"Import duties" when purchasing in the UK | Members help members

madelines2 · 2025-12-06T14:34:04.242000Z

Ever since Great Britain (and Northern Ireland, sort of) decided not to be part of the EU anymore, goods traffic has become a bit of a thing. More precisely, since 2021, since they’re no longer part of the single market. That’s also how it is on the eBay platform when it comes to key parts that are supposed to be imported into the single market from the UK. What I just can’t make sense of — two examples: One item (model railway 😉 to buy for GBP 130. Plus GBP 15.82 shipping (fine) and "approx. GBP 29.86" in "import duties. Another, absolutely comparable item for GBP 155. Here plus GBP 17.58 shipping (so that has a percentage component — is someone getting greedy at eBay?) and "approx. GBP 49.56" in "import duties". A jump of almost 20 pounds. That’s not a percentage.Asking eBay brought nothing at all except almost 30 minutes of life wasted in vain. Well, one thing did: the term "import duties" could successfully be spelled out to the first woman on the call-center hotline … (unfortunately not a joke)Does anyone here know exactly how the "import duties" are made up. And — most importantly — are these itemized in detail during/after completion of a transaction? (I suspect: No. Which makes the question almost legal in nature.) And can you understand this extreme jump between the two items (both with guaranteed identical product properties and also the same customs tariff number)?I suspect that it has something to do with the IOSS-threshold of €150 (~GBP 135). But above all, I also suspect that eBay and "Pitney Bowes" (who, according to cryptic eBay terms, are commissioned to handle the process) are lining their pockets. Very distasteful. It would be nice if someone responsible at eBay would also comment on these questions.

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"Import duties" when purchasing in the UK | Members help members | eBay Germany