Over £18 import duty on a £36 parcel !!! with no previou advice. WHO KNEW? Not me

[liga437]

Over £18 import duty on a £36 parcel with no previous advice of this 50%

add on. Beware.

[jchajecki]

Many items sent from overseas carry import charges. Unfortunately eBay automatically includes items from USA even when you filter by UK Only. Canada, Australia and Japan are among other countries where goods carry heavy import charges. Sometimes the estimated cost is stated in the Postage details but not always. Even if not stated, always assume that there is likely to be. Its always a good to check the listing carefully for such details before bidding!

[rusticrye]

"WHO KNEW?"

Everyone should know, as every listing which includes international shipping clearly states that fees and taxes etc may be payable when the goods enter the country.  It is your responsibility to read the information Ebay supplies, and to know what your particular country's import thresholds and taxes are, so that you can make an informed buying decision. Ebay and its sellers cannot possibly know the different import thresholds and sales and import taxes of every single country in the world.

You may be pleased to know that, as from the 1st January 2021, Ebay (and all sales platforms) will be legally required to add VAT onto UK buyers' international purchases that total less than £135 (with our VAT rate currently being 20%). So there will be nothing to pay when the goods enter the country.  Ebay et al will now be collecting and passing VAT payments to HMRC on your behalf.

Purchases for higher values (£135 plus) will be assessed by UK Customs just as before, with you paying VAT, any import taxes, and the carrier's admin fee for collecting those taxes, to the carrier prior to delivery just as before. 

If you like, you can read all about this new VAT collection system here: https://sellercentre.ebay.co.uk/news/september-2020-index/vat-changes

@liga437