Key Post Buying on net from US sites,tax?,duty?

Hey guys,
Thinking of taking advantage of euro/dollar rate by getting a few pressies on ebay, amazon.COM for christmas, electronics mostly. Whats the craic with paying tax in eire etc, apart for the extra shipping costs payable to the website what do i have to pay here if anything?
Cheers.
Roy.

You may have to pay import duties on any items shipped from outside the EU. You could be leaving it a bit late to ensure delivery in time for Christmas.

Buying from US sites

Cheers Clubman,
Just one question: Is that a "may" or a "will" have to pay import duty. If anyone uses these US sites regularly please post experiences, is it the case that over a certain value you must pay duty?

Re: Buying from US sites

Roytheboyo,
The customs have started looking very closely at goods coming in from outside the EU. I'm not sure on what basis the do so but you may be hit with vat and excise duty. Marking as a gift is no use so you just have to hope for the best.
The vat and duty depeneds on the quoted value for the shipment!

blarney

Re: Buying from US sites

Just received some electronic goods from US today.

Ordered them online.

Had to pay VAT and duty to courier when he arrived.

Told me to mark it as "no dollar value" next time to avoid the extra VAT.

I'm not complaining. Courier company called me beforehand to let nme know I would have to pay it. But they didn't tell me that they would also charge €13 plus VAT for this extra admin work.

How does the "no value dollar" work?

Anyway around this?

Re: Buying from US sites

How does the "no value dollar" work?

Having goods which have a non zero commercial value marked as "no (commercial) value" involves engaging in or facilitating tax evasion and is no guarantee that the goods won't be checked and assessed for the relevant taxes anyway.

Re: Buying from US sites

Clubman,
Your taking this a bit far! Why should it be that when an American friend of mine sends my children christmas gifts to the value of $100 that either one of us shiuld have to pay $44 to the revenue? In fact thats what happened 2 weeks ago and when my friends heard about it they sent over the payment which wasnt fair on them but they wouldnt allow me to pay it. Now I would like to send them Christmas presents but the reverse may occur and I will be rather upset if they are asked for $?? to receive gifts from Ireland!

I could understand charging vat where a certain family/ address if getting regular parcels, but are we really going to nail every gift coming in for Christmas like this. I think its a discrace!!!!

Re: Buying from US sites

Your taking this a bit far!

No - I'm just synopsising the de facto situation with regard to the relevant legislation.

Thanks everyone for replies.
Just confirmed what i thought so, i am buying an MP3 player for a friend of mine for christmas. I have a friend coming home just after christmas so i will buy it online in US and have it brought to me. Just wondering if there was a handier way around it but seems not. It means a saving of approx $115 on my purchase so well worth it.
Thanks again, Roy

Got hit this morning for duty on golf clubs. €92 on an order of $401. Still worthwhile. Check out www.golfclubs.com

Got hit on a PDA I bought on EBAY from US which had to be returned. Didn't get hit when the replacement arrived.

Never been hit on DVD Boxsets from Amazon or elsewhere or posters from www.allposters.com but the duty would probably have been very small.

Seems hit and miss but I always allow for the possibility when ordering goods from outside the EU and the probability in getting hit seems to rise, the higher the value of the contents.

Seems hit and miss...

Click to expand...

Right in one. I've had all 'misses' so far — but then I've never yet mail-ordered anything particularly expensive (in the country of purchase, that is). Afaik the current excise 'threshold' is €38 value or thereabouts...

Another consideration, 'though — I've bought loads of little gizmos & gadgets on eBay at a fraction of the RoI ('Rip-off-Ireland') RRP and, while 99% of them were hunky-dory, I did once get a dud mp3 player (birthday pressie for my niece). When I got back to the sellerabout it he said 'sure, post it back and I'll send you a replacement' — but I discovered it would cost more to send the yoke back than to simply buy another (better) one...

I came across a website called Shop the States (I think) which allocates you a box no. address in the States, they pick up your order and advise you by e-mail re shipping charges and you proceed from there. Has anyone used this system or is it a con?

This place? Closed for now...

Re: Buying on net from US sites,tax?,duty? [sic]

wrote -

<snip><!--EZCODE BR START--><!--EZCODE BR END--><!--EZCODE BR START--><!--EZCODE BR END-->Why should it be that when an American friend of mine sends my children christmas gifts to the value of $100 that either one of us shiuld have to pay $44 to the revenue? [sic]<!--EZCODE BR START--><!--EZCODE BR END--><!--EZCODE BR START--><!--EZCODE BR END--></snip>

Click to expand...

Have the shipper mark the customs declaration as Gift with an accurate valuation in the original currency (with the currency symbol or code).<!--EZCODE BR START--><!--EZCODE BR END--><!--EZCODE BR START--><!--EZCODE BR END-->And more to the point, why are so many posters purchasing in the States? The cost of RoI got you down? Better be voting PD rather than FF, FG, or Labour in 2007.<!--EZCODE BR START--><!--EZCODE BR END--><!--EZCODE BR START--><!--EZCODE BR END-->Or you could learn a bit of , , , , , , or and do your 'net shopping in the EU.

Re: Re: Buying on net from US sites,tax?,duty? [sic]

Better be voting PD rather than FF, FG, or Labour in 2007

Click to expand...

Eh would that be a different PD's to the ones that have been setting the policy direction for the Government of this country for the past 7 years?

Re: Re: Buying on net from US sites,tax?,duty? [sic]

Stay on message please, .

Re: Re: Buying on net from US sites,tax?,duty? [sic]

Stay on message please, rainyday.

Click to expand...

which translates into English as;

Please allow me to make off-message broadly generalised and unsupported political comments without challenge or explanation please, rainyday.

Re: Re: Buying on net from US sites,tax?,duty? [sic]

Good news from the Sunday Indo yesterday - GLS are being replaced, by An Post, as the local carrier for mail from the US from January 1st (following numerous compaints - including mine !)

Read about it here

Re: An post taking over on Jan 01

That's strange - I think they have taken over already.

I received a parcel from the US last week which was delivered by An Post. It had been air-mailed a month earlier. I was delighted to get it, because I had presumed it missing in action with GLS.

Marion :hat

Re: An post taking over on Jan 01

On a related note [broken link removed] might be of relevance to this discussion.