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

dodzy

fungie wrote: »

I have my amazon account set to UK for sports etc but no longer working due to Brexit. This was confirmed by amazon customer service on the phone. There seems to be 2 options I can think of:

1) Change region back to Ireland and lose any sports
2) Keep the region as UK but use a UK VPN

Might test out the VPN approach to see how it is and if that's not sufficient, change back to Ireland.

VPN ain’t working for me, like many others. (VPN unlimited)

nephster

*deleted as looks like Amazon are not collecting VAT on low value items below the VAT threshold*

harmless

nephster wrote: »

You will have paid VAT. They are always going to charge the VAT, as they are registered to pay Irish VAT. Amazon are collecting the VAT and passing it on - same as they always have.

Just add something to you basket, go to checkout and look.

I think the issue is Amazon no longer charge Irish VAT on items under €22.

You could make a number of small orders and pay no VAT but the value is above €22 if they arrive in the same box.

Occono

OK, I'm sure it should be clear but I'm still confused, we have one non-dispatched order which is £22.50 total, 2 items, £5.35 + £17.15. What happens when it dispatches? We might get charged extra on delivery? Like I have to pull out my card and pay extra to the courier who shows up?

Edit: It's under €150 so no extra charges right? Sorry for my confusion here.

Gregor Samsa

nephster wrote: »

You will have paid VAT. They are always going to charge the VAT, as they are registered to pay Irish VAT. Amazon are collecting the VAT and passing it on - same as they always have.

Just add something to you basket, go to checkout and look.

Revenue doesn't collect VAT on imports valued below €22

Here's a random small item sold and fulfilled by Amazon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07XYTHCXV/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_5?smid=A13ZUYYEA8N2WE&psc=1

List price is £7.99

When you go to the checkout with an Irish address, the price you actually pay falls to £6.66

The difference is £1.33, which is 20% of £6.66.

20% is the UK standard VAT rate.

So you can see that having an Irish address, the UK VAT was taken off the item.

No Irish VAT was added, as the order has a value less than €22

TheDriver

harmless wrote: »

I think the issue is Amazon no longer charge Irish VAT on items under €22.

You could make a number of small orders and pay no VAT but the value is above €22 if they arrive in the same box.

Thanks harmless, that's what I am referring to.
I buy a €20 bag, no VAT.
I buy a €20 hat, no VAT.
If i tried to buy them together, it adds 21% VAT so i order separately.
Amazon lump them in the same package (as they used to do anyways).
Do i have 2 customs declarations on the front? Or just one? and it will now say I've imported €40 worth of stuff so now I owe VAT.

TheDriver

my prime video now working grand again after I changed location to IRL

Occono

Occono wrote: »

OK, I'm sure it should be clear but I'm still confused, we have one non-dispatched order which is £22.50 total, 2 items, £5.35 + £17.15. What happens when it dispatches? We might get charged extra on delivery? Like I have to pull out my card and pay extra to the courier who shows up?

Edit: It's under €150 so no extra charges right? Sorry for my confusion here.

You never pay the courier at the door - they’ll usually get in touch with you somehow (email, call, or whatever) and you pay before they attempt delivery. I’m not sure if you’ll end up needing to pay duty but it will be before delivery, so if it’s not worth it - you can just refuse to accept and let Amazon take it back.

TheDriver

TheDriver wrote: »

Thanks harmless, that's what I am referring to.
I buy a €20 bag, no VAT.
I buy a €20 hat, no VAT.
If i tried to buy them together, it adds 21% VAT so i order separately.
Amazon lump them in the same package (as they used to do anyways).
Do i have 2 customs declarations on the front? Or just one? and it will now say I've imported €40 worth of stuff so now I owe VAT.

I believe it is indeed the total value of the import, so you would pay duty. Could be wrong though, not 100% sure of that.

hognef

davetherave wrote: »

It's odd, I've looked a few books of different types, encyclopedias, kids books, fiction, atlas's and maps, comics/graphic novels, and and they all look to be coming in with the 13.5% vat rate

Indeed. Given that they call the fees a "deposit", I wonder would the 13.5% be refunded once the parcel arrives in Ireland and (presumably) is deemed to be zero-rated?

hognef

hognef wrote: »

Indeed. Given that they call the fees a "deposit", I wonder would the 13.5% be refunded once the parcel arrives in Ireland and (presumably) is deemed to be zero-rated?

They do yeah. It’s collected to pay any duty in advance of delivery and mean less waiting for the customer, but if it’s not spent your account/card is credited back.

dubmick

TheDriver wrote: »

my prime video now working grand again after I changed location to IRL

Same library with the exception of live sport?

TheDriver

dubmick wrote: »

Same library with the exception of live sport?

I wouldn't watch it much to be honest but it does seem the same, few american progs and movies still there.

Gregor Samsa

Occono wrote: »

OK, I'm sure it should be clear but I'm still confused, we have one non-dispatched order which is £22.50 total, 2 items, £5.35 + £17.15. What happens when it dispatches? We might get charged extra on delivery? Like I have to pull out my card and pay extra to the courier who shows up?

Edit: It's under €150 so no extra charges right? Sorry for my confusion here.

Revenue don't charge Irish VAT on imports valued under €22. With UK VAT taken into the equation, that's effectively a product (or group of products) that would cost £23.94 in the UK in January (Revenue works off an exchange rate that's set once a month and sticks for that month).

The €150 threshold, is for Customs Duty, not VAT.

With the EU/UK deal, we don't pay Customs Duty for most items.

So if you buy something worth £200 from Amazon UK today, with an Irish address, Amazon will take off UK VAT, add on Irish VAT, there's no customs charge, and you don't pay anything extra when it arrives at your door.

Here's an example as close to £200 as I can find:

Bose QC35ii headphones - priced at £199

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bose-QuietComfort-Wireless-Headphones-Cancelling-Black/dp/B0756CYWWD/

Go to the checkout with an Irish address.

In the Order Summary, you'll see the Item Price of £165.83 (that's £199 minus 20% UK VAT)

Then you'll see Import Fees Deposit - £34.82

£34.82 is 21% of £165.83. 21% is the Irish VAT rate

This brings the total up to £200.65. That's the final amount you pay to take delivery of the order (to make things simple here, I've excluded shipping fees, but I've Prime, so I wouldn't get charged them anyway for this order)

So, as an Irish customer, you've only paid 1% more than a UK customer - and that difference is only down to the difference in VAT rates - there's no Customs Duty (despite Amazon labelling it as "Import Fees Deposit")

harmless

Gregor Samsa wrote: »

With the EU/UK deal, we don't pay Customs Duty for most items.

I've been trying to find the few exceptions where customs duty would be owed but have drawn a blank so far.

Do you have any examples?

Ogham

harmless wrote: »

I've been trying to find the few exceptions where customs duty would be owed but have drawn a blank so far.

Do you have any examples?

There are none -

harmless

Ogham wrote: »

There are none -

Revenue says there are

https://www.revenue.ie/en/customs-traders-and-agents/brexit/brexit-for-individuals/index.aspx

nephster

Gregor Samsa wrote: »

Revenue doesn't collect VAT on imports valued below €22

Here's a random small item sold and fulfilled by Amazon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07XYTHCXV/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_5?smid=A13ZUYYEA8N2WE&psc=1

List price is £7.99

When you go to the checkout with an Irish address, the price you actually pay falls to £6.66

The difference is £1.33, which is 20% of £6.66.

20% is the UK standard VAT rate.

So you can see that having an Irish address, the UK VAT was taken off the item.

No Irish VAT was added, as the order has a value less than €22

You're right, I was wrong. I was convinced that it would have been as before, where we WERE charged VAT. I was looking at an order I have pending delivery for a low value item and VAT was deffo charged...

So if you want to get cheaper goods than before the UK left, there is an advantage so long as they fall below the collection threshold? Brexit is finally paying off!

Trevord

harmless wrote: »

I've been trying to find the few exceptions where customs duty would be owed but have drawn a blank so far.

Do you have any examples?

Looks like 3rd party sellers using amazon are charging a fee for having to deal with customs.

Stick this in the basket and go to checkout - adds about £5.88 in "import fees"

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B071CDLMGG?pf_rd_r=XJQ9P80KGHY48ADPD8W2&pf_rd_p=6e878984-68d5-4fd2-b7b3-7bc79d9c8b60&pd_rd_r=44200155-9bd5-48ea-acea-98ed37b09c0e&pd_rd_w=aHTEr&pd_rd_wg=ktKqe&ref_=pd_gw_unk

dubmick

Gregor Samsa wrote: »

The €150 threshold, is for Customs Duty, not VAT.

With the EU/UK deal, we don't pay Customs Duty for most items.
Go to the checkout with an Irish address.

Is there a definitive list anywhere? Had my eye on a tv

harmless

Trevord wrote: »

Looks like 3rd party sellers using amazon are charging a fee for having to deal with customs.

Stick this in the basket and go to checkout - adds about £5.88 in "import fees"

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B071CDLMGG?pf_rd_r=XJQ9P80KGHY48ADPD8W2&pf_rd_p=6e878984-68d5-4fd2-b7b3-7bc79d9c8b60&pd_rd_r=44200155-9bd5-48ea-acea-98ed37b09c0e&pd_rd_w=aHTEr&pd_rd_wg=ktKqe&ref_=pd_gw_unk

Is that a handling fee or customs duty charge by revenue?
There must be somewhere on the revenue site that lists the small number of goods that customs duty will be charged on.
I don't understand why they would be so vague on all this.

Gregor Samsa

harmless wrote: »

Revenue says there are

https://www.revenue.ie/en/customs-traders-and-agents/brexit/brexit-for-individuals/index.aspx

that says "you may have to pay"

There may be circumstances where you would have to pay all those things, and there are certainly circumstances where you would have to pay none of them.

For buying most consumer goods from amazon.co. uk, you don't have to pay Customs Duty - this is a direct result of the agreement.

You can test this buy actually adding products into the Amazon card and going to the checkout - and seeing exactly what you will be charged, and it does not include Customs Duty (only VAT) for any product I've tried it with.

Gregor Samsa

harmless wrote: »

I've been trying to find the few exceptions where customs duty would be owed but have drawn a blank so far.

Do you have any examples?

I don't know of any items where Customs Duty would be charged from the UK. I only said "most items" in case there was some weird exception I'm not aware of. It's early days in this, and as you can see from this thread, it's hard to get hold of reliable information.

harmless

Gregor Samsa wrote: »

that says "you may have to pay"

There may be circumstances where you would have to pay all those things, and there are certainly circumstances where you would have to pay none of them.

For buying most consumer goods from amazon.co. uk, you don't have to pay Customs Duty - this is a direct result of the agreement.

You can test this buy actually adding products into the Amazon card and going to the checkout - and seeing exactly what you will be charged, and it does not include Customs Duty (only VAT) for any product I've tried it with.

Yes I've tried this but am still unsure in what exact situations customs duty is due.
I know it will be a limited to a small number of goods types but I can't find them listed on the revenue site.

Gregor Samsa wrote: »

I don't know of any items where Customs Duty would be charged from the UK. I only said "most items" in case there was some weird exception I'm not aware of. It's early days in this, and as you can see from this thread, it's hard to get hold of reliable information.

Exactly, if revenue are warning about it then it can happen in some situations.

Gregor Samsa

dubmick wrote: »

Is there a definitive list anywhere? Had my eye on a tv

Throw your TV into the cart on Amazon and see what the end result is. I'm 99.99999% certain you'll only be charged Irish VAT and not Customs Duty. Amazon will label it as "Import Fees Deposit" in the checkout, but if you do the calculation, you'll see it's 21% of the Item Price (that's the UK price of the item minus 20% UK VAT). This is of course assuming they'll ship the product to Ireland - I've noticed a few products that I bought in November/December no longer ship here.

listermint

harmless wrote: »

Yes I've tried this but am still unsure in what exact situations customs duty is due.
I know it will be a limited to a small number of goods but I can't find them listed on the revenue site.



Exactly, if revenue are warning about it then it can happen in some situations.

It's not up to revenue to list them and they won't.

It's up the seller to ensure the goods comply and have country of origin. Which will mean many sellers won't bother because it's paperwork and hard work and many don't have capacity to comply.

This is what red tape does. This is what people have taken for granted with a single market and customs union which the UK is no longer in..

nephster

nephster wrote: »

You're right, I was wrong. I was convinced that it would have been as before, where we WERE charged VAT. I was looking at an order I have pending delivery for a low value item and VAT was deffo charged...

So if you want to get cheaper goods than before the UK left, there is an advantage so long as they fall below the collection threshold? Brexit is finally paying off!

But this cheeky little bonus will be shortlived, and then we are back to how it was last month, with no exception on paying VAT:

From 1 July 2021 import VAT will:
be payable on all goods entering the EU, irrespective of their value
and
always be collected, irrespective of the amount due.

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

harmless

listermint wrote: »

It's not up to revenue to list them and they won't.

It's up the seller to ensure the goods comply and have country of origin. Which will mean many sellers won't bother because it's paperwork and hard work and many don't have capacity to comply.

This is what red tape does. This is what people have taken for granted with a single market and customs union which the UK is no longer in..

I see, so if a seller from the UK fails to fill the correct forms you can be charged customs duty?

Gregor Samsa

harmless wrote: »

Exactly, if revenue are warning about it then it can happen in some situations.

Yeah, but if you were going to be charged Customs Duty, Amazon will be the ones collecting it, so you'll know about it before you finalise your order. So far I've yet to come across any product that charges it.

For all we know, that Revenue page was published before the Brexit Deal was agreed.

I think it's best to deal with the physical evidence we can see before us (the Amazon checkout), rather than the theory that may or may not be applicable.

listermint

harmless wrote: »

I see, so if a seller from the UK fails to fill the correct forms you can be charged customs duty?

They won't be allowed to bring anything in. The delivery company needs all the paperwork to be revenue compliant.

It's alot of work. People really really really take the EU for granted. It's all been very bloody easy for decades