[Closed] How can I tell if I will have to pay VAT?

Under £135 and the VAT is paid by the seller, over £135 and its paid by you.

I think.

private or business seller?

Under £135 and the VAT is paid by the seller, over £135 and its paid by you.

This, though there are apparently big holes in the net, so some expensive stuff gets through FOC. May the odds be in your favour.

Plus courier fees on top if they have to collect VAT, plus duty if the product was made outside the EU (4.9% iirc)

Private seller, does that change anything?

Don't think so.

Don't think the rules are being properly enforced yet under a "period of grace" that the government wants to extend.

Not related to us being unable to get our shit together after 4 years. Oh no.....

Grace period doesn’t relate to VAT. If it did… you’d know that vat wasn’t to be paid… where as currently it’s mostly dumb luck.

As others have said under £135 (Inc shipping), you should be ok.... Over £135 it's a lottery....

Under £135 and the VAT is paid by the seller, over £135 and its paid by you.

I think.

Not quite, my understanding is that under £135 the seller should then add on UK vat at 20%, reinvoice you, and then they pay it to UK taxman. No import duty though.

Over £135 then you have to pay the vat to the courier (sometimes before, sometimes after delivery) + import duty + a handling charge.

There are exceptions to both of those Tom. We’ve gone from simple rules to huge variations… it’s a red tape nightmare. There is no “simple rule”… there are pages and pages of caveats required to understand what should be paid by who and when. And, even once you understand all the rules for your purchase, there is a high chance they will be misapplied to your delivery.

So, OP, what is the thing you are looking to buy, where was it made, which country is the seller in, how will the item be sent to you?

You say its a private seller. Why would they charge VAT ?

HMRC will though. OP being a coy about value of item, many variables. Depend on how seller labels item mostly

You say its a private seller. Why would they charge VAT ?

eBay should be collecting the VAT, in that situation. The seller won’t receive it. Of course, the seller also need to be across all their paperwork to ensure that VAT isn’t charged on delivery as well.

[ there is no simple/certainty anymore ]

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-vat-treatment-of-overseas-goods-sold-to-customers-from-1-january-2021/changes-to-vat-treatment-of-overseas-goods-sold-to-customers-from-1-january-2021

Online marketplaces (OMPs), where they are involved in facilitating the sale, will be responsible for collecting and accounting for the VAT.

EDIT: or perhaps not…

The changes will not apply to consignments of goods containing excise goods or to non- commercial transactions between private individuals. Existing rules will continue to apply for these transactions.

I still have no idea if sales via an OMP (like eBay) by a “private seller” fall under that first quoted rule, or the second. Not. Simple.

You say its a private seller. Why would they charge VAT ?

Doesn't matter, everything imported from a 3rd country is subject to duty and vat.

If it's a business seller in the EU then there are some arcane rules about them registering in the UK and charging UK customers at point of sale otherwise it's collected at the border by the courier.

Ancdotally a lot of stuff is being waved through, but you can't rely on that.

If you are buying from a private seller via eBay or another marketplace then they should be collecting vat due on the transaction

Loads of people quoting what 'should' happen BUT in reality, first hand experience at work is it's a COMPLETE LOTTERY.

Sometimes VAT should be charged here but isn't. Sometimes parcels aren't released due to wrongly calculated charges owed.

Good old BREXIT!

Same as above experience. Am finding the whole thing a total lottery.

Apparently it's totally clear on the government website.

CHECK! PREPARE! CHANGE!

Ordered some tyres from an EU shop, no vat charged at point of sale, under the £135 threshold. they were Imported no duty or vat charged. Final price was about half the best price i could find in the UK..

There is no vat on used goods from private sellers.

So, if you get lucky, ordering from the likes of Fitwheels could end up being a very nice deal indeed....... or not

I paid vat and duty on forks from germany but didn’t pay any on wheels from china. I didn’t pay anything on tyres and brakes from germany but who knows if I will for the groupset on the way.

There is no vat on used goods from private sellers.

My understanding is that eBay is obliged to collect the UK import VAT for every low value sale from a non-UK seller to a UK one. New or used. I could be wrong though. It’s not clear.