Wargamorium | 24 Aug 2018 9:09 a.m. PST |
I live in Belgium and, like most EU wargamers, all of my figures come from the UK via mail order. Now that the UK Government has started issuing 'technical papers' on preparing for a 'no deal Brexit' what does the future look like for UK manufacturers. I presume we will have to pay all the relevant tariffs and charges but will the UK manufacturer add this to the price beforehand or will we have to pay on receipt. Does it alter things if UK manufacturers appoint agents in the EU? Finally has anybody any idea how much the tariffs will be on say just figures? Regards |
witteridderludo | 24 Aug 2018 9:54 a.m. PST |
Also from Belgium… As long as the order remains below €22.00 EUR, nothing will be charged. Up to €150.00 EUR you only need to pay vat (btw), over that you have to pay import duties too. I'm going to ask FOD Economie how this works for kickstarters from the UK. When it's paid for before Brexit, how about import duties in the case of delivery post brexit? This will influence my KS descisions. |
MajorB | 24 Aug 2018 10:46 a.m. PST |
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Wilf12358 | 24 Aug 2018 10:54 a.m. PST |
I would imagine it being all rather dependent on negotiations, and l suspect it will be up to the wire. |
Swampster | 24 Aug 2018 10:56 a.m. PST |
If there is no deal (or even if the deal doesn't allow free trade) It should mean that you can order figures without paying UK VAT – as long as the seller is VAT registered (which is generally a function of turnover). You would then be liable to pay Belgian VAT. If it is anything like the current situation for importing figures from the USA, I have to pay the VAT and a handling fee to the local parcel delivery company. I have a feeling the tariff (rather than the tax) on figures may be zero but that may be specific to certain countries. It may be from them counted as being toys but it is a while since I looked into it. The one thing that won't happen is for the seller to add any tax etc. onto their prices on behalf of your government. |
4DJones | 24 Aug 2018 11:00 a.m. PST |
"It won't." That is something of a restricted code statement. |
GildasFacit | 24 Aug 2018 11:08 a.m. PST |
Considering the state of international trade relationships at the moment I actually think Brexit effects may be less important than what happens globally. Tariff wars have almost inevitably produced upsets in markets in the past but, with the current state of global interdependence, the politicians may not be able to make as much of a mess as they have been able to in the past. Politics – from the Greek Poly (many) and tics (parasites). |
20thmaine | 24 Aug 2018 11:10 a.m. PST |
It's a sensible question and the only truthful answer is "we don't know yet". The government's published advice (from yesterday) ranges from "quite worrying" to "OMG really!" And that's from a pro-Brexit minister for Brexit! We'll have to wait and see and I suppose hope for the best. Anything else is just Project Wishful Thinking. |
Vigilant | 24 Aug 2018 12:03 p.m. PST |
I would expect that the position will be the. Same as importing from any other country outside the EU now, as Swampster says above. As for Kickstarters I would expect that local taxes will be due on importation. The big issues will be with larger shipments which will have to go through customs checks and much more paperwork than is currently the case. This will increase delays and costs for everyone, despite what pro-Brexit advocates say. |
Paul B | 24 Aug 2018 12:31 p.m. PST |
Well according to Remainers we in the UK are going to suffer such dreadful shortages of food and medicines, I doubt we'll have the strength to produce anything at all. |
dwight shrute | 24 Aug 2018 1:46 p.m. PST |
I expect there will be some subjective customs checks … much like everything we order here from the USA gets hit by a fee and PO handling charge . Yet everything we order from Korea and China never does . |
Texas Jack | 24 Aug 2018 2:25 p.m. PST |
I´m in the Czech Republic and I´ve been pondering the same question as the OP. I suppose I would be tempted to make smaller orders to escape the tariff, but there´s the postage to consider as well. But I´m not sure if there will be the benefit of not having to pay VAT, and if no, then it may just balance out. |
20thmaine | 24 Aug 2018 3:32 p.m. PST |
Well according to Remainers we in the UK are going to suffer such dreadful shortages of food and medicines, I doubt we'll have the strength to produce anything at all. The actual worrying thing is that it's the Brexiters that are saying that. |
Twilight Samurai | 24 Aug 2018 9:08 p.m. PST |
There's always Soylent Green, apparently it's better than Yellow! |
The Man With Two Bryans | 24 Aug 2018 11:48 p.m. PST |
As 20thmaine says, we don't know yet. There are a lot of ifs and buts. If there is no trade agreement, then the products of any small non-VAT registered U.K. wargames company will become about 20% more expensive to customers in the EU. The actual amount depends on the VAT rate of the customer's country – around 20% is typical. Add the collection fee charged by the mail service. Anyone in Norway knows how this works. The EU proposes to remove the low value exemption by 2021, so the typical 22 euro threshold on order values will no longer exist. Any order sent to the EU will be charged VAT on arrival in the destination country. There are or were plans to treat physical goods the same as digital goods, and if that happens then a non-EU supplier will have to register for VAT in EU countries (the VAT-MOSS system may not exist post Brexit) and the VAT will be paid by the supplier, i.e. the small wargames business. But they can get round that by just shutting off EU countries as a market, which will be possible post-Brexit. The likeliest effect on non-VAT registered U.K. wargames companies is, therefore, that their products will suddenly become much more expensive to EU customers. Products from VAT-registered UK wargames companies will not be greatly affected: the VAT will be paid on import by the customer, and any increase will simply be the handling charge. Whether the increased costs of importing put customers off buying and therefore reduce how much U.K. wargames companies sell to the EU is therefore still conjecture. |
shaun from s and s models | 25 Aug 2018 1:32 a.m. PST |
no idea but our base materials have recently gone up in price. the customs duty may be the one that makes a big difference. no one knows in reality but someone will make money out of it! more red tape i suspect. |
Cornelius | 25 Aug 2018 4:11 a.m. PST |
I think the best thing for those outside the UK to do is to buy now from the UK before it becomes too expensive. |
keithbarker | 25 Aug 2018 5:38 a.m. PST |
I am in Sweden. I buy everything I can from local hobby shops. But that isn't very much. I buy almost everything from the UK. In cases where I *really* want something from a USA supplier I will order it but I know it will get stopped in customs and I will have to pay customs, VAT and handling charge – expensive and time comsuming. So I avoid USA whenever possible. If the UK after Brexit is treated the same as the USA then I will seriously look at other EU countries for suppliers instead of the UK. |
eddy1957 | 25 Aug 2018 10:50 a.m. PST |
I think I will be looking out for EU traders, and what's available in local hobby shops. And there are always a couple of wargame shows to go to. |
Wargamorium | 25 Aug 2018 11:27 a.m. PST |
My thanks to all of you who replied. There are a few very good shows in Belgium now and of course there is Crisis in Antwerp although I suppose it may not be viable for UK traders to bring their stuff to Crisis after this year. I too hesitate to order from the USA for the very reasons set out by keithbarker above but I imagine that we will all ending paying whatever we have to to get the figures we want. There are not enough EU manufacturers to fill the gaps. We will have to wait to see how things turn out. Regards |
Timmo uk | 25 Aug 2018 12:10 p.m. PST |
As others have written, we just don't know yet. A deal may be cobbled together at the eleventh hour. However, I suspect one way or another prices will go up a little. I've no idea where the raw materials for metal figures come from but I doubt the UK is self-sufficient for tin. We may see import duty on the ingots on the way in and export duty on the figures on the way out. Or perhaps it'll become economically viable to reopen the Cornish tin mines : ) Either way I suspect many of us will still buy the brands we like the most and suck up the extra costs. It may mean that EU residents find it viable to visit Salute and then decide on the way home if they declare their new figure stash to customs, that is if their customs even care about 'toys'. Currently some parts of the media suggest that customs will grind to a near halt with miles of tailbacks at the ports. |
Lluis of Minairons | 26 Aug 2018 5:48 a.m. PST |
The least the best --fingers crossed. |
55th Division | 26 Aug 2018 1:22 p.m. PST |
for some countries goods may be cheaper. as the current UK VAT rate is 20% if you get the British VAT deducted and the your own countries VAT charged some countries for example Luxembourg where VAT is 17% will be saving by purchasing from the UK |
BTCTerrainman | 26 Aug 2018 4:35 p.m. PST |
What ever happened to free trade? |
Wargamorium | 27 Aug 2018 3:37 a.m. PST |
We had free trade with the UK for 40+ years but now they are dropping out of the deal. That is the problem. |
Frontline Tim | 01 Sep 2018 12:05 p.m. PST |
I'm pretty sure whatever happens it will be over complicated, costly to both manufacturer and gamer and be lining someones pocket. |
Lord Hill | 26 Jan 2021 5:57 a.m. PST |
It won't. What was that, MajorB? I see you've been saying "rubbish" to any suggestion Brexit might cause import/export problems (and massive price hikes) on any thread that mentions Brexit since 2016. How are all those claims looking now? |
Frontline Tim | 02 Feb 2021 12:32 p.m. PST |
I wasn't that far wrong.I had an email from a customer in France, he got his order ok but ended up paying an extra 41 Euros in VAT and customs fees. This seems steep on an order of 75 Euros. It seems that item under 15 Euros will not be liable for customs duty but Vat will still apply. |