Has anyone ordered from skidnation lately with a value over £135 and had issues with duty tax?
If it involves imports, then welcome to the new reality.
Ask them to mark down the value to under £100 
Don’t think they will do that:
1 Like
I’ve looked at this. Doesn’t really make much sense to me if I’m honest. They say you shop 20% cheaper and VAT is added at the checkout. The issue is some pre paid VAT is added if your order is over £135 (duty tax threshold). Not sure what that is as it’s the courier that deals with import charges.
1 Like
Under £135 - as per Brexit agreement - they collect the vat and pay it for you.
£135 and above - they do not charge vat - and you take the risk that the courier will collect vat on delivery.
Unfortunately - the courier will also add their handling fee to process the vat.
It has all become a big mess now.
1 Like
I’ve bought exactly one thing directly from a european company since Brexit (Fanatic in Germany) and never again. End up paying out the ■■■ for something that shows up to your door months after it’s been sitting in customs.
1 Like
I have ordered from them. A vat invoice arrived with the item and had to be paid to the delivery person. Except they didn’t give me a receipt! I sent several emails to skid nation and the delivery company about how to pay the vat, and got nowhere with either. So it was a complete surprise to be handed an invoice by the delivery driver! Anyway, it all went well in the end but communication was terrible.
As a contrast, I ordered from IL MOTORSPORT who delivered via UPS which went a whole lot smoother. VAT invoice was sent via email and paid by card. So much easier!
Thanks for the insight. Having contacted skidnation they don’t seem to understand the process either, so not very reassuring. My main query was based on the (pre paid VAT) that is added at checkout on orders over £135. I don’t understand why this is added on top of the standard UK VAT charge.
Having had the pleasure on sending various things to Europe since the new reality.
For me, it is creating a commercial invoice, EORI numbers, commodity codes etc, but all sales are vat free, as is the shipping, but they are shipped with duty to be paid by the customer. DAP in Incoterms. There should be no vat to pay in the originating country, but paid in the UK. Paying twice should not happen.
Hi @NickD so skidnation say that I will be charged a pre payment of VAT that is then refunded to me. The problem is they then say I could be charged by the courier so I don’t know what the final cost will be regardless.
Maybe you can make sense of this message they sent me?
For orders below £135, you will be charged in our store but not by the courier.
For orders above £135, VAT will be subtracted at checkout, though a VAT prepayment will also appear on the invoice as this is how we handle transactions with the courier company.
This arrangement helps us ensure faster delivery without customs delays.
Purchasing these items separately might seem like a viable option, but it would result in double shipping charges and VAT being charged in our store.
Additionally, the discount applies only to a basket that contains both items; it is not applicable to separate products.
If you do purchase the products together, we will refund the 40 €ish prepayment and you will only pay for shipping once.
Back before before the stary eyed dreams of Churchill and Spitfires returning, for EU sales vat was collected at source and reported on vat returns as EU sales. VAT being a local tax has different rates in different countries. There were no cross border checks, or any other bureaucracy.
Now vat has to be collected by UK customs. The process will vary.
What is happening in your circumstance is that to aid shipping times, the UK vat is being prepaid so as to reduce holding times at UK customs. This is nothing to do with you but down to the courier who is undertaking to collect the vat on behalf of the UK. The delays will then come down to how efficient the courier is at their processes. So, the process is, you pay the tax up front. Skidnation should then be contracting with the courier to underwrite the vat contribution, probably in the courier fees, which they in turn underwrite to UK customs (or even pay in advance) The item then should suffer minimal customs issues. That you are paying it twice should not be happening. And yes, of course this process involves additional charges as there is additional effort involved, especially when it is vat.
There are other processes, above £135 can be shipped vat free and the vat is collected from you direct, by the courier before the goods are released. And also if the supplier has a UK office they can make the sale, as far as you are concerned, in the UK, you just pay as normal, and then all the other stuff is done in the background, away from you, and the product turns up at your doorstep in the normal way, after a very noticeable delay.
This topic was automatically closed 30 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.