Amazon UK no longer removing UK VAT?

gzoladz · 17-03-2021 12:48pm #1

Hi,

Trying to place an order on Amazon UK (delivered by them) and although the estimate for import fees is added, the UK VAT is not automatically removed (as it happened on a previous order I placed earlier this year).

I contacted CS and they advised they would refund it to me when the item is delivered...what would be ok, but I found it a bit odd.

Has anyone else experienced this?

This is with items sold by and/or delivered by Amazon.

Thanks

17-03-2021 12:50pm

What is the item? Are you sure it's not UK VAT exempt?

user302243 · 17-03-2021 12:50pm

What was the item?

I just ordered an item and UK VAT was removed.

mgbgt1978 · 17-03-2021 12:52pm

I have found that the UK VAT is only removed on items "dispatched from and sold by Amazon".
Any items sold by another Seller, but fulfilled by amazon don't seem to have the UK VAT removed.

gzoladz · 17-03-2021 1:30pm

Office chair.

I tried with items dispatched and sold by Amazon but it didn't remove it either...(I didn't order)

mgbgt1978 · 17-03-2021 2:00pm

Can you link to a particular item.

gzoladz · 17-03-2021 2:42pm

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

Can you link to a particular item.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07YKCZN6W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_C831TM08JDWEV4H08XZZ

bennyx_o · 17-03-2021 2:45pm

That item isn't told by Amazon, only dispatched by them. As others have said Amazon only remove UK Vat on items sold by themselves.

This one removes the VAT for me

mgbgt1978 · 17-03-2021 2:46pm

That chair is not "sold by amazon", just fulfilled by amazon.
Try this item;
https://www.amazon.co.uk/MOLYSLIP-Anti-Scuffing-Assembly-Paste-M115005/dp/B087XMJ9B9/ref=pd_cart_rp_1_1/257-4041713-0173348?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B087XMJ9B9&pd_rd_r=34876057-7f96-4c55-9187-4744a8aa3bdf&pd_rd_w=ybVfP&pd_rd_wg=pJnz4&pf_rd_p=acbcfc29-3f13-40b4-b005-b9e00418ec49&pf_rd_r=4QGWG7D6HG730CBFN3TQ&psc=1&refRID=4QGWG7D6HG730CBFN3TQ

It's something I purchased in January. No VAT then, and still no VAT today. It is 'dispatched from and sold by amazon'.

17-03-2021 2:51pm

gzoladz wrote: »

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07YKCZN6W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_C831TM08JDWEV4H08XZZ

The seller is actually considering this as a VAT exempt item in the UK for whatever reason so there is not UK VAT to remove.

mgbgt1978 · 17-03-2021 2:55pm

Where are you seeing the absence of UK VAT Aristotle ?

17-03-2021 3:00pm

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

Where are you seeing the absence of UK VAT Aristotle ?

Change your address to a UK one and there will be no VAT breakdown on the last step.

Do likewise on e.g. this chair instead and there will be a VAT breakdown.

Whenever there is no VAT breakdown, it's because there is no VAT being declared to Amazon.

Sleeper12 · 17-03-2021 3:03pm

I buy several items per week from amazon. Four today alone. I've never encountered this. It must be a glitch

17-03-2021 3:08pm

Sleeper12 wrote: »

I buy several items per week from amazon. Four today alone. I've never encountered this. It must be a glitch

Not a glitch for us. There is no VAT being charged for UK addresses, which is either correct (for whatever reason) or incorrect (and UK residents should be paying £149.99 + UK VAT). We are however correctly being charged £149.99 + 21% VAT.

Sleeper12 · 17-03-2021 3:29pm

I have a business account & I get the message "VAT exclusive price not available" on the chair linked.

Amazon cannot remove the UK vat if the seller doesn't tell amazon what the vat is on the item. Usually these sellers are based outside of UK and don't charge UK vat anyway.

17-03-2021 3:34pm

Sleeper12 wrote: »

I have a business account & I get the message "VAT exclusive price not available" on the chair linked.

Likely means the seller is not VAT registered. All explained here.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=202133860

gzoladz · 17-03-2021 4:07pm

bennyx_o wrote: »

That item isn't told by Amazon, only dispatched by them. As others have said Amazon only remove UK Vat on items sold by themselves.

This one removes the VAT for me

Not really, if dispatched by Amazon, they remove the VAT if one is charged.

gzoladz · 17-03-2021 4:08pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Not a glitch for us. There is no VAT being charged for UK addresses, which is either correct (for whatever reason) or incorrect (and UK residents should be paying £149.99 + UK VAT). We are however correctly being charged £149.99 + 21% VAT.

Thanks a lot Aristotle, that's exactly it!

lwvbqobf · 17-03-2021 4:09pm

I just ordered an item and UK VAT.

mgbgt1978 · 17-03-2021 4:25pm

The chair linked to seems to be coming from China.
No delivery date available, but still available for purchase.

stronglikebull · 19-03-2021 1:41pm

A lot of people are claiming that only items sold by Amazon will be VAT adjusted, and that items dispatched by Amazon from a 3rd party seller are not, but this is not true. I've bought lots from Amazon in the last three months and when dispatched by Amazon then they adjust the VAT at checkout. If the item is less than about £20, they remove the VAT and don't charge any Irish VAT, so you get it cheaper.

If shipping is handled by the seller directly, then it's up to them whether or not they remove the UK VAT and charge Irish VAT (if they are VAT registered here and are capable of doing this). Some of the big companies may do this, but I think most won't.

If the product is shipped from outside the EU and UK, then there may be no VAT at all so there's nothing to remove.

ArrBee · 22-03-2021 2:32pm

So, post brexit Amazon.uk say that they will collect the import fee deposit for stuff delivered by amazon coming into Ireland "if it is over 150e"

Has anyone actually found that for items below 150e/£130 they are actually leaving the IFD off?
All I see is them collecting the fee no matter what. (if it is above 22e)

I've raised if with Amazon but curious if others have a different experience...

whiterebel · 22-03-2021 2:55pm

Where are you seeing that? This is what I have: " Those items for delivery to countries or regions outside of mainland UK may be subject to taxes at the point of sale or completion of shipment, or border taxes, customs duties and fees levied in the country of importation ("Import Fees")." It's not over €150, that's the limit for duty. They collect once its over €22.

ArrBee · 22-03-2021 4:53pm

whiterebel wrote: »

Where are you seeing that? This is what I have: " Those items for delivery to countries or regions outside of mainland UK may be subject to taxes at the point of sale or completion of shipment, or border taxes, customs duties and fees levied in the country of importation ("Import Fees")." It's not over €150, that's the limit for duty. They collect once its over €22.

On this page it says:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GCXL3PUGPE5UU8PD

"where the value of your package exceeds €22 but is below €150, import VAT may be due and customs duties should not be due*"

Actually, I see the asterix there now...
They seem to collect the IFD even though they say it should not be due. and we have to trust the a refund will be issued sometime in the next 6 months.

Just to add, there are other sites that explain it.
VAT is due over 22e, but duty is only dues over 150e
https://www.moneyguideireland.com/buying-from-amazon-uk-after-brexit.html

ohnonotgmail · 22-03-2021 5:01pm

ArrBee wrote: »

On this page it says:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GCXL3PUGPE5UU8PD

"where the value of your package exceeds €22 but is below €150, import VAT may be due and customs duties should not be due*"

Actually, I see the asterix there now...
They seem to collect the IFD even though they say it should not be due. and we have to trust the a refund will be issued sometime in the next 6 months.

Just to add, there are other sites that explain it.
VAT is due over 22e, but duty is only dues over 150e
https://www.moneyguideireland.com/buying-from-amazon-uk-after-brexit.html

the situation with Amazon and VAT is identical to what it was before brexit. they have charged the irish vat rate to irish customers for a long time. We now get free entry into a draw where we may get the vat refunded.

davetherave · 22-03-2021 7:57pm

ArrBee wrote: »

On this page it says:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GCXL3PUGPE5UU8PD

"where the value of your package exceeds €22 but is below €150, import VAT may be due and customs duties should not be due*"

Actually, I see the asterix there now...
They seem to collect the IFD even though they say it should not be due. and we have to trust the a refund will be issued sometime in the next 6 months.

Just to add, there are other sites that explain it.
VAT is due over 22e, but duty is only dues over 150e
https://www.moneyguideireland.com/buying-from-amazon-uk-after-brexit.html

VAT may be due or may not be due depending on the category of the item.

If you are buying an adult sized pair of shoes then the standard rate of vat (21%) applies, but childrens footware is rated as zero % VAT, so not vat would be collected.

A book, or an atlas is zero-rated vat. So VAT would not be collected.

You are paying no more than you would have this time last year. The Import Fees Deposit is just what they are now calling Vat (if applicable) and Duty (if applicable)

ArrBee · 22-03-2021 9:47pm

Sorry I thought VAT was 23% and Duty was variable based on the category of goods as per revenue.ie
sure some things might be 13.5% but maybe less likely...

VAT is due on delivered items (where the cost including delivery) above 22e.
Duty is only applicable when it is above 150e and then, depending on the category of goods. (some are exempt)

Yes, Amazon have been removing UK VAT and putting on Irish VAT for ages and I was expecting that the cost when buying from Amazon would stay the same for invoices (not individual items) that are below 150e.
But it seems they are infact collecting duty "just in case"

ohnonotgmail · 22-03-2021 9:53pm

ArrBee wrote: »

Sorry I thought VAT was 23% and Duty was variable based on the category of goods as per revenue.ie
sure some things might be 13.5% but maybe less likely...

VAT is due on delivered items (where the cost including delivery) above 22e.
Duty is only applicable when it is above 150e and then, depending on the category of goods. (some are exempt)

Yes, Amazon have been removing UK VAT and putting on Irish VAT for ages and I was expecting that the cost when buying from Amazon would stay the same for invoices (not individual items) that are below 150e.
But it seems they are infact collecting duty "just in case"

the price has stayed the same for orders below €150. I have placed a couple of orders since january and the price is the same as it was before brexit. they are not collecting duty for orders below 150. The IFD is just VAT by another name.

ArrBee · 22-03-2021 9:56pm

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

the price has stayed the same for orders below €150. I have placed a couple of orders since january and the price is the same as it was before brexit. they are not collecting duty for orders below 150. The IFD is just VAT by another name.

Interesting...

Were they also removing the UK VAT on those orders?

When going through checkout, I see that the IFD is on top of the UK price so more than it was last year.

ohnonotgmail · 22-03-2021 10:02pm

ArrBee wrote: »

Interesting...

Were they also removing the UK VAT on those orders?

When going through checkout, I see that the IFD is on top of the UK price so more than it was last year.

no. for items shipped by amazon they remove the UK vat before adding the IFD. For items shipped by third parties the UK vat may not be removed.

ArrBee · 22-03-2021 10:06pm

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

no. for items shipped by amazon they remove the UK vat before adding the IFD. For items shipped by third parties the UK vat may not be removed.

Yeah, I'm not seeing that when I go through the checkout.
It's IFD on top of UK VAT.

I'll wait to hear what Amazon say about it...

Amazon UK no longer removing UK VAT?

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