closing tag is in template navbar
timefactors watches



TZ-UK Fundraiser
Results 1 to 23 of 23

Thread: Any experience of buying a watch from Switzerland and UK Customs / Tax

  1. #1
    Craftsman
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    London
    Posts
    621

    Any experience of buying a watch from Switzerland and UK Customs / Tax

    Having missed out big time on buying a watch from a seller in Switzerland by delaying my buy and then deciding to buy it the night before the day the CHF went bang and prices exploded. I have managed to agree a deal since the increase the price is still about £150 more but we have agreed to split the difference and the price before the hike was about right, the seller who lives in Switzerland is not making a profit out of the hike. So I've agreed to do the deal.

    He asked an interesting question about Vat / Custom charges when the watch is sent to the UK as he wants me to check out before buying the watch that I'm not going to be hit with other expenses (nice guy as he knows this hike in the CHF is aready pushing my budget and good when you can get a positive relationship going between seller and buyer).

    To be honest this question has also foxed me. I assumed because Switzerland has trade and I think employment agreements with the EU that this wouldn't be an issue. Then again they pegged the CHF to the euro until last week so what do I know!

    Anybody have any advice or experience of directly buying from private seller Switzerland to the UK and any additional cost? I've had a look at the UK Custom pages and Royal Mail but can't find anything that's sensible or gives an easily accessible answer.

    Fingers crossed it will not cost any more and any help much appreciated. Cheers. Sean
    Last edited by Naesuk; 18th January 2015 at 16:07.

  2. #2
    Journeyman Hackett.dp's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    London, United Kingdom
    Posts
    172
    Hi Sean,

    Importing a watch from Switzerland into the EU will attract VAT at 20% and duty (nominally a few £ or so). If sent by post, Royal Mail will collect the vat from you upon delivery. I've not used couriers before, but would expect a similar scenario.
    Is the watch not available from another EU seller?

    Hope this helps... DH

  3. #3
    Master
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Here and there
    Posts
    1,408
    You will get hit for the VAT. Could thee seller do a drive to France, Germany or Italy and post from there ? Depending on where they are it may not be a long drive.

  4. #4
    Grand Master markrlondon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    London, England
    Posts
    25,353
    Blog Entries
    26
    Quote Originally Posted by Hackett.dp View Post
    and duty (nominally a few £ or so)
    Just to clarify, the Customs Duty on a watch will be no more than the UK£ equivalent of €0.80. In fact it won't even be collected at all on a single watch shipment.

    As you say, it will just be the VAT @20% and the courier's handling fee to pay.

  5. #5
    Master
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Bucks. UK.
    Posts
    1,393
    Quote Originally Posted by JP28 View Post
    You will get hit for the VAT. Could thee seller do a drive to France, Germany or Italy and post from there ? Depending on where they are it may not be a long drive.
    I bought a watch from a Swiss TZ-UK member recently who was able to post the watch from France for me.

  6. #6
    Master IAmATeaf's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    NW London
    Posts
    4,757
    I checked this out when I saw that watch and as said above you will get hit for vat.

  7. #7
    Craftsman
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    London
    Posts
    621
    That's fantastic and a great response. Bad news for me then on top of CHF increase. The watch can not be easily found in other EU environments. I know that Germany is about an hour away the seller is in Zurich and I did half heartedly suggest posting from Germany but not had a response since this morning. It's a private seller and although I think he is a good person and just as fed up as me with the increase in the £ price I'm not sure if things could get complicated if sent from a EU country and things went wrong as its not from his home address. I much appreciate your help on this. Cheers

  8. #8
    Craftsman
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    London
    Posts
    621
    Quote Originally Posted by IAmATeaf View Post
    I checked this out when I saw that watch and as said above you will get hit for vat.
    Really, that's intersting what watch was it that you were looking at? I missed out on one that was similar but better a few weeks ago on eBay. Cheers

  9. #9
    Apprentice
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Location
    Bridgenorth. United Kingdom
    Posts
    3

    Not sure

    Quote Originally Posted by Hackett.dp View Post
    Hi Sean,

    Importing a watch from Switzerland into the EU will attract VAT at 20% and duty (nominally a few £ or so). If sent by post, Royal Mail will collect the vat from you upon delivery. I've not used couriers before, but would expect a similar scenario.
    Is the watch not available from another EU seller?

    Hope this helps... DH
    I am not sure there is VAT. to be paid from Switzerland. I have imported many things from Switzerland worth overall 100 UK pounds and never once paid duty

  10. #10
    Master
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    South Wales
    Posts
    1,613
    Blog Entries
    1

  11. #11
    Grand Master MartynJC (UK)'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Somewhere else
    Posts
    12,336
    Blog Entries
    22

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by hoffman View Post
    I am not sure there is VAT. to be paid from Switzerland. I have imported many things from Switzerland worth overall 100 UK pounds and never once paid duty
    Definitely is VAT.

  13. #13
    I can definitely confirm as I've just had to pay £188.00 import charges from Lichtenstein. That was on a £846.00 Sinn which was still cheaper than buying direct from Sinn of any other dealer in Europe I found.

    Sent from my SM-N960F using TZ-UK mobile app

  14. #14
    Journeyman
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    farmborough
    Posts
    185
    Quote Originally Posted by sickie View Post
    I can definitely confirm as I've just had to pay £188.00 import charges from Lichtenstein. That was on a £846.00 Sinn which was still cheaper than buying direct from Sinn of any other dealer in Europe I found.

    Sent from my SM-N960F using TZ-UK mobile app
    I thought Lichtenstein sellers advertised their watches as VAT free to EU countries? Atleast they used to on chrono24... Glad I didn't buy one now!

    Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by superthrust View Post
    I thought Lichtenstein sellers advertised their watches as VAT free to EU countries? Atleast they used to on chrono24... Glad I didn't buy one now!

    Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk
    Are we EU....


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  16. #16
    Master
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    NW Leics
    Posts
    8,153
    Quote Originally Posted by notenoughwrists View Post
    Are we EU....


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    No :)

    Bought one in Geneva once and don't remember paying anything on the way back into Blighty.

  17. #17
    I actually bought it from a dealer on Chrono24 and there was absolutely nothing mentioned anywhere about Import charges.

    When FedEx hit me with the bill I googled shed loads but all I could find is although Switzerland and Lichtenstein have an agreement with the EU they aren't actually part of the EU free trade agreement. So import taxes are payable. I suppose some might jump over the border to post from Germany so might of said vat free but not from Lichtenstein itself.
    Quote Originally Posted by superthrust View Post
    I thought Lichtenstein sellers advertised their watches as VAT free to EU countries? Atleast they used to on chrono24... Glad I didn't buy one now!

    Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk
    Sent from my SM-N960F using TZ-UK mobile app

  18. #18
    Master
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    Felixstowe, UK
    Posts
    1,309
    Quote Originally Posted by monogroover View Post
    No :)

    Bought one in Geneva once and don't remember paying anything on the way back into Blighty.
    The correct answer is ‘Yes’ at least for import VAT purposes until 2300 hours 31/12/20.


    Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app

  19. #19
    Craftsman
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Ashton-under-Lyne
    Posts
    695
    Quote Originally Posted by superthrust View Post
    I thought Lichtenstein sellers advertised their watches as VAT free to EU countries? At least they used to on chrono24... Glad I didn't buy one now!

    Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk
    Lichtenstein sellers do sell VAT-free, that is free of the VAT applied in Lichtehstein not the VAT you pay when the item arrives in the UK (or other EU country for that matter).

  20. #20
    Master ozzyb123's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2019
    Location
    London
    Posts
    1,027
    Quote Originally Posted by monogroover View Post
    No :)

    Bought one in Geneva once and don't remember paying anything on the way back into Blighty.
    In that case you owe HMRC some dosh!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  21. #21
    Master martyloveswatches's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2018
    Location
    Zadar, Croatia
    Posts
    1,266
    Quote Originally Posted by RickS View Post
    Lichtenstein sellers do sell VAT-free, that is free of the VAT applied in Lichtehstein not the VAT you pay when the item arrives in the UK (or other EU country for that matter).
    Yes. VAT free as export (probably that is why it is cheaper), you pay VAT on import.

    Poslano sa mog SM-G960F koriste?i Tapatalk

  22. #22
    Craftsman
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Torquay
    Posts
    874
    I enquired about a Sinn from a dealer in Lichtehstein, their VAT is only 7% but VAT removed for export and UK VAT is applied on arrival in the UK. I said ‘any chance you could post it from Austria?’ (it’s only 5 minutes down the road) The response was ‘this is impossible!’ - which I found hilarious.

  23. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by ROBANNENAGY View Post
    I enquired about a Sinn from a dealer in Lichtehstein, their VAT is only 7% but VAT removed for export and UK VAT is applied on arrival in the UK. I said ‘any chance you could post it from Austria?’ (it’s only 5 minutes down the road) The response was ‘this is impossible!’ - which I found hilarious.
    Impossible for them to legally do, yes.

    Probably found your request hilarious.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Do Not Sell My Personal Information