If you’ve recently ordered from a European retailer, you might have been stung with additional customs and VAT charges. We want to hear your experiences.
Since 1 January, when the Brexit transition period ended, some people have faced additional fees on items coming from the EU, as well as delays on orders due to customs checks.
We want to hear your experiences and make sure you’re not being overcharged.
Have you been hit with a hefty import fee?
Some are reporting being hit with unexpected charges.
Perhaps it wasn’t made clear to you that you’d be charged when you placed your order, or you might not have even realised you were ordering from a European retailer.
Shoppers buying items from Europe now have to pay customs or VAT chargeshttps://t.co/VnFMlPbiNF
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) January 21, 2021
You might also be questioning the amount you were asked to pay.
VAT, in most cases, is charged at 20%, and should be applied to gifts worth more than £39. Goods costing more than £135 could be hit with customs duties too, which can range from 0% to 25%.
Delivery ‘handling fees’
On top of VAT charges and custom duties, some delivery firms are also adding handling fees to deliveries from the EU to the UK, and vice versa.
DPD has a EU Clearance Fee of £3.50 (PDF file attached), which it says ‘covers Customs Clearance, handling, and processing costs to export parcels to EU destinations from Great Britain’.
Royal Mail is charging an £8 fee, though some people have claimed to have paid more.
Dont forget Royal mail "Handling fee" someone says £8 I paid £13 for a T-shirt which in real terms doubled the price
— BlackhandMedia Mk II (@Hanley40) January 17, 2021
It’s worth checking how much you should be paying on the delivery firm’s website. We want to hear if you’ve been overcharged.
Will the new rules change how you shop?
Some may now think twice before shopping with European stores to avoid the steep fees, and some retailers have stopped selling to the UK due to VAT changes too.
Let us know if any of the retailers you shop with have stopped selling to the UK, or if you notice any additional ‘handling fees’ retailers might be introducing to cover extra customs checks and admin.
Have you experienced delays or import costs?
Tell us who delivered your parcel, how much you were charged, and if you had to wait longer than usual for your delivery.
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