those are due and non-refundable.
On delivery the mail carrier made you pay both charges: you could have avoided paying the VAT again by getting it refunded by eBay, but you needed an itemized receipt (meaning one that specifies the amounts for VAT and separate fees).
The mail carrier almost always does NOT issue this: post offices do, so you had to refuse the parcel and pick it up at the office.