It effects all imports to UK from all countries outside of UK. Whether ordering from China, the States or France, tax will be collected at point of sale and payable directly to the UK by those non-UK outlets.
There is no minimum threshold, all goods will be taxed.
My personal opinion is that, certainly in the short run, nothing in this case will change after Brexit. Brexit only affects the parties directly involved, that’s the UK and the rest of the EU. NOT China (or US).
If & when taxes are collected by Ali, and transferred to the country of the buyer is not specific Brexit. That’s a thing of the future and also applies to US and other countries that sign the treaty involved.
I do think Brexit might affect the shipping duration, especially when the AE plane lands in Amsterdam. I foresee some delay because of procedures, red tape and other formalities. But maybe I’m wrong because the Schiphol is a tax-free area, and it is only a transfer.
It seems that Royal Mail is already under huge pressure due to Covid and the surge in demand for their services. With Xmas about to kick off and No Deal all but certain, I think I will cancel my orders and wait. It’s not like I don’t have enough flashlights!
You know, I don’t actually mind being charged VAT, I’d rather not obviously but that’s the way it is - my objection was always and only with Royal Mail taking £8 to collect it - this should stop that farce, which may actually work out better for some items.
The bit I don’t understand, or maybe ‘scenario’ is this - most Chinese sellers LIE, well we are used to that, but on ebay they OFTEN claim the item is in the UK, but it actually comes via speedpack from China - this could be a nightmare customs wise, and you won’t know until you get it. You think you are buying from the UK, no duty - then it arrives on the doorstep with an £8 RM collection charge and obviously the VAT/duty.
I guess the best course of action would be to refuse it. Fighting customs is a mare, though I did do it and won triumphantly lol!
So far everything I had ordered from BG and AE prior to Xmas has shown up. Some Vapcell batteries came via Turkey and have just made it to the RDC. I will be interested to see what happens there. Stuff ordered this year seems to be moving along as normal. However I did order a knife and the supplier had to refund me as his shipment was sent back to the US because of (he says) Tier 4 restrictions.
some sites haven`t added the VAT thing yet, I bought a P60 host from Lumens Factory After Jan 1`st and wasn`t charged VAT, so how will they know when it arrives? and worse what`s to stop them charging you VAT twice!? at the point of sale AND when it arrives in the UK.
Just received a Convoy delivery this morning, no problems. It should be only EU to UK is affected. Some Chinese companies have warehouses in the EU, but it shouldn’t effect them if the end to end sale is China to UK. It might highlight some VAT fiddling if it has been going on. I’ve never been charged duty or VAT on a delivery from China. The invoice value is always below the £15 limit or sent as a gift.
From what I can figure out, EU companies now need a UK EORI number and UK companies need a EU EORI number to get shipments through EU and UK customs. These are given with VAT numbers, so as a UK company we now need a UK and EU VAT number. This is why some EU companies are not shipping to the UK at the moment. They don’t have a UK VAT number and there are delays in issuing VAT and EORI numbers.
‘The invoice value is always below the £15 limit’
But I believe that changes now, everything gets VAT, or at least that’s how I read it. Couldn’t make it nice and simple could they lol, I’m not sure anyone really understands!