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QUOTE (Gary @ 6 Nov 2007, 08:10) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Many mail order suppliers won't ship overseas as if you are VAT registered it becomes a nightmare and if you export more than £2000 worth of goods (or whatever the figure is) it again becomes an admin nightmare.
And if you are overseas you can claim the VAT back from eBay sellers who are VAT registered so all is not as it seems. eBay of course don't give you a fee refund on the VAT element of the sale that is reclaimed but you can reclaim the VAT element of your eBay fees.
Not true at all Gary,
Firstly, it is no problem for a properly run business to export goods without VAT added - if you export to an EU country you do not charge/add VAT, provided you have a copy of the buyers VAT registration certificate any have verified that it is still valid. Exporting to none EU countries is a little more involved but its still not really a problem. For large amounts, if you use a decent shipping company they will handle most of the admin' for you. More a case of cannot be bothered for those mail order companies who do not export.
Overseas customers cannot generally claim VAT back, it's up to them to ensure that they are not charged VAT in the first place. The VAT content of eBay fees is just not worth bothering about unless you purchase a lot of goods from eBay.
As to the prices obtained by some sellers on eBay - so what ? - it's a free market place, & yes, some of the prices obtained are silly. To quote the example of joiners/fishplates - the buyer may not live near a model shop & finds sourcing these items easy on eBay, after all a few mouse clicks & via PayPal it could even be easier than mail order. I've sold goods that have made far more than their true value, but I'm not complaining. Neither do I complain when I "lose" something I wanted. If you don't like eBay then the answer is quite simple - don't use it.
And if you are overseas you can claim the VAT back from eBay sellers who are VAT registered so all is not as it seems. eBay of course don't give you a fee refund on the VAT element of the sale that is reclaimed but you can reclaim the VAT element of your eBay fees.
Not true at all Gary,
Firstly, it is no problem for a properly run business to export goods without VAT added - if you export to an EU country you do not charge/add VAT, provided you have a copy of the buyers VAT registration certificate any have verified that it is still valid. Exporting to none EU countries is a little more involved but its still not really a problem. For large amounts, if you use a decent shipping company they will handle most of the admin' for you. More a case of cannot be bothered for those mail order companies who do not export.
Overseas customers cannot generally claim VAT back, it's up to them to ensure that they are not charged VAT in the first place. The VAT content of eBay fees is just not worth bothering about unless you purchase a lot of goods from eBay.
As to the prices obtained by some sellers on eBay - so what ? - it's a free market place, & yes, some of the prices obtained are silly. To quote the example of joiners/fishplates - the buyer may not live near a model shop & finds sourcing these items easy on eBay, after all a few mouse clicks & via PayPal it could even be easier than mail order. I've sold goods that have made far more than their true value, but I'm not complaining. Neither do I complain when I "lose" something I wanted. If you don't like eBay then the answer is quite simple - don't use it.
