Posted 4 hours ago

HMRC failing to collect Import Duty on Amazon EU purchases

I thought it might be worth sharing. I regularly import stuff from Amazon's european stores as its regularly cheaper. One bonus is I've found that HMRC regularly fails to collect the import duty I pay Amazon when ordering.
It's only about a third of the time, but it's lovely when it happens. Refunds are paid 6 months later.
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  1. normal's avatar
    Author
    I should mention that I use Bobalob.com to find possible savings on Amazon's european stores.
  2. AMaky's avatar
    HMRC has up to 20 years to claim any monies owed to them, just a thought. (edited)
    t0022's avatar
    20 years? And how long do I have to claim if I'm owed money? One way system I expect
  3. bozo007's avatar
    I am assuming we are differentiating between import duty and VAT. The latter is usually added automatically by Amazon on everything while the former is applicable on some items over £175.

    I am curious to see what items OP is talking about.
  4. Jay_Ma's avatar
    Can you specify what products did you buy? Because you don’t pay such charges on items that were made in the EU when you import from the EU countries. (edited)
  5. normal's avatar
    Author
    To answer a few people's questions.
    I typically buy stuff like headphones, vinyl, phones etc.
    The last thing I got refunded on were some Sony headphones
    bozo007's avatar
    Show the Amazon invoice because I am struggling to accept there was no VAT charged. By the way, phones, headphones, etc. do not attract Customs duty, only VAT. I am assuming you are aware that these are different taxes.
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