Reply With QuoteHave you got a link to his Etsy shop?
You would be liable for duty but in reality (and I've bought a LOT of stuff from Russia/Ukraine in the past) items very, very rarely get stopped by customs from that part of the world.
Has anyone ever used these?
What would be the customs/duty responsibilities and liabilities buying from Ukraine?
Have you got a link to his Etsy shop?
You would be liable for duty but in reality (and I've bought a LOT of stuff from Russia/Ukraine in the past) items very, very rarely get stopped by customs from that part of the world.
Here it is...Originally Posted by Lampoc
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/5842...6d%3A584238093
Never used that company but bought from Ukraine on several occasions.
On a watch, tax liability would be for VAT at 20%, not Customs Duty. In addition, there would be a fee payable to the courier for their import tax handling (£8-£15).
However, as Lampoc said, it seems rare for Ukrainians (as well as Russians in my experience) to fill in customs declarations accurately. In some cases they leave off a customs declaration entirely. It is therefore rare to be caught for import taxes. Nevertheless, budget for 20% VAT and the handling fee.
It says 'ships from Bulgaria'.
In which case, since Bulgaria is in the EU, no additional import tax is due (at present). The vendor, if VAT-registered, will charge a UK buyer VAT at the UK rate.
After the UK leaves the EU then the VAT-registered vendor should charge no VAT (as the item is being exported from the EU) and UK VAT will be charged on import, exactly the same as with importing from outside the EU at present.
Last edited by markrlondon; 24th October 2019 at 23:38.
this is why I need help!
I believe the vendor will charge VAT at BG rate (registered or not). However if both vendor and buyer were VAT registered, as long as the UK is part of the EU the vendor would be able to sell without VAT and the buyer would owe UK VAT when he, in turn, sells in the UK.
I have been wrong before, though...
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
The vendor can only charge VAT if they are VAT-registered. If they are not VAT-registered then they cannot charge VAT.
It used to be the case that the VAT-registered vendor charged VAT at their own national rate to EU buyers no matter what EU country the buyer was in but this has been (or is in the process of being) changed by the EU. The change from charging VAT at the vendor's own national rate to charging it at the EU customer's national rate began with electronic/online sales (e.g. software, services) but has been (or is being) extended to physical goods. I admit I haven't kept up with the progress on this but I think that it has by now been fully implemented for physical goods as well.
Correct. If the buyer is VAT-registered in an EU country outside of the VAT-registered vendor's home country and provides the vendor with his VAT number then the VAT-registered vendor will sell to the buyer without adding VAT. The VAT-registered buyer must then account for import VAT at his own country's rate when he imports the goods. (There are exceptions to this rule for certain types of goods, mainly ones that are or were subject to carousel fraud).
And, lastly, just to confirm, when the UK eventually leaves the EU then all EU vendors (both VAT-registered and otherwise) should export to UK customers without charging any VAT, just as they currently export to the rest of the world without charging VAT. UK VAT-registered buyers will account for UK VAT (and possibly Customs Duty) on import, exactly as they do at present when buying from outside the EU. UK non-VAT-registered buyers will tend to get charged UK VAT (and possibly Customs Duty) on import, exactly as they do at present when buying from outside the EU.
Last edited by markrlondon; 26th October 2019 at 02:45.
Not quite.
The Bulgarian seller will only have to charge VAT at UK rate if they sell goods with an aggregated value of over £70,000 to the UK in any given calendar year. As long as they remain below that threshold, they will charge Bulgarian VAT. This is to simplify the procedure for smaller businesses.
I have found that in reality many businesses continue to charge domestic VAT despite being clearly above the threshold, for instance I am currently considering buying an Italian pizza oven and they advertise the price including Italian tax despite selling truckloads of them to Germany.
Someone who lies about the little things will lie about the big things too.
All made simpler by the fact that the UK and Bulgaria have the same rate of VAT - 20%.
...and by the looks of the Etsy shop, the seller either will be a sole trader under VAT threshold or will act as a private seller so is unlikely to charge any VAT at all. Not that it would matter for the OP, who asked what to expect when the seller is in Ukraine - which he isn't as he is in Bulgaria.
So the answer to the OP: as the seller is in Bulgaria, there will be neither VAT nor customs due. Such are the benefits when buying inside the EU common market. I suppose after nearly four years of Brexit debate, the UK public should be well aware of the common market and its advantages.
Someone who lies about the little things will lie about the big things too.
There's a similar watch on another Ukraine Etsy site that looks remarkably similar to the first one! I have a current account that I only use for things like this so I'll load up the card and take a punt. I like the idea of credit card protection but I'd rather not risk my details over this.
That's interesting, thanks.
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