Shipping from WATA to the EU

[Franmotard | 79]

Hello.

Has anyone receive videogames graded from wata to europe? Did you have to pay taxes according to their declared value?

Curious about this as I got an order there and initially was going to send them to my friend in the US so he could send them to me directly reducing the risk, but they offered me sending them to europe directly without extra charge.

[Tyree_Cooper | 755]

Hello and happy new year!

With the new EU rules regarding VAT for small packages introduced in July 2020, any package of any value coming from a non-EU country is at risk of getting VAT charged, and you can't really get away by declaring it as a 1 usd gift (unless it really is, of course, but you may need to prove it, so lie at your own risk). If you're lucky your package will slip through, but if not, they will charge you according to the declared value.

I also got challenged several times on the declared value which they didn't believe, asking me for an invoice or any other proof of purchase/transaction, so they can do that if they feel like. And even if you manage to get charged VAT on a very low amount, you will need to pay the "administrative fee" that virtually every transport company, public or private, charges per package. In my case it's around 15 eur, and generally it ranges from 10 to 20 eur. Yes, it's legalised theft.

So if I were you, I would ask whoever ships the package from the US to me to declare a "sensible" value like 20 or 30 usd, and then hope the package doesn't get caught or if it does, they just calculate VAT on the declared value.

An official business may not want to declare a package as gift with a lower value, since they want to avoid any issues with authorities. In this case you could consolidate at your friend's place, and ship out several games together - and accept the risk of getting charged VAT, at least it will be on a single package.

[OptOut | 8,884]

Man I get more and more glad that I managed to escape the UK with each passing year! These additional fees and taxes are outrageous, honestly! 

[Tyree_Cooper | 755]

The new rules are for EU member states, so not for the UK, which keep charging VAT the same way it did before July 2020. Which basically means if you are in Dunkirk (France) and buy something from Dover (UK) which is 40 km away, the package will be charged VAT the same way as if it were coming from Japan or the US.

For those who don't know what we are talking about, here's a link.

EU - always the best at sucking their citizens dry.

[OptOut | 8,884]

40 minutes ago, Tyree_Cooper said:

The new rules are for EU member states, so not for the UK, which keep charging VAT the same way it did before July 2020. Which basically means if you are in Dunkirk (France) and buy something from Dover (UK) which is 40 km away, the package will be charged VAT the same way as if it were coming from Japan or the US.

For those who don't know what we are talking about, here's a link.

EU - always the best at sucking their citizens dry.

Yeah but the UK wasn't charging VAT on items bought overseas or online marketplaces like eBay back in 2015 when I left.

It may not be this specific EU rule that has changed, but these days eBay charges you a 20% VAT tax right on top of your bill when you checkout if you are trying to buy something sent to the UK from overseas.

So something has definitely happened in the UK too, and I am SO glad I need never pay that extra tax! 

[Tyree_Cooper | 755]

Yep that's right, eBay is now one of those "VAT collectors". Good to know UK is being dipped like the rest of the old continent. We're like brothers secretly in love.

[OptOut | 8,884]

36 minutes ago, Tyree_Cooper said:

We're like brothers secretly in love.