Customs and Duty post Brexit

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grumpygit

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Here's some food for thought, how do you guys think things will pan out with customs and duty post Brexit, I would imagine we are all in the habit of bringing all manner of boat equipment, personal goods, electronics, etc, etc back from the UK into the EU.
If as we do, come back with the car loaded to the gunnels of all but the kitchen sink and also all manner of things flyers have squirrelled in hold luggage. Also having anything sent to the EU, I have quite often used courier services.
What is your perception regarding duties of how the humourless boys in uniform from the UK and the EU are going to treat us as third country travellers with goods?
 
It appears anything bought retail in UK and brought out personally will attract local VAT/Duty on arrival, if seen. UK VAT can often be reclaimed by filling in forms and presenting items to customs on exit but I think the retailer has to be agreeable. To obtain zero rate for export from UK, the supplier has to dispatch the goods.

We use Algarve Express weekly van to bring VAT paid stuff out and last time I asked what would happen in N Year, they still didn't know.

With transport costs no doubt increasing, maybe it's time to start sourcing boaty stuff in EU?
 
Goods in transit .. also I very rarely buy anything from the UK any more , the cost of carriage some want to charge is out of order. I tend to use people like SVB where you can get 30 kg of goods for €25 may had gone up a bit now .
Prices for good about the same as the UK
 
Any goods exported permanently from the UK will be able to claim VAT rebate and then you will need to pay VAT in the destination country and possibly import duty at whatever rate is agreed or at WTO rates if no agreements are made. This also applies to all the Brits with second homes who want to take goods to them and of course anything you bring back from the EU to the UK after a trip will be subject to VAT and import duty coming in to the UK.
 
Trident said:
Any goods exported permanently from the UK will be able to claim VAT rebate and then you will need to pay VAT in the destination country and possibly import duty at whatever rate is agreed or at WTO rates if no agreements are made. This also applies to all the Brits with second homes who want to take goods to them and of course anything you bring back from the EU to the UK after a trip will be subject to VAT and import duty coming in to the UK.
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Have you tried to get a vat rebate as a private person :)
 
The short and the long answers are the same, "wait and see".
Too many unknowns regarding the outcome of current negotiations to form any valid opinion, although the views already expressed above seem a likely worse case situation.
 
Still waiting for the brexiteer booze cruise classes to start manking about there now allowance of 1 Ltr spirits & 200 smelly fags. :) Expecting comments like: I didn't vote for that; No one told me that would happen or I wouldn't have voted out; Its just revenge by those bloosy Europeans etc etc & etc
 
Graham376 said:
It appears anything bought retail in UK and brought out personally will attract local VAT/Duty on arrival, if seen. UK VAT can often be reclaimed by filling in forms and presenting items to customs on exit but I think the retailer has to be agreeable. To obtain zero rate for export from UK, the supplier has to dispatch the goods.

We use Algarve Express weekly van to bring VAT paid stuff out and last time I asked what would happen in N Year, they still didn't know.

With transport costs no doubt increasing, maybe it's time to start sourcing boaty stuff in EU?
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I use Parcel Monkey, circa £33 for 30kg from any UK Post Office to Greece in 4 days. I dare say all this will be stopping.
The Greeks are absolute sticklers for holding back packages until they get their pound of flesh. I've been caught out a couple of times where the sender has stated that it's being dispatched from the UK and it's arrived from a third country.
I suppose we've got Amazon and eBay de to fall back on, if you can get them to send out of Germany.
 
sailaboutvic said:
Have you tried to get a vat rebate as a private person :)
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I've never had to as I am a VAT registered individual so anything I export from the UK I get the VAT back on my VAT return but there should be no issues - for example if you want to buy good for your EU boat after the 31st December 2020 you can order them from say, Cactus , and they will ship it VAT free to you - just as they do now to, for example Guernsey or Jersey who are VAT free
 
Trident said:
I've never had to as I am a VAT registered individual so anything I export from the UK I get the VAT back on my VAT return but there should be no issues - for example if you want to buy good for your EU boat after the 31st December 2020 you can order them from say, Cactus , and they will ship it VAT free to you - just as they do now to, for example Guernsey or Jersey who are VAT free
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I tryed twice over the years once in Gib and once in morocco and both time without any luck it's amounted to quite a lot ,
Chandler wasn't interested and sail I had to claim from custom .
Imagine claiming vat on £100 of goods :)!
If your VAT reg like I was once that another very different story ,
 
Trident said:
I've never had to as I am a VAT registered individual so anything I export from the UK I get the VAT back on my VAT return but there should be no issues - for example if you want to buy good for your EU boat after the 31st December 2020 you can order them from say, Cactus , and they will ship it VAT free to you - just as they do now to, for example Guernsey or Jersey who are VAT free
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I was also VAT registered until I retired and what you say sounds simple. Unfortunately, in reality, we often get ripped off with packing and postage charges as the retailer isn't interested in using the less well know carriers, they invariably use Post Office/Parcelforce which costs an arm and a leg and takes ages to arrive. Kayospruce for instance wanted £25 for posting a Jiffy bag containing 10 zips to Portugal.
Even if dispatched VAT free, the 23% here (plus possibly duty) will boost the price.

Whereas the UK often allow small imports from third countries free of duty, Portugal for instance virtually doubles the price with duty and VAT and there's the hassle of collection from clearing depot which in some cases here is miles away.

What will happen if something's sent back to UK for repair or a life raft for repacking? Stuff stored in someone's garage such as sails, an outboard engine or even tools, will attract VAT when brought/sent out, VAT can't be reclaimed on stuff like that.
 
sailaboutvic said:
I tryed twice over the years once in Gib and once in morocco and both time without any luck it's amounted to quite a lot ,
Chandler wasn't interested and sail I had to claim from custom .
Imagine claiming vat on £100 of goods :)!
If your VAT reg like I was once that another very different story ,
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As vat is only due on new items I suppose that privately transported items will all have a slightly used appearance.
 
25931 said:
As vat is only due on new items I suppose that privately transported items will all have a slightly used appearance.
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Don't hold you breath, it can still be treated as an import, you know as well as I do how they stick to the rule book here - unless of course you have a "friend" who can sort it. I remember being questioned by UK customs about new looking tyres on my car (prior to Common Market) as they said duty payable if purchased abroad.
 
Having an old boat this is the worst aspect for me. I spend months sourcing & gathering "stuff" for my annual fitout in France.

Hobsons choice now, spend expensive euros on more costly "stuff" in France or go through whatever the import rules are & pay import duties & TVA in France.

All going to be very time consuming. Hard to make a box of Silicon Bronze screws look used ?
 
My guess is it will all default to the pre customs union rules, and all the duty-free stuff with associated limits will return too. The UK has stated on many occasions they do not want a customs union with the EU so unless this changes what other outcome is likely?

It just means the customs officials at the point of entry will have numerous grounds to delay, search and charge UK and EU citizens for the stuff they bring backwards and forwards.

As far as Amazon is concerned ... they will no longer split stock across fulfilment centres on different sides of the customs border - as of 01.01.2021, the seller now has to organise and pay for this themselves.

This will have the following impact for Amazon Selling Partners from January 1, 2021:

  • FBA offers using EFN will not be fulfilled across the UK-EU border
  • Pan-European FBA inventory transfers will stop between the UK and EU (however, Pan-European FBA will continue to transfer inventory within the EU region, supporting your sales on Germany, France, Italy and Spain sites)
  • To mitigate the impact of these changes, you should consider splitting your inventory and sending it to a fulfilment centre in the UK and the EU , so that you have sufficient stock either side of the new customs border
  • This may require you to ship your products across the new UK-EU customs border and provide additional information as part of a customs declaration
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Brexit Update from Amazon
 
This week the government has announced the return of duty free on alcohol for European travel from January. Interestingly they have also announced that there will be generous limits on bringing duty paid wine from the EU. It is about 3 cases per person, which is enough for me as 72 bottle will do for some time and then sparkling wine is added on to that limit as well. However I don't think you will be able to bring in jewlery or cameras etc from the EU. However my guess is that the system may be tougher in the other direction.
 
Sandyman said:
Still waiting for the brexiteer booze cruise classes to start manking about there now allowance of 1 Ltr spirits & 200 smelly fags. :) Expecting comments like: I didn't vote for that; No one told me that would happen or I wouldn't have voted out; Its just revenge by those bloosy Europeans etc etc & etc
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Stop having a little projecting rant you big baby.
 
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