eBay discount codes on imported goods, what counts as the £135 threshold, before or after the code? | Member To Member Support

clunk.-4 · 2026-01-05T11:15:42.003000Z

I bought an item through ebay UK, a couple of weeks ago from a Japanese ebay seller, it is a new power tool. The seller had it listed at £146.42, I opted for the faster shipping at £7.45. I also used a 15% off code and that brought it to £131.99 total. Ithought (maybe wrongly) that ebay had to include VAT in purchases under £135? And that import duty would not have been chargeable under the £135 threshold, also? Today, Fedex sent me a bill for £38.40, for import duty and VAT ect. I paid it, and the item was still almost half the price of what it would cost in the UK, but it seems that someone has got it wrong somewhere, possibly me? I realise that the seller will have marked the value on the package as his selling price, and wouldn't have known that I used an ebay discount code, and because of that, Fedex would assume that I paid more for the item and charge me the fees? Does anyone know where the land lies, if the total before an ebay code is used, is above the £135 threshold, but the total after the code is below the threshold? Is it just a case of sending Fedex a copy of my ebay invoice? Looking at the invoice, there's no mention of VAT, so I'm wondering if ebay haven't charged me the VAT as they are supposed to, again, because the transaction started above the £135 threshold? Could anyone with any experience of this please shed some light? Any inpout, much appreciated, thank you.

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eBay discount codes on imported goods, what counts as the £135 threshold, before or after the code? | Member To Member Support | eBay UK