Customs & Excise from the US

SIX PACK

I was thinking of buying something online from a company in the USA its about €400 in total... Just wondering are customs excise still as strict as they were ??

The_Conductor

SIX PACK wrote: »

I was thinking of buying something online from a company in the USA its about €400 in total... Just wondering are customs excise still as strict as they were ??

I haven't gotten away with anything at all lately- they seem to be paying a lot more attention to incoming mail, than in the past. There are some couriers who are total Nazis about calculating and adding surcharges onto customs duties- the regular postal service- is actually quite good (you'll get charged the same customs and duty- but won't get surcharges on top of it).

Assume you are going to have to pay customs and VAT- and if you don't it will be a pleasant surprise.......

MarkJD

Reading the first page of the thread it wasnt until i reached the end of it that i realised that it was from 2008.

Did that limit get raised €150.00? Im looking to order some sports equiptment from the US, only going to cost about €70.00 delivered would that be subject to VAT and customs too should they stop it? Only reason im ordering it is because i cant source it over here.

Surely its a bit rich adding vat / customs on something that cant be source here to begin with? meh lol

Nody

MarkJD wrote: »

Reading the first page of the thread it wasnt until i reached the end of it that i realised that it was from 2008.

Did that limit get raised €150.00? Im looking to order some sports equiptment from the US, only going to cost about €70.00 delivered would that be subject to VAT and customs too should they stop it? Only reason im ordering it is because i cant source it over here.

Surely its a bit rich adding vat / customs on something that cant be source here to begin with? meh lol

Why? All the other goods have it added after all. And yes, you will still pay the fee but not for VAT (150 EUR limit) but taxes etc. (25 EUR limit) or if it is not taxes but VAT, can never remember the flip of the two.

To Six Pack, since your package will most likely come with DHL or similar (at that value anything less would be stupid due to cost of losing it) you are guarantied to pay it all (since the courier will pay it in advance for you and charge you for the pleasure).

jpb1974

I suspect that they are being very strict at the moment because they know that in December the import limit is going up to €150 so they won't be able to charge customs on half the stuff they are stopping now.

Was surprised when I read this... first I'd heard of it.

Anyone know the official story?

dudara

Posts split from old thread and moved to Online Buying & Auctions

dudara

91011

You can buy goods from outside the EU up to a value of €22 without incurring any VAT charges. Goods up to a value of €150 may be imported without payment of Customs Duty.

To avoid these packages being stopped by Customs, the value should be clearly marked on the label.

However, VAT and import duty is charged on importations of tobacco, tobacco products, alcoholic product and perfumes even if they cost less than €22.

The Revenue Commissioners provide a Guide to the reliefs available for the import from non-EC countries.

If your online purchase costs more than €22 you will have to pay VAT. If your online purchase costs more than €150 you will have to pay VAT and Customs Duty.

This will be collected by the company that delivers your parcel. The company usually have an administration charge.

An Post charge is €6.00 , UPS Charge is €13.50 + vat

gbee

Currently the goods attract VAT and or Import Duty above €30 for on-line shopping. Moves to raise this come up from time to time and moves to charge VAT at source are gaining EU approval.

As a rule of thumb allow 1/3rd more for import duties and VAT ~ duties are usually quite small and many items are exempt, VAT is applied on the full amount, that's the cost of goods, plus the shipping and packaging costs.

As mentioned, DHL, TNT, UPS etc all charge in slightly different ways and all add their own fees on top again.

UPS will phone and allow you to pay over the phone ~ no hold up in delivery. FedEx will deliver and say nothing ~ a month or even three months later you'll get their bill = VERY Annoying. ALL send unpaid bills to private collecting agencies immediately they are overdue = another fee if you did not pay.

The POST has got a lot better and can compete on time and charges however, the POST can take a long time and packages can be handed over to costumes which means a trip in person to the tax office, assessment, and then a trip to the post office to get a postal order to bring back to the tax office again in person and then the goods will be released for delivery.

On a €400 order another €100 could be expected to be paid and probably a little less.

Be warned too that the US are actively discouraging EU sales by imposing ridiculous shipping charges, on which one is assessed for tax.

Against this, the US companies who do ship to the EU are usually pretty good and fast ~ so there still may be a benefit to be had ~ against this again, Euro zone is well worth looking at too ~ Germany is a prime example of efficient shipping ~ often free or fixed cost within the Euro Zone ~ NOTE ** the UK [That's England, Scotland, Wales, NI and a few islands] and NOT in the Euro Zone.

91011

gbee wrote: »

Currently the goods attract VAT and or Import Duty above €30 for on-line shopping. Moves to raise this come up from time to time and moves to charge VAT at source are gaining EU approval.

As a rule of thumb allow 1/3rd more for import duties and VAT ~ duties are usually quite small and many items are exempt, VAT is applied on the full amount, that's the cost of goods, plus the shipping and packaging costs.

Legaly enforced limits are €22 for Vat and €150 for duty.

many items do not have duty - if there is a clear description of the item and it is zero rated, then there will be no duty. If the item just says "goods" then a general tariff of 6.5% (I think)applies.

VAT at 21% is then added to full landed price cost of goods + cost of delivery + duty (where applicable)

For nearly all computer items the duty rate is 0%

jor el

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