READ SUMMARY IN POST 986 - Amazon.uk Post-Brexit

Joziburg · 03-01-2021 11:06am

Can someone explain what this new “import fees deposit” is on final Amazon checkout page? I thought someone said since Amazon Irish VAT registered there will be limited change in overall buying on Amazon.

Jim_Hodge · 03-01-2021 11:35am

Joziburg wrote: »

Can someone explain what this new “import fees deposit” is on final Amazon checkout page? I thought someone said since Amazon Irish VAT registered there will be limited change in overall buying on Amazon.

It's the Irish VAT charge.

Ogham · 03-01-2021 11:36am

fritzelly wrote: »

If there was tax and customs duty to be paid it would be around 40% (roughly what I pay for imports from the US)

Customs duty (if its applicable) varys from 2% to 17% . Depends on the type of product and where it was made.

Ogham · 03-01-2021 11:38am

Joziburg wrote: »

Can someone explain what this new “import fees deposit” is on final Amazon checkout page? I thought someone said since Amazon Irish VAT registered there will be limited change in overall buying on Amazon.

In most cases it will just be the Irish VAT (21% currently). But some items will also have duty applied . Duty only applies on orders over €150 and only on certain categories of products if they are not UK made.

Fuller explanation here - https://www.moneyguideireland.com/buying-from-amazon-uk-after-brexit.html

Warbeastrior · 03-01-2021 11:54am

I went order something that was 7.99 pounds and at the checkout it's coming up as 7.65 euro.

Does anyone know why is it cheaper and would I get hit with extra charges due to Brexit?

Gregor Samsa · 03-01-2021 11:57am

Warbeastrior wrote: »

I went order something that was Â£7.99 and at the checkout it's coming up as â‚¬7.65.

Does anyone know why is it cheaper and would I get hit with extra charges due to Brexit?

Revenue aren’t collecting VAT on items being imported with a value of under €22. It’s an EU rule. It’s ending in July, so enjoy it while you can.

You won’t be hit with any extra charges.

TheDriver · 03-01-2021 12:13pm

It's like groundhog Day every page.....

Sheep Shagger · 03-01-2021 12:29pm

TheDriver wrote: »

It's like groundhog Day every page.....

Nobody ever reads a previous page.

Sleeper12 · 03-01-2021 12:32pm

iHungry wrote:

Just been onto chat, they say the package was damaged so nowt to do with Brexit. The gave me an extra Â£5 for the inconvenience

I had one of my deliveries with this issue a few months ago. It made it to Ireland but then returned to the UK. Never found out why. Ordered the exact same thing again and it was delivered a few days later. I think they extended my prime membership for a month for the inconvenience

NATLOR · 03-01-2021 12:33pm

It seems Amazon have added shipping to ROI back on a lot of items so worth checking again. I had tried a phone on Friday wouldn't ship here but tried again today and it's available. Always worth checking all the European sites through Hagglezon, there can be big price differences. I wouldn't let a 2 pin plug put me off

Sleeper12 · 03-01-2021 12:34pm

Joziburg wrote:

Can someone explain what this new â€œimport fees depositâ€ is on final Amazon checkout page? I thought someone said since Amazon Irish VAT registered there will be limited change in overall buying on Amazon.

If I had a penny for everytime I've seen this question!

Jim_Hodge wrote:

It's the Irish VAT charge.

It would have caused far less confusion had they called it Irish Vat.

Gregor Samsa · 03-01-2021 12:43pm

Sleeper12 wrote: »

It would have caused far less confusion had they called it Irish Vat.

It certainly would, it’s a strange choice of words, and even the page they link to from it doesn’t explain it.

I guess there are some products where customs duty will be applied too - so technically it’s not just a VAT charge, but they should have broken that down by displaying two charges: Irish VAT and Irish Customs Duty (where applicable).

Joziburg · 03-01-2021 1:38pm

Sleeper12 wrote: »

If I had a penny for everytime I've seen this question!

It would have caused far less confusion had they called it Irish Vat.

I don’t think it is VAT, the Irish VAT is factored into the original cost. It seems to be a deposit which may be refunded if ultimately not required (it’s books I’m buying from Amazon itself to value of ca. £42 and the import deposit is £6.11:

From Amazon:

"Import Fees Deposit" represents an estimate of the Import Fees that may be levied on the items in your order for delivery to countries or regions outside the mainland UK. By placing your order, you agree to allow Amazon to collect the Import Fees Deposit for the applicable items in your order. This deposit will be used, on your behalf, to reimburse the Designated Carriers for the import fees that they have paid on your behalf to the appropriate authorities of the destination country or region.

You further agree that the Designated Carriers may disclose to Amazon the amount of actual Import Fees levied on the item you have purchased from Amazon and/or Merchant ("Actual Import Fees"). In the event that the Import Fees Deposit exceeds the Actual Import Fees, Amazon will refund the difference to you.

sdanseo · 03-01-2021 1:45pm

TheDriver wrote: »

It's like groundhog Day every page.....

Agreed, @mods can we please have a sticky

I am quite happy to type something up in summary which can be stuck for people to read. Very frustrating trying to follow the thread between all the people who simply cannot be bothered to look for the answer which already appears 17 times in previous posts.

Citizenpain · 03-01-2021 1:55pm

Joziburg wrote: »

I don’t think it is VAT, the Irish VAT is factored into the original cost. It seems to be a deposit which may be refunded if ultimately not required (it’s books I’m buying from Amazon itself to value of ca. £42 and the import deposit is £6.11:

From Amazon:

"Import Fees Deposit" represents an estimate of the Import Fees that may be levied on the items in your order for delivery to countries or regions outside the mainland UK. By placing your order, you agree to allow Amazon to collect the Import Fees Deposit for the applicable items in your order. This deposit will be used, on your behalf, to reimburse the Designated Carriers for the import fees that they have paid on your behalf to the appropriate authorities of the destination country or region.

You further agree that the Designated Carriers may disclose to Amazon the amount of actual Import Fees levied on the item you have purchased from Amazon and/or Merchant ("Actual Import Fees"). In the event that the Import Fees Deposit exceeds the Actual Import Fees, Amazon will refund the difference to you.

90%+ times it is just Irish VAT, the original price has UK VAT
Except books , which have zero vat in Uk . So Irish vat is added

davetherave · 03-01-2021 1:56pm

Joziburg wrote: »

I don’t think it is VAT, the Irish VAT is factored into the original cost. It seems to be a deposit which may be refunded if ultimately not required (it’s books I’m buying from Amazon itself to value of ca. £42 and the import deposit is £6.11:

It is vat. Please read any of the posts informing countless people of this from the last few pages.

Take this Kärcher Window Vac as an example. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084WCB167/

Sold and delivered by Amazon directly. At the checkout stage, if I select my address in Dublin this is the price.

Items: GBP 47.99
Postage & Packing: GBP 0.00
Import Fees Deposit: GBP 10.08 (This is Vat at Irelands 21% rate)
Order Total: GBP 58.07

If I change it to an address in England this is the price

Items: GBP 47.99
Postage & Packing: GBP 0.00
Total before VAT: GBP 47.99
Estimated VAT: GBP 9.60 (This is the UK's 20% Vat rate)
Order Total: GBP 57.59

Ogham · 03-01-2021 2:00pm

nephster wrote: »

However, looks like Amazon are applying 13.5% on print books above €22 at the mo - that ain't right, surely? Should be zero-rated?
Example at random: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0008260184/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&psc=1
Cost, 33.16. Checkout with Irish address, 4.48 added.

I have been on to Amazon help about this VAT error - but got nowhere. I asked for it to be escalated and am expecting a call from them .
They do say that if they overestimate the "import fees" they will refund you - but that's just hassle. Book Depository probably the safest option for now for me.

sdanseo · 03-01-2021 2:13pm

Pin this or don't no worries - but a summary nonetheless, stand to be corrected on any of it but this is how I understand it.

Amazon post-Brexit - what's the story?

Simply put, you must now pay import fees in the form of VAT and duty where applicable to all imports from the UK. Period.
VAT is currently 21% in Ireland and duty ranges from 0% to 50% but most goods fall under 20%. Duty is only charged where the total value exceeds €150 per delivery.
Under the trade agreement, almost all consumer goods have no duty applicable. For terminology purposes, Duties and Tariffs are the same thing.
You can check on the EC Taric website whether duty applies to the commodity you are importing: https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/dds2/taric/taric_consultation.jsp?Lang=en

So what will you see in the Amazon basket? See some examples below.

Firstly, until 1 July 2021 the Irish Government is not bothering to collect VAT due of under €22 per delivery.

If you make a purchase of €22 and under which is NOT combined with another delivery, it is unlikely, albeit possible, that Amazon will charge you any VAT at all.
You will pay the GBP price or the euro conversion at checkout, less the amount of GB VAT in the item price. GB VAT is 20%.
For example, if you purchase an item that retails for £9.99, you will pay £8.33.

Two important caveats on this:
1) If you place multiple orders and Amazon combines these into one delivery - a frequent occurrence - you will be liable to VAT at the point of delivery if the total value exceeds €22.
2) When calculating VAT payable, the amount considered includes freight charges. If you don't have prime, and the postage pushes the value to above €22, Amazon will add and collect Irish VAT.

For all purchases with a total price including postage of €22 or more and for all purchases after 1 July 2021:

The GBP price you see in the Amazon Store will reflect UK VAT included.
When you add items to your basket and get to the checkout, Amazon will deduct UK VAT (20%) and add Irish VAT (21%) to the total. The Irish VAT will be listed as Import Fee Deposit.
Remember that Irish VAT increases again to 23% at the start of March 2021.

There are exceptions.
Some goods are liable to duty as well as VAT, so the Import Fee Deposit amount will be higher.
Some goods have lower VAT rates, e.g. books and shoes, so the Import Fee Deposit amount will be lower.
Through the thread, we have also found a few examples where Amazon's accounting seems to be in error - this is to be expected. There will be the odd mistake. This is new to them too. Live chat is probably your best pal in these cases or else just don't order.

Lastly, as I found out trying to order coffee pods - some items are now completely restricted such as plant based products. There will be some items you can no longer order. Unfortunately, they only way to deal with this is suck it up and move on. That's the reality of Brexit.

Warbeastrior · 03-01-2021 2:17pm

Gregor Samsa wrote:

Revenue arenâ€™t collecting VAT on items being imported with a value of under â‚¬22. Itâ€™s an EU rule. Itâ€™s ending in July, so enjoy it while you can.

Perfect, thanks.

Gregor Samsa · 03-01-2021 2:21pm

sdanseo wrote: »

Pin this or don't no worries - but a summary nonetheless, stand to be corrected on any of it but this is how I understand it.

Amazon post-Brexit - what's the story?

[...]

Excellent summary. I can't see anything missing from that.

v10 · 03-01-2021 2:26pm

Aren’t Amazon already shipping directly from an Irish warehouse ? Surely amazon.ie is the obvious next step.

Jim_Hodge · 03-01-2021 2:26pm

Joziburg wrote: »

I don’t think it is VAT, the Irish VAT is factored into the original cost. It seems to be a deposit which may be refunded if ultimately not required (it’s books I’m buying from Amazon itself to value of ca. £42 and the import deposit is £6.11:

From Amazon:

"Import Fees Deposit" represents an estimate of the Import Fees that may be levied on the items in your order for delivery to countries or regions outside the mainland UK. By placing your order, you agree to allow Amazon to collect the Import Fees Deposit for the applicable items in your order. This deposit will be used, on your behalf, to reimburse the Designated Carriers for the import fees that they have paid on your behalf to the appropriate authorities of the destination country or region.

You further agree that the Designated Carriers may disclose to Amazon the amount of actual Import Fees levied on the item you have purchased from Amazon and/or Merchant ("Actual Import Fees"). In the event that the Import Fees Deposit exceeds the Actual Import Fees, Amazon will refund the difference to you.

Every item I put through it has been 100% the Irish VAT. The price excel vat is shown, p&p added , then 21%. The original cost is immaterial - this is the breakdown of the costs if the goods are leaving the UK for the EU.

SMC92Ian · 03-01-2021 2:36pm

I bought two LPs there under €18 and was charged no VAT, savage.

TimHorton · 03-01-2021 3:56pm

"Two important caveats on this:
1) If you place multiple orders and Amazon combines these into one delivery - a frequent occurrence - you will be liable to VAT at the point of delivery if the total value exceeds €22."

Surely Amazon is aware of this and will not allow it to happen, I will just refuse delivery if this happens to my orders.,

gzoladz · 03-01-2021 4:03pm

NATLOR wrote: »

It seems Amazon have added shipping to ROI back on a lot of items so worth checking again. I had tried a phone on Friday wouldn't ship here but tried again today and it's available. Always worth checking all the European sites through Hagglezon, there can be big price differences. I wouldn't let a 2 pin plug put me off

I have noted the same with a tablet. However, once I ordered the delivery date went from the advertised date of 18 Jan to "we will let you know once we have a date".

NATLOR · 03-01-2021 4:13pm

I think they are just being conservative with delivery dates into Ireland as there could be a big backlog at point of entry for the forseeable

nephster · 03-01-2021 4:21pm

Ogham wrote: »

I have been on to Amazon help about this VAT error - but got nowhere. I asked for it to be escalated and am expecting a call from them .
They do say that if they overestimate the "import fees" they will refund you - but that's just hassle. Book Depository probably the safest option for now for me.

I've also tweeted them about it, FWIW. I think I know exactly the mistake made, too! The *only* things that should have *13.5%* VAT added are apparently children's car seats. Someone has ticked a box somewhere in the backend to apply this to books, and has incorrectly applied 21% to kids' car seats...

See https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201895820

...And of course Book Depository are owned by Amazon, so they get your money one way or another. Just annoying to not get the faster delivery or use an Amazon voucher if you have one, plus the prices don't seem to exactly mirror Amazon...

Video · 03-01-2021 4:33pm

let's just make amazon.ie happen to make life easier for everyone

listermint · 03-01-2021 4:49pm

Video wrote: »

let's just make amazon.ie happen to make life easier for everyone

I'd put money on it if all the Irish customers quit prime tomorrow and stopped ordering anything from Amazon UK. They would sort out an Amazon .IE within the year.

The population may be small but there money spent I'm in no doubt is extremely large .

The likes of Tesco don't call it cash cow island for nothing.

theguzman · 03-01-2021 4:58pm

Video wrote: »

let's just make amazon.ie happen to make life easier for everyone

Best we can hope for would be Amazon.fr or .de start accommodating Irish customers we say free shipping over €25 or something. An amazon.ie would be the smallest every country that they cater to, it won't ever happen.

READ SUMMARY IN POST 986 - Amazon.uk Post-Brexit

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