Buy & Sell post Brexit

[Edman]

Not sure where to put this thread?

I have bought and sold lots of gear on this forum. Probably around 20-30 lenses total. I'm in the EU, so now that the dust has slightly settled, what happens now?

If I sell a used item to the UK, will you have to pay customs+VAT on it? If I buy a used item from the UK, do I have to pay customs+VAT?

Seems like if customs+VAT is applied, all cross border trade on used stuff is simply killed off.

[Graham_of_Rainham]

There are a number of issues that have yet to be resolved, including if VAT has already been paid on the item within the EU when UK was in the EU, etc..

There’s also this, which may be used for second hand items: https://www.gov.uk/vat-margin-schemes

Whatever the final result will be more hassle than often it’s worth...

[Edman]

This seems quite unfair towards people selling used gear. If I buy something new from UK, then it doesn't matter. VAT in the UK and here is basically the same, so if the retailer sells it to me they simply don't pay VAT in the UK, but pay it here. The item ends up costing basically the same. My wife just bought some stuff from Ted Baker and it arrived from the UK without any extra costs. While if I buy something new here and then a couple of years later sell it on to the UK, I'd have paid VAT twice.

[Darkroom]

I have bought and sold lots of gear on this forum. Probably around 20-30 lenses total..

If forum rules were applied that makes you a trader IMHO

[Graham_of_Rainham]

Buying lots and selling a few over years would not be considered “trading”...

[Darkroom]

As the only active mod, what would your interpretation of trading be ? Maybe starting a branch of Jessops on the forum ? 😀

[Edman]

I have been a member of this forum for 8 years and owned Olympus gear for 14 years. 20-30 lenses isn't even on the high side, this forum represents at best a quarter of all camera and lens purchases I've made over those years.

[spiderwasp]

If you think selling camera gear is more difficult because of Brexit just be glad you don't own a boat. If you are resident in the UK but your boat is in Europe and/or you bought it in Europe (paying VAT, prior to Brexit) you may be liable to pay both import duty and VAT when you return it to the UK. You can't really keep it in Europe 'cos you can't now stay more than 90 days. I know - first world problems visited on a second class country !

[blackfox]

still a lot of ongoing problems to be sorted out .. and also a lot of petty problems being raised by idiots on both sides

[pdk42]

If you think selling camera gear is more difficult because of Brexit just be glad you don't own a boat. If you are resident in the UK but your boat is in Europe and/or you bought it in Europe (paying VAT, prior to Brexit) you may be liable to pay both import duty and VAT when you return it to the UK. You can't really keep it in Europe 'cos you can't now stay more than 90 days. I know - first world problems visited on a second class country !

The impacts of Brexit are just everywhere. Economic and cultural vandalism of the highest order. The government is a bunch of ideologues who have lost track of their real duty to the citizens they serve.

[Edman]

Well, IMO, there are good arguments against Brexit and good arguments for Brexit, especially from economists. The UK wasn't exactly doing super well within the EU, to put it mildly, and those EU related problems are not unique to the UK either. Is it going to be better in10-20 years? Unfortunately, we're never going to know what was the right course of action because we have no way to examine two parallel universes. This is why macroeconomics isn't a real science. I am an economist, btw.

And I have no way to affect any of these world events, the only thing I can do is examine all the new rules and see if I can find something that works for me.

[AMc]

If I sell a used item to the UK, will you have to pay customs+VAT on it? If I buy a used item from the UK, do I have to pay customs+VAT?

To your first sentence - probably. TBH I don't think anyone can say for sure esp. as the UK has applied charging UK citizens VAT from abroad before the EU has implemented the same rules.
The loss of the exemption for goods under a certain value makes this even more complicated.

Buying from or sending to the USA has always been a lottery - I've had packages arrived entirely untouched despite proper declarations of their contents, value and origin.
I've had packages where VAT and duty and exorbitant courier processing fees have been required before delivery, sometimes outweighing the value of the package.
Shipping is also included in the calculation for tax and if you under declare the value then your insurance is affected (at the least).
A complete PITA.

Seems like if customs+VAT is applied, all cross border trade on used stuff is simply killed off.

Probably.
Personal import/export to the EU has been made as painful and irritating as sending things to my friends in the USA so I won't be bothering for the foreseeable future.
I used to casually order from EU suppliers all the time, now I check the terms on .co.uk sites I've not used before to make sure things aren't coming from over the channel.
One of the many, manyreasons I'm furious at being dragged through Brexit I haven't seen a single potential up side to it.

[blackfox]

I did see one upside today travelling along the A55 north wales expressway which is normally heaving with lorries heading for Holyhead it was like xmas morning virtually empty .
But despite stay home lockdown being relaxed public toilets are still weaponised and all shut , rather annoying to say the least

[pdk42]

That lack of lorries means that NI is either suffering from empty supermarket shelves or else the buyers there have switched to suppliers in Ireland. That doesn’t bode well if you’re a UK supplier. The same argument will apply to anyone supplying to the EU.

[Otto]

Here in the Dales the public loos are still open, thankfully!

[pdk42]

One of the many, many reasons I'm furious at being dragged through Brexit I haven't seen a single potential up side to it.

I’ve seen one upside - the EU have now black listed all the UK’s dodgy tax havens!

[Wee man]

A positive? Certain cigarette brands will not be available in Northern Ireland. This is because due to EU rules which still apply different health warnings and other details need to be printed on packs. These do not need to be on packs in Great Britain so rather than printing differing packs with all the separate delivery areas they are stopping supply. I am a nonsmoker so do not care.
A negative? I cannot purchase seeds, plants from GB companies due to the so called Irish Sea border. I cannot get bare root plants as they may have British soil but I can order plants from anywhere in Europe with soil.
There are some goods missing from shelves but alternative brands are available.
The whole thing is a nonsense.

Ed

[blackfox]

TBH the whole thing has got petty and unfortunately the e.u is acting like a jilted ex girlfriend .. common sense should have prevailed but is sadly lacking as far as I can see with them taking a we are better than you attitude ..
it’s also showing that we long term have made the right choice . Same as when they changed Greece to euros instead of drachmas there prices went up tenfold overnight and the e.u just left them to struggle , with the Germans waiting in the wings to buy up everything .

[Bengeo]

We could have had a softer Brexit, but the Government didn't want that. They knew what the various rules were and that as a 3rd country those rules would be applied to us. With our threats to break International laws etc. I'm surprised that the EU has been as helpful as they have been. But I do agree that Greece were treated badly.