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Any important duty on goods from Europe?


tonyclaret
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There’s no ‘import tax’ as I understand it. However, you will have to pay 20% VAT if it’s over £135 (otherwise it’s added by the seller at source) and a lot of EU companies seem to be charging an additional admin fee to cover the extra paperwork they are now required to complete. You may also find yourself waiting for it to be delivered for longer than you expect (although some stuff seems to get through quickly). 

Edited by ezbass
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Hang on, when I was looking at some padded bags at Thomann, the price info said I'd have to add VAT separately, plus something like a tenner for the courier, and in my case, £8 for shipping because the total was under £99 or however much they have as a threshold. A £13 bag would end up costing around £30 by the time it gets to me. I won't be buying from Thomann for the foreseeable. (I absolutely don't blame them, of course, it's all self-inflicted by the UK.)

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Since the self inflicted stupidity Thomann prices are all exclusive of Vat.

It will either be charged in the checkout process by the vendor or it will charged on delivery by the courier. Partly depends on whether the vendor has registered with the U.K. government to collect vat for HMRC. Couriers will also charge you an admin fee.

 

HMRC seem to be particularly checking stuff from the EU so the chances of it sneaking through seem to be far lower than from other places.

 

 

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Mate just brought a guitar from Thomann’s. Total price worked out the same as from Andertons, inc all charges. 

Should add, that was last week. I’m not sure if there is a bill coming for the delivery side. 

Edited by dave_bass5
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If it is under £135 in total, which includes vat and the shipping cost, then Thomman will take the payment and sort it out the vat themselves. I know this as I bought a cheap P bass and it works out to 

£63 for the bass

£8 for delivery

£13.93 vat

A total of £83.60

If it`s over that £135 in total, you will pay the price on the site and UPS will charge you the vat and a fee.

I`m not sure how UPS bill you the vat and fees as I haven`t bought anything above the £135 threshold.

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2 hours ago, tonyclaret said:

Looking at buying a Helix Stomp XL from Thomann as a lot cheaper than UK. Didnt want to be stung on any import tax.

One thing to bear in mind is if you need to return it (either because it's faulty or you just change your mind), it sounds like a real headache, unclear process, lots of forms to fill in.

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3 hours ago, jrixn1 said:

One thing to bear in mind is if you need to return it (either because it's faulty or you just change your mind), it sounds like a real headache, unclear process, lots of forms to fill in.

Spot on. I was going to return some bits and pieces that they delivered in January after tell me that I wouldn`t be getting them. You have to fill in some kind of customs declaration and I don`t think you can claim back the vat? 

It was too much hassle so make sure before placing an order that you really want it.

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5 hours ago, jezzaboy said:

make sure before placing an order that you really want it.

This may give a boost to local music stores.

I expect there's enough UK based online music retailing that it should remain competitive on its own without needing EU sellers in the mix. Then the only difference in pricing would be any difference in UK and EU VAT rates.

Where it could get sticky is the fragmentation of international warranty service for US brands. Still the UK is a pretty big market by itself.

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In fact currently, it appears you’re very unlikely to get the VAT back if you return for a refund, at least until July, when some of the regs get clarified. You may also struggle with warranty. I had an issue and manufacturer would only address it if I returned the whole bass to the retailer. And exporting and reimporting for repair to the EU is very likely to be costly and extremely time consuming at the moment. If it arrives, is cheaper and no issues, then happy days. If not...

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11 hours ago, jrixn1 said:

One thing to bear in mind is if you need to return it (either because it's faulty or you just change your mind), it sounds like a real headache, unclear process, lots of forms to fill in.

I recently had to return an item to DV247 in Germany (I didn't know it was coming from Germany when I bought it). 

There was a pain in the derrière customs declaration form to fill in - to their credit, DV247 provided detailed instructions as to what info needed to go where. Without that I wouldn't have had a clue. 

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2 minutes ago, Downunderwonder said:

I realise this is a big stretch but for high value items it may be relevant. Export of EU used equipment should qualify the exporter for a pro rata refund of the local VAT that is embodied. The paperwork should be the similar as for return of repaired gear.

You probably have t be registered for VAT in that country for that rule to apply........

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