Importing Ebay buys from Japan

[richarrab-0]

I'm noting that buying items from Japan does not mean paying VAT or other taxes at the time of purchase. I've also received a few smaller buys from Japan recently, and NOT been charged import duties.

    Am I being too optimistic to think a Wrist Watch bought on eBay from Japan would slip through UK customs? And whilst on this subject I also recently got a purchase from Australia that slipped through; Am I missing something here?

  Thanks for your info. and or ideas                            

[sml192]

Are you sure you weren't charged VAT?   

Ebay is responsible for collecting VAT on overseas items £135 or under. as there is no import duty to pay. 

Listing prices are now shown inclusive of VAT (used to be added at checkout) except for auction style listings.  Where VAT is included it will be stated in the payments section of the listing and at checkout that that is the case but no actual breakdown is provided (a VAT invoice can be downloaded after purchase). 

[hlodryk]

so how much would i pay in duties and taxes on a watch that is aprox £170?

[richarrab-0]

It looks as though eBay charges you the vat at checkout, theoretically 20%.
Just out of interest Jauce Japan do not add the VAT and my two recent
purchases from them sailed through UK customs……….no charges.

[hlodryk]

Hi,

Thanks for info.
But when I click buy-now option (without confirming the purchase), the payment summary does not include any extra vat charge, just the item price. Delivery is free.

So would it be requested on delivery by DHL?

[sml192]

Yes, as the value of the item is greater than £135 Import VAT and Duty will be collected by the carrier along with their admin fee.  I believe DHL send an invoice for the charges after delivery rather than requesting payment before delivery as most other carriers do. 

[hlodryk]

Thanks,

So how much would it be in total? VAT, customs duties and other cost?

[sml192]

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@hlodryk wrote:
Thanks,

So how much would it be in total? VAT, customs duties and other cost

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Import VAT is 20%.   It looks like there is no Import Duty to pay on a wristwatch but may depend on the exact type of watch.  Don't know how much DHL's admin fee is , usually around £10 to £15.

[hlodryk]

It is used Thommen quartz watch, price aprox £165. Delivery free

[9416_tiger]

How much were the cost of the watches and company delivered the watch to your door? 

[hlodryk]

Hi,
E-bay price, excluding pstage and import charges (unknow at the time of purchase) was 212 US$.
On delivery I got DHL invoice for £43.91.
So depending what exchange rate you apply, it was roughly 27%.
Not sure how much of this was customs, and how much delivery.

But in the end it was worth it, cos it would be difficult to find Revue-Thommen Altimark watch, in such good condition, for a total of £200.

[bas7498]

If I purchase an item for £82.44 we I be charged or have to pay for import tax

[bas7498]

Or will it be no charge on top just the £82.44 I will pay 

[richarrab-0]

As far as I can discover there is no import duty below £600ish but you
should get hit with 20% VAT.
Sometimes things appear to slip through though.

[sml192]

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@bas7498 wrote:

If I purchase an item for £82.44 we I be charged or have to pay for import tax

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There will be no Import Duty on an item of that price and the VAT will be collected by eBay at checkout and should already be included in the listing price.

[papso22]

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@richarrab-0 wrote:
As far as I can discover there is no import duty below £600ish but you
should get hit with 20% VAT.
Sometimes things appear to slip through though.

---

The duty threshold is £135.

[dangoongillings]

I have just been burned by a purchase.  It wasn't obvious that the purchase was Japan from UK by default.

Thereafter it wasn't obvious that the seller chose to not use the global shipping program which includes customs/taxes without detailed review of the description.  

I feel this should be highlighted by eBay as easy to do via software that they develop/maintain.  

If there are potential additional charges then display a warning at the checkout and/or allow filter when searching.  

By default it should require a forensic check of the description without mention elsewhere like the subject/headline for the item.

If there had been a clear warning then I wouldn't have purchased.

Now I'm looking at a 30% additional fee just to receive the item on top of any return fee.  

Generally buyers want to know if there are hidden fees without reading the small print and this is clearly an area that is being exploited by sellers (who could use global shipping program but don't as it would show that the price is significantly higher)...

[hlodryk]

But in primciple you should be able to simply refuse to pay fees requested from you on delivery. This will amount to you declining to accept the delivery.

My understanding is that when customs are not paid within 30 days, the item will be, after that period, automatically returned to the seller, without you havimg to go through ebay return process, with all the extra postage costs.

The full refund should then follow.

[tressygirl]

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@hlodryk wrote:
But in primciple you should be able to simply refuse to pay fees requested from you on delivery. This will amount to you declining to accept the delivery.

My understanding is that when customs are not paid within 30 days, the item will be, after that period, automatically returned to the seller, without you havimg to go through ebay return process, with all the extra postage costs.

The full refund should then follow.

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You have this very,  very wrong.

If an item is refused on delivery,  because custom fees are not paid, the buyer loses all protection from eBay's MBG , Money back Guarantee for their refund. It voids it completely.

Item sent back to the seller?  It may be sent back , again no guarantee especially with how the post works nowadays, so one cannot be reliant on this happening.

@hlodryk 

[hlodryk]

if you don't pay customs an item has to be returned to the seller, there is no other option.
Buyer cannot be forced to pay customs, so if he does not, delivery fails. The next stage is return. An item cannot hang in suspended state between seller and buyer indefinitely.

That was my experience years ago with ebay purchase from us. Customs charges were not applied at checkout, and I didn't expect them. But on delivery came a request to pay them.
I did not pay. After 30 days item was autoamtically returned to the seller. And I got full refund.