It's worth remembering that the actual policing of charging supply VAT for imports instead of import VAT isn't necessarily going to change much afaik - it's still on customs / couriers / mailing companies etc. to spot if that box arriving from Australia has had VAT paid on the correct amount at the correct point isn't it?
Did Brexit kill AlieExpress?
- Thread starter =XDC=FluphyBunny
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That's all well and good, but the British only manufacture about a dozen things.
Yes I say that in jest, but with some kind of truth. I buy some of my IoT electronics on there purely because you just can't buy them in the UK regardless of price.
I guess all that means is that the prices go up slightly.
So for anyone in the know, if I buy a sensor for £5 on aliexpress, and the seller doesn't add on the VAT, am I likely to get stung with the £8-10 customs charge on top?
Soldato
Why will this change anything?
If chinese sellers were happy before to lie about the value of the goods to stay under the £15 limit, what's to stop them just declaring that the package has been VAT paid already even if it hasn't?
I guess they'll need to include a VAT registration number but that would be easy to steal or fake.
Or just continue to lie about the value? Sell an item for £100, declare on the package that the value is £10, pay the £2 VAT on the £10 value.
If chinese sellers were happy before to lie about the value of the goods to stay under the £15 limit, what's to stop them just declaring that the package has been VAT paid already even if it hasn't?
I guess they'll need to include a VAT registration number but that would be easy to steal or fake.
Or just continue to lie about the value? Sell an item for £100, declare on the package that the value is £10, pay the £2 VAT on the £10 value.
Soldato
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I wouldn't be surprised if you pay the VAT and get stung for the Royal Mail fee scam
Soldato
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I'm already paying HMRC for their time to get it right and tell me what I owe, along with £8 to the Royal Fail for the priviledge of holding the parcel while HMRC does it's thing.
Why would I then want to pay a retail supply chain extra money for doing what's already been done?
It's not hard - The Gov.uk website has always been very clear.
For many of those businesses, stuff like this along with various other integrated and related activities can be tax deductible. I'm the end-user customer, so I'm liable for pretty much everything and have no need for complicated calculations, as nothing is deductible. I also have no need to pay someone to do something I can do myself.
Soldato
Definitely my biggest problem with importing as a whole. Tired of RM's fee scams and holding parcels hostage. If it was a small % of the total cost of the parcel I wouldn't mind, but when it amounts to half of the cost of the parcel it's just a ripoff.
I think aliexpress will operate differently because it's an online marketplace and they have different rules that will make them responsible for the VAT collection rather than the specific seller you're buying from and it's unlikely they will be ignoring the issue
In theory though, if the VAT hasn't been paid, i'm not sure if the process now is that you will be given a VAT bill at point of import instead (as would have been the case last year anyway on anything VAT was due on) or if the parcel would be returned to sender.
Soldato
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It's a unit that is taking up space in their process. It therefore gets charged a flat fee.
Think of it as a tennant renting a room - You wouldn't (shouldn't) charge a larger person more than a tiny person for renting the same room.
Soldato
I know why - I still don't care tbh. Theoretically this new system should allow parcels to go through customs without having to be stung by the RM fees, but if and when they do anyway I will be raging.
When you don't handle the stock yourself - I would be drop shipping (as a crude example) if I offered to sell you a graphics card (for say £500), then ordered it from OcUK (where I knew I could buy it for £450) and put your address in the shipping address. Just imagine it on a larger scale and with less obvious parties involved
It still takes you time.
So what? Comanies can reclaim VAT where private individuals cannot. It sucks but it's the norm.
Soldato
Wow I ordered something from DHGate back in October, it's been going around in circles in China for months then suddenly turned up today.
No duties or Royal Mail fee scam either - surprised. Royal Mail provide the world's worst parcel tracking so as soon as it hits the UK it disappears. Why everything isn't tracked as default today is annoying, most other couriers manage it.
No duties or Royal Mail fee scam either - surprised. Royal Mail provide the world's worst parcel tracking so as soon as it hits the UK it disappears. Why everything isn't tracked as default today is annoying, most other couriers manage it.
Gotcha! Thanks for the explanationWhen you don't handle the stock yourself - I would be drop shipping (as a crude example) if I offered to sell you a graphics card (for say £500), then ordered it from OcUK (where I knew I could buy it for £450) and put your address in the shipping address. Just imagine it on a larger scale and with less obvious parties involved
Don
Not just China, ended up in Ethopia as wellWow I ordered something from DHGate back in October, it's been going around in circles in China for months then suddenly turned up today.
No duties or Royal Mail fee scam either - surprised. Royal Mail provide the world's worst parcel tracking so as soon as it hits the UK it disappears. Why everything isn't tracked as default today is annoying, most other couriers manage it.
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Associate
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Does this spell the end for Grey Imports on lenses, camera equipment and the like?
Associate
Nothing to do with Brexit - its an issue with availability of containers coming from China and affecting everyone. Prices were going up pre Xmas.
Soldato
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I've never heard of the place. You learn something every day.
If its anything like the tat you pick up on ebay or even amazon mktplace its also avoiding UK regs on electrical safety.
If its anything like the tat you pick up on ebay or even amazon mktplace its also avoiding UK regs on electrical safety.
Soldato
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You'd care if you were the guy sitting around looking after your parcels while you contest the fees that put food on his table...
What, a few seconds to check rates that probably change once or twice a year?
It's still no reason for me to pay them for doing something I can quite easily do myself, and 95% of which is already done for me by HMRC anyway.
Like everything on such places, some of it is great high quality branded stuff, while others are rip-off junk.
Caveat emptor.