Issues with IOSS numbers with items shipped from a Post Office

[jonny_qbert]

Apologies in advance if this issue has been raised before but I've searched the forum and not found th exact same issuie raised.

A couple of weeks ago I got an irate buyer in Hungary complaining that they had to pat tax on something I shipped as I had not included the relevant IOSS details. They were demanding I refubded them the tak (£40)

They sent me an image of the Customs label I had attached to the parcel, and I pointed out that I had indeed provided the details on a label which I stuck to the form. They then came back to me and said that the Hungarian Postal service said this was not enough and that the IOSS details had to be entered electronically by my courier. I then spoke with eBay  who advised me to get the seller to contact eBay in Hungary who would provide evidence of tax being already paid to help them.

A couple of days later I got an email from eBay advising me that at least one of my sales to the EU had been shipped incorrectly without the relevant IOSS details. The email said that the IOSS details did indeed have to be provided electronically by the courier and simply including the details on the parcel was not enough. This was news to me and I have been shipping EU parcels abroad since BREXIT without issues until now.

I went into my Post Office and asked if they has been inputting IOSS details when I have been taking in parcels and they said no. They had introduced a system a few years ago whereby labels were put on parcels showing eBay had collected tax but that is all.

So the situation appears to be now that something has changed without warning (as far as I can tell) in that (some?) EU countries now need the IOSS details providing electronically which Post Offices don't do. If you buy your parcels through eBay however, the details are provided directly. Post Offices don't do this if you walk in with a parcel ans Customs label with the IOSS number on, although possibly (?) if you buy your labels in advance through Royal Mail then this may (apparently??) create a QR code which Post Offices can scan to record electronically tax payment.

Presumably others are suffering from this? Can anyone clarify? 

[4_bathrooms]

The electronic IOSS information is not on the CN22 customs form; it is on the address label. Your Post Office should be asking which marketplace the item was sold through - they will have a button/option stating "eBay" - this generates an IOSS address label. The IOSS information is encoded in the barcode on the label - the label should have the IOSS logo on it.

You would probably be better off purchasing the address label through eBay or Royal Mail's website if your PO counter can't do it properly then just drop it off. This will generate the requisite IOSS address label and the CN22 form.

[4_bathrooms]

Actually, how are you purchasing the postage? Through eBay, RM's website or at the PO counter?

[jandastuff4sale]

Through the Post Office counter (we wanted to support it as a small business rather than buying postage through eBay or Royal Mail)

We have been showing the IOSS information as part of the address label on the front of the parcel as well and had assumed that when it got to the recipient country this would be used to show tax had been paid. It was only following the email from eBay which said that the IOSS information had to be provided electronically that I asked what the Post Office did with that information and they said they do nothing.

I generally just drop my parcels off labelled and then go back later and pay. They know everything I sell is via eBay so don't have to ask. I just think it weird that this issue with customers having to pay tax again on receipt has only just cropped up very recently given I've shipped hundreds of EU parcels over the past few years.

Maybe there is a Post Master on eBay who can clarify ?

[4_bathrooms]

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@jonny_qbert wrote:

A couple of weeks ago I got an irate buyer in Hungary complaining that they had to pat tax on something I shipped as I had not included the relevant IOSS details. They were demanding I refubded them the tak (£40)

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Actually, what was the value of the order? IOSS is only used on consignments up to €150 (about £127.00 currently). How much was the item and was shipping included or charged separately? Given Hungary's high standard VAT rate (27%) it must have been close to the limit. The sales record should show whether eBay charged the buyer their domestic VAT or not as your final value fees are based on what the buyer paid - including any VAT eBay was responsible for charging and remitting.

Electronic IOSS information can only be added to the address label by the carrier - i.e. Royal Mail, Evri, DPD, Yodel etc. It is a barcode containing the details of the company that charged (EU) VAT during the sale (i.e. eBay) - it isn't something you can write on by hand. The Post Office counter should ask which marketplace was involved (i.e. eBay) and they just press a button or an option on their screen to generate the IOSS address label. If the address label the PO counter prints doesn't contain the IOSS information electronically an EU recipient will most likely be charged domestic VAT again on import.

[4_bathrooms]

Ask your buyer to send you a picture of the address label (not the CN22). It should be a Royal Mail address label with the IOSS logo on it (the letters IOSS in a black circle).