Import Tax on cameras/lenses

gary o

Does anybody know if you pay import tax or any other tax on cameras/lense bought from ebay,which originate in hong kong,the prices are almost half what they are here & it looks very tempting.

Fajitas!

You do pay import tax.

Unfortunatly, some companies mark their goods as gifts of no commercial value...Meaning, you don't pay the tax. What ever shall the taxmen do?

It's a risk a lot of people here take.

My last order of a lens was taxed, but only by 27 quid...not even near half as bad as it could of been.

latchiko

I'm also on the verge of ordering a new camera/lens on eBay and so I'm also interested in the tax implications. If the taxmen do charge me import tax etc, how much could I be expected to pay? Is it a percentage of the value of the camera/lens? I'm looking at getting a 400D/17-85mm lens, any ideas what the taxman could potentially add to the price?
Fajitas! - €27 doesn't seem much - was it an expensive lens?

FreeAnd..

As fajitas said, most items will be marked as a gift or for a low value. The very first lens I recieved was marked as a repair for 115HK dollar. Thats around 10 euro. At first i thought that i had been ripped off being sent a lens that was only a repaired one...Didnt make the connection instantaneously...Lucky i didnt go complaining

BrookieD

i get all my gear from BHPhoto in New York, about a grands worth so far and not one penny paid in tax as you can mark as a gift

DaireQuinlan

Will BHPhoto actually mark as a gift ? I've ordered from Cameta cameras before (also in new york) and they have a policy of refusing to mark as a gift or marking down the price. They always put the full commercial value on the customs declaration. Hmm. I may have to investigate BHPhoto as an alternative. The issue a lot of places have with marking down the price or gifting it is that (afaik) the sender is liable if the package is opened by customs. Needless to say its illegal ...

PaulieC

It really depends on a couple of things:

1) Stated Value of Package. Whoever is shipping the package is responsible for giving the package a stated value for tax reasons. Some companies e.g. certain Hong Kong based distributers will put a low stated value on the packages for the reason of tax evasion.

2) The Courier/Postal Agent: Big courier companies e.g. Fedex, DHL etc. act as collection agents for the revenue for packages such as these. If these companies are shipping your goods, you will be charged VAT and/or Duty on the stated value of the package. This is how Fajitas got away with paying just EUR27 on his lens. An Post do not act as collection agenst for revenue, so if you get your pacakge is handled by An Post, you generally don't pay anything (unless the package is intercepted by revenue, as happened before christmas).

Whilst you have a better chance of paying nothing in VAT or Duty getting packages delivered by An Post, you have less options if the package gets lost.
As stated above, either way, you're probably paying a lot less than you pay here. I like to budget including VAT, just in case, and when I don't get charged it, it's like a bonus!!

Valentia

Marking stuff as a gift doesn't necessarily work. I think it's just the luck of the draw. BTW there is no import duty on cameras. There is on lenses. There is VAT of course.

JMcL

cambo_gueno wrote:

...so if you get your pacakge is handled by An Post, you generally don't pay anything (unless the package is intercepted by revenue, as happened before christmas).

So was this just revenue flexing their muscles pre-Christmas, or is it an ongoing policy? I've ordered some DVDs from Play since which arrived no problem, but has anybody been, or heard of anybody being, hit post Christmas?

Roen

I wasn't hit during Christmas when I got a new lens in the middle of all the talk about the clamp down. I may have been lucky or it may have been down to the 'creative' labelling that some eBayers apply to their shipping packages.
Anyway I should be taking delivery of another lens (along with all the cards and flowers and stuff today), so we'll find out again soon enough.

PaulieC

JMcL wrote:

So was this just revenue flexing their muscles pre-Christmas, or is it an ongoing policy? I've ordered some DVDs from Play since which arrived no problem, but has anybody been, or heard of anybody being, hit post Christmas?

AFAIK, it was a concerted effort before revenue to claim back some of the revenue that was being avoided by people ordering stuff outside the EU. It's probably stopped now as it's a huge effort for relatively little reward, especially outside the Christmas period where the volume of shipped good would be quite high.
As far as shipping goods as a gift, it's largely irrelevant. The packages still has to have a stated value. A gift can be charged as long as it's over a value of 50 euros. It all depends on whether it's shipped by a courier (e.g. Fedex) or An Post. You have much less chance of getting charged VAT for something shipped by An Post.

Fajitas!

latchiko wrote:

Fajitas! - €27 doesn't seem much - was it an expensive lens?

It was worth 350...that wasn't noted on the box though

kjt

I'm in a similar boat here. I ordered from Hong Kong during the week and
my camera was shipped yesterday . I should have it Friday/Monday
(fingers crossed). It cost €1,600 but it's down as a gift with a value of
$350. I'll let you all know how I get on... AND I'll even take a picture of
the box with my new camera ha. Oh btw it's going through DhL.

Wish me luck

PaulieC

Based on my experience, I would say that you will get a bill from DHL sometime in the future for VAT @ 21% on 350 euros for tax collected on revenue's behalf

kjt

Yea I'm half guessing I shall but €70odd is still better when I've saved a few hundred euro

Roen

Lens arrived this morning without any hindrance form customs. Fedex tends to take about a month before they issue their VAT bills though, so the real test will be then.

JMcL

Roen wrote:

Lens arrived this morning without any hindrance form customs. Fedex tends to take about a month before they issue their VAT bills though, so the real test will be then.

So what did you get then? Do I remember you coveting the 500mm f4 a while back?

Roen

JMcL wrote:

So what did you get then? Do I remember you coveting the 500mm f4 a while back?

Ha! Not yet unfortunately. It was (just!?) a 17-40 L, bought for an upcoming event I have looming. The 500 will have to wait I'm afraid.
Anyway the moral of the story is no taxes so far

Fionn

this thread should be done using invisible ink or something the buggers are bound to read what everyone is up to! :eek:

kjt

My package was delivered yesterday but I wasn't about. It's going to be delivered today, extremely quickly I thought. Sent with DHL and there's an extra €79 added on as the gift is down as $350. I'm happy with that