customs ex uk

Roycropper63 · 15-01-2021 7:48pm #1

evening.
anyone buy recently or waiting on delivery?
just wondering how watches are being delivered and if customs and vat are applied.
thanks

unkel · 15-01-2021 11:10pm

There is no import duty on watches (to speak off), but Irish VAT of 21% is due on any watch worth over €22 coming in from the UK (doesn't matter if it is from a private seller or from a business)

Bigger businesses (like Amazon) can cater for this, they do NOT charge UK VAT, just the Irish VAT. So the final price to the Irish customer is (almost) the same as before

Roycropper63 · 15-01-2021 11:23pm

thanks

Padre_Pio · 15-01-2021 11:29pm

Delivery is the big problem now.
Even if your package has the correct paperwork, any other package on the truck might cause it to get rejected at customs.

I ordered four things from Amazon this week.
A watch which was meant to get delivered today, but the order was cancelled. Another thing that was meant to get delivered today, but hasn't even shipped yet, and two others meant for delivery on Monday, and they haven't shipped yet.

I wouldn't bother ordering for the UK until this stuff is sorted.

ronnie3585 · 16-01-2021 11:52am

unkel wrote: »

There is no import duty on watches (to speak off), but Irish VAT of 21% is due on any watch worth over €22 coming in from the UK (doesn't matter if it is from a private seller or from a business)

Bigger businesses (like Amazon) can cater for this, they do NOT charge UK VAT, just the Irish VAT. So the final price to the Irish customer is (almost) the same as before

Do you know what the situation is regarding second hand watches? Are they subject to VAT too?

unkel · 16-01-2021 1:15pm

Yep. New or second hand makes no difference. Buying from a business or a private sale makes no difference. Now of course your parcel from the UK might not get caught. Same as a parcel from China or the USA might not get caught. But the chances of that have diminished sharply over the last few years in my experience.

893bet · 16-01-2021 1:21pm

Is it the same going the other way?

Private sale to a TZ member and it could get stopped for UK vat?

Tis the end of the SC on TZ for us. Need to become more europeon!

Deep Thought · 16-01-2021 3:54pm

893bet wrote: »

Is it the same going the other way?

Private sale to a TZ member and it could get stopped for UK vat?

Tis the end of the SC on TZ for us. Need to become more europeon!

Sure is.. that’s why I pulled the trigger on my IWC LPP, I was going to wait until April, would have been more after January and no benefit in buying it from the uk.

Del2005 · 16-01-2021 3:59pm

unkel wrote: »

There is no import duty on watches (to speak off), but Irish VAT of 21% is due on any watch worth over €22 coming in from the UK (doesn't matter if it is from a private seller or from a business)

Bigger businesses (like Amazon) can cater for this, they do NOT charge UK VAT, just the Irish VAT. So the final price to the Irish customer is (almost) the same as before

There is customs duty if you exceed €150, are watches exempt?

https://www.revenue.ie/en/importing-vehicles-duty-free-allowances/buying-of-goods-online-for-personal-use/buying-goods-from-outside-the-eu.aspx

ronnie3585 · 16-01-2021 4:07pm

unkel wrote: »

Yep. New or second hand makes no difference. Buying from a business or a private sale makes no difference. Now of course your parcel from the UK might not get caught. Same as a parcel from China or the USA might not get caught. But the chances of that have diminished sharply over the last few years in my experience.

Well sh*te. I’ve bought many watches from TZ over the years. Will be a shame to lose that resource.

unkel · 17-01-2021 1:56am

ronnie3585 wrote: »

Well sh*te. I’ve bought many watches from TZ over the years. Will be a shame to lose that resource.

So right, I feel your pain man. The excitement of what could be on next on TZ has eased much of my anxiety over the past year. I admit checking over there at least 10 times a day. Not much point in that now :-(

ronnie3585 · 17-01-2021 1:26pm

unkel wrote: »

So right, I feel your pain man. The excitement of what could be on next on TZ has eased much of my anxiety over the past year. I admit checking over there at least 10 times a day. Not much point in that now :-(

Have been buying there for over a decade and picked up many a bargain. Similar to cars, our supply of interesting, better value stuff has now stopped:(

NIMAN · 17-01-2021 1:28pm

OmegaGene wrote: »

Some eBay listings from the U.K. have the Irish vat etc added at checkout, £700 watch was about 190 including gsp

I would be an eBay user for 20+ yrs and I noticed a lot of things I check out have now added "Will not post to {my NI postcode}" to their auction/sale.

So NI has obviously been considered too awkward to send to as well.:(

Thirdfox · 17-01-2021 4:15pm

To be fair - if you really are looking to spend 5-6-10-20k on a watch listed on TZ, wouldn't you fly over for a 100 euro ryanair flight and inspect in person anyway? In which case the likelihood of being stopped at the airport and being asked to declare goods over the tax free value is...much less.

It does mean that things by post will have issues (or you ask the person to illegally underdeclare value of posted goods and *if* something gets lost in the post you are screwed insurance coverage wise).

I think for the PPs, VC, APs etc. it might not be too big a problem... but for the Sinns, Longines etc. purchases of the world it does mean that it's not worth the hassle of going over to the UK but equally not worth the hassle of sending it in the post and paying the 21-23% VAT charge.

The customs duty for an imported watch piece is 80c btw so it's not too bad

david · 17-01-2021 10:34pm

Thirdfox wrote: »

To be fair - if you really are looking to spend 5-6-10-20k on a watch listed on TZ, wouldn't you fly over for a 100 euro ryanair flight and inspect in person anyway? In which case the likelihood of being stopped at the airport and being asked to declare goods over the tax free value is...much less.

It does mean that things by post will have issues (or you ask the person to illegally underdeclare value of posted goods and *if* something gets lost in the post you are screwed insurance coverage wise).

I think for the PPs, VC, APs etc. it might not be too big a problem... but for the Sinns, Longines etc. purchases of the world it does mean that it's not worth the hassle of going over to the UK but equally not worth the hassle of sending it in the post and paying the 21-23% VAT charge.

The customs duty for an imported watch piece is 80c btw so it's not too bad

I see a few of the smaller UK retailers advertising in-person purchases ex-VAT too for ROI customers. Not that I'd condone bringing a watch back through Dublin airport undeclared or anything

Wibbs · 17-01-2021 11:13pm

Or not...

Thirdfox · 17-01-2021 11:29pm

david wrote: »

I see a few of the smaller UK retailers advertising in-person purchases ex-VAT too for ROI customers. Not that I'd condone bringing a watch back through Dublin airport undeclared or anything

That’s more likely a discount since the UK scrapped the VAT refund schemes for in person purchases:
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/tourist-tax-will-hit-hard-dealers-of-jewellery-silver-and-small-pictures-trade-body-says

Or are they posting a box to Ireland and letting you walk away with the watch? That’s apparently done in the US to avoid state taxes.

There are different limits for in person carry through airport without VAT vs postage - something like 2000 euro value items don’t need to be declared? A quick google should tell you the exact figures.

unkel · 18-01-2021 12:29am

ronnie3585 wrote: »

Have been buying there for over a decade and picked up many a bargain. Similar to cars, our supply of interesting, better value stuff has now stopped:(

Yep. We're lamenting it in the classic cars forum and the electric vehicles forum.

That said, it's a good thing we will no longer import a million BMW 520 diesels anymore. Will save a few people from getting cancer.

Thirdfox wrote: »

To be fair - if you really are looking to spend 5-6-10-20k on a watch listed on TZ, wouldn't you fly over for a 100 euro ryanair flight and inspect in person anyway?

Indeed. Not sure what stone you have been resting under the last year or so, but there was no flying over last year and there will be no flying over this year

Thirdfox · 18-01-2021 11:11am

unkel wrote: »

Indeed. Not sure what stone you have been resting under the last year or so, but there was no flying over last year and there will be no flying over this year

Working in the legal aviation field I do have skin in the game - from all accounts we are hoping for quarter 3 of this year for some semblance of normality - we may be able to travel for Christmas holidays yet

unkel · 18-01-2021 11:28am

That your new job? Ballsy move to go into the aviation business! You might have to change your sig so

I've dreamt many times of going over to the UK last year to do a face to face to pick up one of the nice watches that do come up for sale on TZ alright. I'm cautiously optimistic that maybe indeed this whole pandemic business will be done away with some time after the summer.

ronnie3585 · 18-01-2021 12:05pm

unkel wrote: »

Yep. We're lamenting it in the classic cars forum and the electric vehicles forum.

That said, it's a good thing we will no longer import a million BMW 520 diesels anymore. Will save a few people from getting cancer.

Haha, I would generally be delighted with anything that reduced the amount of four cylinder, diesel misery boxes on the road, but Brexit is going to have the effect of locking in the national fleet. This will just drive up the prices of anything remotely interesting.

NIMAN · 18-01-2021 12:30pm

Its handy still having an NI address for deliveries, but this story about Customs labels being added to UK -> NI parcels highlights some potential issues ahead

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-55678583

Thirdfox · 18-01-2021 1:00pm

unkel wrote: »

That your new job? Ballsy move to go into the aviation business! You might have to change your sig so

Still a lawyer! Just in an inhouse role now (was an aviation lawyer back in the law firm anyway) - things will get better - we're pretty much at the bottom of the curve now, only way is up.

As for post-brexit cars - time to consider driving on the right?

Or wait it out for the 5 years(?) it takes for Brexit to be potentially reversed?

customs ex uk

Comments