Slender Posted October 16, 2023 Share #1 Posted October 16, 2023 Advertisement (gone after registration) Dear all, hi! I hope everyone is doing great. Could I get some insight about how likely and if so to which extent I need to anticipate getting charged extra money for buying a Leica M lens (second hand, from the 90ies) from Ebay, to be delivered to the UK? Price of the lens is about 4000£ including of shipping. I am most annoyed when browsing ebay with the "FROM JAPAN" ad titles, as it if was some sort of miraculous voucher for quality etc.... if I could get the lens from a private UK seller or a brick and mortar shop I would in a heartbeat... but seemingly hard at the moment. Thank you very much in advance for your inputs. G. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 16, 2023 Posted October 16, 2023 Hi Slender, Take a look here Ebay Buying from Japan to U: VAT/Duty/Charges quid ???. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
LocalHero1953 Posted October 16, 2023 Share #2 Posted October 16, 2023 My experience is that it can be a bit random, but more often than not I have been charged just VAT. I don't recall ever paying extra duty, but occasionally they have slipped through with no charge at all. My purchases have typically been large format lenses, used. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slender Posted October 16, 2023 Author Share #3 Posted October 16, 2023 Thank you local hero. I am lokey hoping it would be a matter of luck like this, too. However I need to think about that obviously and set money aside for such an amount. Its all so ridiculous on 30yo items... or more. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anbaric Posted October 16, 2023 Share #4 Posted October 16, 2023 (edited) I think the duty on lenses is 6.7%, and you pay it not just on the cost of the item, but on postage, packing and insurance. Then on top of that, you pay 20% on the item, duty, postage, packing and insurance, so the total tax comes to 28.04%. There will also be handling fees. Edited October 16, 2023 by Anbaric 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
willeica Posted October 16, 2023 Share #5 Posted October 16, 2023 58 minutes ago, Slender said: Its all so ridiculous on 30yo items... or more. I have been charged VAT and Import duty plus handling fees on 130 + year old items being imported into Ireland from GB, including some items that were actually made in Ireland, which was part of the UK back then. The only time I don't get charged is when the item is coming from elsewhere in the EU or from Northern Ireland, which got a special dispensation from Brexit. William 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slender Posted October 16, 2023 Author Share #6 Posted October 16, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, willeica said: I have been charged VAT and Import duty plus handling fees on 130 + year old items being imported into Ireland from GB, including some items that were actually made in Ireland, which was part of the UK back then. The only time I don't get charged is when the item is coming from elsewhere in the EU or from Northern Ireland, which got a special dispensation from Brexit. William hang on, so I would pay for sure from Ebay Japan but not ebay Germany??? Edited October 16, 2023 by Slender typo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndreasG Posted October 16, 2023 Share #7 Posted October 16, 2023 Advertisement (gone after registration) Just for information, ebay Japan stopped business there in 2004, most Japanese ebay seller are now actice on ebay.com 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slender Posted October 16, 2023 Author Share #8 Posted October 16, 2023 Thanks for that indication! By which I mean ebay sellers based in Japan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
willeica Posted October 16, 2023 Share #9 Posted October 16, 2023 38 minutes ago, Slender said: hang on, so I would pay for sure from Ebay Japan but not ebay Germany??? Can you explain that? I don’t follow your interpretation of what I wrote. William 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjans Posted October 16, 2023 Share #10 Posted October 16, 2023 34 minutes ago, Slender said: hang on, so I would pay for sure from Ebay Japan but not ebay Germany??? I'm in the EU and if I buy from eBay outside the EU I have to pay import duties, VAT on the item (varies) and shipping, plus handling fees. It results in paying approx. 30% extra. In the past, before Brexit, I used to buy stuff or services from eBay UK but that's over now. It is still possible and eBay calculates the shipping and additional fees but it became too expensive. I have no idea how the process is when you live in the UK and buy from an eBay country in the EU. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anbaric Posted October 16, 2023 Share #11 Posted October 16, 2023 11 minutes ago, rjans said: I have no idea how the process is when you live in the UK and buy from an eBay country in the EU. It's the same. I use EU ebay (and discogs etc.) sellers a lot less these days. Only a few big traders who do a lot of business with the UK seem to have reasonable shipping and handling charges for the things I buy now. It's almost as if this whole Brexit thing was an incredibly stupid idea... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slender Posted October 17, 2023 Author Share #12 Posted October 17, 2023 15 hours ago, willeica said: Can you explain that? I don’t follow your interpretation of what I wrote. William Hi william, sory fo rthe confusion: when you said "The only time I don't get charged is when the item is coming from elsewhere in the EU or from Northern Ireland, which got a special dispensation from Brexit" => to me it sounds like you live in the UK and do not pay taxes when buying stuff from ebay sellers in the EU, which surprises me. Is that the case? The item I want is from a seller located in Japan. I am not happy about that as I would prefer to buy from people here in the UK or France (I am french but live in the Uk for 7+ years) to avoid paying an extra 30% on top of an already expensive asking price. Thank you everyone for your valuables inputs. It seems my 4100£ object of desire will most likely end up costing me 5K.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted October 17, 2023 Share #13 Posted October 17, 2023 FWIW I don't think I've ever been charged VAT and Duty on eBay photographic gear from Japan. That may be pure luck, but Japanese sellers tend to be very efficient regarding postage and it may depend on how they declare the item, new, second hand, antique etc. But I've bought many cameras and lenses and never had a problem, the last was a 35mm Voigtlander Skopar for my Nikon SP in April and it arrived within five days via FedEx. None of mine have been £4000 though and maybe this would attract the attention of HM Customs? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slender Posted October 17, 2023 Author Share #14 Posted October 17, 2023 Thanks Steve. Lovely Flickr Page you have by the way. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
willeica Posted October 17, 2023 Share #15 Posted October 17, 2023 4 hours ago, Slender said: Hi william, sory fo rthe confusion: when you said "The only time I don't get charged is when the item is coming from elsewhere in the EU or from Northern Ireland, which got a special dispensation from Brexit" => to me it sounds like you live in the UK and do not pay taxes when buying stuff from ebay sellers in the EU, which surprises me. Is that the case? The item I want is from a seller located in Japan. I am not happy about that as I would prefer to buy from people here in the UK or France (I am french but live in the Uk for 7+ years) to avoid paying an extra 30% on top of an already expensive asking price. Thank you everyone for your valuables inputs. It seems my 4100£ object of desire will most likely end up costing me 5K.... Look under my avatar. You will see that I am a proud Irishman living in Dublin. Hope all makes sense now. William 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slender Posted October 17, 2023 Author Share #16 Posted October 17, 2023 ahaha, yes it does sir. Thank you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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