Wanted to order a new MET helmet-uk price £43.99 but have it delivered to Spain as I have always done.Problem is when you go to checkout you are re-direced to the Spanish site where the price is 63.49 euros or £53.62.The reply I received to my query about this is as follows.
Unfortunately with the new website,we are cutting down on the different options available to make things easier for our customers!
So much for rip-off Britain we now have rip-off Spain!

I think VAT in Spain is highrer. And Spain is most definitely a rip-off. Apart from drinking.

VAT?

Uk doesn’t charge it on safety gear (helmets), but spain does?

I know Ireland charges VAT, but you can get around that with parcelmotel.

VAt is due in the UK, not Spain so would be charged at UK rates (ie. 20%) where it applied.

..ah well just imagining a reason.

Does this mean the website actually works again now?

VAT could make sense.

Lower VAT in Germany (for items that attract VAT), even if it is only 1% lower, and websites that work. And EU delivery less than 15 days is a bonus.

VAt is due in the UK, not Spain

Not if redirected to the Spanish store 😉

And most of these large mail order companies effectively trade in each EU country, even if delivery is from a single warehouse.

CRC used to let you choose whether to buy from the UK store or the foreign store.

The difference is more than the VAT, I think the EU has tightened the rules on VAT and selling across borders, to stop the likes of Amazon and play gaining too much of an advantage over local markets by sighting their warehouses in VAT free zones like Jersey. I think that if you trade over a certain amount to a country then you pay vat at the receiving country’s rate rather than the sending ones.

Their reply looks automated and doesn’t really answer the question, I would reply back and tell them to give a proper explanation.

You don’t have to buy from them. I do sometimes in their sales but most of the time use companies based in Aachen, Luxembourg and Frankfurt.

The difference in VAT between countries is tiny compared with CRC price discrepancies. You need to spend over 50e to get free delivery to Europe which I fully understand. The whole free delivery thing is daft IMO. You pay it one way or another and for a big order it’s far better to have competitive prices than free delivery.