can anyone assist me with a situation involving my FBM orders? I’m using EVRI and Royal Mail when possible.
I recently shipped a parcel to Ireland worth £40, and I received an email from An Post (Ireland) stating that I owe VAT (customs charges) on the item before it can be delivered to the customer.
I’m VAT registered and interested in doing more FBM, but with these customs charges, is it even worth fulfilling orders to Ireland or Europe?
It’s not worth shipping to Ireland due to the tax and duty costs. Customers often buy from there because they can get cheap items without paying shipping costs or VAT. You may want to consider adding delivery fees on top of your listing.
I stopped sending to Ireland and EU with FBM after Brexit. It’s simply too much hassle. It can all be done but all you need is one or two problem orders that any profits are wiped off. All you need is a over-zealous customs officer to cause trouble even if you’ve done everything right.
And, of course, the need for a local return address is crazy unless you are a mega seller.
I only use FBA Export which is no problem at all. Let Amazon worry about the red tape.
When shipping items to Ireland, if the value is over €22, the sender or recipient may need to pay VAT, if the item is subject to VAT (depending on the incoterms) and if the value is over €150 then customs duty may also apply.