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Q+A on Import Duty+Tax [Do Not Ask How to Avoid!]

Puteq

Yesterday I received a letter from some company called 'Avance' who were contacting me on behalf of 'Federal Express Europe Inc' threatening to 'commence formal proceedings' against me unless I paid 40 quid into a bank account in Dublin.

Sounded like the usual spam garbage to me, but I tried calling the 1800 number in the letter just in case, and of course it didn’t work. So today I phoned FedEx to let them know some spammers were using their name to scam people - only to find it is apparently real! I had bought RAM from the crucial.com website in July, and apparently FedEx had to pay the customs and imports tax on it or something, so now they were after me to pay them. I asked why they were sending debt collectors instead of just writing to me and asking me to pay themselves and they told me thats what they usually do and maybe the letter was lost in the post or something - sounds a bit unlikely to me.

Now pls note - I know the rules here and I am NOT looking for a way to avoid tax or anything like that, but whats the story here - I previously bought from crucial a few times in the past and never had this. Is this some new thing, or is every online purchase subject to this but customs only randomly check a few things or what? I am wondering because this would influence my decision to buy online in future, if I had to pay this much cost on top of the price on the site then the net is suddenly not a very attractive option at all…

PS: the original cost of what I got (I don’t remember exactly) was about 100 quid so I find 40 quid quite high

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jor el

You pay VAT.

jos22

Jessica2501 wrote: »

Hi, I am wondering what kind of duty do I have to pay if I buy a mobile phone from China & have it shipped over? or else if u dont know where can I find out? Thank u

what the value of the phone.

you will have to pay vat @ 21.5% plus a handle charge to start with. if it over 150 euro you will have to pay import tax too not sure the rate of that is

unugh

jor el wrote: »

Anything bought within the EU is tax and duty paid, .

Is this definite ? I made a trade with a guy in sweden for a blazer.He insured the package for 400usd but marked it as a gift.The tracking number says '' The item is now at customs abroad for determination of any customs duty payable '' ... ALWAYS when I see this message it means a bill is coming with the parcel.
Can I be charged ? Its marked as a gift,no actual money/e-money was exchanged/its from Sweden,its 2nd hand ..

Thanks.

jos22

unugh wrote: »

Is this definite ? I made a trade with a guy in sweden for a blazer.He insured the package for 400usd but marked it as a gift.The tracking number says '' The item is now at customs abroad for determination of any customs duty payable '' ... ALWAYS when I see this message it means a bill is coming with the parcel.
Can I be charged ? Its marked as a gift,no actual money/e-money was exchanged/its from Sweden,its 2nd hand ..

Thanks.

yes. if you buy anything in the EU you will have already have payed VAT on that item.

why did he insure it for 400 US dollars
if he from sweeden it should have been 400 SEK

the fact it had USD marked on it it could have stopped for inpsection. but if it was posted and bought from within the EU . you will not be charged any duties

Rockshamrover

Hi folks

I got a vat bill from Fedex for goods purchased from the states. The cost of the goods was 199 Dollars. Fedex have done a conversion of this to Euro and come up with 167.28 Euro.

My credit card statement shows the amount as being 139 Euros.

Are they allowed to use this higher rate and charge vat on that?

Thanks

jor el

unugh wrote: »

Is this definite ? I made a trade with a guy in sweden for a blazer.He insured the package for 400usd but marked it as a gift.The tracking number says '' The item is now at customs abroad for determination of any customs duty payable '' ... ALWAYS when I see this message it means a bill is coming with the parcel.
Can I be charged ? Its marked as a gift,no actual money/e-money was exchanged/its from Sweden,its 2nd hand ..

Thanks.

Sounds like it was posted from outside the EU. A lot of people ship direct from HK, so this could be the case. If it originated within the EU, then there should be no VAT. Duty can be charged if the item is something like alcohol or tobacco, or another item that attracts special duty rates. You may even need a licence to import such items.

jor el

Rockshamrover wrote: »

My credit card statement shows the amount as being 139 Euros.

Are they allowed to use this higher rate and charge vat on that?

Thanks

You need to contact them and show proof of the price you paid.

sidekick100

hi all
received a package from the USA a few days ago which was sent through a very well known service
the customs fee was fairly high (few hundred euros), i paid via cash on the spot.

now here's my question... the person who delivered the items had drove down from the north with the items, so therefore they would be bringing the duty money i paid them back to the north. is this legal? i always thought if goods were delivered to somewhere in ROI the money should go to the ROI government. i know the company also deliver from dublin which is closer to where i live so it just struck me as odd.

not a big deal, just curious more then anything

any input appreciated

jahalpin

sidekick100 wrote: »

hi all
received a package from the USA a few days ago which was sent through a very well known service
the customs fee was fairly high (few hundred euros), i paid via cash on the spot.

now here's my question... the person who delivered the items had drove down from the north with the items, so therefore they would be bringing the duty money i paid them back to the north. is this legal? i always thought if goods were delivered to somewhere in ROI the money should go to the ROI government. i know the company also deliver from dublin which is closer to where i live so it just struck me as odd.

not a big deal, just curious more then anything
any input appreciated

VAT and duty are levied on goods at point of entry to the European Union. As the goods were delivered to the UK, then the VAT and duty would be payable to H.M. Revenue and Customs.

ncmc

Hi all, I'm sure this is on here somewhere already, but I can't seem to find it. Can someone confirm for me what is the value of product that you can order online from the US before you are hit for customs? Many thanks.

Mr. Presentable

You are liable for duty/VAT on all goods imported from USA, regardless of value. However, they tend to be lenient as below

From fixmytax.com

6 Customs implications as regards imports via the Internet, what reliefs are available?
Customs duty is payable on goods imported into Ireland (regardless of the medium used) from outside of the European Union. The actual rate of duty involved depends on the nature of the goods and is assessed in accordance with the tables set down in the Customs & Excise Tariff of Ireland. VAT which is levied at whatever rate would apply to the supply of the imported goods in Ireland is also payable. Customs duty is chargeable on the value of the goods often referred to as CIF or the cost of the goods plus insurance and freight. The customs duty payable is included in the value of the goods for VAT purposes. Excise duty, if appropriate, must also be paid in accordance with Part 5 of the Customs & Excise Tariff of Ireland.

It should be noted, however, that the following derogations apply:

Gifts

Customs duty and VAT is not payable on consignments of a value not exceeding €45 which are sent as gifts by private individuals from third countries for the personal or family use of private individuals in the State. However, relief from VAT does not apply in the case of tobacco products, alcohol/alcoholic beverages perfumes or toilet waters and the limits relating to relief from customs duty on such goods must be observed. Furthermore, where after excluding the value of the goods (other than tobacco products) which qualified for the relief (€45), the total value of the remainder of the dutiable goods in a gift consignment does not exceed €349.18, customs duty will be charged on the balance at the standard rate of 3.5%. The importer may, however, opt to have the goods charged at the relevant tariff rate(s) applicable. VAT and excise duty, if chargeable, will be assessed in the normal way.

Goods of negligable value

Packages, other than those containing tobacco or tobacco products, alcoholic products, perfumes or toilet waters with a value of €22 regardless of status (for private or commercial use) are admitted free of customs duty and VAT under the scheme commonly known as "small packages" relief.

ncmc

Thanks so much for that Nipplenuts, I had the figure of €45 in my head alright. I've placed an order with Strawberrynet.com for $43/€29 but forgot to mark it as a gift! Hopefully, it'll slip by un-noticed!

dudara

Moved to Online Buying & Auctions

dudara

jor el

ncmc wrote: »

Thanks so much for that Nipplenuts, I had the figure of €45 in my head alright. I've placed an order with Strawberrynet.com for $43/€29 but forgot to mark it as a gift! Hopefully, it'll slip by un-noticed!

The limit is €22, including delivery cost.

colind

Hi,

I'm awaiting delivering of an amplifier which is being shipped from Asia.
The amp cost USD 600, shipping with UPC was USD 250.

I was expecting to pay VAT & duty on just the product, but according to previous posts on this thread, I'll have to pay it on shipping too.
Is this true?

I was under the impression that duty is 3.5%, but I have also read 12%.
Can anyone clarify this for me?

Also, has anyone experience with UPC? Will the courier collect the charges on delivery, or will I most likely receive a letter to collect the goods & pay the charges at a depot?

Thank you in advance.

Regards

Eemia

I'm looking to buy few products from America. Ranging from a metal wheel for an animal to small wood items also for an animal. Besides the 50-60dollars carraige what else should i be expecting to pay?

Items will cost roughly 160-170dollars!

I know there is no way around this, and i am not sure if i am posting this in the right place (Mods please move if i am wrong)

But can anyone, roughly, tell me what else is going to be added?

Eemia

Gwame

Hey, like the title says, I'm ordering a laptop from the US. It's a 12" screen, and it's from an eBay seller. I've ordered from outside the EU before and incurred an import duty (or VAT, I'm not sure which) that amounted to about £40 sterling. This was a camera from Hong Kong. Obviously a laptop is bigger, so I imagine I'll have to pay more to import it.

Can anyone shed some light on this issue? Please and thanks.

Edit: Another question. Since I'm buying from the US, the power supply is different, right? What should I know when charging the laptop in Ireland?

Sponge Bob

you will incur duty and a power supply here ( the US one may work ) would likely cost €100 . Are you really saving anything over these ???

MagicMarker

It doesn't matter how big the laptop is, you're charged based on it's value.

I can't imagine making a great saving tbh.

dudara

Moved to Online Buying & Auctions

dudara

Gwame

Sponge Bob wrote: »

you will incur duty and a power supply here ( the US one may work ) would likely cost €100 . Are you really saving anything over these ???

They only have 6 laptops offered there, none of which are suitable. I was looking for a tablet laptop with decent graphics and preferably multi-touch. The Dell Latitude XT2 would suit, but it's very expensive.

It doesn't matter how big the laptop is, you're charged based on it's value.

I can't imagine making a great saving tbh.

Considering the laptop isn't even sold in Ireland, and it's almost twice as expensive in the UK compared to the US, then yes I would.

jor el

Gwame wrote: »

Considering the laptop isn't even sold in Ireland, and it's almost twice as expensive in the UK compared to the US, then yes I would.

When you add in duty at maybe 3-5%, VAT at 21.5%, handling charge of €15, the laptop will have a US keyboard layout (not a show stopper, but could be awkward), and the power supply will probably work with a simple 2-3 pin adapter, but might be 120V only, will it still be a big saving?

Finally, will the US website even deliver to Ireland, and if so, how much does that cost? You'd want a reliable delivery service, and to have it properly insured. This will not be as cheap as ordering something locally, or in the UK.

cinnamon

I ordered a package from Hong Kong - cosmetics amounting to the value of €70. The company marked on their docket that it was a gift.
However I was charged €21.24 for tax (incl. €6 post office charge)

I asked the postman in SDS are you supposed to be charged for gifts and he said he didnt know, all he knew was the were coming down hard on any package with those type of stickers.

I was trying to find info on all this. I thought the value of goods had to be over €100 (and was it increased to €150?) and then someone told me it was decreased to only €30.

I have no idea. Can someone tell me what the limits are and do 'gifts' mean anything these days.

Paulw

Firstly, your image was not a gift, so you're attempting to defraud the revenue.

Secondly, the limit is €45 for a genuine gift.

Any product being shipped from a company is unlikely to get through marked as a "gift". The revenue are certainly clamping down on all imports.

jor el

cinnamon wrote: »

I was trying to find info on all this. I thought the value of goods had to be over €100 (and was it increased to €150?) and then someone told me it was decreased to only €30.

I have no idea. Can someone tell me what the limits are and do 'gifts' mean anything these days.

Marking commercial products as gift is fraud, and very illegal. The limit for VAT is €22 for purchases, or €45 for a genuine gift. The limit for import duty is €150. The limits include the cost of delivery.

cinnamon

I did not mark the parcel as a gift, the company did and I never asked them to.

Can someone answer my question without throwing accusations please.

Gwame

jor el wrote: »

When you add in duty at maybe 3-5%, VAT at 21.5%, handling charge of €15, the laptop will have a US keyboard layout (not a show stopper, but could be awkward), and the power supply will probably work with a simple 2-3 pin adapter, but might be 120V only, will it still be a big saving?

Finally, will the US website even deliver to Ireland, and if so, how much does that cost? You'd want a reliable delivery service, and to have it properly insured. This will not be as cheap as ordering something locally, or in the UK.

It's an eBay seller that ships worldwide. Item price + international shipping cost comes to about $770 or €520. To buy from a UK seller, the price converts to over €860 without shipping. So unless taxes/duties/charges add up to over €300, I would be saving money.

pleasant Co.

cinnamon wrote: »

I did not mark the parcel as a gift, the company did and I never asked them to.

Can someone answer my question without throwing accusations please.

What question has been left unanswered?

colind

At what percent is duty charged on an electrical item (amplifier)? I've searched on revenue.ie & I can't find it.

Thanks

Nody

cinnamon wrote: »

I ordered a package from Hong Kong - cosmetics amounting to the value of €70. The company marked on their docket that it was a gift.
However I was charged €21.24 for tax (incl. €6 post office charge)

I asked the postman in SDS are you supposed to be charged for gifts and he said he didnt know, all he knew was the were coming down hard on any package with those type of stickers.

I was trying to find info on all this.

Background info, no questions.

I thought the value of goods had to be over €100 (and was it increased to €150?) and then someone told me it was decreased to only €30.

Answered above.

I have no idea. Can someone tell me what the limits are and do 'gifts' mean anything these days.

Answered above.

I believe Mactard is correct.