just bought on eBay and I saw suddenly a “UK VAT added to price” for the first time is this correct

[laugb2001]

Hi,

I just bought an item on eBay and I saw added to the final price before payment a "UK VAT added to price" to a value of 20%. I have never seen that before in more than 18 years on eBay. The seller is in UK and I am also in UK. Is this correct and have I really to pay it?

thanks.

Lau

[myriad*seller]

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@jadie13910 wrote:

You stated the trigger for vat is £135 -  so, I purchased 2 x coins total cost £3.50 and free post, the seller stated a UK town ( I forget what area but not China ) then when I clicked " buy it now " 20 % was added to the total - no mention prior to commiting to buy ( this was before I paid ) and no way back, eBay said ONLT the seller could cancel the sale ! they would not and threatened to put a " non payment " on my unblemished 100 % feedback record ! That is the whole issue here - there was no way I could cancel buying them and eBay confirmed the fact 

The coins actualy came from China but the payment was made to someone in USA ? explain that if you can ! and the £135 trigger ????????? please explain, I repete, the cost was £3.50 NOT £135 as you state is the trigger !

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No , the trigger for IMPORT DUTY is £135

Import VAT is payable on all imports of any value

VAT (and duty) is calculated on item price + postage

Not sure who told you you wouldnt pay VAT on imports, but they were wrong 

[myriad*seller]

Yes it smacks to me of people trolling and being deliberately obstuse just to have an argument

It has been clearly explained many times

Not sure why they just cannot (or won't) understand - I think they are choosing not to understand as it really is quite simple

Not sure what can be misunderstood about "eBay are legally required to do this by HMRC" 

There is none so blind as them that will not see....

[unclestein]

I think you must have just missed all the information very clearly displayed in the screenshot you displayed

If it was "very clearly displayed" then so many people wouldn't be complaining about it on annoying community forums like this.

[get_luck_7777-0]

if you look it could be a china seller

selling as a uk seller hence the 20% VAT

as i see alot of china sellers doing this selling as a uk seller best to avoide them

if its a gen uk seller you will not get hit with the 20% VAT

[elitegiftsltd]

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@get_luck_7777-0 wrote:

if you look it could be a china seller

selling as a uk seller hence the 20% VAT

as i see alot of china sellers doing this selling as a uk seller best to avoide them

if its a gen uk seller you will not get hit with the 20% VAT

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No.

If item outside UK or seller account registered outside UK then expect vat to be charged on top. 

Genuine UK sellers shipping item in from France, Germany, India etc - the item is imported so vat applied. 

And there are plenty of them. 

I see lots of Chinese sellers using stock held in UK. I buy from some of them. 

Nothing wrong with that. It's legal. 

[terry5555terry]

I have been charged vat on an item posted from Manchester to Devon... EBay is not doing its job properly as its own rules state vat inclusive price will be shown to uk buyers. The merchant I bought from didn’t mention vat as it didn’t need to as in Manchester, just EBay charge their own vat! 

[fargvs]

1.  Item Location... is seen under Postages in their listings ... 

2. Seller (Based in) Location   ... is shown in their Feedback profile ... 

3. Country site of  Seller Registration  ... seen by clicking their  'Items for sale /View listings' links to the Seller information in left column. >> ( Based in/Registered site Locations  can often be completely different.)

Even with items located  in and sent from within the UK,  if either the Seller and/or Buyer is Based or Registered anywhere outside the UK ... it will trigger the additional Import VAT %age fee applicable in the receiving Country ... they may not be aware of this. >

 https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/buying/paying-items/paying-tax-ebay-purchases?

[unclestein]

Is it just me....or does anyone else spot the pattern of stock replies?

Some (but not all) of the replies seem to have a somewhat "pro-Ebay" agenda?

Hmmm. Just saying.

[iveso-uk]

Me to it's a disgrace with everything that's gone up

[papso22]

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@unclestein wrote:

Is it just me....or does anyone else spot the pattern of stock replies?

Some (but not all) of the replies seem to have a somewhat "pro-Ebay" agenda?

Hmmm. Just saying.

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Stock replies are useful when the same questions come up time and time again.   

And please stop the boring digs at members where you imply they are pro eBay. 

[elitegiftsltd]

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@unclestein wrote:

Is it just me....or does anyone else spot the pattern of stock replies?

Some (but not all) of the replies seem to have a somewhat "pro-Ebay" agenda?

Hmmm. Just saying.

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You don't have to accept any answers you don't like.

Does not mean the answers are wrong.

Oh and yes I use stock replies for a number of questions. Saves typing the same answer 500 times.

I know a number of others also use stock replies. How many ways do you think we have of telling people how to get ebay to ring them? 🙂

[mclaughlin2359]

antiques imported to UK are subject to two catagories ...

20%VAT under 100 year old

5% VAT if over 100 year old

So watch this space buyers

james

[jadie13910]

Does that mean 20% or 5% PLUS the 20% vat also or instead of ? Please clarify !

[nigel_paul_wright7557]

Isnt NI in the EU ?

Therefore VAT will be added ?

[mclaughlin2359]

one off ... VAT should be taken at source aka put on by the seller ... now if this is not done and the VAT guys catch you you will be up for VAT.. now this is all thanks to the brexiteers aka foriegner hating Brits...

lol

j

[mclaughlin2359]

get the overseas seller to register for ebay overseas buying tool

[dakes2]

I also just made a purchase on ebay, and the total price to pay was £125, but when i went to checkout the price to pay was £150, and there was no prior warning that 20% vat was going to be applied at the checkout, tried to cancel the order but the seller refused, Ebay should make it very clear to buyers if vat is going to be applied, if the total price to pay is showing clearly £125 then thats what i expecting to pay and not £150, Ebay needs to get there act together.

[unclestein]

'Dakes2':

Ebay DOES need to get its act together. They seem to mitigate their misgivings and dodgy unfair practices with their T&C policy, you would have thought they got it right by dotting the i's, but no, it says:

"If additional tax is applicable on your eBay purchase, you'll see this indicated on the listing page and the tax amount will be shown on the checkout page before you pay."

The 'surprise VAT glitch' is not new. I reported it to them more than a YEAR AGO, and they told me that VAT is displayed before the payment. Since then there have been hundreds of complaints on these forums, but Ebay have done NOTHING to fix it!

No-one at Ebay has even bothered to look!

It could be worse...imagine having to work for them? Jeez!

[ciara2237]

I have same thing. I wont pay as its illegal? The price is increased AFTER you commit to buy? 

[unclestein]

I argued this with them until I got fed up as none of the "community helpers" saw it as an issue, basically treating me like I was an idiot. Ironically Ebay customer service actually told me themselves that the VAT is shown BEFORE the sale! This concludes that they don't even have a clue what's going on because that was 2 years ago. What a mess of a company!

I have always retaliated by giving the Chinese sellers negative feedback, explaining when their search appears in "UK only" (another "glitch" that Ebay "are working on") and that I was charged VAT, AND when their pictures are splashed with "UK seller" etc. But the negative feedback usually disappears after a few days, probably because those sellers who make a fortune for the stakeholders can do no wrong.

There is clearly a bias towards volume sellers and I long for the day when a rival organisation comes along and takes over the lucrative "occasional/infrequent" seller market.

But hey, what do I know?