Amazon DE trying to make me pay the buyers import tax?
Hey all,
I have a quick question if poss, I sell a lot to Germany and always have done. Now in a post-brexit world I have a buyer complaining they’ve had to pay 11 Euros import tax and are trying to badger Amazon into making me pay it trying to imply its a transport cost, when infact its a German tax to a German importer.
Any idea what the situation is on this sort of thing? Amazon DE actually seem to look like they are going to back up the buyer (yawn, no surprise) - Is this actually how it is? Do I actually have to start charging 20% more on de,es,fr to account for this? (I’m UK based).
Any help appreciated,
Best regards
Luke
65 replies
Seller_7VbclcPFFRTnc
Yes
If the buyer has purchased on .de site you are responsible for paying all customs charges upfront via your courier
The customer should not pay anything else other than the price they paid on amazon
Same if you ordered an item on amazon.co.uk - if it arrived with an added customs charge, you’d be annoyed
Seller_qZO3ZCjoBXEeL
Just in case you wanted a 2nd opinion - @The_Little_Shop is correct. If the orders are placed on the .de marketplace then you are responsible for all taxes and handling fees to get the product to the customer.
Seller_lljyzgTxr5fgI
And, just in case you wanted a 3rd and decisive opinion, I would believe everything that @The_Little_Shop and @PeterB say because they’re both experts in this field 
Seller_19fz0c48XB8qd
And this is why we have stopped selling on de. and fr .Royal Mail do not have a DDP service and neither do many couriers.
Seller_PUgTge8LPB8FY
Worth bearing in mind, too, that if you send FBM from the UK to the EU without DDP, you are in breach of Amazon policy and may be risking account suspension. It’s not yet clear how strictly Amazon will enforce this policy, though.
Seller_taDBgt7LctucW
The link clearly states £5k per annum which is achievable for many I would have thought? Though I guess they may be talking about spending £5k per annum on this particular service.
https://www.royalmail.com/business/international/guide/delivered-duties-paid
Seller_D52kINh75QL8v
Yes you have to pay the customs fee. This will probably be the German VAT AND an admin charge by Deutsche Post. It’s not all bad news though as you do not charge UK VAT. So when you do your VAT return you treat the proceeds as VAT exempt. So if you are VAT registered you claim the VAT back when you buy the product but you do not have to pay UK VAT to HMRC when you sell it. If you sell A LOT to Germany you could claim more VAT back than you charge leading to a VAT refund. But see your accountant for a definitive answer.
It will change when IOSS is implemented in the EU (in July). From that time Amazon will deduct German VAT from your proceeds and will pay the money directly to the German Tax Authorities. The beauty of this is that the package should fly through customs. (might depend on Country of Origin).
Also as I understand it if a German Buyer buys from amazon uk then they ARE importing to Germany and should pay the German VAT themselves. As they actively went outside of the EU to buy the product.
Seller_LG5fP0ZTW72qj
Sorry for asking this question., does the DDP rule apply for orders from those EU buyers placing orders on Amazon UK website?
James
