Man this is all such a clusterfuck. I shipped out my first package to the UK last week. We’ll see how it goes, if they send it back, if they charge the customer tax on pickup, if they try to extradite me, etc.
Got some juicy links for that article/further reading?
Just the first one in the top post, reposted for your convenience.
I just found out Norway has the same kind of nonsense for sales under 3000 NOK:
It’s actually been in effect since April 2020, i.e. longer than the UK equivalent.
I wonder what people’s experience is with selling to Norway wrt this legislation.
@BigBen @moon @ApexBoards @Anubis
Need to send a deck to Germany. Any idea what tarrif code to use for longboard decks? Closest I got to was finding skiis and snowboards but not 100% sure
http://www.eximguru.com/hscodes/uk/ch-95-toys-games-and.aspx
Which company are you gonna send it with?
I’d say toys and games is a good shout.
I’d send with DHL. Recent experience was 3 months to not get to Sweden with UPS. Compared to 1 day with DHL. Same for France and Germany.
Going with DPD. WIll go with toys then. Thanks
Yea I use 9506912000, it doesnt really matter though as long as its not clearly a tariffed item you should be able to send it with a poorly accurate HS code
I’m not sure where else to ask this, but I live in the US and I’m attempting to order a deck from an EU country and i’m being charged around $60 in VAT. My understanding Is VAT is not supposed to be charged when shipping to non EU nations. Maybe i can get some clarification on this? Maybe i’m being ridiculous since I just decided to start what i plan to be a relatively expensive build and i’m making a big deal over $60 dollars, but i would love to know if i’m dealing with a company that’s committing tax fraud at their customer’s expense be it intentionally or otherwise.
US does not pay EU VAT
Countries outside the EU do not pay VAT.
Often times companies charge you the full amount (incl. VAT) and then refund the Vat amount afterwards.
In your case i would contact that company and ask how they handle it.
The company in question was really quick to respond to all of my questions until i asked about VAT at which point they completely stopped responding. I really want this deck, but not if they’re trying to screw their customers.
Mind giving a name?
Additionally a lot of “normal” consumer focused sellers aren’t really used to selling outside the EU since it’s rare that something is available here but not in the US. IMO it’s likely an oversight they just didn’t account for, but idk how they’ll resolve it
Edit: I’m inclined to assume they don’t quite know what to do, hence the silence. But you’re right they could definitely just be sketchy
I really don’t want to name the company just yet. I don’t have any reason to believe they’re deliberately charging VAT to clients outside of the EU with intent to commit tax fraud, but if they continue to ignore my emails i’ll throw it out there. I really REALLY want one of these boards, but I’m not comfortable with the extra $60 being charged. As it stands, there’s literally a $100 difference between advertised price and out the door price which is about 40% markup from advertised.
You’re probably right. However, I have seen several people here that aren’t in EU nations with their decks. That isn’t to say they’re intentionally committing fraud since it could be a genuine long term oversight, but I just wanted to be sure that I wasn’t confused about how VAT is charged/exempted.
Yeah that’s a shitshow. I did a quick Google for skate related stuff + VAT, my logic is find someone in the right industry and see how they handle it. Gong (apparently a surf, foil, general water based board sports brand) just have a little notice saying deliveries outside EU just don’t have VAT on the invoice. Have you gotten to the stage of entering a US/non-EU shipping address? Might automatically be removed
They have a very weird ordering process. Not a typical web based point of sale. You have to send your name and address along with specific requests for the board and they email you back and eventually send you an invoice that you have to pay via bank transfer or paypal(anyone that has ordered from this company can probably figure out who i’m talking about at this point and are welcome to chime in.). The invoice even says that this is supposed to be a tax free export, yet still includes VAT in the total. Since the payment methods require the customer to input the amount to be paid, it’s left out in the open as to whether or not they are expected to pay VAT. On top of that, the seller is requesting an extra 3% to be added to the total amount if using paypal to cover associated fees, yet it specifically requests the customer select the “family and friends” option during the transaction so the seller isn’t charged the associate fees.
this is a screenshot of a part of the invoice. i tried to black out anything immediately identifiable.
Lord above, that’s a mess. TBF I think you’ve misread a small detail; they only want the 3% if you require the protections of PayPal Goods and Services. I think it’s correct to just transfer them €276.48 to be honest, but maybe someone else’s bullshit detection is a bit more sensitive than mine
Isn’t charging more against paypals TOS? (Or was offering a discount if you use a different method against TOS?)
I would not under any circumstances pay family and friends if u don’t know that person.
I wouldn’t pay anything until i have a clear answer from them.
