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

[deltics]

i did not bin on this van as it sold for £3000 poor buyer was diddled for
£600 in vat, AI SAY THATS OK

[flyingpotte1]

I just noticed, also for the first time in years of selling on eBay that my buyer has been charged VAT when I ma in Badingstoke and he is in Bristol.  This was the sale of a personal item not a business transaction.  Is the Donald Trump fraud culture coming to the UK too then.  Buyers now pay VAT, pre-set postage and insurance meaning it costs them more so they want to pay less.  I thought the no selling fees would come back to bite us!

[papso22]

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@flyingpotte1 wrote:

I just noticed, also for the first time in years of selling on eBay that my buyer has been charged VAT when I ma in Badingstoke and he is in Bristol.  This was the sale of a personal item not a business transaction.  Is the Donald Trump fraud culture coming to the UK too then.  Buyers now pay VAT, pre-set postage and insurance meaning it costs them more so they want to pay less.  I thought the no selling fees would come back to bite us!

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What has your buyer been charged VAT on?  They would have been correctly charged it on the buyer protection fee,  and possibly on postage, depending on the exact circumstances. 

[kellgolto]

We get scammed and ripped of from every direction

[flyingpotte1]

Looked again and it was indeed just on the postage.

Sent from my iPhone

[get_luck_7777-0]

hi thats because some traders are selling from different country eg china but i been caught like that many times thinking the seller is uk based but registed in a differnt country thats why the vat add

[red.16]

As a private seller "non business" I have just very recently sold an item that was from my extensive amount of fishing tackle. I have been an angler since a lad and have accumulated a large amount of tackle of various angling types over the years. This part was never used it was purchased  over seven years ago via a retailer of fishing tackle. The buyer was basically bidding on tackle as in new condition but unused and in this instance no longer in production. To my surprise the buyer was charged vat on that item!! although vat  had already been paid when originally bought.

I am unable to understand how that can happen both seller and buyer are resident in England. What is going on!?. Apparently this is nothing to do with the EU etc. etc.

[papso22]

The buyer would not have been charged VAT on the item.  There would however be VAT charged by ebay on the buyer protection fee and possibly on the postage.

Whether VAT is paid on purchase is irrelevant to whether VAT is chargeable on the sale, what matters is the VAT registration status of the seller of the goods or services.  In this case, ebay is a VAT registered supplier of services to the buyer.

If you still think VAT was charged on the goods you sold, please provide a screenshot and confirm that the buyer is registered in the UK.

[kellgolto]

Just another rip off from ebay along with buyer protection fees etc

[papso22]

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@kellgolto wrote:
Just another rip off from ebay along with buyer protection fees etc

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How is charging something that is legally due (VAT) a ripoff?

[red.16]

How does this work? is it the service they are charging for? or the 2nd hand item which has already had vat paid on it when first purchased. The seller is not a business just clearing unwanted items.

[kellgolto]

How many times can vat be charged on the same item second hand surely not
at all

[red.16]

Correct

[sml192]

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@red.16 wrote:
How does this work? is it the service they are charging for? or the 2nd hand item which has already had vat paid on it when first purchased. The seller is not a business just clearing unwanted items.

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In terms of the Buyer Protection Fee and postage the VAT is being charged on the service provided and, therefore, nothing to do with the item. 

[sml192]

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@kellgolto wrote:
How many times can vat be charged on the same item second hand surely not
at all

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VAT can be charged and reclaimed on the same item multiple times.  There is no limit and whether the item is new or secondhand makes no difference.

If the seller is VAT registered or if the item or seller (private as well as business) is located overseas at the point of sale then VAT will be due unless the item is exempt from VAT or zero rated. 

[laoura]

The seller is probably in china, check the return address. The listing may state it is located in UK. But all the UK addresses are either registered as e-bay with VAT registered  or a name only and VAT registered from China  there is no despatch centres or warehouses in the UK so that all goods are posted from china to avoid import duty on goods under £135. and only pay  VAT.

       Stockists in UK will have to pay import duty on bulk purchases from china. This is why B&Q ,Tesco etc, are always more expensive on similar items made in china.

[sml192]

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@laoura wrote:

The seller is probably in china, check the return address. The listing may state it is located in UK. But all the UK addresses are either registered as e-bay with VAT registered  or a name only and VAT registered from China  there is no despatch centres or warehouses in the UK so that all goods are posted from china to avoid import duty on goods under £135. and only pay  VAT.

       Stockists in UK will have to pay import duty on bulk purchases from china. This is why B&Q ,Tesco etc, are always more expensive on similar items made in china.

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There is no Import Duty on items under £135.

[tues2day]

What is the seller is a private individual, not registered for VAT?

[sml192]

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@tues2day wrote:

What is the seller is a private individual, not registered for VAT?

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If the item/seller is located overseas then the same rules regarding VAT and Import Duty apply regardless of whether they are a business or just a private individual.