Buying from Europe from UK on eBay - advice

[reanimation]

Hi, (I hope this is a good place to ask. please move if it's an issue)


I know many of you have been shopping abroad for a while and have experience.
I'd like to buy parts from a retro bike business on eBay in Germany. I had an order before Brexit but with Covid madness they couldn't send it! - I've been looking recently and lots to learn since we left EU.


I'm at the stage of wondering if paying with Paypal rather than Credit/Debit Card will make less transaction fees or it's worth considering a new credit card for this (kind of thing)??
A quick edit - The above isn't a big deal at all but has been a learning curve thinking about all the leyers of fees and risk in buying from overseas now.

Here's what I think I've learnt:
*Less than £135 order - and I'm presuming the delivery cost is included in this limit- means no import duty issues... but may (or not) be a UK VAT charge (20%?) when it arrives.
*There also may be an extra carrier charge when it arrives.

Any advice or experience on the subject appreciated.

Cheers!!

 

[greencat]

Less transaction fees, possibly not. More transparent transaction fees/easier to get refund if it goes wrong, probably yes.

Some people have found pre-payment cards like Revolut cheaper on the transaction fees front than going with the conversions offered by big companies like PayPal & Amazon.

 

[geddy1972]

Alot of bike companies in Germany dont want to deal with us now we have left the EU !

a few months ago i saw a good deal on an item but couldnt see the UK on the shipping charges list.
i emailed them and basically the reply was that they didnt want to deal with any customers in the UK and refused to send any items to me !

 

[Factorycol]

the transaction fees aren't the issue. Its the import duty, VAT and customs declaration fees that make the cross border trade a pain. The easiest way is if you get the shop to set up on ebays global shipping program, that way ebay handle everything for them. You'll just get the item price plus a larger amount for shipping which will cover the above. The seller sends to ebay in Germany and they move a bulk load of stuff over the border in one go, and then ship to you.

I use it quite a bit for shipping from UK into EU, its loads easier than dealing with things individually with all sorts of problems with customers the other end. I can see why EU shops don't want to ship to the UK, its a nightmare for a ton of reasons.

 

[geddy1972]

i get alot of bike stuff from aliexpress.

they add the vat on at the check out part.

mind you i only buy items under £20 or so as about 3 years ago i brought a bike frame costing about £70 but had to pay import/post office duties of £30 when i collected it from the post office !

so this cheap frame ended up being not so cheap !

 

[66 triumph daytona]

Im in Ireland and pre brexit I traded weekly and happily with a lot on here and on ebay and in uk shops etc with absolutely zero issues. I had a virtual address in Northern Ireland so effectively it cost me the same in post for something sent to Ireland as it did to anywhere else in the UK. Post brexit that has stopped dead. Its a disaster. Post prices to the EU from the UK have sky rocketed and customs charges have also made any purchases cost prohibitive. Post brexit all the virtual address companies ceased to offer the UK as an option. Also, a lot of smaller UK post is going missing, Im not alone in this, I know of others that simply havent received small value small sized packages. A few months back I paid for an X Lite skewer from a guy on here, taking the chance that I would actually get it but deep down I kinda knew that there was a strong chance I wouldnt . I didnt receive it, there are a huge amount of low value small packages going missing and falling through the cracks. Its such a clusterf**k. I really miss trading with guys in the UK but thankfully a lot of EU companies have filled some of the void but not all of it. Look at my feedback. It pretty much stopped dead soon after brexit.

 

[reanimation]

the transaction fees aren't the issue. Its the import duty, VAT and customs declaration fees that make the cross border trade a pain. The easiest way is if you get the shop to set up on ebays global shipping program, that way ebay handle everything for them. You'll just get the item price plus a larger amount for shipping which will cover the above. The seller sends to ebay in Germany and they move a bulk load of stuff over the border in one go, and then ship to you.

I use it quite a bit for shipping from UK into EU, its loads easier than dealing with things individually with all sorts of problems with customers the other end. I can see why EU shops don't want to ship to the UK, its a nightmare for a ton of reasons.

Thanks, I agree. I was running through it in checkout and it was icing on the cake - another fee to layer on! So just checking fees wont get too mental if staying below £135.

I think using eBay as a tool in this case is a good idea. The seller says this is the only way now and I can see why.

 

[Factorycol]

Thanks, I agree. I was running through it in checkout and it was icing on the cake - another fee to layer on! So just checking fees wont get too mental if staying below £135.

I think using eBay as a tool in this case is a good idea. The seller says this is the only way now and I can see why.

just add the fees to the list of Brexit benefits and you'll feel better!

 

[foz]

just add the fees to the list of Brexit benefits and you'll feel better!

I didn't know there were any benefits, let alone a list

 

[Factorycol]

I didn't know there were any benefits, let alone a list

it killed my import business, with the red tape and extra costs, so I'm currently enjoying some unpaid time off.

trying to hunt down any postives is an impossible activity that keeps me busy and at least stops me running into town and punching the nearest brexit voter in the face.