 Poster: A snowHead
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I ordered some stuff (mail order) from a seller in the Netherlands and they said they cannot ship goods to the UK without VAT.
When the courier got them the import duties were £0 but had to pay UK VAT on them before they could be delivered.
This seems like being double charged, but trying to find any info on if it’s possible to reclaim VAT is impossible to decipher.
Anyone had a similar experience? If they were customs duties it would have felt more plausible, but paying 2x sets of VAT doesn’t seem right.
The goods are not available from any UK retailer, so not even an option to buy in the UK anyway.
Is it possible to get the VAT back? Or should this just be chalked up to experience and the “brexit dividend”?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@ish303, looks like the company have charged VAT but not aid the courier so the courier is liable for VAT and want to charge you. Was it UPS?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You can claim VAT back if you are VAT registered. I do this all the time, import, pay VAT, sell on, charge VAT and then claim back the original VAT on import.
I’m a VAT registered company.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Is the first VAT Dutch or UK? If Dutch, they should not have charged this on an export outside the EU. Maybe you can get it refunded from the Dutch tax authority.
If it is UK VAT, then you certainly should not have paid it twice. You could try reclaiming from HMRC, as the VAT was charged in error.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Dutch retailer should not have charged you NL VAT. But its extra effort on their side to remove it for you and many cannot be bothered, so ‘cannot’ may really be ‘will not’. You should pay UK VAT and import duties when your goods arrive. Courier usually collects both from you on behalf of HMRC.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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There was Dutch VAT charged at 21% on the sale, then Import VAT charged at 20% by the courier before they would deliver.
The Dutch company say on their site “For administrative reasons it is NOT possible for us to deliver export shipments without VAT”, which I think really means they cannot be bothered, grrrr.
Problem is all the material on VAT is geared to VAT on companies trading rather than as a consumer.
As much as it irks me, I don’t fancy my chances getting anything back, thanks Brexit….
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