US Buyers Beware of Tariffs on EU Products

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typestar
Posts: 199
Joined: Sat Dec 12, 2009 1:45 am
Location: Austria

Re: US Buyers Beware of Tariffs on EU Products

Post by typestar »

Just for an orientation for all members here:

In Austria - as part of EU -- I have to pay for ALL things ordered from outside European Union (also from the USA) high fees and taxes, all the time.

We pay 20% taxes in addition what is written on the invoice - no matter if brand new or super old or used (!) -- PLUS the shipping costs (!) are added to the value
So, a (used) lens shipped from South Korea, declared an official value of USD 390 +shipping costs: 60 USD (= 450 USD, equals 409 EUR in total as of today),
we pay: 82 EUR as import taxes + custom fees + additional shipping within Austria from the customs to the home (= 20 EUR) --> so a total of 102 EUR (= 114 USD) for a lens worth 390 USD -- so this is around 30 % (!) finally, in addition (to taxes that had been paid already in South Korea ) -- this just for fees, taxes, customs.
Therefore everythime I purchase something privately from outside EU, I ask the seller to declare the value low... in order not to be "robbed".
I personaly try to understand the customs + fees for handling, but it is not easy to understand the 20% on old and USED items.

Best wishes to all:

typestar
Last edited by typestar on Sun Jun 28, 2020 1:06 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Ichthyophthirius
Posts: 1152
Joined: Thu Mar 07, 2013 5:24 am

Re: US Buyers Beware of Tariffs on EU Products

Post by Ichthyophthirius »

enricosavazzi wrote:
Sat Jun 27, 2020 2:00 pm
For what is worth, in Sweden we pay about 25% sales tax (added to both merchandise value and shipment cost), plus a fixed import fee, on anything that comes from outside the EU. We pay the same sales tax on items purchased in Sweden as well (except for things like electricity, where we pay sales tax on the electricity, energy tax on the electricity, and sales tax on the energy tax).
Same here. Import VAT plus customs plus fees, add up to about 30-35 % on any microscope-related import. Buying used items inside the EU is much cheaper (no customs and VAT is only on the resale differential), which is probably the point :wink:

Does it matter, though? Someone has to pay for all this public infrastructure. I rather have free healthcare* than free microscope imports. :D

(*at the point of need)

chris_ma
Posts: 570
Joined: Fri Mar 22, 2019 2:23 pm
Location: Germany

Re: US Buyers Beware of Tariffs on EU Products

Post by chris_ma »

typestar wrote:
Sun Jun 28, 2020 8:19 am
in addition (to taxes that had been paid already in South Korea )
I agree that it hurts (it's the same here in germany), but to clarify the above:
On new items, very likely no taxes have been paid in south korea if it's an export sale, so the item will only be taxed once.
At least in germany, if company sells out of the EU, they can sell it 19% cheaper since they won't have to charge the german VAT. The country of import will then charge it's local VAT and/or general import tax, so usually it ends up about the same price.

On used items there's the problem that the export won't allow for a reduced price and the import will tax it like a new item, so there's a double charge here.

I would also note that if you import as a business you can claim back the VAT, since that is a end user tax that will only be applied once on the final sale or on the goods that you produce with the imported items.
Last edited by chris_ma on Sun Jun 28, 2020 3:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
chris

rjlittlefield
Site Admin
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Re: US Buyers Beware of Tariffs on EU Products

Post by rjlittlefield »

I do not know the distribution, but as admin I am painfully aware that a wide variety of opinions are strongly held by various members.

Forum policy is that we avoid politics at photomacrography.net . There are other places for that.

--Rik

typestar
Posts: 199
Joined: Sat Dec 12, 2009 1:45 am
Location: Austria

Re: US Buyers Beware of Tariffs on EU Products

Post by typestar »

@Rik
rjlittlefield wrote:
Sun Jun 28, 2020 11:20 am
I do not know the distribution, but as admin I am painfully aware that a wide variety of opinions are strongly held by various members.
Forum policy is that we avoid politics at photomacrography.net . There are other places for that.
--Rik
Of course I understand - and just have deleted the statement in my post,

Best wishes you and all:

Christian

rjlittlefield
Site Admin
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Joined: Tue Aug 01, 2006 8:34 am
Location: Richland, Washington State, USA
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Re: US Buyers Beware of Tariffs on EU Products

Post by rjlittlefield »

typestar wrote:
Sun Jun 28, 2020 12:59 pm
Of course I understand - and just have deleted the statement in my post
Most appreciated, and the quote is gone from mine also.

--Rik

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