After January 1st, firms who wish to sell goods to the UK will have to register for VAT and pay the tax up front. Also the £15 limit for VAT-free purchased is being abolished. See the this snip from The Times newspaper.
Will us (makers aka private persons aka non-business) still be able to sell our stuff to the UK without a big administration hassle ?
Great question, I’ll just stop selling to the UK if this can’t be taken care of.
That is what I’m also thinking about unless the marketplace sites can handle the hassle.
A know that few people are thinking that small purchases won’t be affected. Sorry, they will. The £15 VAT-free limit is being abolished. Even if you only want £1 worth shit, the firm will have to register and pay the tax up front.
With goods sold via on-line marketplaces like Tindie, Etsy, e-Bay, etc, the onus will be on the marketplace, not the individual trader, to register for VAT. So one option could be for small businesses is to sell via such sites. Which, of course, means paying the marketplace / auction site’s fees in addition to the VAT. Whatever, it’s the consumer that will suffer. 
The only saving grace is that private sales between individuals, and gifts, will still be tax-free up to £39.
Have we heard from the Tindie people about this yet? I did send a tweet on the topic but got no response.
Nothing that I’ve seen.
Aussie Post sent me an email outlining the burning firey hoops I’d need to jump through tho (I’ve got better things to do with my time!).
From 1 January 2021, the value-added tax (VAT) applicable to commercial items valued at £15 – £135 entering the UK will now be expanded to £0 – £135 (inclusive), meaning the £15 lower limit is abolished. The VAT on these items will also now have to be pre-paid.
If you sell goods to customers in the UK, from January 2021 you’ll need to pre-pay VAT to avoid additional costs. To do this, you’ll need to ensure you have:
- a GB Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) number before shipping your goods
- the HS Tariff Code required to make a customs declaration and calculate duties on an import
- the customs value of goods – needed to make a customs declaration and calculate duties on import.
We recommend you prepare for the application of the VAT scheme to your business by considering the changes and where appropriate applying for an EORI number in advance. It can take up to a week to get one, so register early.
Not happening!
I’m not a company and just use to Tindie platform to get a better reach for my left over stock.
When I would be a company I would stop immediately because I couldn’t write positive balance when I have to value the time I put into it.
But regarding to the UK, after 1/1/2021, when they keep allowing private to private gift with a £14.99 max value without any hustle, I will send every package as a private gift and I won’t put in the printed packing slip just in case the UK customs starts pulling open packages. And the standard letter will be a “standard letter” to a friend who I want to help with his hamradio projects by donating some parts.
When that isn’t possible I will be forced to stop shipping to the UK.
Neither am I, this is my hobby.
That’s a good idea, however if someone buys 100£ of items from me, I can’t put 100£ of insurance on it if I declare the value is 14£.
That’s a good idea, however if someone buys 100£ of items from me, I can’t put 100£ of insurance on it if I declare the value is 14£
That’s true. So I think buyers the UK will have a very narrow choice of shops to choose from in the near future (local and some very big ones like amazon and ebay).
Glad I left the UK!
Solution: on the CN22 - ‘Gift/Cadeau’
I’m afraid that’s the only way for small shippings. And not putting a invoice in it.
Define ‘small’. And don’t put an invoice on it. Email it. What are people selling? Parcels containing eighty eight particle accelerators?
Wow! I didn’t know this. I thought I just had to fill in a customs form and customs would handle it.
I do have an EORI number, but it will be too much of a hassle to deal with UK customers.
So I guess I won’t sell to the UK anymore. Good luck to those folks…
I think there is something similar in the US with some states. You have to charge VAT and pay this to the state the buyer lives in. I believe eBay is doing this for you. Way too much hassle…
I hope for the UK sake, they find a good trade deal with the EU. If not, I think I contact a few locals UK hams or a hamradio club, if they are willing to keep stock of my products so they can ship domestic.
