New Import Duty/VAT Thread. Read Post #1 for Rules

BlazingSaddler wrote: »

Hi all. I have just ordered 2 products on Amazon.co.uk. The total for the two in £ should have been 18.23, at gx rate 1.181 €21.53. One of the products was on a lightning deal (previously £27.99, down to £12.99) and the other product previously £7.49 down to £5.24 on a voucher deal). Anyway long and short of it when I checked out the order summary uses the old prices for Items total then Total less promotion £18.23 but charges import fee deposit of £7.45. Never had this issue before but never usually have discounted prices that previously would have been over £22. Am I due a refund on the import charge?

"Duties and taxes are calculated according to the shipping destination's customs regulations. Typically, this calculation is based on our product price and shipping, This allows destination country customs authorities to obtain the accurate import duties and taxes owed to them based on the actual value of the goods. For more information, go to About Customs, Duties & Taxes."

^^^ Import Fees Deposit

Sorry if this has been asked before.

from what I read here : https://www.moneyguideireland.com/irish-customs-duty-on-uk-online-purchases.html

computers are duty exempt. Some companies will drop the UK vat at point of sale like: https://www.compu-zone.ie/

but I dont know how laptop direct operate.


1. If a company charges Uk vat (in error) how would the buyer look to claim it back.

2. how wide are the courier handling charges DPD is only 6 euro but I have heard some are charging 20 euro to collect vat.

3. From what I read above (money guide link) most computer / laptops are duty exempt.

Can someone verify this is what happened in reality so that the only fees would be irish vat + admin charges.

QUestion is still valid but for laptop direct (even though its not clearly mentioned) on the .ie vat is charged at 23% so they are charging irish vat.

Ya I've had multiple good purchases from them, the no key 4 stuck just wants money back and does not want a repair. They may be more to this. I would expect laptops direct to be on a par with currys for frustrating customer experience as its their model.

But if you are forearmed with the proper facts and ask the right questions (as long as you can get through to someone) you will be fine.

I was looking at a UK site and they didn't take VAT off when sending to Irish/EU addreses. There was no breakdown of VAT at all at the checkout. After searching through the site, there was a notice buried in the FAQs that said they do take off VAT for non-UK buyers but they charge a 20% international handling fee. What a scam...

My parcel is stuck in Athlone mail centre for a week now Courier says customs are waiting on paperwork and to contact the sender? I presume it's to do with VAT and import charges can I contact the mail centre directly?

I ordered from a shop based in Scotland. They had accidentally not marked the package as Delivery Duties Paid so DHL sent me a 200 quid bill. I asked the shop about this and they said to pay the duties and they'll refund me the value of it - grand, so I paid the duties.

The shop then came back to me shortly after and actually told me to refuse delivery from DHL so that it will go back to them, and they'll send it again and mark it correctly. So I called DHL Customer Service to stop the in transit package and return to sender, they advised a different department would handle the refund. Got transferred to the Import Department, who transferred me again to another department, who then told me they can't refund and I need to claim it back of Revenue (note this was only about 2 hours after paying the charges). After looking into this after the call, Revenue advises that it's the courier that handles this.

I don't really want to spend another hour on the phone to DHL to get bounced around. Does anyone know who I should actually be talking to? Or should I just dispute the customs payment to DHL with PayPal for a package I've never received?

LenWoods wrote: »

Can any of you guys help me to understand this one,
I've bought a 1:64 scale model truck and trailer for my son,

Shipping via AddressPal from the UK,
So AddressPal have charged the 6.50 euro fee as normal,
Then I got this bill, I've had a few of these recently which usually have a percentage of the overall cost being the revenue import taxes,
But this one only has VAT and and an anPost fee which I find strange; what exactly is the bill for if there's no revenue to be paid are they just being pure Karen's ?

That's normal. VAT is charged on the item price + Address Pal fee and as it is under €150 is not liable for any charges other than the carriers handling fee.

At what VAT rate would a business have to pay when ordering plumbing supplies made from the UK?


My builder reckons he will pay 13.5% vs 22% which I'll pay.

The_Conductor wrote: »

Your builder is paying for a good- you are paying for a service (unless you'd like to install them yourself that is........)

He'll install it.

NewbridgeIR wrote: »

Shouldn't all UK sellers be removing UK VAT for European buyers at the point of ordering - on basis that they are not obliged to charge VAT when exporting?

Seems to be hit and miss on who does it.
Had to pay UPS almost €40 today. Made up of Irish VAT (€21.19) and a handling fee (€18.45) - item ordered from London and it looks like UK VAT was already included in the price I paid.

A supplier that I bought from says that if THEY organise shipping, they charge VAT but refund it when you send them confirmation of import to your country. If you organise shipping, it is up to you to (try to) reclaim VAT from HM gov't. Couriers insist that you are required to provide your PPS number and nominate a customs clearance agent (shipper may handle that) if importing as an individual.

The_Conductor wrote: »

Where is it being shipped from- that is the knux of the matter.
If it is coming from the UK- you pay VAT once you hit 22 Euro, and Customs and Excise once you hit 148 Euro (incl. of shipping)

If you can find a German/French/Italian/Spanish (anywhere other than the UK) to order what you're looking for- you need to be looking at those arrangements, as its a nightmare trying to navigate buying from the UK at the moment...........

I would like to add to this to say;
AddressPal pal can work to your advantage by reducing the amount of import taxes as the total to be paid is based on the overall value including the shipping costs,
As result the cost of shipping to AddressPal will be cheaper than shipping directly which may help save a few euro's on the import tax bill,
I've been charged alot of times recently for model cars, average bill of 12 euro for items which were under 30 euro including shipping and AddressPal fee,
Thankfully I've now found a good seller from Spain and another in France whom can ship to my home for less than I can send a parcel within Ireland myself.
Should save me a fortune, thought I'd share my findings from recent experience.

Not sure if anyone can give me some advice on this, I am being given a laptop by a relative in USA as a gift. It's a Surface Pro 3 i7, so it's probably around four years old - it's second hand but unused and still boxed. Am happy to pay whatever the import fees are so that it gets to me, but I was wondering if any of you know what I should be mindful of in advance of having it shipped over? My main concerns are:
- avoiding a shipping service that will apply fees as if it was a purchased product instead of gifted item.
- dilemma on whether to send to AddressPal redirect address stateside or direct to my Irish address via USPS or some other service.
- how to calculate the value of the gift and avoid a shipping service that will assign their own arbitary value that differs significantly from what I think it's worth (looking at similar second hand devices, I would guess it is worth USD400-500).
- unsure about which shipping service to use and do I have any comeback if they apply the wrong calculations...