[Closed] How much duty will I pay on imported parts from Germany?

Any guidance appreciated

Read one of the other 300 threads on the same subject?

Just bought a sensor for my BMW from Autodoc in Germany and they have the VAT on the invoice they sent me.......

No solid answers yet, I guess nobody's bought a pair of lyriks from bikediscount recently.

From a thread I started a couple days ago.
Price + 6% duty + 20% vat + courier handling fee.

I guess nobody’s bought a pair of lyriks from bikediscount recently.

maybe in march once they have the model I want in stock, by then I guess it will be a bit more organised

Apologies. I’m new here, had a look but hadn’t seen anything other than the r2 bike thread, which I wasn’t sure was conclusive. I posted a link on it but that wasn’t too clear either

Thanks samualr. That is helpful, wasn’t sure if that was official / guaranteed

Its the best I could find with the information available. The 20% vat is calculated from the price + duty, which seems to be 6% on bike parts.

So quick maths would be
600+36+127=730 plus shipping fees

There seems to be two duty values for bike/parts. One source says 6% and the other 4.7%. I’m not sure which is correct.

Thanks. Do you know if the bay is based on the RRP, or the price paid?

It’ll be based on the price on the commercial invoice. Duty will be on the item alone, VAT will be on the sum of the item price plus duty plus shipping. And then the handling fee.

I've had some brakes and a few other components delivered just this week. Ive not been hit by any additional charges - so far.

Previously when I've brought stuff in, the shipping company has with held good until the fees were paid.

Does this mean Ive gotten away with it, or will be hit by an invoice in the post later?

my local bike shop just did me a piar of Lyrik Ultimates for £699. So a bit more than the price you will pay assuming you have no import fee's. Or potentially cheaper if you get hit with the full amount.

Worth asking your local independent bike shop, you never know!

Does this mean Ive gotten away with it, or will be hit by an invoice in the post later?

when i lived in the USA, if i’d not paid prior to delivery, i’d get an invoice after.

that said, as this is all new with imports from europe, it may well have slipped through.

"Does this mean Ive gotten away with it, or will be hit by an invoice in the post later?"

When we deliver via FedEx to the USA I believe the invoice often arrives later. But with our deliveries to the EU this year it seems to be payment before delivery. 50/50!

Just had a delivery from Bikester via UPS. No sign of any extra charges yet. Took a couple of days longer than usual. Someone has opened the commercial invoice for a look. But Bikester website says VAT already included and the invoice says delivery duty paid.

Also returned something to Bike24. Took a few days longer than usual and they wanted a CN23 customs form, but it got there. Most difficult bit was finding out what needed filling in on the form.

@paulmac135r

I don't think anyone really knows what's happening, certainly we are 'supposed' to be hit with tariffs and charges but its chaotic.

I've taken a punt on some brakes from r2bike purely to see what will happen, I am pretty sure even with the application of VAT/duty/handling etc it'll still work out cheaper than the UK.

My previous experience is that if the courier doesn't ask for an extra payment before delivery then you have got away with it. Nowadays, who knows?

I had a reverb AXS delivered last week - no charges...

I've a AXS rear mech and Shifter from the same shop, currently stuck in customs.....

Roll with the dice..

well bought the forks from BD.de, been dispatched via DHL the tracking says will be handed over to Parcelfarce once in UK so guess I best get the wallet out.

going by my calc's will still be cheaper than in uk, also not many places have actual stock after me emailing calling a few.

I've made 7 orders from the EU since brexit and none of them have had extra charges

In the last week I've had 2 x £250 orders from Bike discount and R2 again neither were charged. I'd say due to the late nature of the "deal" they don't have the systems in place to process 1000's of small parcels without causing major backlogs or they can't be arsed as they dont get the cash

I wouldn't fancy trying it with a bike but who knows at the moment

Edit even if I did get hit one of the orders was for a pair of RSCs and that would have taken them from £240 to £270(ish), which is still cheaper than Wiggle/CRC at £200 an end

I believe a lot of imports are being waved through at the moment with that changing dramatically over the months to come.

I ordered a chair for the home office from Amazon last weekend, not realising it was coming from Germany.

It turned up yesterday, looks like I've paid no VAT or duty anywhere. Which should be interesting when I try and claim part of the cost back from my employers- HMRC 😅

Actually, it should all depend who you bought it from - EU companies with sales to the UK of over £70k need to be registered to collect VAT on behalf of HMRC - this is for goods of UNDER £135 value. Goods over £135 value should have the VAT collected at point of delivery....

The duty, if applicable, thing is nice and clear (!) too - goods under €22 are duty and vat free regardless of where made, but only until July 31st. Up to €150 is duty free but will pay VAT on delivery unless already collected by the store as they're over £70k sales to the UK. Over €150 value should attract both VAT and duty, and is over the €150/£135 threshold above.

To add into confusion, the rules around the banding going UK to EU are different....

Soooo - nice and straight forward, yeah?

The real pain in the arse, if the carrier does decide to charge you, is that they probably don't have a clue what it is you've bought and what commodity code and hence duty rate should be applied. But even then, it's the handling and other charges they add that are the real killer..

As I discovered the other day, not every company seems to be applying the under £135 rule.
I bought something from Thomann (German music store) for £128. So according to the rules, and their won website, they should have added the VAT to my order at point of sale.
They didn't!
So then I was expecting the courier to try and charge me.
They didn't.
I emailed Thomann to ask who I should pay the VAT to, and got a standard reply quoting their website - under £135 we will invoice you the VAT, over the courier will charge you, etc.
But so far no invoice!
I'm wondering whether they just can't be bothered to collect it 😆

Got a frame coming from Madrid, which was paid for back in October.

Chances of it going through customs smoothly? God help me...

Sounds like it’s still worth giving it a go. Based on the discounted cost, even if I get hit with the full duties I think the cost will still be ok, but availability is much better than uk.

If I get lucky then I’m quids in!

I've recently paid 176 euros for some tools from Germany, then realised I had miss-identified the fork so they are the wrong tools. Cancelled the order at 09:00, tried to order the correct tools, then later that day received a detailed note showing the (wrong) tools had been picked at 14:00 and sent.
So, how much duty will I have paid by the time the wrong ones go back, the right ones come and I've had a sleep? As I have to Google translate all the emails from Germany I think it's safest to go full Trump and declare myself bankrupt.

Your parcel is currently with the customs authorities and is being assessed for import duties and local taxes. These will be notified to the addressee and usually need to be paid prior to the parcel being delivered.

😬

So, how much duty will I have paid by the time the wrong ones go back, the right ones come and I’ve had a sleep?

Don't pay the duty on the ones you don't want and they'll go back to the seller after 20days... Then you'll be refunded...

So if you order some bike parts and get stung for duty, if you refuse to pay will parts just get sent back to supplier and you’ll get refunded?

@burner yes the carrier has to return the item to the sender (as long as they have the sender's address), this is after 20days of non payment with parcel force / DHl. This is free of charge. So you should then get a refund.

I have a import duty charge, VAT and fee to pay which brings the cost to almost the same as UK. Buts seeing as no one had stock of the forks I wanted at a sensible price I'm okay ish about it.

Not seen the import duty code yet but what code should a set of forks be. The HMRC is pants https://www.trade-tariff.service.gov.uk/chapters/87

My second round of stuff that I mentioned previously has rolled through with no charges.

Bear in mind if you get a refund you'll pay 3% currency fees both ways with PayPal too

My bike discount order turned up. Value of £200 and no duty or vat.
Looks like they are waving stuff through for now.
Hopefully my forks get the same treatment when they are in stock.

Oh lucky yous, my R2 order...according to my dhl/parcel force tracking , a letter is being sent telling me how to pay charges...5 days later still no letter. Wtf.

Bear in mind if you get a refund you’ll pay 3% currency fees both ways with PayPal too

Not if you can use PayPal with a low fee card (I use Halifax Clarity) and make sure NOT to let PayPal do the currency exchange.

Elite turbo trainer on bike direct less vat so big savings if it gets waved through. Mmm worth the gamble?

Mmm worth the gamble?

I’ve just lost on a handlebar from Germany that, thanks to the exchange rate UPS used, came to £136 + delivery. £30 in VAT plus £11.50 for the privilege of them taking it.

Guy I ride with, who had no idea that taxes etc might get added to orders from the continent, has just had a £280 reverb through, no charge. 🤬

Personally, a turbo is one thing I wouldn't buy from Germany/EU. All I hear from the shops near Mme is the warranty issues of them. That and it'll be a big heavy box that's obviously worth money so I'd assume you will get additional fees. It would have to be less than half the cheapest UK price to warrant touching it imo.

Not if you can use PayPal with a low fee card (I use Halifax Clarity) and make sure NOT to let PayPal do the currency exchange.

Not thought about doing this, cheers.

I ordered some cranks from BikeInn, sub £100 no fees or VAT issues and only 4 or 5 days delivery.

Just bought some Pedals from Bikester in Germany (Couldn't find Time anywhere in stock in the UK) and a pair of Salomon Trail shoes direct from Salomon, who are based in France despite a 'UK" Shop.

Both arrived hassle free and no additional charges. FWIW, I think both charged VAT at point of sale and the transaction was in GBP which probably helped matters!

In my case, I wasn't so much hunting for a discount, but anywhere that was in stock. The set of Sid Ultimates I saw today for €620 did seem too good to br true and liable to be held up.

Bikeinn use a delivery duty paid DDP service I've had stuff from them a couple of times this year, or are despatching from UK warehouse; I don't recall any customs info on package and had a standard Royal Mail label (one of the services you can select during checkout) Larger companies should have easier access to DDP, knowing where they are and what service they will use is the problem otherwise it's a lottery. I've had stuff from Poland/Germany no fees but some forks from France EUR 330 got hit with £90 in duty/vat/fees.

I ordered some cranks from BikeInn, sub £100 no fees or VAT issues and only 4 or 5 days delivery.

Anything under £135 will have already have the VAT paid.

R2 bike seem good at the minute, I got a set of G2 Ultimates for a good price (bought individually so they were under £135 before postage) and didn’t get hit with import or VAT. Bought matching rotors a few days later and same again. Good stock on a lot of things that are impossible to get in the UK too.

I've just dropped a clanger and absent mindedly ordered a set of forks from Starbike..... DOH!!
Oh well, will see what the VAT & Import charges are on a set of £185 Manitou's.

Can you update with your experience @dirkpitt74 - incidentally did you get charged the VAT at point of sale? I'm about to order some rims from Starbike but even though the value is £140 (so over the £135 threshold after which I should be charged VAT in the UK) they have added the VAT to the total already - I haven't clicked buy yet as I don't want to pay VAT twice or have a repeat of the Bikester experience below....

I ordered some wheels from Bikester 6 weeks ago, one never even left Germany and got sent back by UPS due to "incorrect commercial invoice" and one is still in transit due to "Brexit related issues". I have been refunded for one but not the other - although Amex will sort that out. They were over the £135 threshold though and I was charged VAT by Bikester. Maybe UPS did me a favour...!

I'm nervous about anything from Germany now as I have ordered from BikeINN twice recently and the stuff has turned up without issue - it's from Spain though and under the £135 threshold.

@oceanskipper not had them yet - still waiting for them to be dispatched.
Just checked the invoice though and they've deducted the German VAT from the total.

Perhaps the limit is per item then - or maybe they will ship two items separately and then the paperwork will be under £135 for each.

Anybody having issues with UPS? They delivered my VAT + Charges invoice on Thursday, which I paid that day over the phone (Mrs TH said they didn’t give her the option to pay there and then). They claim to have attempted delivery on Friday, no note through the door, MrsTH was in at the time they tried to deliver. Same has happened this morning I check the tracking at 10.02. Says they attempted to deliver at 9.58, but couldn’t. No note through the door and MrsTH is at home. Website is still showing as invoice outstanding...

Well, I for one welcome the certainty that the Brexit deal has brought to the situation.

FWIW I've found operators in non-german EU countries (Starbike, Alltricks, Euroskateshop) to be absolutely fine. Not fast, but stuff arrived, I paid a price online, and they all arrived with me having to pay nothing extra. Items ranging from £35 to £500 in value.

I suspect that ze Germans will have issues as unless every step of ze process is correct and followed to the letter, it will be a case of *cough* "computer says no".

From those countries who have some flexibility, it'll be grand.

My n=3 is irrefutable 😬🤪

@oceanskipper I've just bought a tune front hub from starbike. It was the only one of its type I could find anywhere (discontinued), but well under the £135. Starbike added the hub cost and then postage cost to the UK and finally then added vat on the combined cost, it came to €165. (£140)

This is the first time an EU seller has sold me bike parts this year correctly when it was under the £135 vat limit.

Well, this could be fun.

UPS have no record of my payment.

I have a physical invoice for the VAT and charges for a thing I was expecting to receive, that matches the value (€157), the category (bike parts) and the place I bought it from (R2 bike). I rang the number and the person on the other end confirmed everything on the invoice. My bank statement shows ‘UPS LTD SHIPPING FEES’

If it’s a scam it’s the most elaborate I’ve ever heard of, and they probably deserve my cash, tbf

They’re giving me a call in a couple of hours after investigating, but will need reference numbers, which I was offered over the phone, but didn’t take as I didn’t have a pen to hand at the time...

I’m paying these fees twice aren’t I....

Double post, ironically.

The German custom system ATLAS was down for emergency maintenance on the 11th of march. It could be contributing to some slight delays in deliveries.

Seems the man who took my payment forgot to tick the box to say I’d paid...

Saved by the UK... My rims are in stock in the UK now so no need to risk any EU shenanigans..

Had a set of brakes from bike-discount delivered yesterday, no request for any further payments, so looks like I got them dirt cheap! Took 5 days from ordering..

Looks like Bike Discount are now not doing the hard £175 limit and calculating on the equivalent exchange rate instead. Today the minimum order limit is £154.92. Wondering if its worth the punt for a Garmin Explore.

I bought a 160mm Lyrik 29 from Bike Discount for £485 on the 4th it arrived on 9th no charges.

Just once I’d like one of my overseas purchases to slip through the net 😤

Even got charged VAT on a helmet once...

Waiting on some brakes (€250) from Bike-discount. The wheel of luck hasn't stopped spinning yet.

My Charger damper from Bike Discount has been stuck in limbo since last Friday having been dispatched to the UK and apparently still hasn't landed. Maybe it fell off the side of the ship? 😕

I'm waiting on a rear tune hub from R2.... The front one cost almost as much from another seller as it was under the 135 limit so had vat applied.
In hindsight I should have added some other bits I need to push it over the vat threshold.

My Charger damper from Bike Discount has been stuck in limbo since last Friday having been dispatched to the UK and apparently still hasn’t landed. Maybe it fell off the side of the ship?

It would be even damper then, TBF.

@trusty, did you use DHL for delivery? I had an order from R2 bike dispatched with DHL who then hand to Parcel Force once it hits the UK. The tracking said it had left Germany and then no updates for 4-5 days. Out of the blue the order arrived at my front door! Tracking still says it's not hit the UK, so could very well be an issue with the DHL/PF handover with the tracking and it's actually on it's way to you.

It would be even damper then, TBF.

Nicely done.

The word dampening is accurate when talking about shocks for the first time in internet history.

@lawman91 the tracking number changes from a German one to a UK 'GB' prefix when parcel force take hold of the consignment.

@chakaping nicely done
Randomly it turned up 5 minutes after I posted on here. Delivery was DPD and then Parcelforce in the UK, tracking on both still puts it out of the country. No VAT bill so far....

Every service I’ve used won’t deliver till any outstanding charges are settled, VAT etc.l, so if it’s delivered, you don’t have to pay.

Looks like I’m the only person in Britain paying VAT on EU imports, based on this thread...

To update this post
singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/bike-discount-order-post-brexit-import-tax/page/2/#post-11769634

Total in GBP was £573.77

Import Duty: £81.38
VAT: £132.54
Handling charge: £12.00
Total charges: £225.92

I believe I should be charged using the commodity code for importing is 8714913039.
Goods are subject to Value added tax (20.00 %). Importing from outside the UK is subject to a third country duty of 4.70 % unless subject to other measures.

Import duty : £26.97
Vat : £120.15
Handling charge : £12.00
Total : £159.12

Received a letter from BF yesterday informing me to process my claim further as they are no longer issuing cheques they require bank details to pay refunded monies into. There is no mention of amounts to be refunded or showing any of their workings. So how much I get refunded if at all is anyone's guess. I can only correspond with them by letter what an archaic way to do things but its UK gov so really shouldn't be surprised.

@bruneep

I purchased a fork and had my invoice through today for a similar amount £232.
Did you pay this then request a refund or have you refused to pay it?

had to pay to get the goods, no pay no goods.

Had to claim refund via BF https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-customs-dutyimport-vat-relating-to-imports-by-post-bor286

Thanks for that. I have paid, I will send the letter and evidence to HMRC and see what comes of it. Update this thread when you find out please so others can get an idea of what it will cost.

Just had a parcel from R2 - £200 tune hub. Ups rather than parcelforce/DHL. Picked ups as I have generally found them quicker....

Ups driver demanded cash for the vat and charges before handing the parcel, cash or cheque were the only options no cards.... I said this was strange as last year I'd been invoiced post delivery? Driver said that they had never done this (not true). Seems ups vans will be carrying lots of cash now....

Anyway I was charged 40vat and 12 fees (no duty)...

Monkeyboyjc - did the UPS driver actually provide any paperwork showing the £40 VAT & £12 Handling Fee prior to you paying that? If not that sounds a rather fishy way of delivery drivers making a nice fee for themselves collecting cash from customers that isn't actually on the books...?

Yes he had 2 copys (invoice from ups showing charges brake down) and signed mine saying paid....

Exactly what I said to the driver- having been invoiced in the past post delivery.