Items bought from aboard on eBay

Nativebon

MUZIC FIRST
Wammer Plus
Aug 9, 2018
1,351
1,240
183
London UK
AKA
Ian
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
Trying to buy a Gustard X26 pro DAC, but seller on eBay says I may need to pay tax between 20 to 50 USD. Should all expenditure not be included with cost of item and shipping. I've heard of having to go to any country in Europe to declare stuff.

Never bought aboard before so just seeking some wisdom here.
Thanks
 

rabski

Everything in moderation
Staff member
Dec 2, 2006
32,873
1
26,119
173
Kettering
AKA
Richard
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
I may be wrong, but I think if the seller uses the eBay global shipping scheme, taxes and duty are calculated and included (charged as part of the shipping costs). A lot of private sellers just list an item and work out basic postage costs though, so no tax or duty will be included.

Basically, post-brexit, if you buy anything from outside the UK and tax and duty is not specifically included, then over a certain price limit (quite low) you may well be charged tax and duty on import.
 

orbscure

My God, its full of stars...
Wammer Plus
Aug 22, 2013
14,062
1
35,064
208
57
SE London/Surrey
AKA
Pete
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
Its luck of the draw... if you don't, rejoice... but if you do, its a grin and bear it unfortunately...
 
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simon g

Senior Wammer
Wammer Plus
Sep 11, 2006
2,913
2,257
193
Lincolnshire Coast
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
Trying to buy a Gustard X26 pro DAC, but seller on eBay says I may need to pay tax between 20 to 50 USD. Should all expenditure not be included with cost of item and shipping. I've heard of having to go to any country in Europe to declare stuff.

Never bought aboard before so just seeking some wisdom here.
Thanks
Now that we're out of the EU, purchases from the EU are similar to those that previously applied to non EU countries. You are personally importing the item and are liable for VAT, potential Duty and associated fees.

You commented that these costs should be included. That's not possible for many sellers, as the VAT and Duty will vary by destination country. As noted above, the eBay Global Shipping program is useful, as that can determine applicable duties, taces and fees in advance, allowing the buyer to know the total cost and pay in advance.
 

Nativebon

MUZIC FIRST
Wammer Plus
Aug 9, 2018
1,351
1,240
183
London UK
AKA
Ian
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
The seller hinted declaring less value for item when shipping but this could be risky if something happens to go wrong.
 

hearhere

Wammer
Wammer
Apr 9, 2013
1,373
1,183
158
Portsmouth, UK
AKA
Peter
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
VAT on imports is charged by borderforce,if stopped,you might get lucky and get it without,as they do miss some
That's VAT and Duty and often a courier handling / admin charge. However if the goods are valued less than the allowances for imports from that country, they are exempt. I'm sure details of allowances and duty rates can be found on the gov.uk website.

On the other hand, you may be lucky and higher-value items arrive without VAT and duty demandes.
 

Nativebon

MUZIC FIRST
Wammer Plus
Aug 9, 2018
1,351
1,240
183
London UK
AKA
Ian
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
Ordered item yesterday and was able work something out with seller. Thanks for all the advice and looking forward to my new toy. Can't wait to hear how this baby performs.
 

tapeheader

Newbie
New Wammer
Apr 27, 2022
10
5
8
HiFi Trade?
  1. Yes
Trying to buy a Gustard X26 pro DAC, but seller on eBay says I may need to pay tax between 20 to 50 USD. Should all expenditure not be included with cost of item and shipping. I've heard of having to go to any country in Europe to declare stuff.

Never bought aboard before so just seeking some wisdom here.
Thanks
It's worth it if the price is right and you can go through the hassle of custom clearance and if the fee is right of course.
 
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Lurch

Piss-taker & Gobshite Par Excelle'nce
Wammer Plus
Sep 17, 2016
5,994
7,419
183
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
Ordered item yesterday and was able work something out with seller. Thanks for all the advice and looking forward to my new toy. Can't wait to hear how this baby performs.
Be good if you could bring the X26Pro to one of my BOs in Chichester. Did look at them but the lack of audition opportunities put me off. Especially as most ss DACs I've heard, have left me cold with their over clinical sound signature.
 

The_Krell

Newbie
Wammer
Sep 13, 2022
241
195
48
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
Be good if you could bring the X26Pro to one of my BOs in Chichester. Did look at them but the lack of audition opportunities put me off. Especially as most ss DACs I've heard, have left me cold with their over clinical sound signature.
BO?
 

The_Krell

Newbie
Wammer
Sep 13, 2022
241
195
48
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
In my experience if it's by courier from US then invariably I get charged duty + VAT + handling charge for expediting it through customs. If it comes in the post then it usually gets through without any additional charges. Although this has always been from companies rather than private sellers so they always put the sales value on the bill of lading.
 

The_Krell

Newbie
Wammer
Sep 13, 2022
241
195
48
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
...although some perverts may use the term to describe a bake-off in which different bits of hi-fi equipment are compared to each other...
That's disgusting :unsure: ...I think

Thanks for the clarification on this kind of behavior...going to write to my MP now. Mind you as an MP they might well be taking part in this kind of thing....
 

savvypaul

NVA Hi-Fi
HiFi Trade
Jan 11, 2017
7,083
10,472
148
Durham Uk
nvahifi.co.uk
AKA
Paul
HiFi Trade?
  1. Yes
That's disgusting :unsure: ...I think

Thanks for the clarification on this kind of behavior...going to write to my MP now. Mind you as an MP they might well be taking part in this kind of thing....
MPs do it with an orange stuffed into their mouth...easy to spot 'em.
 

Nativebon

MUZIC FIRST
Wammer Plus
Aug 9, 2018
1,351
1,240
183
London UK
AKA
Ian
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
Be good if you could bring the X26Pro to one of my BOs in Chichester. Did look at them but the lack of audition opportunities put me off. Especially as most ss DACs I've heard, have left me cold with their over clinical sound signature.
Sure can do... It's only one & half hours on train from London.
 

Nativebon

MUZIC FIRST
Wammer Plus
Aug 9, 2018
1,351
1,240
183
London UK
AKA
Ian
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
In my experience if it's by courier from US then invariably I get charged duty + VAT + handling charge for expediting it through customs. If it comes in the post then it usually gets through without any additional charges. Although this has always been from companies rather than private sellers so they always put the sales value on the bill of lading.
Ok I see. I'm buying from private seller and value is a bit underestimated. I'm not sure but I presume this is coming over from China. So I'm keeping fingers and toes crossed.
 

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