UK to EU custom duties

[ruffrecords]

I don’t complain about VAT, I complain about mafia custom duties.

This seems to be a mainland Europe thing. In the last 20 years I have never had to pay import duty on anything I have purchased from outside the UK. VAT, yes. Duty, no.

Cheers

Ian

 

[xazrules]

Ian let me know if you manage to find a couple of trafo to sell or I’m going to do the azardous import from audio maintenance.

cheers

 

[Whoops]

Someone in Europe had bought from UK after brexit? How much are the custom duties? There’s a way to calculate?

cheers

Here in Portugal it has been really strict since brexit.

First you pay your country VAT over the price of the item plus shipping,
so if you paid 30€ for shippint you will pay VAT over that also.

Then you have to pay customs taxes and administrative fees on top of that.

The VAT alone in Portugal is 23% then you add up the custom fees,
so as an estimate I normally pay 30% of the Total (Price of the item +shipping)

It gets really expensive, so no more buys from the UK for me

 

[ruffrecords]

Ian let me know if you manage to find a couple of trafo to sell or I’m going to do the azardous import from audio maintenance.

cheers

I meant to do this last night but forgot!! I will try to rememeber this evening.

Cheers

Ian

 

[sahib]

Here in Portugal it has been really strict since brexit.

First you pay your country VAT over the price of the item plus shipping,
so if you paid 30€ for shippint you will pay VAT over that also.

Then you have to pay customs taxes and administrative fees on top of that.

The VAT alone in Portugal is 23% then you add up the custom fees,
so as an estimate I normally pay 30% of the Total (Price of the item +shipping)

It gets really expensive, so no more buys from the UK for me

As Ian mentioned before, there should not be any custom duties.

You may also be confusing custom duties with handling charges. After Brexit I came to realise that the handling charges in Europe are extortionate, particularly the postal systems.

However, I completely respect your decision of not buying from UK. But does that also mean from US, Canada, China, Taiwan, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina.........? Because if your costs are 30% from UK then it should be the same from other countries. In which case I think it would be fair that you should perhaps make it clear that you do not buy anything from outside the EC.

As you would anticipate, as part of my business, I purchase components from overseas and do not experience the charges that you are experiencing. In fact I have been chasing a particular courier for three imports that they have neither sent me a bill for VAT nor their administration charges, which is normally about GBP 10.00.

 

[Whoops]

As Ian mentioned before, there should not be any custom duties.

As I mentioned in my post, in Portugal there are Custom administrative fees on top of the VAT (23% in PT), and that happens in other countries in EU also.
Thats if the item Ships through regular mail, if the item is shipped using UPS, Fefex or DHL, then you cannot deal directly with the customs, then you have to pay administrative fees for those companies to release the parcel from the Portuguese customs. You pay UPS custom release fee + 23% VAT + PT custom fees

You may also be confusing custom duties with handling charges.

No I'm not confusing anything at all, I know quite well what I'm talking about and dealt with it many times.

However, I completely respect your decision of not buying from UK. But does that also mean from US, Canada, China, Taiwan, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina.........? Because if your costs are 30% from UK then it should be the same from other countries. In which case I think it would be fair that you should perhaps make it clear that you do not buy anything from outside the EC.

Yes it's the same to all non-EU countries.
This thread is about the UK it's in the thread title, so thats what I'm referring to.
Also UK was part of the EU, I was buying a lot of stuff from the UK almost every week, until Brexit, now I'm not.
Other countries were already non-EU before...

 

[sahib]

Is there any documents that you could perhaps share (by blacking out the sensitive parts) showing the type of custom duties and perhaps handling charges? As I mentioned before I realised that the handling charges in EU were very high.

Here, if I order components, say from Taiwan, and say by FedEx. the components are delivered to me and I receive an e-mail from FedEx for the VAT and their administration charge which is normally around £10-12. There are no other charges.

 

[Whoops]

Is there any documents that you could perhaps share (by blacking out the sensitive parts) showing the type of custom duties and perhaps handling charges? As I mentioned before I realised that the handling charges in EU were very high.

I have no idea why you are so stubborn and continue to doubt my word, you are on the verge of being offensive and disrepectfull.

I already explained 2 times, this will be the third time, that in Portugal and in some other EU countries you will have to pay custom administrative fees/taxes on top of the VAT, I already told those were not handling charges, those are Fees from the Local Custom Authorities to process the release of the parcel.

But for being sure you will not lead people believing there's no Custom fees to pay, and also not making people believe I'm a Liar or confused as you tried to make it across, here it is:

This a 12€ Tax called "Presenting the item to customs", it's a tax you pay because an item was brought to them for evaluation.
"ALFÂNDEGA" in portuguese is "Customs Authority" in english



And this is another Fee for the same item/parcel, it's a "DTP" fee that you pay because they did the administrative procedures for releasing the Parcel.


So a total of 29,36€ in Custom Fees/Taxes for the same parcel,
The VAT value that is charged on top of the TOTAL ( price of the item + the shipping cost) is not part of this document and it's on a separate invoice.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

This Parcel came by regular mail, so it reaches Portugal through CTT that is the public mail service company, similar to "Royal Mail" or "US Postal Service".

If the item was shipped through UPS, Fedex, DHL, then you would have to pay to the respective company also an administrative fee on top of the VAT and on top of the Custom Fees, so they took care of the custom procedures.

 

[xazrules]

Don’t get angry whoops! I’m sure sahib it’s incredulous about EU taxes, because it’s out of this world. I’ve been in your situation but sometimes you have to experience it to truly trust your eyes. Next time I’m obligated to import from UK I let you all see custom documents as additional proof.

 

[Whoops]

Don’t get angry whoops! I’m sure sahib it’s incredulous about EU taxes, because it’s out of this world.

I'm not angry at all mate, thanks for the words.

This is just a friendly discussion thread on the Custom Duties between UK and EU that you started asking for other members advice and experience.
Doubting the friendly words and advice from a long time member like myself like Sahib continuously did it's disrespectful and out of the friendly discussion context.
But I don't get angry at all when someone is disrespectful , that's their own problem.

 

[Tubetec]

I wrote before about a unit I recieved free from a Chinese company for wining a competition , wasnt something I ordered , yet it arrived via DHL with extra charges in my name . I tried to fight it with DHL and they passed my details onto an outside debt collection agency , who dualy added an extra collection fee on top , in the end they settled for the outstanding amount and knocked off their own handling fee .

Is the previous limit of 20 euros item value now gone in the EU also ?
So a 5 euro resistor lucky bag might end up costing nearly 20 by the time it lands on my doorstep?
Hit the small guy with disproportionate charges meanwhile the big players can write off every cent through creative accounting , sounds like a very anti competitive practice to me .

Between online ordering , Brexit and Covid , local companies supplying electronic components in Ireland are almost extinct. At least the UK hasnt chopped off its nose to spite its face in this way , while the EU's policy clearly threatens to kill smaller entreprenurial endevours .

 

[sahib]

I think you are over reacting.

I do not doubt your words and I am not looking for an evidence. If it was the case I would have said "show me a proof" instead of politely asking " ...you could perhaps share..". The purpose of asking was to really learn what the procedures are like in your country.

However, although I do not speak a word of Portuguese, it seems to me that these are not what you would call import taxes. These are two separate administration charges which as I suspected (and particularly made a point for charges in postal systems in EU member countries).

In comparison Royal Mail would charge a single fee of £12.00 for administration. In the case of FedEx it is £12,00 and DHL £11.00.

 

[xazrules]

Exactly, I can’t agree more. I can’t stand why people let things like that pass like oil on water. Sorry I’m translating a lot of Italian sayings to english but don’t know if they make sense XD
Another topic of discussion, who’s in charge of controlling and regulating customs? The goverments right? They are not a private business I suppose. So why so much control over our imports? Exports are waaaayy easier to deal with, almost no controls. Can’t wait for a general EU collapse, not only for import/export but many many topics. Sorry for the rant.

 

[Whoops]

IHowever, although I do not speak a word of Portuguese, it seems to me that these are not what you would call import taxes. These are two separate administration charges which as I suspected (and particularly made a point for charges in postal systems in EU member countries).

These are “import taxes or fees” paid directly to the Local Customs (Alfândega) they have nothing to do with the postal service or courier.
They re administrative fees from the Customs if you don’t pay them you can’t import anything which makes them “import taxes”.
Point is you always have to pay Customs fees on top of the VAT when importing from outside EU, it doesn’t matter if someone calls them “import taxes” or “Customs administrative taxes”, the buyer has to pay them when importing which adds up a lot to the overall amount being paid for an item coming form outside EU.

this is an example of taxes in Portugal but the same thing happens in a lot of different EU countries, the procedures are similar to other places.
Of course the taxes fees amounts vary as does the VAT varies from one country to the other

by the way the proof was not to you but to other members as I think it wouldn’t be fair if you mislead them

 

[Whoops]

I wrote before about a unit I recieved free from a Chinese company for wining a competition , wasnt something I ordered , yet it arrived via DHL with extra charges in my name . I tried to fight it with DHL and they passed my details onto an outside debt collection agency , who dualy added an extra collection fee on top , in the end they settled for the outstanding amount and knocked off their own handling fee .

Yes,
had the same problem multiple times in the past, DHL, UPS, Fedex and the likes will add their fees on top of everything, it becomes really expensive.
Here if it comes through regular mail it goes to the national mail company "CTT" and they have an agreement with the Custom, called "simplified Custom release" so you dont pay any fees to the courier and just pay yourself the Custom fees directly to them.
When the order is trhough a private contactor like the ones above it's not a "simplified Custom release" any longer and you have to pay them fees to dispatch the parcel from the customs.

When ordering from outside EU I always try to avoid that the shipping is made by any of those private shipping companies I always ask the Seller to send it through their regular/standard mail company so all that trouble and extra cost is avoided.

Is the previous limit of 20 euros item value now gone in the EU also ?

Unfortunately yes, it's gone, it became effective this year.
Before you didn't had to pay anything, neither VAT or custom fees, for orders which the total (price+shipping cost) was under 22€, but nowadays everything has to pay even if it cost 1€

So a 5 euro resistor lucky bag might end up costing nearly 20 by the time it lands on my doorstep?

Unfortunately yes, thats the case at the moment in EU.
Thats why I'm constantly trying to find new suppliers inside EU to replace the ones I used previously in UK, China or US.

Hit the small guy with disproportionate charges meanwhile the big players can write off every cent through creative accounting , sounds like a very anti competitive practice to me .

I totally agree with you

Between online ordering , Brexit and Covid , local companies supplying electronic components in Ireland are almost extinct. At least the UK hasnt chopped off its nose to spite its face in this way , while the EU's policy clearly threatens to kill smaller entreprenurial endevours .

I think they removed the 22€ limit in EU because China was selling a tremendous amount of small value items to EU that were not being taxed on, so EU decided they wanted a piece of the cake.
As for the UK, they decided to leave EU, so I'm sure they will loose a big quota of the European market. Some small companies in the UK will for sure be highly affected by it, and new small companies are going to arise inside EU to cover those holes in the market.

For example I used to buy Carnhill transformers from Audio Maintenance, maybe nowadays I will buy those type transformers from a new company in Poland called UTM:

https://utmindustry.com/
I was always using Ebay.co.uk to order a lot of items,
now I only order from the French and German Ebay pages.
I'm pretty sure Germany will benefit the most from Brexit, as they have a strong industry and are strong on online shops. Most of the online shops I buy nowadays from are based there.

A lot of suppliers in Aliexpress started to have big wharehouses in Europe, so when you order an item you can choose it being sent to you from inside the EU.

A lot is changing at the moment...

 

[cyrano]

"A piece of the cake" is one way of putting it...

Some might call it "protecting small and medium enterprises from unfair competition" too. These low value articles might bring less VAT than it costs to police them.

A few decades ago we had radio tax. That hasn't been profitable, ever. The entire tax income went to national broadcast and our govt spent even more on collecting and policing the tax. It no longer exists. Fortunately. FM radio has been replaced with DAB and that will eventually be replaced by streaming via the internet.

Another reason for removing the limit was that the Chinese were declaring most anything to be below 22€ and customs was unable to pick out clear lies.

 

[ruffrecords]

This adding of significant import duties, charges and fees used to be called protectionism. It is bad news economically because it tends to invite reciprocation and discourage investment.

Cheers

Ian

 

[moamps]

These are “import taxes or fees” paid directly to the Local Customs (Alfândega) they have nothing to do with the postal service or courier.
They re administrative fees from the Customs if you don’t pay them you can’t import anything which makes them “import taxes”.
Point is you always have to pay Customs fees on top of the VAT when importing from outside EU, it doesn’t matter if someone calls them “import taxes” or “Customs administrative taxes”, the buyer has to pay them when importing which adds up a lot to the overall amount being paid for an item coming form outside EU.

this is an example of taxes in Portugal but the same thing happens in a lot of different EU countries, the procedures are similar to other places.
Of course the taxes fees amounts vary as does the VAT varies from one country to the other

In my country the situation is very similar, something even worse because VAT = 25%. I calculated that now Sowter transformers that I failed to buy before Brexit cost me about 35% more. And it certainly doesn't help that GB shipping services have become quite expensive. I've been trying to buy Neutrik XLR 3pin inserts for a while now and I only found them in GB, but the shipping costs are really unreal.

 

[Whoops]

I've been trying to buy Neutrik XLR 3pin inserts for a while now and I only found them in GB, but the shipping costs are really unreal.

View attachment 87250

I'm sorry for that mate,
I have a discount in the Neutrik Portuguese Supplier, do you want me to order those parts for you and ship them to Croatia?
I can do that, no worries

by the way,
did you try contacting the Croatian Neutrik agent?
sometimes it's cheaper to order from our local distributors than to order online:

Audio Video Consulting d.o.o.
Hrastovicka 62
10250 Zagreb-Lucko
Croatia

Phone: +385 1 600 8000
Fax: +385 1 611 1316
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.avc.hr

 

[sahib]

These are “import taxes or fees” paid directly to the Local Customs (Alfândega) they have nothing to do with the postal service or courier
They re administrative fees from the Customs if you don’t pay them you can’t import anything which makes them “import taxes”.

I think the root of the misunderstanding is the application of the word "tax". Since we are using English language, we do not refer to administrative fees as tax here. They are administrative fees or charges.

As an example, the import tax on audio electronic goods used to be 2%. About 20 years ago I brought some audio equipment with me from the US and that is what I paid over and above the VAT at the customs at the airport. But there was no admin charge.

On the other hand, if I imported the same equipment using a forwarding agent I would get a detailed breakdown of whole load of costs like clearance here, clearance there, the stamp duty, fuel levy and so on ( I also know this because I used to send exhibitions etc.). But as I said, we do not use the word "import tax" on these. They are simply administrative and additional costs.

Using couriers like FedEx, UPS etc, the type of administrative charge you pay is simply a one-off single figure like the ones I mentioned before, as generally all the other expenses are lumped into the shipping cost and they use their own transport fleet. Same goes for the Royal Mail.

From our point of view, and I am sure Ian will agree with me, that somehow we had the impression that UK and EU had a duty free deal. I have not ordered anything from EU since last year, so I do not know whether I would be charged import tax if I did. Perhaps somebody who bought from EU can comment on this.

by the way the proof was not to you but to other members as I think it wouldn’t be fair if you mislead them

As I mentioned before I was not looking for a proof, but to see what sort of charges that were being applied in your country. And I am sure what I explained above is going to be helpful to the forum members, and far from misleading them.