Can you still use Address Pal

clivej

Can you still use An Post 'Address Pal' to get parcels from the UK?

Cass

According to their website, and assuming i'm reading it right, it can no longer be used to import stuff, but any parcels brought in will be checked by customs and when cleared be available for collection at a nominated point.

That sounds like it is working, but subject to VAT etc. that any other parcel is subject too.

Bit confusing really.

clivej

Cass wrote: »

According to their website, and assuming i'm reading it right, it can no longer be used to import stuff, but any parcels brought in will be checked by customs and when cleared be available for collection at a nominated point.

That sounds like it is working, but subject to VAT etc. that any other parcel is subject too.

Bit confusing really.

Yes it did confuse me as well.
I don't have any trouble paying the VAT, but I have noticed the postage from the UK on some items have increased quite a lot.

badaj0z

I have had 2 parcels through Addresspal in the last month. Both were a disaster. An Post is opening all parcels from the UK in order to charge VAT etc. The first result of this is that everything is now delayed by 2 weeks. If there is a bill in the parcel, they calculate the Vat and send you a bill. If there is no bill, as in a gift or a used item, they estimate the value and send you a bill. There is no appeal. If you pay, they send the item( up to 2 weeks later). If you do not pay, they return the item to the sender. I bought a used torque screwdriver for £43. They estimated the value at €95.79 and charged me €23.62 vat plus fees.It looks like the amount of stuff bought new or used from the UK is going to diminish to zero because who wants to pay Vat twice? I am now switching to Amazon Germany and Ebay France.

Cass

Well that clears that up.

I went to buy a phone case for two family members recently. Two different ones but decided to use the same supplier on ebay. When i had over 22 quid worth of stuff in the basket and added another item it actually started to separate the order and tell me customs would be applicable on the items over 22.

Another, non related, facet of this was the shopping i done. Items have gone up from bread, to spuds, to milk. I reckon my hopping, which usually doesn't change that much, was about 8 euro more expensive. After i checked the receipt i noticed some items have gone up by a small amount in terms of actual cost, but a large amount as a percentage of the original cost of the item .

On the radio i heard how certain items will be going up in price as they are imported from the UK. So we'll only really feel the full effect of this down the road.

Grizzly 45

On ordering UK stuff...
Apparently, as I understand it, if it is genuinely "made in the UK" it is not subject to import duties and VAT.If it is however made outside the UK and imported and then re-exported out to the EU again,then it is subject to customs and VAT?
Might make a difference in future regarding ammo and Uk gun bits?

badaj0z

Do you think that the people opening the parcels and estimating the charges are going to take any of that into account Griz?

civdef

One that surprised me lately was a fella ordering in plane parts from Poland that were shipped by DPD but the truck was travelling though UK was expected to pay UK Duty & VAT, then could reclaim that once they came into Ireland.
Sounds like buying from EU is no guarantee of hassle-free shopping if the couriers networks pass through the UK.

Cass

Balls to that. Everyone grabs their pound of flesh and the poor fecker buying it has to go through the hassle of trying to reclaim it?

Can you "demand" direct postage? IOW straight from the point of purchase to the end user and any "stop overs" that may incur VAT/Duties (regardless of the ability to reclaim it later) can be disputed or shown not to be applicable?

J.R.

badaj0z wrote: »

Do you think that the people opening the parcels and estimating the charges are going to take any of that into account Griz?

Also, those checking the parcels from the UK - are they going to spend a lot of time checking if it's from UK mainland or from Northern Ireland?

As far as I understand it items from Northern Ireland are exempt.

Darc19

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

On ordering UK stuff...
Apparently, as I understand it, if it is genuinely "made in the UK" it is not subject to import duties and VAT.If it is however made outside the UK and imported and then re-exported out to the EU again,then it is subject to customs and VAT?
Might make a difference in future regarding ammo and Uk gun bits?

Totally incorrect.

There is no duty on items from the UK. That is the "free trade" agreement.

There is vat on all goods over €22 from the UK, just as there is from USA, China and every other non EU country.

The difference between UK and USA is vat is included in UK price of goods sent to addresdpal. So you then add Irish vat, so double Vat.

Simply not worth it unless it's an item that you have to buy from the UK

Cass

Darc19 wrote: »

Simply not worth it unless it's an item that you have to buy from the UK

In the last week or so i've ordered a few small items (nothing expensive) and have worked hard to find an EU or preferably Irish supplier to avoid this whole mess.

So it is having an impact on Irish trade i'd imagine.

Darc19

Cass wrote: »

In the last week or so i've ordered a few small items (nothing expensive) and have worked hard to find an EU or preferably Irish supplier to avoid this whole mess.

So it is having an impact on Irish trade i'd imagine.

UK sellers are certainly affected.

Many Irish retailers are benefitting greatly - little UK competition and new EU customers (if you sell to EU)

Cass

I never had any issue using Irish suppliers. The problem was, and i don't want to risk derailing the thread, was supply. Irish suppliers had two problems :

No stock of what I wanted
Nothing showing on website (regardless of stock levels)

badaj0z

In contrast to my post above about buying from the UK , I also made 2 direct purchases from Europe. One was a coat from Lithuania, the other was a spare part for a Toyota landcruiser from France. Both arrived by courier, inside a week with no import charges as you would expect. The Landcruiser part started in Biarritz and came through Spain and Belgium on the way. The coat started in Lithuania and came through Poland and Germany. I tracked both on the way. What a contrast!

civdef

I'm finding buying from the likes of Amazon not too bad because at least they're not charging UK vat on top of Irish.


Irish retailers really need to step up their online presences though. Too many shops where everything is POA.

alan0387

civdef wrote: »

One that surprised me lately was a fella ordering in plane parts from Poland that were shipped by DPD but the truck was travelling though UK was expected to pay UK Duty & VAT, then could reclaim that once they came into Ireland.
Sounds like buying from EU is no guarantee of hassle-free shopping if the couriers networks pass through the UK.

I had this discussion in work just this week. Colleagues wife works for one of the transport companies. Basically if a truck comes to Ireland from mainland Europe, it use the UK as a travel corridor and not pay any duties. Driver can stop off for breaks and sleep etc.

But, if say for instance, the truck was requested to stop and collect even 1 pallet on its route to here, it has to be plugged in (if refrigerated) and logged. This is now classed as an import operation. Then on its onward journey to Ireland, considered Export. This then doubles paperwork and adds days to delivery.

Colleagues wife has been pulling her hair out trying to essentially hide the fact she has say 3 or 4 pallet spaces on a truck so it's not flagged and diverted halfway across the UK.

On another note, I've been waiting 3.5 weeks now for a pair of walking boots from Regatta.ie (UK warehouse supplying Ireland too). Took me the last 5 days to find out the truck has been stopped by customs since 20th January. Regatta have said end customers will have no vat to pay so this is probably causing the hold up.

Rant over

Cass

civdef wrote: »

Too many shops where everything is POA.

That freaks me.

Other than being annoying i immediately move off the advert or site. Making me ring up will not encourage me to buy it.

clivej

I've bought a book on amazon this week, £14. Due in on the 3rd February, let's see how this plays out!

cookimonster

So far since Brexit I've purchased-

A book off Amazon.uk (€25.00), no extra charge.

A battery and saw off knivesandtools.ie, which aren't Irish, but based on mainland EU, so no extra charge.

A back pack, from Germany, took a bit of searching to find a good price on delivery as free delivery advertised on various sites only applied to Germany and Austria. The orginal site I landed on was UK, but the product was being shipped from Germany. To be safe I ordered from the German site.

The amount of Amazon Prime items on offer have definitely decreased while the cost of postage has increased. Having said that I am looking at a future purchase and based on the UK prices and additional add on's cost wise it will still be worth while getting it sent over.

Have a look at this video to see the reality that Britain actually faces.

https://youtu.be/u-GxekFbmAM

If you buy goods from the UK or other non EU countries (excluding Northern Ireland) the following applies:

- a customs value (including cost, transport, insurance and handling charges) of €22 or less you will not have to pay Customs Duty or VAT

- a customs value of more than €22 you will have to pay VAT

- an intrinsic value (the value of the goods alone excluding transport, insurance and handling charges) of more than €150 you will have to pay Customs Duty.

So really unless you just can't get it here ot may not be worth bringing it in.

minktrapper

badaj0z wrote: »

I have had 2 parcels through Addresspal in the last month. Both were a disaster. An Post is opening all parcels from the UK in order to charge VAT etc. The first result of this is that everything is now delayed by 2 weeks. If there is a bill in the parcel, they calculate the Vat and send you a bill. If there is no bill, as in a gift or a used item, they estimate the value and send you a bill. There is no appeal. If you pay, they send the item( up to 2 weeks later). If you do not pay, they return the item to the sender. I bought a used torque screwdriver for £43. They estimated the value at €95.79 and charged me €23.62 vat plus fees.It looks like the amount of stuff bought new or used from the UK is going to diminish to zero because who wants to pay Vat twice? I am now switching to Amazon Germany and Ebay France.

I purchased a second hand fishing rod on EBay UK. It was second hand. Address pal opened the parcel. There was no invoice in the parcel so they estimated the value of the item. I got a bill and a vat charge. Can't remember how much it was. I did not pay it. Instead I took a screenshot of the completed deal I did On Ebay. The parcel was released shortly afterwards without paying anything.

Irish_peppa

cookimonster wrote: »

So far since Brexit I've purchased-

A book off Amazon.uk (€25.00), no extra charge.

A battery and saw off knivesandtools.ie, which aren't Irish, but based on mainland EU, so no extra charge.

A back pack, from Germany, took a bit of searching to find a good price on delivery as free delivery advertised on various sites only applied to Germany and Austria. The orginal site I landed on was UK, but the product was being shipped from Germany. To be safe I ordered from the German site.

The amount of Amazon Prime items on offer have definitely decreased while the cost of postage has increased. Having said that I am looking at a future purchase and based on the UK prices and additional add on's cost wise it will still be worth while getting it sent over.

Have a look at this video to see the reality that Britain actually faces.

https://youtu.be/u-GxekFbmAM

If you buy goods from the UK or other non EU countries (excluding Northern Ireland) the following applies:

- a customs value (including cost, transport, insurance and handling charges) of €22 or less you will not have to pay Customs Duty or VAT

- a customs value of more than €22 you will have to pay VAT

- an intrinsic value (the value of the goods alone excluding transport, insurance and handling charges) of more than €150 you will have to pay Customs Duty.

So really unless you just can't get it here ot may not be worth bringing it in.

Interesting Cookie monster on stuff coming from the UK to Ireland, must really be hitting smaller online retailers who sell small orders to Ireland like orders 30 and above . Im curious are the same standards / protocols applied for items being exported from Ireland to the Uk? Ie: Small Irish retailers selling Items 30 euro and above to the uk? Is it the same vat and taxes exercise for the buyers in the Uk getting parcels from Ireland? Are they experiencing the same problems we are?

kunekunesika

The uk hasn't really implemented they're customs checks fully. They are allowing a 6 month grace period ( for uk customs to get ready). So come june it should all tighten up even further.

Cass

Here is one for you.

Two/three weeks ago i used vouchers i had accumulated over Christmas to order some stuff. Total value was €72.08 and the vouchers totalled €72 so i only had to pay €0.08c. The items arrived a week later without any hitch.

In retrospect i don't know how they were able to go straight through. Nothing on the label said "vouchers" or the monetary cost being 8 cent.

freddieot

A couple of points of clarity on this as I know a little bit about it.

The de minimus or LVCR was abolished on 1 January 2021 in the UK so all goods being imported from other countries are due for Customs Charges and VAT from that date even if the value is 1p. The threshold was £17 (about €22) which kept them in line with most of the EU countries. The EU will also abolish the LVCR threshold on imports later in the year so the same conditions will apply when you order something from overseas.

If you sent something to a friend in GB etc. and it did not get a charge, that was mostly luck. It is true that they are tightening it all up slowly but expect it to be quite tightened by around March or April.

Well done with the vouchers. Again, great luck. Strictly speaking the declared value should be the total cost of the goods. Any invoice etc. should show the value and then the payment end can mention vouchers. If you used vouchers to purchase the item then that was part of the cost, it did not bring the cost down for example. Customs can assess the real value of an item if they believe that the declared value is not correct. This happens a lot more often than you might think. It's hard to make or rather sell a pair of NIKE trainers for €8 for example.

Irish_peppa

freddieot wrote: »

A couple of points of clarity on this as I know a little bit about it.

The de minimus or LVCR was abolished on 1 January 2021 in the UK so all goods being imported from other countries are due for Customs Charges and VAT from that date even if the value is 1p. The threshold was £17 (about €22) which kept them in line with most of the EU countries. The EU will also abolish the LVCR threshold on imports later in the year so the same conditions will apply when you order something from overseas.

If you sent something to a friend in GB etc. and it did not get a charge, that was mostly luck. It is true that they are tightening it all up slowly but expect it to be quite tightened by around March or April.

Well done with the vouchers. Again, great luck. Strictly speaking the declared value should be the total cost of the goods. Any invoice etc. should show the value and then the payment end can mention vouchers. If you used vouchers to purchase the item then that was part of the cost, it did not bring the cost down for example. Customs can assess the real value of an item if they believe that the declared value is not correct. This happens a lot more often than you might think. It's hard to make or rather sell a pair of NIKE trainers for €8 for example.

Is it possible that to take the bad look off the mess it will be that brexit officials could hint at UK customs to have a "relaxed attitude" to taxes, vat and customs of items coming into the Uk? The last thing they want to have is massive back logs of parcels and the population going mad moaning about how things were better before brexit?

freddieot

The UK were one of the countries that were pushing most strongly for greater controls and taxes on imports, when they were within the EU. Their successive Governments have been under massive pressure from the domestic trade and retail organisations to stop cheap imports, especially from China and believe it or not Jersey. This was a big issue even before the vote on BREXIT.

In that context it is extremely unlikely that they will in the long term allow any relaxations on import taxes and charges. What you see now is actually still only a ramp up. As an example, they did not have to cancel the £17 threshold for charge fee entry (LVCR) on 1 January this year, but they did.

Ultimately BREXIT came into being following a vote. The new reality is in place now as a result of that decision and the average Joe or Janet will unfortunately have to get used to it.

Dodge

Cass wrote: »

Here is one for you.

Two/three weeks ago i used vouchers i had accumulated over Christmas to order some stuff. Total value was €72.08 and the vouchers totalled €72 so i only had to pay €0.08c. The items arrived a week later without any hitch.

In retrospect i don't know how they were able to go straight through. Nothing on the label said "vouchers" or the monetary cost being 8 cent.

The vouchers are a red herring here. The cost is €72.08. How you paid for them is immaterial

You may have gotten lucky with the charges. Enjoy it

alan0387

Cass wrote: »

Here is one for you.

Two/three weeks ago i used vouchers i had accumulated over Christmas to order some stuff. Total value was €72.08 and the vouchers totalled €72 so i only had to pay €0.08c. The items arrived a week later without any hitch.

In retrospect i don't know how they were able to go straight through. Nothing on the label said "vouchers" or the monetary cost being 8 cent.

Technically they could still have asked for the amount of vat..... I think the method of payment is irrelevant, it's the value of the items as they present at customs. However following on from a previous post of mine about regatta, turns out 2 trucks left regatta UK warehouse at same time. 1 truck had no customs issues and goods were delivered to DPD and onto customers nearly 2 weeks ago now. I'm one of the unlucky ones who's goods are stuck on the second truck currently 'detained' by customs here. As far as I'm aware, it's sealed until customs apparently open and inspect and entire truck of orders.

Go figure why one was fine and the other was not?

Ogham

Darc19 wrote: »

Totally incorrect.

There is no duty on items from the UK. That is the "free trade" agreement.

There is vat on all goods over €22 from the UK, just as there is from USA, China and every other non EU country.

The difference between UK and USA is vat is included in UK price of goods sent to addresdpal. So you then add Irish vat, so double Vat.

Simply not worth it unless it's an item that you have to buy from the UK

Partially incorrect

There can be duty on some items from the UK . It depends on where the item was produced. If it's UK produced then no duty. Even if EU produced there may be duty if it's resold from the UK.
However - only orders over €150 are subject to duty and many categories of products are 0% duty .

Good explanation here - https://www.moneyguideireland.com/irish-customs-duty-on-uk-online-purchases.html

civdef

I sent off a couple of drysuits to UK last week for repair for work, DPD contacted me this morning with a Customs (Tax) charge of €13 plus €6 brokerage before I get them back.
Goods re-imported from repair should be exempt from VAT & Duty, but I had a look at the form I'd need to fill out before sending them away in the first place, 4 pages of official stamps and endorsements!

alan0387

civdef wrote: »

Goods re-imported from repair should be exempt from VAT & Duty, but I had a look at the form I'd need to fill out before sending them away in the first place, 4 pages of official stamps and endorsements!

That's scandalous. Although I can't say it's surprising. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I find there is a culture here (in Ireland) of people wanting to squeeze the most out of each other. Not everyone is guilty of it, plenty of honest sellers and retailers but some do take the biscuit. Brexit has allowed certain business an opportunity to cash grab. An post is a big one, considering they charge €10 per customs handled package!

An example was me pricing the Tikka. I've had a spread of €620-€750 for a new .22lr w/ 20" barrel. I'd expect a spread of maybe €50 between retailers. But €130 difference for an identical product? That's a bit much...

BattleCorp

alan0387 wrote: »

An example was me pricing the Tikka. I've had a spread of €620-€750 for a new .22lr w/ 20" barrel. I'd expect a spread of maybe €50 between retailers. But €130 difference for an identical product? That's a bit much...

Differences in price isn't always gouging. It often is, but sometimes it can be due to other factors.

It's possible that not every dealer bought the product at the same time and from the same supplier so maybe their purchase costs were different.

Depending on when it was bought, foreign currency fluctuations can also play a part in the cost price.

Also, a gun dealer who rents his premises or has a large mortgage on it will probably have to charge more than a gun dealer working from a premises he owns outright.

A dealer might have it in his inventory for many years and might reduce the price to help shift it.

There are many factors. But yeah, price gouging could be one of them.

Cass

Cass wrote: »

That freaks me.

Other than being annoying i immediately move off the advert or site. Making me ring up will not encourage me to buy it.

This is true about absolutely anything online, not just shooting equipment, and I wish people voted with their wallets a bit more. Having to contact the supplier to get a price is a) a waste of everybody's time and b) a very obvious ploy to extract more money from certain customers.

There shouldn't be varying prices depending on who's doing the buying. You price it correctly and make a fair profit, or I won't be spending any further time or money on your goods.

I used to do procurement for a Public Sector organisation. Often we'd ask for quotes from a few suppliers, then select whichever was best value (cheapest doesn't always = best value). Every time we'd ask for their best price possible. And almost every time we'd get an improved offer from one of the losing bidders after their initial price was deemed excessive.

"Dear Company A, what's the lowest you can go on 50 boxes of a4 plain paper every 6 months"
"we can supply it for €20+VAT per box"
"Thanks, but we've decided to go with Company B"
"Okay, well, how much did Company B say they'd sell it for, cos we can match their offer?"
"So €20+VAT wasn't your lower offer then?.......What IS your lowest offer, out of interest?"
".....eh, whatever Company B is offering, minus 50c?"
"bye bye"

Often, you'd get people retracting prices they'd already agreed upon. It took me a while to realise this was almost always when they discovered that they were dealing with a PS organisation. It's like the business equivalent of having a wedding. "so, those flowers will be €300 all in....where would you like them delivered?..........The Shelbourne?.......Are they for a wedding?......Well I'm afraid our wedding prices start at €500"

Infuriating.

alan0387

[Deleted User] wrote: »

There shouldn't be varying prices depending on who's doing the buying. You price it correctly and make a fair profit, or I won't be spending any further time or money on your goods.

As you said, people finding out flowers for a wedding is a big example. Probably one of the best examples, same with any bouquet of flowers 2 weeks before valentines day vs within a week of it.

To be fair, Apple is one of those companies who insist on level pricing, only local taxes and exchange rates affect final price. For example on my honeymoon to New York in 2010 I bought an iPad gen 1. I got the WiFi & 3g model in 64gb. It was the top of the line one at the time, cost me $900, but they were €900 here because of tax differences and strong exchange rates. At the time it between €200-€250 of a saving.

I was told by the guys in BeOutdoors that MDT/Oryx are the same, they want buyers everywhere to have the same base price for the product. This strengthens their distributors positions, as they get a set profit off costs vs market value, and if there is no major saving vs buying from the company direct then the end user will buy from a local distributor for ease, speed and no lengthy customs process.

frogone

minktrapper wrote: »

I purchased a second hand fishing rod on EBay UK. It was second hand. Address pal opened the parcel. There was no invoice in the parcel so they estimated the value of the item. I got a bill and a vat charge. Can't remember how much it was. I did not pay it. Instead I took a screenshot of the completed deal I did On Ebay. The parcel was released shortly afterwards without paying anything.

Who and how did you send the screenshot to? I've just been sent a customs VAT charge for an item worth £17.99 (€20.93 @ today's rates) postage was free so it was under the €22 and now they want another €10.21 for it including the An Post fee. The item was valued at €29.20 The issue I have is I don't know what if any paperwork/invoice was in the box. I had the same idea as you i.e. send the eBay receipt but I couldn't find how or where to send it only redirected to Revenue's website :rolleyes:

otmmyboy2

frogone wrote: »

Who and how did you send the screenshot to? I've just been sent a customs VAT charge for an item worth £17.99 (€20.93 @ today's rates) postage was free so it was under the €22 and now they want another €10.21 for it including the An Post fee. The item was valued at €29.20 The issue I have is I don't know what if any paperwork/invoice was in the box. I had the same idea as you i.e. send the eBay receipt but I couldn't find how or where to send it only redirected to Revenue's website :rolleyes:

I was in a similar boat a few years ago and used this:
swscd at revenue.ie

meathstevie

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

On ordering UK stuff...
Apparently, as I understand it, if it is genuinely "made in the UK" it is not subject to import duties and VAT.If it is however made outside the UK and imported and then re-exported out to the EU again,then it is subject to customs and VAT?
Might make a difference in future regarding ammo and Uk gun bits?

So let’s say a slab of Lyalvale, Hull, Gamebore or Eley 12g cartridges making their way into Ireland from a UK distributor; no VAT and duties.

A slab of RC, Sipe, Fiocchi or Mirage cartridges through the same channel; VAT and duties although they were made and exported from the EU in the first place ?

Ireland may be a relatively small market but I can see a nice little business here for especially a French or Belgian distributor since the direct connection ferry ports in the north of France are easily accessible from both countries.

clivej

Just got this from Parcel Motel

........ "Is the UK virtual address still suspended?
On December 28th, our virtual address service in the UK was suspended. Since then we have no longer accepted deliveries at the UK virtual address: 1a McKinney Road, Newtownabbey, UK. Our UK virtual address remains suspended but we are working hard to update our product offering in order to adapt to the latest trade requirements and better serve your shopping needs. We will be back in touch with further updates shortly".........