Chinese imports

What is the current situation regarding Ebay purchases originating in China. I am after buying some end mills at around £15. There was a discussion on this site some time ago but I can't find it now. Online advice is not clear and the rules are somewhat haphazardly applied by all accounts.

Mick

I’m not sure if it helps but I’ve bought lots of stuff on eBay from China and not paid import duty or VAT on any of it. I don’t think any of my orders have had a value over about £25 though.

Many [most, if not all] of the Chinese sellers on ebay have an arrangement where ebay collects the VAT at the time of purchase … Those items should flow through the system without any difficulty.

MichaelG.

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For example … Have a look at this listing : https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/195505495124

Then select the Postage, returns & payments tab, and scroll down the page

where you will find this statement:

[reformatted to avoid a page layout problem on this forum]

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 12/04/2023 08:41:59

I could not resist. I won't do it again I promise.

As of my knowledge cutoff date of September 2021, there were no specific restrictions on eBay purchases originating in China, but there are certain issues that buyers should be aware of.

Firstly, it is important to check the seller's feedback and ratings before making a purchase, as there have been reports of fraudulent sellers operating from China. It is also important to carefully read the product description and shipping information, as some sellers may offer lower prices but longer shipping times, and it may take several weeks for the items to arrive.

In addition, buyers should be aware of the potential for customs duties and taxes when purchasing items from overseas, including China. The amount of duties and taxes charged can vary depending on the item's value and the country of origin, and it is the responsibility of the buyer to pay these fees.

Regarding the specific issue of purchasing end mills from China, it is possible to find a wide range of end mills on eBay from Chinese sellers at various price points. However, as with any purchase, it is important to check the seller's reputation and carefully read the product description before making a purchase.

It is worth noting that the situation regarding eBay purchases originating in China can change over time, and it is always a good idea to check for any updates or changes to rules and regulations that may affect your purchase.

But

"Cardiff flat owner gets tax bills for 11,000 Chinese firms...

Rod

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Which is one of the reasons why it’s better to have ebay managing the VAT

”HMRC admitted the situation did not raise alarm bells at the tax office.” says it all really !!

MichaelG.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 12/04/2023 09:43:14

I wonder if it would work out cheaper for a UK manufacturer to ship their product to China (in bulk) not paying VAT as overseas sale, and then have the Chinese send it back to UK customers dodging the VAT? Not sure about the UK but in the USA there have been complaints that the way the postal service cross charges international mail the Chinese get to send stuff almost for nothing, helping to undercut local products.

Bazyle,

Where would “customers dodging the VAT” come into your scenario ?

MichaelG.

Ah but think of the advantages! Tax collection outsourced, business deregulated, and civil-service numbers cut again...

Most surprising thing to me about this story isn't that foreigners make poor tax collectors (what a surprise!), it was the lack-lustre response of the authorities! The whole system appears to be fundamentally broken, incapable of responding to a predictable abuse.

I blame the Chinese for embarrassing the government - if they'd been clever enough to use 11,000 different UK addresses instead of one in Cardiff, this wouldn't have got into the news!

For all we know collecting VAT abroad as a system is malfunctioning on a much larger scale; I don't think the figures are made public.

Dave

That is because the ROC government pays for most of the shipping of Chinese products, so defrauding the ROC might lead to unpleasant consequences.

Dave, do you really mean the government of the ROC, i.e. Taiwan?

Not really. Just like a lot of firms, including some importers of Chinese lathes, they just leave the inspection to the customer.

JA

This must be part of the original question. What do we mean by China? We, as consumers, don't really care.

It would be interesting to know the percentage of imports from each country. I have a feeling that one of the Chinese Lathe manufacturers is in Taiwan. This leads to the next question, how much business interchange is there between the two countries?

I do not want this to become political. I see no reason for it to do so.

JA

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I’m not sure if you really believe that, JA

… but I would say the two closing paragraphs of the referenced article make the HMRC shambles pretty clear

[quote]

Mr Davies said HMRC needed to "tighten up completely", claiming it was easier to "register a company for VAT than it is to go and get a bus pass".

HMRC said: "We are reviewing our operational processes for managing high volume address changes, including understanding any vulnerabilities in our systems associated with this behaviour."

[/quote]

MichaelG.

As both a consumer and a private citizen, I for my part care immensely.

Well-said, Bill

MichaelG.

We should care but how do I know the country of origin? They both call themselves China.

JA

Edited By DiogenesII on 12/04/2023 14:42:27

It can get confusing, certainly, but I think I'm right in saying that the government of the ROC/Taiwan [and most people from the ROC/Taiwan] would never refer to their country/territory* as "China" unqualified; the official title is the "Republic of China [Taiwan]". The handful of people I know personally from Taiwan say they are from Taiwan and are Taiwanese people.

This might be useful to you.

*The reason for the co-existence of the two terms in respect of Taiwan is controversial and best not discussed here.

Edited By Bill Phinn on 12/04/2023 16:19:39

I think you will find that mainland China is called the Peoples Republic Of China.

I bought a Geiger counter directly and it cost about £65 and no extra duty costs were added, maybe it slipped through the net.