PlaymoFriends
General => Direct Service/Parts Queries => Topic started by: mike1003 on January 21, 2021, 22:39:51
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Im shocked. I ordered some stuff from the DS and UPS stopped it at the Border and i have to pay 47 quid tax on it. its a 150 quid order. Anyone has similiar problems?
i thought its still a free trade arangement..
Im contacted the DS department and will see whats happening now.
Government Charges:
35.51
Brokerage Charges:
11.50
Freight Charges:
0.00
VAT:
0.00
Total Due GBP:
47.01
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hmm i just see taht all under 135 quid is free. they should have told me. i need to phone them tomorrow. send back and repack :lol
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Welcome to the Brexit (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O10KR2gubzw/), Mike. It's all over the newspapers: Nothing is free, also not under £ 135 (https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/jan/21/eu-website-purchases-the-import-charges-uk-customers-have-to-pay/). I suppose all Geobra online shops are still considered German/EU tax entities? If you had ordered at German DS, things would have turned out cheaper.
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I did actually wonder about this, especially for spare parts which always come from Germany rather than the UK.
Was it spare parts or sets? I'd (hope) that full sets would be dispatched from the UK, and so the tax was sorted out already, but I can see that wouldn't be possible for the spare parts service - and potentially I can either see them refusing to post to the UK.
I *think* you used to be able to receive packages up to £50 from outside the EU but I know it's a bit hit and miss - I've had clothing items from Australia be hit with the import charges, and some vinyl from the USA and both would have been below the £135 threshold. It's easy to forget when you're buying online ::)
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I did actually wonder about this, especially for spare parts which always come from Germany rather than the UK.
Was it spare parts or sets? I'd (hope) that full sets would be dispatched from the UK, and so the tax was sorted out already, but I can see that wouldn't be possible for the spare parts service - and potentially I can either see them refusing to post to the UK.
I *think* you used to be able to receive packages up to £50 from outside the EU but I know it's a bit hit and miss - I've had clothing items from Australia be hit with the import charges, and some vinyl from the USA and both would have been below the £135 threshold. It's easy to forget when you're buying online ::)
Sets are dispatched from Germany too. But it s more than 30 percent and that's wrong. Customs on gov says between 135 and 630 it's max 2.5 and under its free as it's a EU produced product without non EU parts.
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When I ship something to the UK from the US, it's VAT plus 8 pounds. But I don't know what's going on with the EU and Brexit right now.
I hear the UK is planning to add another 2% on top of VAT.
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If you personally import goods from the EU, any UK VAT is charged on the value of the goods plus any import duties, so the total will be more than 20%. Plus of course the shipping company also has more paperwork to fill in and they charge for this.
Not being able to import meat products (e.g. ham sandwiches) into the EU follows on automatically from leaving it because the EU (like other countries such as the US and Australia) bans imports of certain foods for environmental or health reasons.
The government despite what the Prime Minister said, was aware of all these things (and more) when it signed the trade agreement
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If you personally import goods from the EU, any UK VAT is charged on the value of the goods plus any import duties, so the total will be more than 20%. Plus of course the shipping company also has more paperwork to fill in and they charge for this.
Not being able to import meat products (e.g. ham sandwiches) into the EU follows on automatically from leaving it because the EU (like other countries such as the US and Australia) bans imports of certain foods for environmental or health reasons.
The government despite what the Prime Minister said, was aware of all these things (and more) when it signed the trade agreement
no. 135 is still free
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/brits-slapped-with-sky-high-tax-and-delivery-charges-for-clothes-ordered-from-eu/ar-BB1cZs4W?li=AAnZ9Ug
but the did not inform me..
"The problems have in part been caused by rules introduced since the end of the Brexit transition period that require VAT on purchases from the EU to be collected at the point of delivery if the goods cost more than £135.
There may also be customs duties if the goods originated, or partly originated, outside the EU.""
its fully EU product
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there is like 300 something i can carry duty free in my luggage or hand luggage aswell.. aslong its personal use...
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all sorted with Geobra. They know the issue and it takes time to get sorted.. Great Service. Thanks
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Good to hear it's sorted.
My understanding is that the £135 limit is a bit ambiguous. For goods below the threshold they can avoid import tariffs, but the supplier has to collect VAT at UK rate and send it on to HMRC - VAT is technically paid by the consumer with the retailer just acting as the collection agent for the government.
For Playmobil this probably isn't too difficult, because they will already have the paperwork in place, but for smaller companies that don't and don't bother to do it the VAT still has to be paid at the point of delivery.
I'll be interested to see if they stick a warning on the UK site.
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Good to hear it's sorted.
My understanding is that the £135 limit is a bit ambiguous. For goods below the threshold they can avoid import tariffs, but the supplier has to collect VAT at UK rate and send it on to HMRC - VAT is technically paid by the consumer with the retailer just acting as the collection agent for the government.
For Playmobil this probably isn't too difficult, because they will already have the paperwork in place, but for smaller companies that don't and don't bother to do it the VAT still has to be paid at the point of delivery.
I'll be interested to see if they stick a warning on the UK site.
You are quite right, the situation is certainly not as clear cut as Mike 1003 says. Indeed, it is a minefield for people in the UK buying online from the EU and vice versa and for the companies too.
Many small companies in the EU are at least temporarily stopping selling to UK customers and UK companies are doing the same or setting up a base in the EU to ease the problems.
I read this morning that buyers online in the EU are suddenly finding themselves faced with the courier demanding extra money for taxes and the cost of administering the new system and so they refuse delivery of the goods and ask for them to be returned. But for the UK sellers, the goods returned to them may attract duties when they arrive here(!) and some are thinking of just abandoning the goods where they are in the EU or arranging for them to be burned!
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It's a huge mess, and UK companies WILL feel it.
If I have to pay fees and have the hassle, it's the same to buy from the UK or US. I am worried about where to get my movies and series though... Books... well, amazon.de has a "foreign language" section, and I got several there.
Still find it hard to believe this came to be. :(
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To clarify something. I bought from Playmobil UK and it's a UK company and its not customers fault that they ship from EU as the order is placed in the UK . But Geobra is a fair company and all is sorted fine... I also got told it will be sorted in the next few month with the delivery companies and than all is good.
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Can I just say that I voted NO to the UK ceding from the EU, foreseeing exactly these sort of problems. Stupid move.
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Can I just say that I voted NO to the UK ceding from the EU, foreseeing exactly these sort of problems. Stupid move.
Couldn't agree more, Graham.
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Good to hear it's sorted.
My understanding is that the £135 limit is a bit ambiguous. For goods below the threshold they can avoid import tariffs, but the sup
plier has to collect VAT at UK rate and send it on to HMRC - VAT is technically paid by the consumer with the retailer just acting as the collection agent for the government.
For Playmobil this probably isn't too difficult, because they will already have the paperwork in place, but for smaller companies that don't and don't bother to do it the VAT still has to be paid at the point of delivery.
I'll be interested to see if they stick a warning on the UK site.
I'm having that exact problem with my website. The UK wants us to collect VAT. France, Germany, and several other EU countries want us to pay for importing packaging materials into their country. I get maybe a dozen EU and UK orders per year on the website, and I can't afford hundreds of euros for all these administrative costs.
I also sell on a platform that at least handles UK VAT (well, they ought to considering the fees they get from us), but changing definitions of nexus are killing micro businesses. We're having the same issues within the US, but at least states are using thresholds (although I'm giving the side eye to South Dakota who started this, in the US anyway).
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"Little guys" obviously aren't welcome in global commerce.
Playmobil UK website is not currently adding extra VAT to prices.
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"Little guys" obviously aren't welcome in global commerce.
Playmobil UK website is not currently adding extra VAT to prices.
well, why should tehy? the problem is, as mentioned before. When you order at Playmobil.co.uk you are ordering from a UK Company and not from a EU based Company. When they ship from EU its not Customer problem really.. Or is it?
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well, why should tehy? the problem is, as mentioned before. When you order at Playmobil.co.uk you are ordering from a UK Company and not from a EU based Company. When they ship from EU its not Customer problem really.. Or is it?
They should have at least warned you if they weren't going to handle the VAT issue on their end.
"Little guys" obviously aren't welcome in global commerce.
No, we're supposed to confine ourselves to quaint little corner shops.
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They do it but it takes time.
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It does sound like Playmobil was caught off-guard themselves.
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Sounds like with VAT, they have people over a BARREL :D <:> :easterhop:
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Sounds like with VAT, they have people over a BARREL :D <:> :easterhop:
Boom! Boom!