buying a ebike battery from germany do i pay vat/tax

[footpump]

hi all I am in the market for new 10.4 ah bottle battery or similar limpo4
now having perused the internet quite a bit in the uk it would cost me about £210 all inclusive of vat and delivery (battery only no mounting plate etc)

but I get I year warrenty.

I have spotted batteries that seem similar Chinese origin but shipped from berlin Germany on ebay

including postage about £170 but would I pay vat or any kind of tax as its from within eu?

or could be held at customs as its a battery and deemed hazardos also the return warrenty issues.

views please I do not know how to post link to ebay other than google for 10.4ah bottle batteris
thanks all

 

[Yamdude]

You only pay vat and any import taxes from non EU countries...... So go for it.
The return under warranty hassles when its not in the uk is one of the disadvantages...... but thats the risk of getting cheap.

 

[flecc]

You are liable for VAT at the rate applicable in the member country you live in, but our 20% rate is almost identical to the German 19% so little difference even if ours is applied.
.

 

[footpump]

thanks all bottle battery is 10ah with mounting kit keys and charger including delivery £164 I have just ordered it before reading your post flecc

if vat is added another £32 ish I will have not have saved much at all so not quite the deal I thought I had.

I have purchased from Germany other items and made a saving over uk price for the same item was not aware of paying vat

live and learn though, got the hump now

 

[Yamdude]

You wont pay £32 vat...... the difference between German and UK vat is 1%. If they were really picky they would only charge that.
But they wont..... i've been ordering stuff from abroad for yrs and never been charged vat when its from anywhere in the EU.

 

[flecc]

Yes it's as Yamdude says, the difference taxing is more theoretical than actual. I've never been charged it either. Sometimes the rules are just too impractical to apply.
.

 

[KTM Bike Industries UK]

You wont pay £32 vat...... the difference between German and UK vat is 1%. If they were really picky they would only charge that.
But they wont..... i've been ordering stuff from abroad for yrs and never been charged vat when its from anywhere in the EU.

You're confusing the issue.

You do pay VAT!! Its just included in the price that's advertised. So doesn't need to be added by the couriers / import agents as it is with imports from outside the EU.

If you're a business trader (with a VAT number) and buying from within the EU, you can actually remove the VAT, before paying - to save you paying it and then claiming it back, its one of the many benefits for businesses of being within the EU.

 

[anotherkiwi]

In the EU you pay the VAT of the country you buy the product in. Back in the day it used to be a good idea to buy in countries with lower VAT rates. Today all countries have a rate between 17% (Luxembourg) and 27% (Hungary). There was a time when you could choose to pay the VAT of your country of residence, I am not sure if that is still true.

The only time you will see a price without VAT is in BtoB web shops or sites which do a lot of business exporting out of the EU. In any case when you get to the store shopping cart VAT will be applied.

The German companies seem to work preferring high volume of sales with low margins over fewer sales with high margins. There is generally a 20-25% price difference between French web shops and German web shops. Guess where I buy my stuff? And they have very reasonable transportation fees, often free to France for sales over 100€.

 

[Kudoscycles]

As a B2C customer you will pay vat at 19% in Germany. Prices from the continent are,in some circumstances,cheap at the moment....this is not because Euro countries are especially competitive or UK suppliers uncompetitive,it is because of the strength of the £ v weak Euro.
In theory bikes from German manufacturers into UK retailers should be falling in price....but the canny Germans are pricing in £ so as to hide the advantage.
KudosDave

 

[flecc]

There was a time when you could choose to pay the VAT of your country of residence, I am not sure if that is still true.

The rule is that one pays the rate in the country where the purchase is transacted. That means if I buy here in the UK, I pay the UK rate. but if temporarily living in or visiting another EU country and I buy while physically there, I pay their rate even though I'm bringing the item back to the UK later.

In practice HMRC seem to ignore minor differences in rates with private transactions.
.

 

[footpump]

thanks all bit confusing all this last year bought a satellite dish from Germany £49 +£21 postage the bill shows 88 euros including 19%vat and £1 is 1.24euros so in fact I am not sure what I paid.

bought a sus seatpost from Germany cannot recall if vat was charged.

I have emailed seller re vat ncluded or not seems I have also purchased the last battery?

thanks all

 

[JohnCade]

As has been written above by others. Whenever I’ve bought something from the EU the VAT is included in the price to be paid. They may itemise it separately but the price at the check out includes VAT.

The dish price above would seem to be right at 88 euros including shipping and VAT depending on the exchange rate at the time. Paypal and credit card exchange rates are not very competitive but they don’t have any competition.

 

[Kudoscycles]

Footpump...in Germany any sales directed at consumers must by law include vat...there are massive fines if a retailer tries to advertise a product but not include vat in the advertised price.
KudosDave

 

[flecc]

thanks all bit confusing all this last year bought a satellite dish from Germany £49 +£21 postage the bill shows 88 euros including 19%vat and £1 is 1.24euros so in fact I am not sure what I paid.

88 euros at 1.24 euros per £ = just under £71.

Your £49 + £21 is also just under £71

The £49 was €60.76 including the 19% VAT, so the net price of the dish was €51 (£41.13) and the VAT €9.76 (£7.87).

Add back together the bracketed £41.13 and £7.87 and you get back to that £49 for the dish. All present and correct.

N.B. Post crossed with John Cade's.
.

 

[footpump]

thank you all I emailed seller there is no additional tax to pay all included in the price given£164.

thanks j cade and flecc for clarification re the dish