New Import Duty/VAT Thread. Read Post #1 for Rules

whiterebel · 11-08-2016 4:00pm

Gamer Bhoy 89 wrote: »

Yeah it's An Post.

The past few weeks I've been ordering games from Japan and I even got a games console sent from there - cost about €100 (60 for item roughly 40-50 for postage) and out of all the things, I got charged for customs once (well, potentially twice now) which was about 18-19 euro. All of them were delivered to my door by An Post

Is it just a matter of bad luck to get caught by them?

Again, postal cost of sending via China Post, US Post etc is a very small amount. Once it goes by an express courier, the cost of shipping could be multiplied by 10/15 times, and can easily be more than the value of the product. An post, because it is more likely to be getting in smaller, less valuable post, is less likely to have shipments to declare for customs.

Gamer Bhoy 89 · 12-08-2016 10:55am

Post arrived today. It was €18.75 - less than I expected. The rate was printed on the parcel, so now I know how it works.

whiterebel · 12-08-2016 2:12pm

Gamer Bhoy 89 wrote: »

Post arrived today. It was €18.75 - less than I expected. The rate was printed on the parcel, so now I know how it works.

If you're ever dubious, you can ask the carrier for a copy of the customs entry, which would show you all the amounts used and calculations to get your VAT/Duty payments.

Gamer Bhoy 89 · 12-08-2016 2:26pm

whiterebel wrote: »

If you're ever dubious, you can ask the carrier for a copy of the customs entry, which would show you all the amounts used and calculations to get your VAT/Duty payments.

What's that for, like, before they send it down to me?

animaal · 13-08-2016 7:23am

I've just bought a piece of electronics on eBay, from the USA. The item's price is $23.50, which eBay displays as "Approximately EUR 21.02". That looks right. Postage is $23.83.

On the item's page, estimated import charges are shown as "$0.00", which makes sense, since the item's value is less than €22, and postage is not included when deciding whether or not import charges are due.

However, when I go to pay, the import charge is suddenly $9.12.

Can anybody see logic to this? I understand that the "$0.00" is an estimate, but I don't see how the final calculation would be different.

whiterebel · 13-08-2016 9:17am

Gamer Bhoy 89 wrote: »

What's that for, like, before they send it down to me?

after the delivery. An Post collect the money on delivery, but the couriers tend to deliver first and ask for the money later, which I think is totally wrong.

whiterebel · 13-08-2016 9:19am

animaal wrote: »

I've just bought a piece of electronics on eBay, from the USA. The item's price is $23.50, which eBay displays as "Approximately EUR 21.02". That looks right. Postage is $23.83.

On the item's page, estimated import charges are shown as "$0.00", which makes sense, since the item's value is less than €22, and postage is not included when deciding whether or not import charges are due.

However, when I go to pay, the import charge is suddenly $9.12.

Can anybody see logic to this? I understand that the "$0.00" is an estimate, but I don't see how the final calculation would be different.

Price is calculated on cost plus postage which makes the value $47.33

animaal · 13-08-2016 11:57am

whiterebel wrote: »

Price is calculated on cost plus postage which makes the value $47.33

Yes. But my understanding is that whether or not import charges are applied is dependent on the purchase price *without* postage. Postage is only added after deciding that the pre-postage value is high enough to attract additional charges.

whiterebel · 13-08-2016 3:19pm

animaal wrote: »

Yes. But my understanding is that whether or not import charges are applied is dependent on the purchase price *without* postage. Postage is only added after deciding that the pre-postage value is high enough to attract additional charges.

Not the way Revenue work here.

animaal · 13-08-2016 5:59pm

whiterebel wrote: »

Not the way Revenue work here.

Thanks, it makes sense if that's the case.

thesto · 22-08-2016 9:55am

Hi there,

A friend of mine visiting from the US brought me a pair of jeans from a company that only operates out of the US. They unfortunately don't fit. I have the invoice showing that they were shipped to her US address originally.

If I send them back on the plane with her, have her exchange them for the correct size and have her mail the replacement pair to me herself - will I be liable for customs/import duty?

Alternatively, if I liaise with the company directly and have them exchange them and post them to me, would I be liable for customs/import duty?

Thanks for your help!

ohnonotgmail · 22-08-2016 10:00am

thesto wrote: »

Hi there,

A friend of mine visiting from the US brought me a pair of jeans from a company that only operates out of the US. They unfortunately don't fit. I have the invoice showing that they were shipped to her US address originally.

If I send them back on the plane with her, have her exchange them for the correct size and have her mail the replacement pair to me herself - will I be liable for customs/import duty?

Alternatively, if I liaise with the company directly and have them exchange them and post them to me, would I be liable for customs/import duty?

Thanks for your help!

Yes and yes, assuming they are over the threshold for customs, which i assume they are.

thesto · 22-08-2016 10:59am

Thanks for the quick response. Out of interest - if I had originally ordered them online and paid postage + import + VAT on them, and then wanted to exchange for a different size, would I have to pay it all twice on the exchange pair?

ohnonotgmail · 22-08-2016 12:04pm

thesto wrote: »

Thanks for the quick response. Out of interest - if I had originally ordered them online and paid postage + import + VAT on them, and then wanted to exchange for a different size, would I have to pay it all twice on the exchange pair?

No, you only pay once

joujoujou · 22-08-2016 1:19pm

And (out of curiosity) how likely you would struggle to prove you already paid customs + VAT and another pair is an exchange, not new purchase?

whiterebel · 22-08-2016 10:53pm

joujoujou wrote: »

And (out of curiosity) how likely you would struggle to prove you already paid customs + VAT and another pair is an exchange, not new purchase?

It used to be that you needed proof of export, and the original import customs entry. The original invoice and the invoice showing that it is a replacmeent would also be needed. Not sure if that has changed much in the last few years.

MrDiyFan · 28-08-2016 12:01pm

what is the maximum value to avoid customs from china?

thanks

MrDiyFan · 28-08-2016 12:06pm

what is the maximum value to avoid customs from china?

and does it make any difference what the seller writes on the package?
thanks

whiterebel · 28-08-2016 6:30pm

MrDiyFan wrote: »

what is the maximum value to avoid customs from china?

and does it make any difference what the seller writes on the package?
thanks

€22. You should probably read back a few pages of this thread about what happens with packages. It'll give you an idea of what Customs look for on inbound shipments. If they don't believe or trust the value/description shown they can ask for proper proof of value/shipping etc.

rubadub · 29-08-2016 10:54am

whiterebel wrote: »

€22.

They officially say they do not collect anything less than €6, so at the current vat rate of 23% on most things it means the effective limit is €26.

Avoid courier services like the plague if you can, esp. DHL.

nightman · 30-08-2016 5:47am

I'm buying something off etsy, a magazine with keyrings/charms attached to it from the USA. It cost me around €50 and is being shipped via USPS. I asked the seller if they would be willing to mark the package down as a gift so I won't get hit by customs and they agreed and asked me what they should do/customs forms filling in and I'm not sure what to tell them as this is my first time buying online and the revenue.ie site is a bit unclear on details.Any help would be really appreciated

rubadub · 30-08-2016 9:28am

nightman wrote: »

It cost me around €50 and is being shipped via USPS.

The limit on gifts is €45 so you are over anyway, so no point doing it.

Might even be more chance of being charged as they probably do not look kindly on fraud.

dano1066 · 12-09-2016 7:46pm

I recently made a purchase of 15 remotes from a Chinese wholesaler. The package was small and weighed 0.5kg. For some reason they have charged me 35 euro vat on a 45 euro parcel. This has to be a mistake. Even if it's not I would like a breakdown as to why it's this cost rather than blindly paying 35 euro without knowing why. Is there now legal requirement to provide a receipt for a purchase to show what you paid for?

nava · 12-09-2016 7:56pm

MOD: Merged with main Import Duty/VAT Thread.

whiterebel · 12-09-2016 9:44pm

dano1066 wrote: »

I recently made a purchase of 15 remotes from a Chinese wholesaler. The package was small and weighed 0.5kg. For some reason they have charged me 35 euro vat on a 45 euro parcel. This has to be a mistake. Even if it's not I would like a breakdown as to why it's this cost rather than blindly paying 35 euro without knowing why. Is there now legal requirement to provide a receipt for a purchase to show what you paid for?

Who delivered it to you, was it a courier or An Post? Whoever delivered it probably cleared it, and they should give you a copy of the customs entry on request, as well as an invoice showing all the charges.