New Import Duty/VAT Thread. Read Post #1 for Rules Updated 10/9/2024

Drumpot

Ordered DVD from play.com and for first time ever I got charged some customs fee. Wtf?! I received a DVD from them last week with no prob! What's going on? Does cost of goods matter?

Is it same for amazon.co.uk? Is it based on companies registered address?

BUSHtheBOLLOX

guys i have a question hope someone can answer.

i bought a laptop from an American seller on ebay it cost me 860euro including shipping,the duty calculator linked on the first page says my customs charge will be 1'000+ handling fee.

my question is do i have to pay the full amount on the spot or can i pay half when it arrives and the rest when i have it?

i was shocked that the charge is more than i payed i was expecting 20%-50% at most

Gamesnash.ie: Pat

BUSHtheBOLLOX wrote: »

guys i have a question hope someone can answer.

i bought a laptop from an American seller on ebay it cost me 860euro including shipping,the duty calculator linked on the first page says my customs charge will be 1'000+ handling fee.

my question is do i have to pay the full amount on the spot or can i pay half when it arrives and the rest when i have it?

i was shocked that the charge is more than i payed i was expecting 20%-50% at most

Are you sure you have not confused the toal amount paid with the duty due. The last figure will be a total of what you paid the seller plus the duty etc.

jor el

Drumpot wrote: »

Ordered DVD from play.com and for first time ever I got charged some customs fee. Wtf?! I received a DVD from them last week with no prob! What's going on? Does cost of goods matter?

Is it same for amazon.co.uk? Is it based on companies registered address?

Read the 1st post, all your questions are answered there.

BUSHtheBOLLOX

Gamesnash.ie: Pat wrote: »

Are you sure you have not confused the toal amount paid with the duty due. The last figure will be a total of what you paid the seller plus the duty etc.

oh so i got it wrong the total of everything will be 1,000 plus the handling.
cheers man thats just what i wanted to hear

settings

rubadub wrote: »

You should ring them and tell them this, you should not have to pay. The sender should have market them properly

http://www.revenue.ie/en/customs/leaflets/pn1438.html

Thanks, I spent hours that day on the phone getting transferred to another department each time and eventually told that I should of notified the courier before I applied for a replacement (even under guarantee) and inform them it was outward duty/payment (or something) I resigned to having to pay it and then try to get a refund using the receipt.
When it was delivered I asked how much, "theres no charge on this" :eek: after all that ha.

nlgbbbblth

Have a package from US being delivered by DHL over next few days.

Import duty very likely.

Will they accept cheques or does it have to be cash?

freeze4real

guys i just checked the tracking info and it says released from customs what does this mean ?

jor el

It'll be delivered to you soon, possibly tomorrow. The charges will be payable on receipt. If you refuse, then it'll be returned to sender.

@nlgbbbblth, not sure if they'll accept a cheque. It's possible they'll not collect on delivery but bill you later. Many couriers operate this way.

freeze4real

I definitely will refuse, I thought they will ask me to send my paypal receipt to verify how much its really worth.

How can they expect one to have money for them immediately.

If they send it back will they stick some form of tracking ID and will they give me a form to proof that they sent it back.

Will refusing to pay mean that most of packages sent in my name will be under the spotlight ?

thanks

DYLF

nlgbbbblth wrote: »

Have a package from US being delivered by DHL over next few days.

Import duty very likely.

Will they accept cheques or does it have to be cash?

it can be paid cash (if under €200) cheque or credid card

5500

freeze4real wrote: »

I definitely will refuse, I thought they will ask me to send my paypal receipt to verify how much its really worth.

How can they expect one to have money for them immediately.

If they send it back will they stick some form of tracking ID and will they give me a form to proof that they sent it back.

Will refusing to pay mean that most of packages sent in my name will be under the spotlight ?

thanks

It wont be immediatly sent back, its sent to your local depot and held for a few days there first. Theres a chance you've gotten lucky and wont incur charges. Its happened me a couple of times before where high value items have been sent to customs but then been released, I have no idea why but I sure as hell didnt question it either!

freeze4real

5500 wrote: »

It wont be immediatly sent back, its sent to your local depot and held for a few days there first. Theres a chance you've gotten lucky and wont incur charges. Its happened me a couple of times before where high value items have been sent to customs but then been released, I have no idea why but I sure as hell didnt question it either!

i got charged 66.70. so pissed off

TomCo

Hey, I want to order a box of 25 cigars online.
Package is shipped from Switzerland and total value is €51.

I've taken a look at revenue's site and found the following:

Goods Rate of Duty €
Cigars 261.066 per kilogram

Each cigar is approx 7.5g so that works out as €48.94 (which seems a bit high!).

Am I forgetting any other charges?
Is vat liable on packages from Switzerland?

jor el

Duty on tobacco is high, and yes VAT will be applied on top.

jor el

This thread has become a precession of "how much is this going to cost me" posts, which is not what it's for. The thread title says Read Post #1 for the rules. So, the next person that ignores this and asks how much Duty/VAT is to be applied on their purchase will be banned. The two most recent posts have been removed.

Questions not answered in post #1 only to be placed on this thread from now on.

phant0m

Hey guys - I'm looking to order a pair of trainers from Foot Locker in the US that currently has 20% off them. When calculating the import duty & VAT should I be using the original product value ($99.99) or the sale value ($79.99)?

jor el

The price you pay, or what will be on the invoice, is what you use.

cormie

Hi,
quick question and one I believe I've heard the answer to before, but just need to clarify again for my own head

I'm looking to buy 2 tool sets from Germany. I'm VAT registered here and believe that if I give my VAT number, they can sell to me EX VAT (otherwise I'd have to claim it back via Germany which is a lot more complicated and probably not worth the time unless I bought loads of items from Germany for example).

However, if I do this, get the item shipped to me not having paid VAT of Germany's 17.5% rate, will I then be liable to pay 21% VAT on importing to Ireland if stopped by customs, or will it go through ok as it's an EU purchase?

It would be cheaper to pay 17.5% rate rather than 21%, but I believe I could claim the 21% back if charged, whereas I'd most likely never claim the 17.5% back?

If somebody could please clarify that would be great as I'm not sure to buy EX VAT or just with the lower VAT price.

jor el

Once shipped from within the EU, nothing is assessed for VAT, as it will either already be applied, or be exempt if it's a valid business transaction.

cormie

Ah great, that's exactly the answer I was hoping for but wasn't sure Is there something different about bringing wine into the country from France for example if the VAT has or hasn't been paid in France? Maybe that's what confused me!

jor el

Allowances for alcohol and tobacco are for personal carry only. If you get it shipped in, no exemption on duty applies.

sean_conroy

Is this site actually accurate I came across it after reading the sticky for FAQs and within the sticky jor el says,

The limit for VAT includes the cost of postage. So if you buy an item for €10, and postage costs €40, then the total is €50 and you pay VAT on that amount.

And also,

When you import anything from outside the EU, it is subject to VAT and possibly duty, if it exceeds the limits. Limit for duty is €150, limit for VAT is €22 for purchases and €45 for a gift.

When I use the site my item including cost of post is €32.30 which is over the €22 limit, but I dont get vat. Is this because jor els statement is wrong, is the site innacurate or am I just making a balls of something somewhere?

This is my first post so any feedback negative or possitive would be appriciated.

-Sean

If it helps here are the relevent links to my post

Item: http://www.ebay.ie/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250939848213&ssPageName=ADME:L:OU:IE:1123

Calculator with € values: http://www.dutycalculator.com/new-import-duty-and-tax-calculation/saved_calculations/view_details/18025440/

Calculator with $ values: http://www.dutycalculator.com/new-import-duty-and-tax-calculation/saved_calculations/view_details/18023070/

Sticky: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055862554

jor el

All questions should go in the Import Duty and VAT thread, not in new threads. This will be merged with that thread.

http://www.revenue.ie/en/customs/leaflets/pn1882.html

The value for the purposes of charging Customs Duty is calculated on the price paid or payable for the goods plus the cost of transport (including postage), insurance and any loading or handling charges associated with the delivery of the goods into the EU.

Imported goods are liable to VAT at the same rate as applies to the sale within Ireland of similar goods. The value of the goods for the purpose of VAT is their value for customs purposes, described above, increased by the amount of any duty or other tax (but not including VAT) payable and any other transport, handling or insurance costs between entry into the EU and delivery to their final destination.

Where the Customs Duty on a consignment of goods amounts to less than €10 it will not be collected. Similarly, VAT liability amounting to less than or equal to €6 will not be collected. No similar rule applies in the case of Excise Duty which will always be collected on products liable to it.

It is clear that the cost of shipping and insurance is included in the valuation of the goods, and anything over €22 is liable. If the total VAT to be applied is under €6, it will not be collected at all.

jor el

Further to that, it also states

Consignments not exceeding a total customs value of €22 may be imported without payment of VAT. (Customs value is the value of the goods plus insurance and freight (which includes postage costs (CIF value).

So it is clear that the total value to be assessed for Duty and VAT includes the cost of shipping. Dutycalcualtor.com are working it out wrongly, unless the value to be collected is below €6, in which case nothing will be collected. That is not what they're saying in your case though.

sean_conroy

Sorry for making a new thread I seen your post about asking how much vat ect. and didn't want to seem like im following that trend.

My vat works out at nearly €7. I'm useless at maths so I could be wrong ahh think best thing is to just chance my arm.

Thanks for the help jor el

sean_conroy

Just thought I would give an update package arrived yesturday no vat was added I still dont understand why but im not complaining thanks again

jor el

They cannot assess every package that arrives as they don't have the manpower to do so.

Old_-_School

I got a package from China which cost €21.07 as per my credit card bill, this was the full cost including P&P and insurance and I got an An Post leaflet in the door asking for €15.99 customs charge. Surely this is wrong as anything under €22 should have no duty or VAT charges? Where can I appeal this?

Edit: I was wrong, the €15.99 wasn't for my Chinese package it was for my order from 7dayshop.com. I've ordered off them at least 10 times in the past without any customs charges so I thought they were in the EU or otherwise exempt, but they're in Jersey which does require customs charges. I won't be ordering off them again.

Also An Post have nothing to do with disputing the charges, they're just the middle man. The customs office in Athlone were the ones to ask and were very useful and quick with my query even though handwriting on leaflet was poor.

jor el

Contact An Post for clarification as they are the ones billing you.

lisij

hi, i have a dilemma with dhl
ive ordered an item from US, when ever i received it i have to pay import tax on delivery, so i did gave the needed amount to driver, after a week or so i received an invoice from dhl, saying i need to pay the bla bla amount for import? what gives, 2 payment for one item or is it just a receipt that i payed the driver???

Slat3

I purchased a WD 1TB MEDIA PLAYER for e150 from ebay. The item was shipped from the usa by fedex. They held the item until I sent them proof of value.

The item was broken on arrival and the seller gave me a full refund one week later. Now I got a bill from fedex for e41 and they say I must pay.

This feels like a stick-up job but is there anything I can do? Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.

jor el

lisij wrote: »

hi, i have a dilemma with dhl
ive ordered an item from US, when ever i received it i have to pay import tax on delivery, so i did gave the needed amount to driver, after a week or so i received an invoice from dhl, saying i need to pay the bla bla amount for import? what gives, 2 payment for one item or is it just a receipt that i payed the driver???

You need to ask DHL that, as no one else knows what's on your bill.

Slat3 wrote: »

This feels like a stick-up job but is there anything I can do? Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.

If you sent it back, then show proof of that and you won't have to pay. If you kept it, then you have imported it (broken or not) and the charge is valid.

lisij

jor el wrote: »

You need to ask DHL that, as no one else knows what's on your bill.

ive rang them, the girl on the phone said ignore the letter if you already payed the driver

jor el

Hope you got a receipt from the driver, otherwise you've got no proof you ever paid.

lisij

jor el wrote: »

Hope you got a receipt from the driver, otherwise you've got no proof you ever paid.

no havnt got any receipt from him, but i did signed on the jog that i payed the amount

nlgbbbblth

Happens every time with DHL - in my experience.

Once I paid the driver.

Other three times they rang me and took payment over the phone.

On all four occasions I got the invoice about a week later. Seems to be issued automatically. They told me to ignore it. I did. Nothing happened.

Slat3

jor el wrote: »

You need to ask DHL that, as no one else knows what's on your bill.



If you sent it back, then show proof of that and you won't have to pay. If you kept it, then you have imported it (broken or not) and the charge is valid.

Thanks Jor, I have to bite the bullet and pay for it but they are going to have to wait until next year. I think I can repair the unit myself so it might work out a lot cheaper in the long run.

cbyrne11

nlgbbbblth wrote: »

Happens every time with DHL - in my experience.

Once I paid the driver.

Other three times they rang me and took payment over the phone.

On all four occasions I got the invoice about a week later. Seems to be issued automatically. They told me to ignore it. I did. Nothing happened.

Thats happened me in the past twice, I'd check what DHL charged you though, twice they forgot to convert from dollars to euro when they were assessing it and I ended up over paying, was a pain claiming the difference back. Involving having to send letters and ring customs about it.

One quick question wondering if anyone has any experience in this, I'm waiting on a package from america, the tracking shows it showed up in portlaoise sorting centre yesterday, do you know how long it will take to get to Dublin, chrimbo present so hoping it will get here friday, probably be some charges on it!

JAMES VTI S

hi
i recieved a collection docket from on post today (missed delivery) and where it says "customs charges on this item" there is noting wrote, am i off the hook

Dman001

Bit of a random question, but what methods of payment do DHL accept when paying for customs to the driver? Cash only?

richieq1

hi all

ordered a laptop off Dell.ie paid VAT on order it was dispatched only then i realised it was made in China

can i be charged excise/duty as it was ordered on a .ie website

rubadub

richieq1 wrote: »

can i be charged excise/duty as it was ordered on a .ie website

No, if you bought it from dell.ie it will have been sent from Ireland. When they imported it themselves they would have paid the duty on it, and the VAT when they sold it to you.

If they had sent it to you direct from China you would have been liable. Like how cd-wow.co.uk might send direct from hong kong.

This is nothing to do with it being a .ie website by the way, so be careful with other sites, I just know dell.ie will be OK, e.g. hmv.co.uk will ship from outside the EU which catches people out.

richieq1

rubadub wrote: »

richieq1 wrote: »

can i be charged excise/duty as it was ordered on a .ie website

No, if you bought it from dell.ie it will have been sent from Ireland. When they imported it themselves they would have paid the duty on it, and the VAT when they sold it to you.

If they had sent it to you direct from China you would have been liable. Like how cd-wow.co.uk might send direct from hong kong.

This is nothing to do with it being a .ie website by the way, so be careful with other sites, I just know dell.ie will be OK, e.g. hmv.co.uk will ship from outside the EU which catches people out.

It was dispatched from china to Japan to America to Germany to Ireland. Although bought on dell.ie...strange

Hoping it ok though vat was charged at 21% already that's usually the bulk of charge on stuff coming in im guessing

Gelena

Hi. I bought a tablet from alliexpress. I paid around 110 euro included delivery. They put invoice on package for 50 dollars (I found it after I got it). Delivery was made by DHL. I expected vat 21%, it means around 25 euro. I received a package in time and delivery man ask me to pay exactly the same amount of a money..... BUT thing is DHL NEVER asked how much I PAID. On a box it was 50 dollars invoice. How did they count how much tax I have to pay... I’m very confused....How????

RUDOLF289

richieq1 wrote: »

It was dispatched from china to Japan to America to Germany to Ireland. Although bought on dell.ie...strange

Hoping it ok though vat was charged at 21% already that's usually the bulk of charge on stuff coming in im guessing

4

Hello Richieq1,

just to put your mind at ease, import duty on computers is 0 (zero) %. So even if it was cleared in your name (it probably was cleared in Dell's name) no duty would be payable.

Trust this clarifies

Cheers,
Rudolf289

RUDOLF289

Gelena wrote: »

Hi. I bought a tablet from alliexpress. I paid around 110 euro included delivery. They put invoice on package for 50 dollars (I found it after I got it). Delivery was made by DHL. I expected vat 21%, it means around 25 euro. I received a package in time and delivery man ask me to pay exactly the same amount of a money..... BUT thing is DHL NEVER asked how much I PAID. On a box it was 50 dollars invoice. How did they count how much tax I have to pay... I’m very confused....How????

Hello Gelena,

You obviously still believe in Santa Claus and expect Customs to do likewise. Customs know the value of products. If they don't know, all they have to do is look it up on the website you bought it from. In addition I am sure yours was not the only tablet imported from that website this year. Only when they are not 100% sure about the value would they ask you for proof of payment.

Putting a ficticious value on the package makes no sense whatsoever, you are likely to get caught for the correct value and pay VAT accordingly

Regards,
Rudol289

rubadub

Gelena wrote: »

On a box it was 50 dollars invoice.

Are you saying there was an invoice in the package? if so they might have opened it to find it and resealed it.

Gelena

rubadub wrote: »

Are you saying there was an invoice in the package? if so they might have opened it to find it and resealed it.

It was ON a package in the plastic pocket.
I don't think that they opened it, everything was very good sealed. No sing that it was open....

RUDOLF289 wrote: »

If they don't know, all they have to do is look it up on the website you bought it from.

I can guess myself that, but from day I paid and I received a package only in 5 days and it spend only couple of hours on a DHL service in Ireland and it was before Xmas (busiest time of the year), and all tablet are look-a-like, and a price can be from 50 dollars to....500

tallaghtoutlaws

Gelena wrote: »

It was ON a package in the plastic pocket.
I don't think that they opened it, everything was very good sealed. No sing that it was open....
I can guess myself that, but from day I paid and I received a package only in 5 days and it spend only couple of hours on a DHL service in Ireland and it was before Xmas (busiest time of the year), and all tablet are look-a-like, and a price can be from 50 dollars to....500

To be fair the guys in Customs probably see a lot of the same products come past them so are well used to finding out where they came from and the actual cost. But it would have been easy to find out by the invoice where it came from and taken them 2 minutes to look it up. On another note Customs are very good at opening boxes and re-sealing them.