New to purchasing on Ebay

Declan

Declan

Suspended / Banned
Messages
7
Name
Declan
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi guys, I've never bought from ebay before (my country never supported it well) but now that I'm in the UK, I was hoping to buy a camera through ebay.

I've a question though: Say the seller has 99.4% positive ratings and is based in hong kong but he sells at item for X GBP but states that the item will ship from London. Assuming that X includes delivery prices, do I have to pay a 20% VAT on top of X?

I understand that I would have to pay customs if the item is from Hong Kong, but seeing as the seller says that it ships from London, does this mean that I don't have to pay customs or VAT (or is VAT included in the price)?


Thanks!
 
I always pay through via Paypal with a credit card , that way it is only one company that has any details about anything financial on you. Also they have a dispute section as well.

You are the customer not the seller offering a cheaper deal than a UK version , so you may have to pay import and VAT. It is unlikely you will get clobbered but have some cash extra just incase. The seller should state if duty and VAT may be due
Even if the seller has a UK point of sale you need to be aware.

I have sometimes had to pay on high value goods and other times not, it depends on how the customs people are picking on goods. if you have to pay you can do it on delivery

Many years ago I had an item sent and the paperwork stated it was a replacement to avoid everything even though it was new. Needless to say that company no longer exists
 
Last edited:
realspeed said:
I always pay through via Paypal with a credit card , that way it is only one company that has any details about anything financial on you. Also they have a dispute section as well.

You are the customer not the seller offering a cheaper deal than a UK version , so you may have to pay import and VAT. It is unlikely you will get clobbered but have some cash extra just incase. The seller should state if duty and VAT may be due
Even if the seller has a UK point of sale you need to be aware.

I have sometimes had to pay on high value goods and other times not, it depends on how the customs people are picking on goods. if you have to pay you can do it on delivery

Many years ago I had an item sent and the paperwork stated it was a replacement to avoid everything even though it was new. Needless to say that company no longer exists
Click to expand...

Hm, so even if it ships from London, VAT *might* be payable?
 
Peter B said:
Hi Declan

There is some more info in a sticky at the top of this forum, but here's the link https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/t...rey-imports-and-other-assorted-topics.512133/

It's often buried away in the T&Cs that you are the importer of the item and the company is only acting as your agent, so you might need to dig about to find out.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I've read that already!

My question is that if the company is in HK but claims that the item is shipping from London, will VAT still be imposed?

Also, if I am buying from a private seller without a company overseas, will I have to pay customs and TAX as well?
 
Declan said:
My question is that if the company is in HK but claims that the item is shipping from London, will VAT still be imposed?
Click to expand...
Ask the company concerned. And remember there's a very big difference between *should* VAT and Duty be charged and *will* VAT and Duty be charged, and your own personal honesty if it *should* but *isn't*.

Although, let's be fair.. when we're asking about whether VAT/Duty will be charged there's a large degree of implied dishonesty in the question :D :D :D

Declan said:
Also, if I am buying from a private seller without a company overseas, will I have to pay customs and TAX as well?
Click to expand...
This question is almost certainly answered on the HMRC website (it's very good) as there's not enough detail in your question to give a reliable answer. It's slightly complicated by the facts that VAT and Duty are treated separately, how do you prove an overseas seller is private? and it depends what you mean by "overseas" - "outside the UK" would not be an accurate enough description.

I've imported from a number of countries from private and commercial sellers, and regardless of what *should* be payable there's no rhyme nor reason to the pattern of being actually asked to pay. Except when buying from Japan, almost everything with these purchases has been "honest" and I've been asked to pay the duty I expected to.
 
Hi, If you are in the UK how would you have to pay additional Tax or Import duties if the item in question is posted from within the UK as it does not go back through customs or any other Government ofiice, it just goes through the Postal service. If you buy an item from outside the the UK/Europe then check to see if the seller states that the buyer is liable for any taxes/duties.
If you buy an item that is stated as being located in the UK and it turns up from outside the UK/EU and you get a bill from customs then report it to Ebay and request what action you should take gainst the seller.
 
Thanks guys! Sorry if the questions sound really dumb because I didn't have to worry about these issues back in my home country!


When I mean private seller, I meant someone from a country e.g. Australia who used to own a camera and wants to sell it second hand on ebay.
 
The sticky still applies to deals between private sellers as you would still be importing goods into the UK, but it also depends what country the goods are coming from. If it is from inside the EU then VAT will already have been paid in the seller's country so you wouldn't need to pay UK VAT on top of that. Duty is a different matter and it depends on what the goods are, since some have zero duty (including digital cameras!) More info at the link http://www.dutycalculator.com/count...taxes-when-importing-into-the-United-Kingdom/
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top