Buying options (post Brexit)

Lazy Bhoy

I was just wondering what peoples options for buying PC components will be after Brexit. I am guessing that it will become a lot more expensive to order from the likes of Amazon UK and Scan and Overclockers.



I have seen some people on here mention Amazon.de. I have never ordered anything from Amazon.de before because I have always just used the Amazon UK website. What is the usual cost of delivery from Germanys Amazon? Also do they do free delivery for orders over 25 euros similar to Amazon UK? How would it work as an Amazon Prime user? Would it be different for an Amazon Prime user ordering from Germany?


I have seen that it is also possible to order from Mindfactory using Mailbox.de. Has anybody else used this option and if so, how did you find it?

Fionn

I've bought lots of stuff from Amazon.de and some things from Amazon.es they always have charged shipping but if your buying multiple items that are sold by Amazon themselves it's usually just one shipping charge for the items. The only thing is sometimes items are far more expensive than the UK prices but works the other way round too.
I've also got stuff from Computeruniverse.de their shipping is usually €20 and they add Irish VAT.
Would using Mailbox.de have the advantage of keeping Germany's 16% VAT?

Lazy Bhoy

Fionn wrote: »

I've bought lots of stuff from Amazon.de and some things from Amazon.es they always have charged shipping but if your buying multiple items that are sold by Amazon themselves it's usually just one shipping charge for the items. The only thing is sometimes items are far more expensive than the UK prices but works the other way round too.
I've also got stuff from Computeruniverse.de their shipping is usually €20 and they add Irish VAT.
Would using Mailbox.de have the advantage of keeping Germany's 16% VAT?

I have not used Mailbox.de yet but I have signed up for the service as I do intend to use it in the near future. I think that you would get the 16% VAT rate because Mailbox.de provide you with a German postal address and then forward your packages to your home address in Ireland.

Luck100

I think there's a chance Amazon is ready to roll out an Irish webfront if there's a no-deal Brexit that affects UK/EU web commerce long term. They already have offices and workers here, and they seem to be warehousing a substantial number of Amazon UK products in Ireland. I've gotten next-day delivery on some items recently (Dublin).

Lazy Bhoy

Luck100 wrote: »

I think there's a chance Amazon is ready to roll out an Irish webfront if there's a no-deal Brexit that affects UK/EU web commerce long term. They already have offices and workers here, and they seem to be warehousing a substantial number of Amazon UK products in Ireland. I've gotten next-day delivery on some items recently (Dublin).

An Irish Amazon webfront would be great and it would certainly solve a lot of problems. I just can't see it happening though. Our population it just too small for them to be bothered. Plus most of the 3rd party sellers on Amazon UK wouldn't be bothered listing on the Irish webfront either as it is easier for them to just deal with shipping to mainland UK.


We will see what happens in a few weeks time but in the meantime I am trying to check out as many different options as possible.

deathbomber

Lazy Bhoy wrote: »

An Irish Amazon webfront would be great and it would certainly solve a lot of problems. I just can't see it happening though. Our population it just too small for them to be bothered. Plus most of the 3rd party sellers on Amazon UK wouldn't be bothered listing on the Irish webfront either as it is easier for them to just deal with shipping to mainland UK.


We will see what happens in a few weeks time but in the meantime I am trying to check out as many different options as possible.

disagree, finely tuned machine. Also in regard to 3rd party sellers, it's well known and becoming more and more common for Amazon to source and sell products that are selling well via 3rd parties. Bit of a monster now and if they had a dedicated Irish or any other country web front with a ware house and next day delivery, then they would rake it in. Death nail for many a small homegrown business though

Squidgy Black

I'm sure Amazon will find a way around it. They have a distribution network in Dublin that's been operating the past few months for deliveries, wouldn't be surprised to see them find some loophole where the orders are placed through and Irish warehouse and fall under their Irish subsidiary but everything still dispatches from.their UK warehouse and last mile delivery is done by their Irish couriers.

Lazy Bhoy

deathbomber wrote: »

disagree, finely tuned machine. Also in regard to 3rd party sellers, it's well known and becoming more and more common for Amazon to source and sell products that are selling well via 3rd parties. Bit of a monster now and if they had a dedicated Irish or any other country web front with a ware house and next day delivery, then they would rake it in. Death nail for many a small homegrown business though

I have had the exact opposite experience on Amazon with 3rd party sellers over the past few years. Especially when buying computer parts.


It remains to be seen if Amazon will ever open an Irish webfront. They havent bothered with any other smaller countries yet and I don't think that we will be any different. If they ever do decide to do it. It will be interesting to see how the 3rd party sellers respond to an Irish webfront. I am not going to hold my breath waiting for it to happen so in the meantime I will keep looking for German options which appear to be a bit cheaper than options in other countries like France and Spain.

Lumen

Lazy Bhoy wrote: »

I have seen that it is also possible to order from Mindfactory using Mailbox.de. Has anybody else used this option and if so, how did you find it?

Do you mean mailboxde.com ?

Lazy Bhoy

Lumen wrote: »

Do you mean mailboxde.com ?

Sorry, yes that's the one.

Mucashinto

Lazy Bhoy wrote: »

I have had the exact opposite experience on Amazon with 3rd party sellers over the past few years. Especially when buying computer parts.


It remains to be seen if Amazon will ever open an Irish webfront. They havent bothered with any other smaller countries yet and I don't think that we will be any different. If they ever do decide to do it. It will be interesting to see how the 3rd party sellers respond to an Irish webfront. I am not going to hold my breath waiting for it to happen so in the meantime I will keep looking for German options which appear to be a bit cheaper than options in other countries like France and Spain.

Yeah, I'd be thinking along these lines as well tbh. Even looking at the difference of the films etc available on UK Amazon accounts versus here is a little insight into how difficult things can be to arrange. Generally I find we can piggy back these things off the UK out of ignorance mainly (Ireland is part of Great Britain right?) but if they were to get properly formalised I think there could be a few difficulties. And with such a small population (Belgium has 2.5x ours) they mightn't rush to do it alright.

We have Apple's European headquarters here and there's no Apple store in the whole republic? There's one in Belfast so wtf really.

Going to have to start being more European imo and looking to mainland Europe shops first which might be easy enough if they cater better for us. Supposed to be against EU regs to refuse to ship to other union states yet lots of German retailers don't (Mindfactory does for "entrepreneurs" :rolleyes:, guess that means registered businesses) so they'll have to sort that out. Simple measure of just listing prices before VAT surely (which is a better way to do it anyway - the state just doesn't want people to see how much they collect off your purchase ) unless it's then a ballache for the German co. to then owe Irish revenue, again might not be worth it if the sales volume isn't there.

K.O.Kiki

Hello,

As you have placed an order on Amazon.co.uk and selected an EU delivery address in the past, we wanted to let you know that from 1 January 2021, when the Brexit transition period ends, you’ll see some changes when you shop on Amazon.co.uk and select an EU delivery address. These changes could include:

- VAT (or the regional equivalent, if applicable, https://www.amazon.co.uk/vatrates) being due in the country of delivery, or your package may be subject to customs duties, taxes and fees (“Import Fees”)
- the collection of VAT, or an estimation of Import Fees (“Import Fee Deposit” https://www.amazon.co.uk/ifd), which may result in a price change at checkout.

We will continue to accept eligible returns. If the reason for return is the result of an error (e.g. if the item is defective / damaged / incorrect), any costs incurred for the return will be paid by Amazon. Otherwise, any costs incurred for the return (including transport costs, as well as any associated import fees or customs where applicable) will be payable by the person returning the goods https://www.amazon.co.uk/returnshelp.

We hope this helps and we see you again soon.

Regards,

Customer Service Department
Amazon.co.uk

Discord friend of mine got this message, RIP AmazonUK orders.

K.O.Kiki

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

Discord friend of mine got this message, RIP AmazonUK orders.

Got it earlier too.

.G.

Yep, same.

Lazy Bhoy

Got the exact same email earlier.


I had a feeling that this was going to be the case. :mad:

Mucashinto

They'll be no customs between the North & South here though right? So Parcel Motel will still be an option (classic "Irish solution to an Irish problem". Suddenly the number of cars, or something, sold in Northern Ireland goes up 200k in a year ).

Never feel too good using them with big ticket items but outside of being on the hook for shipping costs if you need to return something it could carry on relatively normally, with just their extra fee to factor into the cost maybe.

wozniattack

Mucashinto wrote: »

They'll be no customs between the North & South here though right? So Parcel Motel will still be an option (classic "Irish solution to an Irish problem". Suddenly the number of cars, or something, sold in Northern Ireland goes up 200k in a year ).

Never feel too good using them with big ticket items but outside of being on the hook for shipping costs if you need to return something it could carry on relatively normally, with just their extra fee to factor into the cost maybe.

I really hope Parcel Motel will still be good.

I get some stuff done via Saxoprint in the UK, and they ship UK only.

Also if they're still good, I'll still be able to avail of the lovely PC places in the UK.

I'm currently waiting on a Ryzen 5950X bundle from SCAN, and I really hope I get it before January.

Imagine getting slapped for VAT and customs on a €2000 order you placed in early November 2020.

K.O.Kiki

I still have 30eur on my ParcelMotel account

Mucashinto

wozniattack wrote: »

I really hope Parcel Motel will still be good.

I'm guessing really, but yeah I hope so. They seem to be trying to avoid any issues here, at least at the moment, but who knows I suppose. I think there was talk of farmers here that sell all their beef to the UK could set up a place in NI easily enough with our soft-border agreements and then just ship out of Belfast rather than Dublin and problem solved. So there'll be a lot of stuff going on I guess, enthusiast PC parts mightn't be at the top of the agenda

Coyler

I'm willing to bet that Irish Customs knows all about Parcel Motel and what address is attached to what mailbox. Revenue and Customs are on the ball these days.

Mucashinto

Coyler wrote: »

I'm willing to bet that Irish Customs knows all about Parcel Motel and what address is attached to what mailbox. Revenue and Customs are on the ball these days.

PM should set up a straw man figure (say Mr Pat Motel) and everything gets delivered to him. He then decides of his own volition to sell to us within our customs-free zone at a €3.95 markup.

Coyler

With that creative thinking can you do my tax return next year?

smacl

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

Discord friend of mine got this message, RIP AmazonUK orders.

VAT registered here and looking like likely non-deal VAT rules shouldn't make any difference for me getting computer kit. Any other personal stuff is a different issue. I'm guessing confusion will reign for the first couple of months with companies getting the VAT wrong. I wonder what the situation with Amazon Prime is which is the main reason I use .co.uk rather than .de .fr or .es? I'd say companies like Scan and Box selling from UK into Ireland will be more of a problem than Amazon.

dreamers75

Amazon returns is is Rathcoole Dublin/Wicklow so thats kinda bollox about the returns.

Rob2D

It extra sucks for me. I've had an Amazon Business account for the past couple years and I've gotten used to getting everything VAT free!

smacl

Rob2D wrote: »

It extra sucks for me. I've had an Amazon Business account for the past couple years and I've gotten used to getting everything VAT free!

Even if you end up paying VAT, assuming you're VAT registered it will just be a matter of reclaiming it, although looking likely it may not be charged in the first instance.

.G.

Parcel Wizard are shutting down on December 11th so I really can't see how Parcel Motel will continue. No customs between north and south but if its coming from the UK via the North and heading to the south it will be liable and they have to be able to collect those charges. Its why PW is shutting down, its not viable for them anymore.

PM customer service is woeful lately too, I've an issue with them and can't get hold of them through any means. Emails unanswered, DMs on Twitter ignored, phone never answered.

yoshiktk

Its a real shame, 21% vat on 22€+ and on 150€ vat+customs.
It looks that shoping in UK wont be a good option anymore.
Just found this site on reddit https://www.hagglezon.com/ . It compare price on Amazon EU shops, can be handy in new year.

Squidgy Black

.G. wrote: »

Parcel Wizard are shutting down on December 11th so I really can't see how Parcel Motel will continue. No customs between north and south but if its coming from the UK via the North and heading to the south it will be liable and they have to be able to collect those charges. Its why PW is shutting down, its not viable for them anymore.

PM customer service is woeful lately too, I've an issue with them and can't get hold of them through any means. Emails unanswered, DMs on Twitter ignored, phone never answered.

Ever since UPS bought nightline they've been a disaster.

mossym

yoshiktk wrote: »

Its a real shame, 21% vat on 22€+ and on 150€ vat+customs.
It looks that shoping in UK wont be a good option anymore.
Just found this site on reddit https://www.hagglezon.com/ . It compare price on Amazon EU shops, can be handy in new year.

weren't we getting charged irish vat rates alrready though?

pockets3d

Ignorant question but what ever happened hardversand.de it was the go to place for components when i was building a PC 10 years or so ago .

yoshiktk

mossym wrote: »

weren't we getting charged irish vat rates alrready though?

I know, but that at least what I read on RTE.Brexit charges

Rob2D

smacl wrote: »

Even if you end up paying VAT, assuming you're VAT registered it will just be a matter of reclaiming it, although looking likely it may not be charged in the first instance.

Yeah but I mean whatever money I was saving will now actually balance back out due to import fees.

pockets3d wrote: »

Ignorant question but what ever happened hardversand.de it was the go to place for components when i was building a PC 10 years or so ago .

Yeah, used to get all my stuff from them!

K.O.Kiki

'Trusted trader scheme' agreed between EU and UK


*edit*
NVM this is for Northern Ireland.

K.O.Kiki

pockets3d wrote: »

Ignorant question but what ever happened hardversand.de it was the go to place for components when i was building a PC 10 years or so ago .

https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/3esor9/discussion_psa_do_not_order_parts_off_of/

Insolvency.

dannyd20

I have used https://geizhals.de/ to price compare and find retailers

wozniattack

Places like OcUK have been charging 21% VAT for a while already now.

I do like SCAN, and currently have a full Ryzen 5950X upgrade bundle on pre-order with them, and I also use Saxoprint in the UK to get stuff via Parcelmotel.

The Brits really are at it again. Going to be a damn pain.

Hyzepher

The only way shopping in UK will remain anyway viable is if UK retailers dont charge VAT for exports. If they do continue to charge VAT then unfortunately that wont stop customs/revenue from adding it again when it comes into Ireland.

TheRover

Hyzepher wrote: »

The only way shopping in UK will remain anyway viable is if UK retailers dont charge VAT for exports. If they do continue to charge VAT then unfortunately that wont stop customs/revenue from adding it again when it comes into Ireland.

Not to mention afaik customs/an post will add a €10 flat fee just for the trouble of opening a package

py2006

Those German sites are quite expensive for processors.

py2006

Lumen wrote: »

Do you mean mailboxde.com ?

Have people used this here? I need a new processor and motherboard. I was about to order from a Amazon but price went up etc

wozniattack

Hyzepher wrote: »

The only way shopping in UK will remain anyway viable is if UK retailers dont charge VAT for exports. If they do continue to charge VAT then unfortunately that wont stop customs/revenue from adding it again when it comes into Ireland.

Yes, overclockers already makes you pay 21% VAT if you have an Irish address.

I'd imagine customs will charge you that 21% a second time if they get your hands on the package.

dannyd20

py2006 wrote: »

Those German sites are quite expensive for processors.

Where do you recommend?

mossym

i think that's the bit. right now you get charged 21% vat instead of the english vat. after 1 jan you will pay UK vat and then tehe 21% on top as well

rob808

Would you be hit with customs if you buy off pcspecialist.They have a Irish website but pc come from the uk.

Coyler

It very much depends. It very much seems are being shipped from the UK and the Irish website is not an Irish location paying Irish VAT on good shipped from an Irish address. If they did they could transfer stock between sites, subject to customs inspections and internal tax implications of course, and sell in that market but they don't so I strongly suspect the Euro price your seeing is just a currency conversion and little else.

yoshiktk

Extreme option would be renting a Po box and pick it up from there.
As for Amazon the question is how good are sales in here, would that be worth their investment. Like for example look at Poland, with the amount of competition Amazon still havent opened the pl version.
Shame as I used Prime often. De website offers it only for Germany and few neighbours.

py2006

dannyd20 wrote: »

Where do you recommend?

The UK

Fionn

Another thing to note with German suppliers, beside fairly steep shipping prices is, they'll charge you 21%VAT and not the German 16% VAt.

Where it hurts, is if your looking for a small ticket item perhaps not available locally, the price will be very expensive with shipping and VAT added on.

So things are going to get pricier!

Citrus_8

Fionn wrote: »

Another thing to note with German suppliers, beside fairly steep shipping prices is, they'll charge you 21%VAT and not the German 16% VAt.

Where it hurts, is if your looking for a small ticket item perhaps not available locally, the price will be very expensive with shipping and VAT added on.

So things are going to get pricier!

Irish entrepreneurs could once stop being lazy and make things work in the country. Demand is there due to working at home etc., and after Brexit demand will stay long after. Simply existing PC building and part web shops could adopt, create better pricing and more options to choose from. Win win. But I wouldn't expect than from lazy Irish businesses. They can only be happy getting easy money without investment or moan for not making money (while same time doing nothing to attract customers and create the market or oversee the opportunities).

Pangea

As Scrooge said is this what is going to happen or what may happen? If there's a deal could we avoid all these vat and custom duty charges?