Buying from the EU

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Discussion

272BHP

Original Poster:

5,788 posts

243 months

Thursday 10th October
quotequote all
Lots of bike shops online now that seem to ship from the EU and have this kind of text on their checkout page.

For orders over 135 GBP, VAT will NOT be collected at checkout, but they may be subject to customs control at your destination with VAT and possible handling charges.

Legit? or too risky?

TheDrownedApe

1,207 posts

63 months

Friday 11th October
quotequote all
From previous experience of other goods the UK courier will charge you the vat on behalf of the government. Usually ends up more expensive than just buying from the UK.

Wingo

311 posts

178 months

Saturday 12th October
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Anything I've bought under £135 deffo nothing more to pay

Over £135 you might have a bit of extra duty to pay. I bought some skis a year or so ago and there was 2% to pay on top of the VAT.

272BHP

Original Poster:

5,788 posts

243 months

Saturday 12th October
quotequote all
Seems to be a bit of a lottery if the item gets held for customs tax.

It's a SRAM GX Eagle AXS upgrade kit so around 380 supplied from the EU and 450 if bought in the UK.

BunkMoreland

1,014 posts

14 months

Saturday 12th October
quotequote all
272BHP said:
Seems to be a bit of a lottery if the item gets held for customs tax.

It's a SRAM GX Eagle AXS upgrade kit so around 380 supplied from the EU and 450 if bought in the UK.
Its not a lottery really. laugh

Its done on value and the value the government have set that at is £135. With some caveats, eg alcohol and tobacco

Anything new that costs less wont be stopped. Anything over that ought to be. And duty applied. Though due to the sheer number of items coming through the system into the UK, its less likely. I've ordered several things from the EU and beyond this year. (furthest was Hong Kong!) And thus far nothing with a value over £135 was stopped. All items were accurately described on the customs forms too. Couple of years back I exported personally to Germany and the Netherlands. Neither item were stopped.

https://www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad/tax-and-...

I know the numerous raving EU lovers will say Brexit ruined everything, and everyone in the EU forgot the UK and its money existed. But it didn't really. Many an EU based company WANT to sell their wares into one of the largest economies on their border.

addey

1,103 posts

174 months

Sunday 13th October
quotequote all
Have you looked at BikeInn? The price they advertise is the price you pay, no added charges

£394 for the upgrade kit you want

Edited by addey on Sunday 13th October 07:32

272BHP

Original Poster:

5,788 posts

243 months

Sunday 13th October
quotequote all
addey said:
Have you looked at BikeInn? The price they advertise is the price you pay, no added charges

£394 for the upgrade kit you want

Edited by addey on Sunday 13th October 07:32
BikeInn also has the custom fees and import duties warning.

addey

1,103 posts

174 months

Sunday 13th October
quotequote all
272BHP said:
BikeInn also has the custom fees and import duties warning.
Go read again - there is a line specifically about UK sales

addey

1,103 posts

174 months

Sunday 13th October
quotequote all

272BHP

Original Poster:

5,788 posts

243 months

Sunday 13th October
quotequote all
addey said:
Go read again - there is a line specifically about UK sales
Thanks.

Rarely I read the small print and when I do I don't have the patience to read all of it laugh

HenryV1415

1,248 posts

227 months

Sunday 13th October
quotequote all
addey said:
That contravenes UK policy. I think UK policy trumps some price shagger from Europe.
Why don’t you just support a UK business?

272BHP

Original Poster:

5,788 posts

243 months

Sunday 13th October
quotequote all
HenryV1415 said:
Why don’t you just support a UK business?
I wanted my local bike shop to supply and fit but they don't have it in stock and shrugged their shoulders when asked when they will get supply. So here I am just trying to get a decent price. There is a fairly big disparity on price with this item and it is not so easy to work out what is a UK company and which is not.

Actually I might need to do more research as there appears to be two controller designs for this item so I need to find out which is the latest version.

BunkMoreland

1,014 posts

14 months

Monday 14th October
quotequote all
HenryV1415 said:
That contravenes UK policy. I think UK policy trumps some price shagger from Europe.
Why don’t you just support a UK business?
I suspect they've just already bunged on the "potential fees" in the price. And taken a bit of a hit on their margin to try and get a foothold in the post Wiggle UK market

OutInTheShed

9,333 posts

33 months

Tuesday 15th October
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BunkMoreland said:
HenryV1415 said:
That contravenes UK policy. I think UK policy trumps some price shagger from Europe.
Why don’t you just support a UK business?
I suspect they've just already bunged on the "potential fees" in the price. And taken a bit of a hit on their margin to try and get a foothold in the post Wiggle UK market
I expect they are doing it properly and not paying VAT in euroland.
Effectively they can have a virtual shop in the UK.

I've bought stuff from the US, sometimes it gets through without VAT and duty getting added on.
When they do sting you for VAT and duty, you pay duty on the 'landed' price, including shipping to the UK, then you pay VAT on the pruice inc shipping and duty. Then there's an admin fee.

BunkMoreland

1,014 posts

14 months

Tuesday 15th October
quotequote all
OutInTheShed said:
I've bought stuff from the US, sometimes it gets through without VAT and duty getting added on.
When they do sting you for VAT and duty, you pay duty on the 'landed' price, including shipping to the UK, then you pay VAT on the price inc shipping and duty. Then there's an admin fee.
About 17 years ago I bought some springs for my car from America. (bizarre given they were made in Germany, but not available in Europe at the time!) No problem with the seller, sent it USPS. Though obviously it got stopped in the UK by our glorious workshy, incompetent, monopoly Royal Mail. They sent a letter to me telling me to pay the fees, duty and IIRC quite a extortionate "admin" charge online.

And then had the fkign audacity to ask "if I wanted to have the item delivered by them, or whether I wanted to go and collect it from their depot" 4 miles away. After that admin fee I funnily enough expected them to do THEIR job!

ian996

1,043 posts

118 months

Friday 25th October
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Just made my first purchase from BikeInn since Brexit and have been very impressed. I was expecting to pay import duty over and above the advertised price, so this thread came as a nice surprise in terms of the small print (that I didn't read) stating that I'd end up paying less than I'd expected, which was a first.

The order arrived a day earlier than the estimate, and tracking links were kept up to date throughout.

Not quite as convenient as next day delivery from Wiggle, but this was way cheaper than anything I could find domestically

https://www.tradeinn.com/bikeinn/en/super-b-campag...

Nicely designed piece of kit for the money.

272BHP

Original Poster:

5,788 posts

243 months

Friday 25th October
quotequote all
ian996 said:
Just made my first purchase from BikeInn since Brexit and have been very impressed. I was expecting to pay import duty over and above the advertised price, so this thread came as a nice surprise in terms of the small print (that I didn't read) stating that I'd end up paying less than I'd expected, which was a first.

The order arrived a day earlier than the estimate, and tracking links were kept up to date throughout.

Not quite as convenient as next day delivery from Wiggle, but this was way cheaper than anything I could find domestically

https://www.tradeinn.com/bikeinn/en/super-b-campag...

Nicely designed piece of kit for the money.
I also purchased from BikeInn in the end. Item arrived yesterday 4 days earlier than estimated - no import charges.

The advertised pics of the item (SRAM GX Eagle AXS upgrade kit) had the old controller but I got the new pod controller delivered in the box - happy days

river_rat

705 posts

210 months

Friday 25th October
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I've bought stuff quite a few times from BikeInn - no issues with VAT and good service (and a better price than I could find from a UK supplier)