Importing from EU Countries

[skampino]

Hey everyone, just been looking at importing from Singapore but what with Duty & VAT costs I thought if I could find the same bass in the EU it would be a lot cheaper. It appears I'm wrong. Still get hit with VAT. So in others words buying from say the Czech Republic Germany or France is not much cheaper than from Singapore or Japan? Thats friggin crazy. How come I have never paid VAT when buying fro Thomann?

[Marvin]

You pay UK vat when buying from Thomann, EU law.

[neepheid]

[quote name='skampino' timestamp='1456435183' post='2989107']
How come I have never paid VAT when buying fro Thomann?
[/quote]

You see that (for now at least) we're a member of this thing called the European Union (previous names the "Common Market" and "European Economic Community") and one of the benefits of that is the importing of goods without additional VAT or import duties. Great, isn't it? Apparently some people think not. I will hunt down anyone responsible for making me pay duty on tasty goods from Thomann if this referendum goes the way of no.

Edited February 25, 2016 by neepheid

[skampino]

Hi Marvin, is the UK VAT include on Thomann prices?

[quote name='Marvin' timestamp='1456435551' post='2989111']
You pay UK vat when buying from Thomann, EU law.
[/quote][quote name='Marvin' timestamp='1456435551' post='2989111']
You pay UK vat when buying from Thomann, EU law.
[/quote]

[Mykesbass]

[quote name='skampino' timestamp='1456435914' post='2989116']
Hi Marvin, is the UK VAT include on Thomann prices?
[/quote]

Copied and pasted from Thomann: [color=#000000][font=verdana, tahoma, arial, helvetica][size=6][b][center]€289[/center][/b][/size][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=verdana, tahoma, arial, helvetica][size=5][center]£228.57[/center][/size][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=verdana, tahoma, arial, helvetica][size=4]

[size=2][center]Price includes VAT and free thomann[url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/helpdesk_shipping.html"]shipping[/url](where applicable)
£ price - guideline price only[/center][/size][/size][/font][/color]

[baldwinbass]

I checked on this before I last bought from Thomann and the VAT is already in the UK quoted price, which they explain on their FAQs
[url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/faq_question_do_i_have_to_pay_value_added_tax_vat.html"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/faq_question_do_i_have_to_pay_value_added_tax_vat.html[/url]
So sadly there's no escape!

[skampino]

I have always found thomann reasonable anyway.

[EssentialTension]

In the EU everyone pays VAT (or that country's equivalent). What you don't pay is customs duty and additional VAT ... because it's a single market. Let's hope it stays that way or we'll be adding about 20% onto Thomann prices

[BigRedX]

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1456440789' post='2989180']
In the EU everyone pays VAT (or that country's equivalent). What you don't pay is customs duty and additional VAT ... because it's a single market. Let's hope it stays that way or we'll be adding about 20% onto Thomann prices
[/quote]

It doesn't quite work like that.

If I buy a bass from Ishibashi in Japan, I don't pay the Japanese sales tax, but I do pay VAT at the UK rate. So theoretically the price would only increase by the cost of the import duty - around 3% ( and which IIRC doesn't apply to items under £135) and whatever clearance fee gets added on by the company delivering the items in the UK.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1456441728' post='2989194']
It doesn't quite work like that.

If I buy a bass from Ishibashi in Japan, I don't pay the Japanese sales tax, but I do pay VAT at the UK rate. So theoretically the price would only increase by the cost of the import duty - around 3% ( and which IIRC doesn't apply to items under £135) and whatever clearance fee gets added on by the company delivering the items in the UK.
[/quote]

Well. maybe I overegged it at 20% - but the VAT would be payable on the shipping and insurance as well as on the customs duty being added which at present, from the EU, it isn't.

[bumnote]

Well. maybe I overegged it at 20% - but the VAT would be payable on the shipping and insurance as well as on the customs duty being added which at present, from the EU, it isn't.

If Thomann give free shipping and insurance you wont pay customs duty on those items

If you were a politician that would be considered scaremongering

[Nicko]

If you actually go to another EU country and buy in person you can bring it back to the UK without any additional charge as long as they are for your own use.