Since Brexit has come in to place on the 1st of January some changes are now applying to products purchased from UK based companies. Amazon has said that deliveries may take longer and some items may not be available for delivery to the Republic of Ireland.
The following will also apply according to Amazon:
‘VAT AND IMPORT FEES
For deliveries of goods sold or fulfilled by Amazon to the Republic of Ireland, Amazon.co.uk will calculate the applicable VAT and Import Fees during the checkout process, as follows:
where the value of your package is €22 or less, we do not expect taxes to be due
where the value of your order exceeds €22, customs duties, taxes and fees (“Import Fees”) may be payable. In these circumstances, we will collect an estimate of Import Fees (“Import Fee Deposit”) at checkout. These funds will be used to pay the import fees on your behalf to the appropriate authorities when your package reaches the Republic of Ireland. The estimated import fee deposit will be displayed in the order summary at checkout. For more information regarding Amazon’s import fee deposit process’
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has provided detail information for those who buy on line from UK companies.
Your main considerations when buy of UK companies online:
- Confirm where the business is based
- Check if you have to pay additional VAT or Customs Duty – be ware of scam emails being issued requesting vat payment before delivery. VAT is usually collected by the shipping company so ensure that you check that you are dealing with legitimate courier companies before click on any email links.
- Read returns policy – EU 14 day policy no longer applies to goods from the UK
- What happens if you have received a faulty item – you should always read the terms and conditions before purchasing.
It is also worth having a read of the Revenue Commissioners website where they provide you with example costs of importing goods less that €22 and €150 with duty and VAT.
Information in terms of selling into the UK – these are some perspectives if you are selling to UK based customers
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/dec/28/brexit-customs-duties-to-apply-to-eu-goods-worth-more-than-390 from the Guardian
It said: “For items under £135 (with the exception of gifts), VAT will be collected directly when they buy the goods online. For goods with a value over £135 (and gifts over £39), Royal Mail may collect the VAT and customs duties from the customer prior to delivery. These charges are applied on behalf of HM Revenue & Customs.”
https://www.gov.uk/buying-europe-1-jan-2021
Updated 12/01/2021