Importing a bass from the EU

[prowla]

2 hours ago, franzbassist said:

 

It will be a new custom bass, my third, from Franz Bassguitars in Germany.

As I understand things:

• New items manufactured in the EU are not subject to import duty.
• You only pay VAT once, so the supplier should either do the admin for UK VAT or sell it to you VAT-free and you have to pay UK VAT.
• Actually, UK VAT is 20% whereas German is 19%, so it should be slightly more expensive than retail in Germany.
• If the seller doesn't do the VAT for you then the courier will likely do it on your behalf and charge you a fee for it.
• Your shipping fee should be VAT-inclusive.

So, overall your extras will be shipping, 1% higher UK VAT, and a shippers fee for doing the VAT (maybe £20?).

[prowla]

1 hour ago, Grahambythesea said:

Is it worth it? Grrrrr Brexit!

How is B* relevant?

[Steve Browning]

17 minutes ago, prowla said:

How is B* relevant?

The process is far more tedious (and therefore costly) and stuff sent by non-businesses (bought from private individuals) now attracts VAT on importation.

Edited November 25, 2024 by Steve Browning

[Twigman]

42 minutes ago, prowla said:

How is B* relevant?

Before that there was no duty or tax liability when selling between EU countries and UK. It was as simple as buying within UK.

That's all changed because of it.

 

 

[Obrienp]

Thomann seems to have magicked all this away. I have bought several items from them since the dreaded Brexshit and they seem to take care of it all. I guess they have the size to handle the extra admin. I notice that the price does go up marginally when you confirm that you have a UK address. I guess that is allowing for the slightly higher UK VAT.

[Steve Browning]

56 minutes ago, Twigman said:

Before that there was no duty or tax liability when selling between EU countries and UK. It was as simple as buying within UK.

That's all changed because of it.

 

 

Not quite. A German shop would charge German VAT on a sale to an individual (not a business) outside Germany but within the EU.  I get your point, however. 

[Steve Browning]

Thomann has a UK VAT reg and charges UK VAT normally. 

[Misdee]

8 hours ago, Burns-bass said:

Hardly the crime of the century.

 

When I was on a walking holiday in Flanders we met a chap who, after a lot of very delicious beer, showed us what he was carrying back to Britain. It was a WW2 dagger owned by a member of the  SS. Reckon that would probably get you stopped at customs!

 

Was an odd chap. Was very interested when I told him my great uncle was a member of the SS during the war. Not the normal response you get.

 

 

I  have a strong suspicion my ex was a member of the SS. She definitely had an aptitude for that kind of work.

Edited November 25, 2024 by Misdee

[prowla]

1 hour ago, Steve Browning said:

Not quite. A German shop would charge German VAT on a sale to an individual (not a business) outside Germany but within the EU.  I get your point, however. 

The free trade deal is that they do not.

[prowla]

2 hours ago, Twigman said:

Before that there was no duty or tax liability when selling between EU countries and UK. It was as simple as buying within UK.

That's all changed because of it.

You still had to pay VAT regardless and, as pointed out, there is no duty on EU-manufactured goods.

[Twigman]

2 minutes ago, prowla said:

The free trade deal is that they do not.

What free trade deal?

 

We don't have free trade between UK and EU - I pay duties every day on imports from EU

[prowla]

1 minute ago, Twigman said:

What free trade deal?

 

We don't have free trade between UK and EU - I pay duties every day on imports from EU

The free trade deal applied to new items manufactured in the EU.

Edited November 25, 2024 by prowla

[Twigman]

1 minute ago, prowla said:

there is no duty on EU-manufactured goods.

 

Nonsense.

That very much depends on the commodity codes declared to customs.

 

[Twigman]

1 minute ago, prowla said:

The free trade deal applied to new items manufactured in the EU.

Not all new items.

 

[prowla]

1 minute ago, Twigman said:

 

Nonsense.

That very much depends on the commodity codes declared to customs.

 

 

Well, given the context of this thread, it does.

 

https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/relations-united-kingdom/eu-uk-trade-and-cooperation-agreement_en

[prowla]

https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2021-03/2021-brexit-top-50-faq.pdf

 

[Twigman]

In practice it doesn't work like that.

 

For example:

My company imports some video switchers that are assembled in Romania and sold via a Belgian company.

The built to order machines suffer import duties.

If we import the components from Belgium and assemble the devices ourselves no import tarrifs are suffered.

 

The 'free trade agreement' that was sold to the British public is far from a full free trade agreement.

 

 

 

Edited November 25, 2024 by Twigman

[Twigman]

Before the event we're discussing we were able to import goods from EU countries, irrespective of their ultimate country of origin, tariff free as we were in the same customs area.

That is no longer the case.

 

 

Edited November 25, 2024 by Twigman

[Steve Browning]

1 hour ago, prowla said:

https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2021-03/2021-brexit-top-50-faq.pdf

 

See question 40 and reverse the procedure. Relevant VAT applies. 

 

You are linking to an interpretation and not the relevant law. It is the VAT Act 1994 that applies in the UK. 

 

In very simple terms, there is ALWAYS a VAT charge. It is either applied by the seller or local Customs. The difference is that a business can recover the VAT. We won't get into partial exemption unless you want to. 

 

You also have to be mindful of the origin rules. A Japanese guitar originates in Japan, even if bought in the EU. 

[prowla]

51 minutes ago, Steve Browning said:

See question 40 and reverse the procedure. Relevant VAT applies. 

 

You are linking to an interpretation and not the relevant law. It is the VAT Act 1994 that applies in the UK. 

 

In very simple terms, there is ALWAYS a VAT charge. It is either applied by the seller or local Customs. The difference is that a business can recover the VAT. We won't get into partial exemption unless you want to. 

 

You also have to be mindful of the origin rules. A Japanese guitar originates in Japan, even if bought in the EU. 

The context of this thread is an individual buying a new instrument manufactured in the EU; they should only pay UK VAT and not import duty.

[prowla]

2 hours ago, Twigman said:

In practice it doesn't work like that.

 

For example:

My company imports some video switchers that are assembled in Romania and sold via a Belgian company.

The built to order machines suffer import duties.

If we import the components from Belgium and assemble the devices ourselves no import tarrifs are suffered.

 

The 'free trade agreement' that was sold to the British public is far from a full free trade agreement.

 

That’s off topic. 

[franzbassist]

This is from gov.uk.

 

 

[prowla]

53 minutes ago, franzbassist said:

This is from gov.uk.

 

 

Now you have to be sure the sale price is ex VAT, not full retail. 
You should not pay both German and UK VAT. 

[franzbassist]

2 minutes ago, prowla said:

Now you have to be sure the sale price is ex VAT, not full retail. 
You should not pay both German and UK VAT. 

Yes, I am sure.

[prowla]

1 minute ago, franzbassist said:

Yes, I am sure.

Great - so you’re only paying shipping plus the 1% VAT differential over what it would cost you in Germany.