Buying from Europe
- Thread starter NEEpps
- Start date
Ed the Ted
Ultralighter
Perhaps the extra cost of individual imports will incentivize some uk based dealers to become stockists of eg. cumulus. Not sure how the import tariffs/customs/duty costs would all pan out but maybe already existent shops will start to import in bulk and then sell within UK.
cathyjc
Thru Hiker
JKM
Thru Hiker
There are already stockists.
The name for cumulus in the UK is 'criterion' that's why you can't buy cumulus here. And they won't allow any wholesale to the UK under the cumulus name.
Someone I vaguely know is an importer/dealer for Criterion but he rarely gets any call for quilts but can get them in on special order if required.
I believe his prices for their bags are competitive though but don't really have time to check right now.
I can always ask if he would consider a treklite members discount. After all, if he only gets them for special order he doesn't have the risk of cash being tied up in stock
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JKM
Thru Hiker
I think it will only incentivise them to deal with a smaller range of brands rather than a larger.
In the long run there will be much less choice.
Stuart from Bearbones started stocking Criterion bags last year too, sadly no quilts
https://bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk/shop/?product_cat=shelter-sleep
https://bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk/shop/?product_cat=shelter-sleep
Ed the Ted
Ultralighter
I Never knew they were marketed in UK under a different name, many thanks! (though I'm actually in the EU now so if I want to buy i'll just buy direct)
EM - paul
Thru Hiker
I think many conflated a trade deal with the customs union. The former controls duty and quotas and the latter the import vat. A trade deal was never going to make a difference to joe public.
Mole
Thru Hiker
Cumulus are also sold in the UK as Cumulus.
At least one supplier:
https://rockrun.com/collections/cumulus
I thought Criterion had been ditched as their UK brand some time ago? Might be mistaken though.
At least one supplier:
https://rockrun.com/collections/cumulus
I thought Criterion had been ditched as their UK brand some time ago? Might be mistaken though.
JKM
Thru Hiker
It would be nice. Seems silly having the two brands.
cathyjc
Thru Hiker
I got a spare roll some time ago - probably all I will ever need (fingers crossed) - Sorry I won't be selling it.
Balagan
Thru Hiker
Cumulus has obviously identified the bug and updated its prices to ex-VAT as the Quilt 450 is now listed at £204 to the UK (before P&P) or 275 euros to the EU.Just checked the 450 quilt I bought last year for £248 including Polish VAT now shown on the website as £249 without VAT.
Definitely this.
Plus the new UK rules on seller-collected VAT are muddying the waters at the moment. Since these are in fact EU-wide rules that have just been postponed until July in the EU, things should balance out soon as packages from the EU come with a prepaid VAT label* and are no longer subject to a handling fee.
But next, people are going to find out about rules of origin: expensive sleeping bags, tents or backpacks made outside the EU or the UK will not be tariff-free in cross-border sales...
* EU sellers will have to do this for sales within the EU anyway so chances are the procedure for the UK will be tacked on at the same time.
Was that for customs duty or VAT?
Snowonher
Trail Blazer
Customs duty as I'd already paid 20% VAT. Postage also seemed higher than normal. The top probably ended up being the cheapest part.
JKM
Thru Hiker
Ouch.
I'm assuming at that price that it was (correctly) VAT free in the uk. So hopefully you expected to pay the normal 22% Italian VAT of c€12, that means (assuming that the values were declared correctly on the parcel and the customs applied correct) that you were charged c€24 just as a handling fee alone which is £££££
You don't mention shipping costs though, which are also taxable...
The only vaguely good news is that in July the EU implement the same system as the UK have just done which will require the UK seller to collect EU VAT and remit it to the EU. Once this is implemented you should not have to pay any handling fees on orders below €150 as nothing will be calculated on the border, it will all be taken care of at the point of sale.
JKM
Thru Hiker
That 20% vat should not have been charged if it was being shipped directly to Italy, you 'should' only pay the 22% Italian vat on import
And if postage was high/extra you will be paying vat on that too
WilliamC
Thru Hiker
Where did you buy it from (I mean, which seller)? After New Year, a lot of companies should have removed VAT. Not all companies do, though.
I don't know about Italy, but not all countries charge VAT on shipping.
Snowonher
Trail Blazer
Got it from LD Mountain Centre in Newcastle. It's my local store back home so try to support it. "The prices quoted for this order include VAT at 20 percent% "
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JKM
Thru Hiker
Since the UK did while it was part of the customs union I assumed that was an EU methodology and thus still in force in the EU.
Goods+postage=composite supply.
Or another way VATable goods (the item)+ a VATable service (the postage)= total taxable
JKM
Thru Hiker
£66.26 will have been the declared value so that's what you pay tax on. The other elements are not relevant for the import calculation.
If you can be bothered, you can ask LD to refund the £11.05 vat to you.
Basically your import was worth €73 and then you were correctly charged €16 vat and then a €20 handling fee.
The fee is still high though.
*Figures rounded, obviously.
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