Purchasing from Europe

[brightspark]

I ordered £75 of stuff off Chronos, £25 delivery, no vat was levied on the sale.
then DHL, inform me during shipping there's a 39 Euro customs fee.

The joys of the UK leaving that thingymajig.....

would that be the eu by any chance

 

[Ashley Burton]

I just don’t buy from anywhere but the UK

 

[Arc Tourist]

Buying from Germany is now like buying from everywhere else abroad -

You get charged vat on import. Along with a significant (on small value goods) clearence fee. Generally GBP 15-20 ish.

Oh. And then you get charged vat on the clearence fee. And vat on the delivery cost. And even vat on the duty, if there is any of that payable.

Business to consumer trade with the EU is stuffed. Business to business, unless youre in a group that has got decimated, like shellfish, is moderately ok (as in feasible, just more costly), but business to consumer is a mess.

I'm awaiting a delivery of a jacket from a motorcycle shop in Germany. I have a rough idea of what the VAT fee would be, but couldn't find anything on what customs charges might be; shipping is by DHL , so guess I'll have to bite the bullet when I find out.

Edit:

 

[julianf]

I'm awaiting a delivery of a jacket from a motorcycle shop in Germany. I have a rough idea of what the VAT fee would be, but couldn't find anything on what customs charges might be; shipping is by DHL , so guess I'll have to bite the bullet when I find out.

Edit:

most of them want between ten and twenty quid - these are not charges that go to the government, they are charges that the courier applies.

in the case of dhl, your charge will actually go, in part, to the German govt, considering DHL is 70% state owned.

Clever that, init?

 

[PhillipM]

I just don’t buy from anywhere but the UK

Be okay if the only UK supplier for the resin hadn't just given up and shut up shot mid trying to sort out what was going on with the s-show that was the Brexit negotiations....

 

[Ashley Burton]

Be okay if the only UK supplier for the resin hadn't just given up and shut up shot mid trying to sort out what was going on with the s-show that was the Brexit negotiations....

Good job I don’t use any!

 

[The Artilleryman]

SWMBO ordered some garden gnomes a month ago, thinking it was from a UK firm, No coming from HK, f*** knows what that's going to cost in charges.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

SWMBO ordered some garden gnomes a month ago, thinking it was from a UK firm, No coming from HK, f*** knows what that's going to cost in charges.

I ordered a synthisiser from a UK music shop in Romford.

Said dispatched from their central warehouse

Yeah central Germany.

To their credit it got here in the promised 6 days with no charges applied

 

[julianf]

SWMBO ordered some garden gnomes a month ago, thinking it was from a UK firm, No coming from HK, f*** knows what that's going to cost in charges.

20% on all the money you pay / paid, plus a negligible bit of duty if it's over £150, plus clearence fees. (Again, 20% on the fees and duty too)

 

[Arc Tourist]

most of them want between ten and twenty quid - these are not charges that go to the government, they are charges that the courier applies.

in the case of dhl, your charge will actually go, in part, to the German govt, considering DHL is 70% state owned.

Clever that, init?

Clever, yeah. Only reason I bought the jacket from the EU vender, is that it was the only one available anywhere in the size and in the colour I wanted.

 

[julianf]

Clever, yeah. Only reason I bought the jacket from the EU vender, is that it was the only one available anywhere in the size and in the colour I wanted.

DHL (again 70% owned by the German government) have a significant share holding in Royal Mail.

This means what was owned by the UK government is now actually owned and making profit for the German government.

So when royal mail slaps a handling charge on the package - that's also a (partial) donation to the German government.

I forget why we were told Royal Mail had to be sold.

 

[Arc Tourist]

I must have been out that day, or overseas; didn't know Royal Mail had been sold.

 

[Brad93]

I ordered a synthisiser from a UK music shop in Romford.

Said dispatched from their central warehouse

Yeah central Germany.

To their credit it got here in the promised 6 days with no charges applied

PMT?

 

[waddycall]

I ordered a synthisiser from a UK music shop in Romford.

Said dispatched from their central warehouse

Yeah central Germany.

To their credit it got here in the promised 6 days with no charges applied

I’m guessing Dv247? I ordered a bass neck and had the same thing. Was expecting extra charges etc but just got a knock on the door and found the parcel on the step.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

PMT?

I’m guessing Dv247? I ordered a bass neck and had the same thing. Was expecting extra charges etc but just got a knock on the door and found the parcel on the step.

Waddy nailed it.

 

[Migmac]

A bit more info today. UPS brought them from Germany to our local courier. £32 is import vat and £11 was a brokerage fee.

 

[fizzy]

The reason the couriers charge high fees is to cover all the times when the customer refuses to pay and the item has to be destroyed or returned. The couriers are also liable for unpaid duties.
Mind you some of the foreign customs agents take the mick as well. 100 Euros to clear a 100kg item into Greece. That is just the customs fees.

 

[julianf]

Its not all bad though - it looks like we are going to have a free trade deal with Australia.

So, whilst, as consumers, we will still get charged the VAT and processing charges, and shipping from, literally, the other side of the globe, at least we should be able to buy Australian beef cheaper than the UK farmers can produce it for.

 

[Barking Mat]

Its not all bad though - it looks like we are going to have a free trade deal with Australia.

So, whilst, as consumers, we will still get charged the VAT and processing charges, and shipping from, literally, the other side of the globe, at least we should be able to buy Australian beef cheaper than the UK farmers can produce it for.

So taking out British agriculture.

That makes perfect sense...

And the shipping?