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Anyone ordered from BikeInn over the £135 threshold and did you get charged VAT and duty on top?
I know there are a handful of EU shops that operate effectively as UK shops for UK customers, like Bikester. I don't know how that works though and wasn't aware that BikeInn might be one of them. Their website suggests they are:
Will I be asked to pay additional VAT or duty charges upon receiving my parcel in the United Kingdom?
No, the price on our website will be the final cost to you. There will be no additional VAT or duty charges requested on delivery by our carriers. We have done all we can to prepare for Brexit in the best way possible to offer the best experience for the customer.
Seems very clear but, for some reason I can't quite put a finger on, I'm skeptical. The item I'm interested in is a very good price with them, but it wouldn't be if I got charged 25% on top.
I ordered some stuff from R2 bike in Germany last week and split the orders to get them below the 135 limit. I realised I'd screwed up and one order was £140 something after exchange rate. Didn't get charged any extras though.
Maybe it depends how much over 135 and who delivers it....
There's the "if you're lucky" thing with eg R2 (on small orders you shouldn't get charged, and I never have; on big ones you should, but you might get away with it). I get that. But I think a very small number of shops have done something extra to set themselves up as a UK shop or something. Pretty sure Bikester has done this and it sounds from the above that BikeInn has too. I'm just after some real world experience to confirm or deny that I suppose.
Might depend if they have UK distribution centre. I did have to return something to bike Inn and it was a UK address. Took bloody ages too...
had several things from bikeinn over £135 and not had any extra charges
BikeInn (or the parent company) have a distribution solution in the UK so you order and the item goes to there and sent to you (or something like that) so you don't pay anything else other than the price on the site.
It can take longer to arrive with you though.
Thanks all. Great to get some first hand experience. Have ordered, so fingers crossed all good.
Yeah. Can confirm all's good
I ordered some bars last weekend. Turned up yesterday with a royal mail label on so the above comment about the place in the UK seems to fit..
Downside is... They sent the wrong bars!
You (unless it randomly slips through) pay VAT (if applicable) anyway. It's just that under £135 you pay the shop and over £135 you pay the courier. The total should be the same either way unless the courier charges a fee.
For clarity, I wasn't after a tax dodge, rather just a clarification or some direct experience. I have very little faith in our post brexit system getting things right, so it seems sensible to gather some real life experiences of any given shop! My fear was the potential for paying VAT twice (or accidentally comparing net prices with gross I suppose). Plus duty of course, it isn't quite the same.
Equally, it is really positive if BikeInn is operating like this, when most of our previous European buying options are either more expensive or gone altogether because of Brexit. At least some options remain.
Edit: this is not to blame those other shops for it either. It's not their fault.
Just check on the checkout page what's listed under the subtotal for tax, if it's 0% you'll pay it on delivery (plus any courier fee which can be £15?), if it's already there then you're paying the shop.
Most shops list the prices correctly, so cheap things are inc. VAT, >£135 things are excl. VAT. It only gets murky if you buy several things, it goes over the threshold, the shop reduces the total and you have to pay the tax on delivery.
I've use the 'inn' chain a fair bit both before and after Brexit and it does indeed seem to work as they claim.
They are good in my experience........been great for ski and mountaineering kit. But don't order anything from them you need soon. Always taken a good while to arrive. Also, returns can get pricy in postage.
