Ebay Import Charges

[TomGoodheart 403]

I was looking at some listings from a seller in the US and noticed that as well as postage charges, ebay mention Import Charges.

Now these charges aren't cheap. I make them around 22% of the cost of the coin!

[TomGoodheart 403]

Ebay say this helps buyers buy from the US more smoothly. I guess not having to worry about additional charges on receipt is helpful.

But there's a problem here.

The problem being that as far as I could find, under UK requirements, there is no duty payable on antique items over 100 years old. Or 'Coins of Numismatic Interest'.

So it's just VAT. And that's charged at the reduced rate of 5%. Bringing the total of charges due to a whopping .. £24.82

.. as opposed to the $179.98 (£109.64) eBay want to charge. Um.

Edited January 18, 2014 by TomGoodheart

[Coinery 1,157]

I've never seen that before, how can eBay collect revenue for Customs and Excise, unbelievable! They've got their finger in every pie, you've got to take your hat off to them in some bitter way or other!

I'm surprised Customs' haven't cottoned onto that before!

Spoils it all! Postage fees, custom fees, Paypal fees, eBay fees...eBay's cut, now to likely include customs' collection charges, will soon equal that of the seller's!

[TomGoodheart 403]

It does appear that some HMRC charges can be paid in advance. However the US is not one of the countries that is listed on the HMRC site as having a Memorandum of Understanding to permit this.

It may be that eBay has some means of using its Channel Islands operation to do this. http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageTravel_ShowContent&id=HMCE_CL_000014&propertyType=document#P166_14865

But that still begs the question as to whether they are levying the correct charges and what you can do if you think they aren't ...

.. the problem being, you'd have to be a braver man than I Gunga Din to bid on a coin in the hope that when it came to checkout somehow eBay would correctly calculate the right duty/vat.

.

Edited January 18, 2014 by TomGoodheart

[Rob 3,152]

I got stung with this not too long ago when I bought some books off a US seller. He had opted for the 'simplified' eBay shipping option in good faith. I looked at it and thought the shipping was x and the duty component y. Knowing there was no duty or VAT on books I duly accepted the shipping method he wanted to use. Silly me. The additional cost is applied whether duty is applicable or not to 'offset the costs of the facilitating company'. Avoid at all costs, or best ask if the seller will ship without using eBay's services. Not funny. £85 of books translated to over £125 all in, or at least £15 OTT.

Edited January 18, 2014 by Rob

[azda 979]

Ebay now seem to be doing as they please. I thought all costs had to be visible, yet they say Price will be confirmed at checkout. Makes you wonder why this one 181304709876 does'nt have Import tax.

Edited January 19, 2014 by azda

[azda 979]

I got stung with this not too long ago when I bought some books off a US seller. He had opted for the 'simplified' eBay shipping option in good faith. I looked at it and thought the shipping was x and the duty component y. Knowing there was no duty or VAT on books I duly accepted the shipping method he wanted to use. Silly me. The additional cost is applied whether duty is applicable or not to 'offset the costs of the facilitating company'. Avoid at all costs, or best ask if the seller will ship without using eBay's services. Not funny. £85 of books translated to over £125 all in, or at least £15 OTT.

To be honest Rob, had i been charged duty from an American seller i would have told him to cancel the transaction

[Rob 3,152]

They were still good value.

[azda 979]

I emailed the seller. He says its something ebay started and he oüted in as it was easier when posting. I Pointed out that the UKs duty was only 5% and asked how ebay could just use 1 flat charge when various countries have different duty. My assumption is that ebay will pay the individual tax levied and keep the rest thus making them even more f***+%g profit, robbing Bar stewards

[Coinery 1,157]

They wouldn't do something like that, surely, Dave?

[Rob 3,152]

eBay don't keep the packing and tax bit which is sub-contracted to another well known company whose name eludes me at the moment. It's still a rip-off though charging for something that isn't applicable.

[Coinery 1,157]

eBay don't keep the packing and tax bit which is sub-contracted to another well known company whose name eludes me at the moment. It's still a rip-off though charging for something that isn't applicable.

They must by now have a very close eye on the monopoly ball! I did once hear that sub-contracting was not altogether a bad way to go for companies that are playing ever close to Mayfair!

The customs collections could be foolish OR a genius piece of business marketing to world governments!

[Rob 3,152]

I think it might be Pitney-Bowes(?) that has the packing and shipping contract.